Rejected: Paulick Report Story Ideas That Didn’t Make The Cut

The Paulick Report staff recently gathered virtually for our annual planning meeting – a day-long brainstorming session about new content and website improvements that usually leaves each of us feeling like we're a bit more storm than brain by the end. The cleverest minds in business say there are no bad ideas, but there certainly are ideas that merit eventual rejection.

This year, for the first time, we are giving our readers a look at some of the rejected ideas for new series, along with the group consensus for turning down those ideas

(And yes, this is satire. We need to point this out at the get-go. See Idea 5.)

The Cricket Report: A monthly series reminding readers about all the court and commission cases that are open, but silent. Rejected because: Frankly, between the slew of old drug positives without rulings issued by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the boatload of civil lawsuits involving Zayat Stables, more than two dozen federal defendants, and lots, lots more, we can't keep straight who did what, when, where, and whether they're on their first round of adjudication or appeal.

They'll Really License Anybody, Won't They?: A series of profiles on racing's repeat offenders, usually trainers who were suspended for a period of time and have now returned, or who were run out of a series of racetracks but welcomed by others. Inspiration drawn from the many, many emails we still get asking about our pal Marcus Vitali, who, yes, we're aware is saddling horses at Turf Paradise for a second winter season. Rejected because: 1) It's unfair to focus on trainers when there are plenty of repeat violations by jockeys; we just can't trace riders as well because in this, the year of our Lord 2022, there is still no centralized national database for rider infractions; and 2) The subjects might sue us.

Getting To Know Top Achievers: Profiles of the weekend's Grade 1-winning connections you've never met before, in their most triumphant of moments. Rejected because: You've met them all. Years ago now. Also, we'd eventually be running back-to-back accounts detailing Brad Cox's childhood spent in the shadow of the Twin Spires … again.

Armchair Jockey: We make readers who email us to complain about jockey rides hack my OTTB around at a trot for 10 minutes. Rejected because: 1) We can't be liable for any kind of physical damage that may (/will) befall horseplayers after 30 seconds of jogging a horse; and 2) It would be a skewed representation of your typical horseplayer – we only seem to get jockey complaints from bettors who have lost money on the race.

Sarcasm From Ray: Ray writes out his original and biting takes on the day's news to inject a bit of humor into the Paulick Report. Rejected because: We still get emails/tweets from people who did not realize that his column on drug testing in New York was intended as sarcasm. No joke – lots and lots of people missed what we thought was pretty obvious there.

New Website Widget Idea: A counter that lists the number of days since a source without any direct knowledge of the situation told us with great authority that another round of arrests and federal indictments were “imminent.” Rejected because: It'd be stuck at 0.

Well, I Guess We're Doing Ok Then: A monthly pair of screenshots showing Facebook comments which accuse us of two opposite kinds of journalistic bias. Inspired by (though certainly not limited to) our having been informed during the same week that our staff were both the biggest Baffert fan club and showed irrational hatred of him because we published news items covering important developments in his ongoing civil lawsuits. Rejected because: Holy crap, are we tired of having to write about Bob.

The Sponsor Spotlight: A weekly video series where we beg for advertising dollars from people and companies the Paulick Report is accused of being in the bag for. Rejected because: Lack of funding.

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Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: The Bryony Frost-Robbie Dunne Case

The British Horseracing Authority's disciplinary hearing of jumps jockey Robbie Dunne for prejudicial conduct and verbal abuse toward fellow rider Bryony Frost is the subject of this week's Friday Show.

Bloodstock editor Joe Nevills leads the discussion, with editor in chief Natalie Voss and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth offering their thoughts on the case in which Dunne has been accused of using abusive, physically threatening and misogynistic language against Frost on multiple occasions.

Frost, 26, is Britain's most successful female jockey. By bringing to the BHA the complaint against Dunne – whose tirades were said to be witnessed by others – Frost said she has felt abandoned and isolated by fellow riders, saying, “I wouldn't wish it on anyone.” She also testified that the culture within horse racing makes it difficult for anyone to file complaints against others.

Dunne faces up to a three-year ban if found guilty of the charges against him.

Also in this final edition of the Friday Show for 2021, Canadian legend Pink Lloyd has been named Woodbine's Star of the Week following his stirring victory in his career finale in last week's Kennedy Road Stakes at the Toronto, Ontario, track.

Watch this week's Friday Show, presented by Woodbine, below:

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Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Looking Back At Breeders’ Cup, Ahead To HISA

What are the takeaways from the embarrassing mistakes made at the Breeders' Cup world championships' Future Stars Friday program when Modern Games was removed from wagering pools and then allowed to run for purse money only in the Grade 1 Juvenile Turf at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 5?

Was this simply a human error or something compounded by ill-preparedness, faulty communications and regulations not in step with modern technology?

To help answer some of those questions, Pat Cummings of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation joins publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss in this week's edition of the Friday Show to discuss what could have been done differently and would should be done going forward to avoid a similar occurrence. The mistake had a multi-million impact on horseplayers.

The trio also discuss the just-released draft of anti-doping and medication control rules from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. How will medication policies differ under the Authority, which is scheduled to be active by July 1, 2022?

The Woodbine Star of the Week is the ageless Pink Lloyd, the ageless wonder who won his 25th career stakes race last weekend at the grand old age of 9.

Watch this week's Friday Show, presented by Woodbine, below:

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The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Colorado Test Barn Caper

One way to beat a bad drug test is for the split sample to disappear. At least that's the working theory behind a break-in at the test barn at Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colo.

Natalie Voss, editor-in-chief for the Paulick Report, joins publisher Ray Paulick in this week's edition of the Friday Show to recount the Colorado test barn caper that Voss wrote about earlier this week, including security lapses and missteps investigators appeared to make along the way.

While Arapahoe is not a major racing circuit, Voss points out several things racing officials around the country can learn from this unusual crime in the Centennial State.

Bloodstock editor Joe Nevills reviews the performance of this week's Woodbine Star of the Week, the 5-year-old mare Mutamakina, who led a 1-2 finish for trainer Christophe Clement in the Oct. 17 renewal of the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at the Toronto, Ontario, track, giving jockey Dylan Davis his first career G1 victory.

Watch this week's Friday Show, presented by Woodbine, below:

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