The Paddock | Horse Racing Free Tips

Letter To The Editor: Let Baffert Race While Due Process Plays Out

I would respectfully disagree with Arthur Gray's assumption (in his letter to the editor concerning the New York Racing Association's right of exclusion of trainer Bob Baffert) that it is up to the racing gods to set the court on the right path.

Most racing jurisdictions have a state appointed racing commission which is authorized to issue a license to participate to all individuals, tracks and other entities that are involved with legalized racing. As long as a trainer holds a valid license in a particular jurisdiction, I find it unfair for a track to deny a racing entry of a qualified horse.

I may be mistaken, but I believe that in Louisiana (a jurisdiction in which I have been involved in racing for some 50+ years) an entry must be accepted if a trainer is licensed and a horse fits the conditions of the race. I also see this as a policy that can be easy abused by racing secretaries as they not only write the conditions of the race but could select the entries.

Until Mr. Baffert is issued a ruling (concerning Medina Spirit's positive test from the Kentucky Derby), he should be allowed to race in any jurisdiction where he holds a license that was issued by that jurisdiction. If and when he is issued a ruling, then the individual jurisdictions can decide if they will honor that ruling.

I do acknowledge a track's right to select those trainers that are granted stalls for a particular meet.

I am not an “integrity consultant” nor have I ever worked with one, but I did practice veterinary medicine on various racetracks for some 30+ years and am past Equine Medical Director for the Louisiana State Racing Commission.

I do believe in due process and until that is granted to Mr Baffert (or any other trainer), let them race.

– Tom V David, DVM

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please write to info at paulickreport.com and include contact information where you may be reached if editorial staff have any questions.

Additional stories about Baffert's Kentucky Derby positive and ensuing legal battles can be found here.

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Letter To The Editor: NYRA Stands Firm As Its ‘Right Of Exclusion’ Is Tested

I have been heralding a racetrack's right of exclusion throughout my career. This court tested policy enables track management the right to deny an individual the privilege to race if the individual's participation is deemed to be a detriment to the best business interest of the facility.

The implementation of this policy is critical to horse racing's ability to regain the public trust that has been waning for decades. Our regulators charged with maintaining the integrity of racing have failed and, in many instances, outright refused to implement rules, seriously damaging the public perception of our sport.

Kudos to the New York Racing Association (NYRA) as they have implemented their right of exclusion barring Bob Baffert from participating at any of their facilities. This could be the watershed moment that can turn the tide in racing's demise.

In 2018 Justify the Triple Crown winner tested positive in the Santa Anita Derby for scopolamine, a banned human medication. Long after the unprecedented surreptitious investigation the drug violation was declared an environmental poisoning, a determination applied to medication irregularities for this trainer in the past.

The scandal did not come to light for over a year until a New York Times investigation unearthed the failure of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to follow equine drug positive investigative protocols. In recent weeks, the Washington Post via documents acquired through a freedom of information request have detailed the scope of corrupt CHRB actions enabling an ineligible horse to enter and win the Kentucky Derby.

Medina Spirit's betamethasone positive in this year's Kentucky Derby is the second incident involving illicit medication issues in the Kentucky Derby since 2018, both under the care and supervision of the same trainer.

These incidents exponentially support the need for racetrack's right of exclusion policy and more importantly the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority.

The Medina Spirit incident appears to be the straw that broke the horse's back. Taking into consideration recent medication irregularities, NYRA and Churchill Downs exerted their right of exclusion barring Bob Baffert from racing at their facilities.

Mr. Baffert has decided on legal action to test the court approved right of exclusion policy citing the 14^th Amendment due process rights, also noting the irreparable damage to his reputation.

Courageously, NYRA is steadfast in their commitment to exclude Mr. Baffert, notifying the court of a motion to dismiss his lawsuit and also noting that the irreparable damage to his reputation was self-inflicted.

We need the horse racing gods to set the court on the right path supporting the right of exclusion.

–Arthur Gray is a longtime horseman, steward and integrity consultant from West Seneca, N.Y.

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please write to info at paulickreport.com and include contact information where you may be reached if editorial staff have any questions.

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The Friday Show Presented By Monmouth Park: Aftercare Education In Saratoga And Beyond

Opening day at the venerable Saratoga Race Course is less than a week away, but trainer Rick Schosberg has his eye further down the road for the horses that will be competing in upstate New York.

On this week's episode of The Friday Show, bloodstock editor Joe Nevills speaks with Schosberg about his role as president of the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and TAKE THE LEAD Program in New York, and what makes aftercare such an important issue for him to pursue.

They also discuss the upcoming New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day to be held at Saratoga on Wednesday, July 21, the importance of full industry cooperation in the aftercare effort, and what elements are important to sustain a reputable aftercare operation.

Defending Canadian Horse of the Year Mighty Heart is our Woodbine Star of the Week, returning to his home country to earn his first graded stakes victory with a front-running triumph in the Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes.

Watch this week's show, presented by Monmouth Park, below:

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The Friday Show Presented By Monmouth Park: Sports Betting And Fixed Odds On Horses

Sports betting has shown steady growth across the United States in the three years since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban on the activity, with more than $53 billion legally wagered on sports since June 2018.

More and more states are authorizing sports betting, with Canada close to approval as well. New Jersey lawmakers have recently passed legislation that would permit fixed odds wagering on horse racing, allowing bookmakers there to set betting prices on horses as they do on baseball, football and other sports.

Are there opportunities for horse racing to grow, even though the amount already being wagered on sports far exceeds horse racing's annual betting handle? While fixed odds wagering opens up new types of bets and guaranteed payoffs, could it have unintended consequences on racing's traditional pari-mutuel pools or on the computer-assisted “whales” who get rebates in return for their betting volume?

To discuss these and other issues, Pat Cummings, executive director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (www.racingthinktank.com), joins Ray Paulick and Joe Nevills in this week's edition of the Friday Show. Ray and Joe also review Woodbine's Star of the Week, LNJ Foxwoods' Boardwalk, a Constitution filly who won her first graded stakes last week in the Whimsical Stakes.

Watch this week's show, presented by Monmouth Park, below:

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