He's been breeding and racing horses, decades..

[Grits]

Mighty respected, too. He and his entire family have been in this business for generations, long before most of us were ever a thought.

Guess there are some who still wonder, "what does he know?" Off hand..I'd say, pretty much.

http://www.paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/hancock-its-time-for-congress-to-wake-up/

[DJofSD]

It's sad the various states have not been able to tackle let alone solve the problem. Sure, there have been some successes but those are egregious situations and the exception, not the rule.

As much as I dislike the prospect of the federal government getting involved, I have to admit it appears to be the only way to correct the abuses. When the state governments either can not or will not take action, the federal government will have to fill the void.

One benefit should be a uniform set of guidelines which will eliminate the confusion horsemen are subjected to when racing in different states.

Thanks for the link, Grits.

[thaskalos]

Don't we all know that there is a REASON why the government has turned a blind eye to the cruelty that these beautiful animals are subjected to every single day? The government PROFITS from this cruelty...and this cash that our politicians get from the game acts as a blindfold to all the atrocities that occur on the backstretch. The only thing that can be considered a "sure thing" in politics is that the politicians have an insatiable appetite for cash.

As it turns out...trainers and politicians care about the cash much more than they care about the horses, or the jockeys who ride them.

[DJofSD]

So true, thask, so true.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Don't we all know that there is a REASON why the government has turned a blind eye to the cruelty that these beautiful animals are subjected to every single day? The government PROFITS from this cruelty...and this cash that our politicians get from the game acts as a blindfold to all the atrocities that occur on the backstretch. The only thing that can be considered a "sure thing" in politics is that the politicians have an insatiable appetite for cash.

As it turns out...trainers and politicians care about the cash much more than they care about the horses, or the jockeys who ride them.

That's the type of sweeping generalization you would typically decry.

[thaskalos]

That's the type of sweeping generalization you would typically decry.

There was an extensive study undertaken a few years ago...and its findings were revealed on the pages of this very site.

In close to 90% of the cases where a fatal breakdown occurred, the fracture which led to the fatality occurred at exactly the same spot of the leg where pre-existing trauma was already apparent.

It hardly takes a genius to realize what this means.

These horses were sent to the starting gate before their pre-existing ailments were cured...and the lives of these horses and their riders were placed in undue jeopardy -- in the pursuit of "profit".

I decry all injustice...wherever I find it.

[RacingFan1992]

I agree that horses are sent to the post with pre existing injuries that have not been healed which causes 90 % of the breaks but to say that trainers only care about the money is a very big generalization. You never know but you might find a trainer who enjoys being around the horses, not having them hoped up on drugs and could care less if they win or lose and just be happy that they ran their race that day.

[lamboguy]

There was an extensive study undertaken a few years ago...and its findings were revealed on the pages of this very site.

In close to 90% of the cases where a fatal breakdown occurred, the fracture which led to the fatality occurred at exactly the same spot of the leg where pre-existing trauma was already apparent.

It hardly takes a genius to realize what this means.

These horses were sent to the starting gate before their pre-existing ailments were cured...and the lives of these horses and their riders were placed in undue jeopardy -- in the pursuit of "profit".

I decry all injustice...wherever I find it.i think that is very correct. i had a 2 year old about 5 years ago that broke her maiden in Santa Anita on the synthetic track in April. she went to Churchill to run in the Juvenile Stake race and fractured her tibia, it spread after the race and the horse had to be put down. prior to the race i had asked the clocker Bruno D'Julio how the horse trained because he saw her in both California as well as in Kentucky. he said she didn't look as good as before. i spoke to the trainer and he told me that there wasn't any heat and that she didn't work that good because it was the first time over the surface. i asked him if he though we should scratch the horse, and he thought it would be alright to run her. i wasn't there,but i think that the day she worked was the start of her injury that usually heals with time. by racing it made her injury worse. i am to blame because i hold the ultimate decision whether to run or scratch and i certainly didn't do right by this young horse. i am sorry and would never do it again, but it doesn't bring back this precious life, i will have to live with that forever.

[proximity]

Or is Washington callous to the consequences its citizens must endure from wagering on drugged horses?

probably this.

[rastajenk]

I decry all injustice...wherever I find it.Shouldn't there be a smiley behind this...like a ;) or a :cool: ? Otherwise, it deserves one of these :rolleyes:

[thaskalos]

Shouldn't there be a smiley behind this...like a ;) or a :cool: ? Otherwise, it deserves one of these :rolleyes:

That line was in response to Saratoga Mike's post...in which he said that I typically "decry" sweeping generalizations.