(update)...NYS Working Towards Cobalt Testing

[LottaKash]

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/1-13-14/nys-working-towards-cobalt-testing.html

excerpt:
“The commission supports efforts by track operators to exclude parties who put horse health and safety in jeopardy and call into question the integrity of horse racing,” the statement reads.

[Just a Fan]

Somehow I'm picturing a periodic table of the elements hung up in a tack room, with some of the elements crossed out, and a conversation something like "Hey - have we tried Manganese yet? How about Tungsten? Is there a test yet for Tungsten?"

It never ends, but as usual the cheaters are going to be well past Cobalt by the time they start testing for it in NY.

I kind of wonder if someday there will be a Jose Canseco-type book written about all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes in horse racing.

[mrroyboy]

Guys
I have a more realistic opinion of stuff like this. And it's also conflicting. I want to see Harness Racing as clean as possible but if I find a trainer who is doing very well I am going to bet him or her before the crowd catches on. Don't know if they are doing anything illegal but I want to win. So mixed opinions about all of this.

[Just a Fan]

Guys
I have a more realistic opinion of stuff like this. And it's also conflicting. I want to see Harness Racing as clean as possible but if I find a trainer who is doing very well I am going to bet him or her before the crowd catches on. Don't know if they are doing anything illegal but I want to win. So mixed opinions about all of this.

As a bettor, there's nothing wrong with backing a trainer that might be cheating. Your job is to pick winners with some value, and you don't get paid any more for sniffing out winners from "honest" stables.

The real question is for the horse owner with your attitude... prefers a clean game, but wants to win. Do you give your horses to Honest Abe Sixpercenter, with a sterling reputation? Or do you give your horses to that latest flash in the pan trainer that is winning at 25%, but you kinda wonder (without proof) if he may be doing something illegal? If your philosophies are to support clean racing, but make money at the same time, sometimes its tough to have both.

I'm at a point in my life where I could afford to own a horse or 2, and I always thought that by now I would be in the business. But when you look at (many of) the people who are successful in the business these days, I think a lot of them are cheating in some way, and I don't want to have anything to do with whatever they are doing to get these horses to go. Not sure if my perception matches reality or not.

[cmp92]

Somehow I'm picturing a periodic table of the elements hung up in a tack room, with some of the elements crossed out, and a conversation something like "Hey - have we tried Manganese yet? How about Tungsten? Is there a test yet for Tungsten?"

It never ends, but as usual the cheaters are going to be well past Cobalt by the time they start testing for it in NY.

I kind of wonder if someday there will be a Jose Canseco-type book written about all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes in horse racing.
Very true. They've always been one step ahead. But, it's not like regulatory agencies have been extremely proactive in staying ahead of the cheaters.