PDA

View Full Version : Two interesting regional news items


PaceAdvantage
12-01-2005, 01:03 AM
Magna's New York lobbyist quits for private legal practice (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=59212&subsec=1)
Magna Entertainment Corp., hopeful of bidding on the New York Racing Association franchise that expires on December 31, 2007, lost its Albany lobbyist when Kenneth R. Bruno announced plans to give up his lobbying firm, Albany Strategies, to open a private legal practice in January. Thoroughbred Times (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=59212&subsec=1)

Regarding the Bruno move, who cares? We're practically on the eve of deliberations as to who will run NY racing in the future, and the Bruno lad decides to recuse himself now? LOL What a folly! (Bruno is the son of powerful NY State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who used to be a staunch supporter of NYRA, but turned tail...perhaps around the same time Magna started throwing money around NY State???).


Ohio director to propose minimum age for jockeys in state (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=59211&subsec=1)
In fallout from the death of 16-year-old apprentice jockey Josh Radosevich on November 16 at Beulah Park, Ohio Racing Commission Executive Director Sam Zonak plans to propose a minimum age of 18 for jockeys in the state. Thoroughbred Times (http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=59211&subsec=1)

midnight
12-01-2005, 04:07 AM
Jockeys should have to be at least 18, imo, and it wouldn't hurt if every state and province adopted that.

As far as NYRA, I gave up trying to make sense of it.

kenwoodallpromos
12-01-2005, 11:40 AM
Would as many people want to be jockey if they could not start racing or exercising until 18? I think ALL our jockeys would be fron Latin America because they could start at like 12. Would become one of Bush's "Americans do not want the job".

midnight
12-01-2005, 05:01 PM
I'll gladly be corrected if wrong, but I believe it's much less risky to work horses in the mornings than it is to race them. I'm not saying there's no risk, because when you're around a high-strung, neurotic, paranoid 1,100 lb animal who can kick hard enough to kill you, there's going to be a risk, but there would certainly be less risk involved than that in a race full of horses and jockeys trying to compete for the same space and with the same general goal in mind.

I don't have a problem with them getting exercise licenses at 14 or 16 or whatever, but they should have to wait until 18 to ride professionally, in my opinion.

JustRalph
12-01-2005, 05:19 PM
They can drive a car and join the service at 16 (I believe you can still join the service at 16 if your parents sign) can't they? If so, they can race horses in my opine. Just another dickhead Ohio official sticking his head in where it doesn't belong...........

kenwoodallpromos
12-01-2005, 05:25 PM
My reference to exercising was because a lot of regular jockeys exercise horses in the morning , and because a lot of people on the website exerciseriders.com who want to be jockeys and/or exercize horses are teens.

Overlay
12-01-2005, 05:43 PM
I can see arguments pro and con, but I would assume that anyone who rides is aware of the risks and makes an informed decision in that regard (that is, no one is holding a gun to their head). Unfortunately, racing tragedies such as that at Beulah Park will happen, just as (as JustRalph notes) young drivers lose their lives every day. To me, it's more a case-by-case question of physical strength and skill. Some would be ready before 18, and some wouldn't. As mentioned elsewhere, would we otherwise have ever heard of Steve Cauthen, who didn't turn 18 until five months after he'd already been named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year for 1977, and who basically was through with the North American racing scene a relatively short time later? I can recall many objections when Cauthen won the Sports Illustrated award, but I don't remember any of them questioning whether someone so young should be riding. Most of the negative comments to Sports Illustrated from non-racing fans were on the order of, "How can a jockey be considered an athlete?" (Of course, I'm sure that no one on this board would even dignify that question with a response.)

CryingForTheHorses
12-01-2005, 06:08 PM
[/font]

Regarding the Bruno move, who cares? We're practically on the eve of deliberations as to who will run NY racing in the future, and the Bruno lad decides to recuse himself now? LOL What a folly! (Bruno is the son of powerful NY State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who used to be a staunch supporter of NYRA, but turned tail...perhaps around the same time Magna started throwing money around NY State???).


[/font]


You just LOVE when anything negative having to do with MAGNA hits the news..You are a NYRA trooper..

PaceAdvantage
12-01-2005, 06:26 PM
You just LOVE when anything negative having to do with MAGNA hits the news..You are a NYRA trooper..

Correct me if I am wrong, but this was NOT negative news. Read the article again. It's just a piece about their lobbyist and how he is going into another line of work. Plus he just happens to be the son of the most influential legislator tied to the process of finding a successor to NYRA.

But, there wasn't anything negative relating to MAGNA.....was there?