oscar barrera

[cash]

was having a discussion w an old time Finger Lakes trainer now at Delaware about Oscar and his "winning ways." I said that (remembering what i'd read in Len Ragozin's book) after OB was nailed and served a long suspension he returned to the track and saddled something like 90 straight losers. The trainer contradicted me and said that Oscar was never suspended at all.
Anybody know?

We also discussed the many theories surrounding Oscar's wild ride and I said that I'd heard that it all involved tongue ties. The trainer told me that he'd heard the same thing and that Oscar was dipping the the tongue ties in nitroglycerine. OK...to anticipate comment... the horses EXPLODED on the track...but , as I'm neither a chemist or a trainer... what would nitro do?

[cash]

meant to post to handicapping board

[freeneasy]

blow you to smithereins

[aaron]

I don't remember Oscar ever being suspended.It seems to us that he got caught and was basically told to stop.That was the end of the ride.It ended just as mysteriously as it began.One thing about Oscar,at least his moves were easy to detect.What I find interesting about the "juice trainers"is how they suddenly stop winning and just become your run of the mill bad trainer.In NY there are plenty who had some kind of run and our now either gone or mediocre.See names like Peter Ferriola,Juan Serey,Mitchell Freidman and even Gasper Moschera who runs very few horses these days.

[Jaguar]

10-15 years ago, trainers were limited in the choices of juice available, usually morphine derivatives- which were detectable in the testing shed at Aqueduct.

When Amicar came in it was expensive, but undetectable, since it was burned up, like a sugar, during the course of the race- leaving no chemical fingerprint. The richer trainers jumped on Amicar as though it was a virgin at a Hell's Angels' picnic.

Except in Kentucky- where you could "run what you brung",(as well as some of the bullring tracks- the scandal level rose to the point where some outcry had to be made, simply on the basis of common decency, and the major tracks started threatening the juicers with the spectre of being denied barn space for the next meet. NYRA, to their credit, even kicked a major trainer out, one recent winter.That guy wound up at Last Hope Downs- in the South- and went from a string of 110 horses, to having to quit the game, such are the brutal economics of the racing business.

Meanwhile, the charade continues, as we see in the press, even Hall of Fame conditioners are succumbing to the pressure and are getting set down. Can't blame the Trainers in a way, they are just trying to survive in a tough arena. A man is likely to do anything to feed his family.

Too bad, though, cause cheating has cast a pall over the game, and I am sorry to say has helped those devils, the casinos.

The past 20 years has seen a horrible erosion of horse racing, and I wish we could stop it. Bringing in the slots may wind up being the end, I'm afraid. But, it must be done, to get the purses up and to spur more racing.

All the best,

Jaguar

[Figman]

Jag
Got to take issue with your amicar assessment. In the NY harness industry this year there have been a handful of amicar (real name aminocaproic acid) post race positives called and punishment doled out. So amicar doesn't just disappear during the running of a race. Also, amicar is one of the lowest class drugs (similar to salix, lasix or furosemide) according to the Associations of Racing Commissioners International. (ARCI).

[Jaguar]

Figman, quite so. But, the point I was trying to make is that when Amicar came in, the testers weren't picking it up. American Turf ran an informative piece on Amicar use some years ago. Alot of trainers made alot of money with it, and alot of bettors lost alot of money because of it.

No doubt, since the chemical tests have become more sophisticated, the juicers will have to go back to the lab.

All the best,

Jaguar

[Tom]

I remeber the Oscar days well. He would cliam a horse and run it back as fast as possible and win. The old joke was that a NY trainer looking thorugh the DRF had a horse entered in the second race, then he noticed that Oscar had the same horse entered in the ninth!
Seriously, thjough, the NY trainer situation is bizzare. To me, it is just not possible that a guy can win 30% and keep finding out what makes losers win big then suddenly go stone cold. It is much more believable that his magic juicegot discovered and taken away. It amkes me sick that NY officials just don't give a damn about the bettors and never publicize what happens for fear of a bad image. The lead trainer at NYRA years ago was caught using illegal turn downs and his comment was that he looks out for best interest his horses and owners and didn't care if it was illegal. This is a very well know trainer and I think he should have been given a liftime suspension. Instead, he still baths in glory and even had a book written about what a great trainer he is!
To me NYRA is the most minor league racing circuit anywhere.
Bar none.

[jk3521]

Sorry to break the news to you guys, but the Oscar Barrera at Finger Lakes, Delaware is Oscar Barrera Junior. Oscar S. Barrera the famed trainer from the major N.Y. circuit died many years ago.

[Tom]

Yeah, that's the one I meant.
Jr. at Deleware? Didn't know that. Knew was at FL for a while.

[cash]

A misunderstanding...I was referring to Oscar Sr. Oscar Jr. has never started a horse at Delaware as far as I know.

But while we're on the subject of juice...remember the Breeders Cup at Belmont last year? A jock agent told me that the state police were all over Belmont due to 9/11. If you injected a horse, the staties collected the syringe and put it in a plastic bag with the vet/trainers name on it. I don't think they were looking for terrorists. True? I don't know, but I remember that before the first race on the card, a pretty ordinary affair, there were late scratches galore. I think it went off with 4 or 5 horses.

[delayjf]

JAGUAR,

Can you tell us more about amicar and how it works or were I might read about it.

[John]

Delayjf

Blood Horse did a story on Amicar I think.

[Jaguar]

Delayjf,

Amicar appeared on the racing scene out of the blue in the late 90's, probably mentioned in the racing press for the first time around '97 or so.

We knew something was going on, because our good old form-cycle charts suddenly turned into waste paper, -which were probably re-cycled as McDonald's menus.

I used my reliable old workout chart, which I carried with me every day to OTB, in its plastic cover- to start a campfire. 'Cause if a 15-month layoff nag can come back to the circuit- showing 3 or 4 modest works- and can win gate-to-wire against veteran horses- it means I have to turn in my Handicapper's license, since I obviously have learned nothing in over 20 years at this game.

So, drugs have re-written the handicapping manual, and now connections are seriously important, since correct trainer/jockey charts often reveal when a conditioner is cracking down in a Maiden Special Weight, Allowance, and sometimes in an Optional.

In other words, I have retired a few Speed and Pace discs, and while those factors are vital in reaching a betting decision, the connections factor is now the decision-maker(assuming all other essential factors indicate the mount is ready to take the money today).

Rumor hath it that Amicar was used by the Russians and their Eastern European patsies in several olympics, and that American athletes were known to have experimented with it.

The best discussion of Amicar- as it relates to horse racing- was the American Turf article. The DRF and NYRA have pretty much kept hands off, and I don't blame them for skirting the issue, even though I don't agree with that approach.

In a sport involving public trust, I think it is a dereliction of responsibilty not to throw a bright light on widespread cheating.

Since the State and our elected officials won't do it, it is incumbent upon those charged with supervision of racing, such as HBPA, track management, the NTRA, etc., to take their heads out of the sand and try to restore a modicum of dignity and honesty to the game. Stealing from the bettors has already contributed to a decline in on-track attendance, and in some venues has caused tracks to close, as- for example- happened at Centennial Downs in Denver, in 1980, when the State Attorney General threatened to indict the whole cabal.

It's no secret that the casinos are causing tracks to fail, and that bringing in slots is a last, desperate attempt to shore up the dam before the whole thing falls apart for good(due to the high cost of operating a track and the low rate of return.)

Our brother PA contributor, Figman, has a good command of chemistry and could very likely fill you in.

All the best,

Jaguar

[ranchwest]

Cash,

People with heart trouble take nitro, so my guess, totally a guess, would be that nitro would affect a horse's heart rate. People slip it under the tongue in tablet form, so it would make sense to put it on a tongue tie for a horse, presumably to get it into the system fast.

[Figman]

Jag,
No doubt aminocaproic acid or Amicar is popular with some "horsemen-chemists" but another med call tranexamic acid or Tramex is even more so. This one, allowed to be used on raceday in Maryland, Kentucky and Louisiana among others, is said in its literature to be ten times more potent than furosemide or salix, the new name for equine lasix. Maryland rules require the public be informed with the symbol "A" when a horse is on an "adjunct bleeder" medication like Tramex or Amicar. The other states don't even bother informing the betting public. New York calls post race positives for both these medications.

[Jaguar]

Figman, many thanks for the lowdown on the new rocket fuel. You are doing the betting fraternity a service by helping to keep us informed about these developments. For sure, the horsemen won't let us in on it.

We have enough of a struggle tracking Trainer/Jockey stats everyday, trying not to fall too far behind in the information gap.

All the best,

Jaguar

[cash]

thanks for the replies from all...

but a question to figman...if Amiacar and Tramex are 10 times more potent than lasix...how so? more likely to stop bleeding...more likely to mask the introduction of other agents?

I'm pretty friendly with a guy who works for one of the top barns at Del. I'll run it by him tomorrow. He's a straightshooter, so I'll post if he 's got anything interesting to say.

[Figman]

Cash,
I don't know about Amicar being ten times more powerful than salix but the literature associated with Tramex claims that to be the case. The general thinking is that neither of these drugs are too important by themselves but may have further effects when combined with other drugs. All purport to limit EIPH or exercise induced pulmonary bleeding. Some vets think these drugs do little if anything to help a horse while others think them necessary for a horse to race to its potential.

The radical pain blockers like injected mepivicaine and blood building drugs like the cancer drug Aranesp and the well publicized EPO are the dangerous ones. Constant EPO use is necessary for any effect on performance but after extended administrations an equine soon hits a wall and its whole well-being rapidly deteriorates and the horse is never the same again.
It's unfortunate that there are a few unscrupulous trainers holding trainers licenses. They will try anything for an edge. In the New York harness industry a couple of years ago there were some post race positives for sildenafil that has the common name of Viagara. That fact was even published in SPORTS ILLUSTRATED!

[John]

The leading trainer at my track Suffolk Downs is on a suspension for 30 days for using Cocane on two horses.His horses have been turn over to his wife who has a trainer license and is a competent trainer. So were is the punishment ?

I would like to know from Joe Takach, if I could go to the paddock and detect this ,can a person tell if his selection is on something.
What I am saying is "if you canot beat join them."

[Show Me the Wire]

Amicar and Tramex are blood-clotting agents; used in conjunction with lasix to stop the horse from bleeding while running. To revisit the issue one more time horses’ have high blood pressure, which is believed to cause the lung tissue to rupture during exertion. When lung tissue ruptures the lung is permanently damaged and the horse bleeds internally into its lungs.

Lasix is a diuretic used to treat high blood pressure and has the benefit of helping to prevent rupturing of the lung tissue of a horse during exertion. Does it work? Generally, yes. Although the horse is administered lasix there is no guarantee the horse will not bleed while exerting itself during the race. As further protection adjunct bleeder medication is used. In theory if lasix fails to prevent the lung tissue from rupturing the blood clotting agents will stop the bleeding.

Lasix or any of the adjunct bleeder medications are not rocket fuel or performance enhancers. Their only role is to prevent a horse from bleeding during exertion. As Jaguar keeps on reminding us, times have changed. Lasix use is not the harbinger of illegal rocket fuels or illegal pain blockers. Lasix or the adjunct bleeder medications are not needed to mask the new performance enhancers. .

It is not necessary to mask or hide any compound that currently is not detectable. Remember, post race test usually identify the metabolic of a substance contained in the urine. If the substance is not metabolized or the pattern of metabolic is unknown the substance is not currently detectable.

Just because there are performance-enhancing drugs available it does not mean these drugs are used freely and by everybody. This is not the case. The majority of horsemen use medication properly and for the horse’s welfare. Apparent form reversals can and do happen for many reasons unrelated to a needle. Horses are living things and as such respond to changes in competition, equipment, diet, weather, people, environment, etc.

Believing every winner is the result of the needle is denial of the inability to recognize important factors relevant to the outcome of the race.

Regards,
Show Me the Wire

I live in a world with many realities.

[hurrikane]

In a statement from the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemans Asso. concerning the adjunct meds (including Tramex)
"The drugs are not effective and it is doubtful that the new notification will offer any benifit to the bettors. There is no evidence that it helps at all, just some people on the backstretch think it does."

If that's the case why don't they just tell us what meds and when they are used!

[Jaguar]

Show Me The Wire,

Your thoughtful comments are well appreciated.

What got me onto the "performance enhancement" kick, was the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary College report of a few years back, was the report's claim that Lasix and Bute were- in addition to functioning as anti-bleeding medication- performance enhancers.

Subsequently, Amicar, Tramex, and Heaven only knows what(I don't know because I'm not a horseman, nor do I have a grounding in chemistry) appeared on the scene.

Furthermore, now that Banamine is legal in some States, it suggests that we are going to have sore horses that don't feel sore, run their hearts out- thereby further injuring themselves and possibly shortening their racing careers.

As a corollary, if sore horses run a bad race due to soreness, let us say, and next time are treated with Banamine, their past performance lines are meaningless, and the DRF might as well become a 2-page program, listing only the horse's equipment changes, owner and jockey, weight carried today, and the animal's program number.

At this rate, handicapping will eventually become a worthless endeavor and winners might be sought on the Psychic Hotline.

All the best,

Jaguar

[GameTheory]

I really don't see "inexplicable" results very much. Lately I've been reducing everything to one or two *very* simple numbers and making money doing so. I completely ignore trainer/jockey/etc, although in the past I've also had success with trainer angles.

The thing about drug use that bothers me is not so much the performance-enhancing aspect, because the races seem to me to just as predictable (or not as predictable) as they ever were, even if the methods used are different.

What bothers me is the dependence on them it fosters in the breed. SMTW is probably right and most people are just trying to take good care of their horses, but maybe horses that bleed just shouldn't run at all? Let's breed the bleeding out of them. (I have heard in Australia they really don't have bleeders because no drugs allowed, but I don't really know the current situation there.)

[andicap]

Originally posted by GameTheory
I really don't see "inexplicable" results very much. Lately I've been reducing everything to one or two *very* simple numbers and making money doing so. I completely ignore trainer/jockey/etc, although in the past I've also had success with trainer angles.


)
GT,

I'm glad to hear you say say that. I'm trying to do the same thing. Take two figures I developed, come up with 3 or 4 strong contenders, and key high odds horses. have to figure out how to bet them, go over scores of races, but seems promising based on some longshot wins. Problem is I don't want a 15% win with long run-outs, so I'm looking to see if two-horse (or win-place at certain odds) betting will bring that up some and still make decent money.

The figures are good and I'm not into using single paceline selection, so applying them has been the challenge.

[John]

O.K. This post convinced me that some trainers drug their horses.

Would it be nice if someone, maybe, GR1, or TOM could post a list of all trainer that were suspended in the year, 2002 or if anyone knows were this information can be found. I will appreciate it.
Thanks

[Tom]

Originally posted by rocajack
O.K. This post convinced me that some trainers drug their horses.

Would it be nice if someone, maybe, GR1, or TOM could post a list of all trainer that were suspended in the year, 2002 or if anyone knows were this information can be found. I will appreciate it.
Thanks
I don't kow if this info if avaiable, but it would make a good BRIS report - Trainer Suspension History. I would pay for this one if it were out there.

[ranchwest]

It isn't the ones who have already been suspended that are most likely to hurt you.

[John]

Ranch west

I disagree.
If I assume that if a specific trainer has cheated in the past, there is a very strong likehood that he will do it again.

Some trainers cheat if only a little bit or if only once in awhile..

History,does repeat itself and Tom's - Trainer Suspension History. if there were such a list would be another tool in your Handicapping

[ranchwest]

After being caught, a trainer is more likely to be more cautious than to be more flagrant. It is the ones who haven't been caught who continue their ways.

[GR1@HTR]

Sorry Roca, don't know where to find that data. Someone else might have a better idea.