These Ridiculous Trainer Suspensions....

[Turfday]

The successful trainers can be sitting in a beachfront penthouse suite at Turks and Caicos or some other exotic place (with their family on vacation) and WATCH (if they so choose) their whole morning operation on a video cam feed.

What's to prevent a wealthy trainer (not saying Pletcher, but a guy like him) from hiring a video staff during suspension and actually having them send him a video cam feed from his various operations that he can toggle back and forth to and from?

All he has to do have a computer with the necessary hardware and software shipped to him at said location and "voila"...he's sipping a tall, cool one "directing traffic" at his barn either by e-mail, text message or phone to his assistants. And this is elementary computer stuff nowadays.

He can have the videographers go over to each horse, have his assistants do a leg check, watch whatever vet work his vets are doing. He can watch his horses cool out after a workout or on the hotwalker. He can watch his help. Guy doesn't even need to be there to know exactly what's going on.

I'm not saying this is happening, but it doesn't sound all that difficult to setup if the trainer has a big operation that warrants this, does it?

[kenwoodallpromos]

The successful trainers can be sitting in a beachfront penthouse suite at Turks and Caicos or some other exotic place (with their family on vacation) and WATCH (if they so choose) their whole morning operation on a video cam feed.

What's to prevent a wealthy trainer (not saying Pletcher, but a guy like him) from hiring a video staff during suspension and actually having them send him a video cam feed from his various operations that he can toggle back and forth to and from?

All he has to do have a computer with the necessary hardware and software shipped to him at said location and "voila"...he's sipping a tall, cool one "directing traffic" at his barn either by e-mail, text message or phone to his assistants. And this is elementary computer stuff nowadays.

He can have the videographers go over to each horse, have his assistants do a leg check, watch whatever vet work his vets are doing. He can watch his horses cool out after a workout or on the hotwalker. He can watch his help. Guy doesn't even need to be there to know exactly what's going on.

I'm not saying this is happening, but it doesn't sound all that difficult to setup if the trainer has a big operation that warrants this, does it?
_____________________
THis idea of yours sounds wonderful! All of the big-shot hands-off "trainers who are really corp exec. should be required to do it! What hands-on training do they do now? Why not suspend the hands-on assistant as well?

[Turfday]

Not that bad of an idea. If you were a big name "super trainer" and had horses at three or four different locations, having a videographer at the barn shooting live video of the goings on that are being beamed back to you on a couple of different monitors at your main location might be a "plus" to many owners who employ you.

They know from the vast size of your operation that you can't be at every location every day. This is the next best thing.

Then again, perhaps those videographers might "shoot" something that might be incriminating?

[NY BRED]

lots of recent spin to also fine owners and possibly even suspend their horses
if trained by the trainers caught with illegal medication violation(S)

[speedking]

lots of recent spin to also fine owners and possibly even suspend their horses
if trained by the trainers caught with illegal medication violation(S)

This is a great step forward which could only be enhanced by the accompanying suspension of the vet overseeing the over/illegally medicated horse.


speedking

[BIG49010]

How about stiffer fines say 10k owner, 10k trainer, and 10k vet for 1st time, maybe double second time, and triple the 3rd. 4th time you throw them out of game!

Make policy national, so your 3 strikes count up, and have national medication rules. Now that is something Washington could do, instead of this internet gambling B.S.

[JustRalph]

How about stiffer fines say 10k owner, 10k trainer, and 10k vet for 1st time, maybe double second time, and triple the 3rd. 4th time you throw them out of game!

Make policy national, so your 3 strikes count up, and have national medication rules. Now that is something Washington could do, instead of this internet gambling B.S.

10k is baby shit to most of these people

[BIG49010]

Most of the trainers, would fight you for a 10 spot, 10k would take a bite out of their ass, trust me.

[crownx]

True they can watch over computers etc. but I think they are not allowed to have any Direct Contact (call, IM or other) with training personal at the tracks. Of course how easy would this be to get around. I am sure that Plecther/Assumsen and other high profile trainers have ways to get whatever they want to whom ever they want.


The fines should be increased, to be put back into the purse monies so that the other horseman who were screwed by the trainers don't have reason to get on the band wagon and cheat also.. Or the purse money won by that horse in certain "cheating" race should be forfeited to the rest of the field in that race.

[NY BRED]

10k may seem small ,but three strikes and you are out for a year or more
would be the ultimate justice for unscrupulous tactics of so called
innocent owners

[Kelso]

Or the purse money won by that horse in certain "cheating" race should be forfeited to the rest of the field in that race.



Great idea! Simultaneously punishes the guilty and rewards the (hopefully) honest.

I also strongly favor denying track stalls ... for very long periods ... to trainers and owners of illegally doctored horses.

Uniform drug rules and sanctions are issues on which the industry, nation-wide, better act quickly or Congress will work its nonsense instead.