Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff P
A while back I had a conversation about whales with someone who is a member of the TRA 20/20 Committee.
Most of our conversation centered around tote integrity. In his mind the tote system has always been 100% secure and in my mind the idea of that being true was and continues to be dubious at best. (But that's a topic for any of several recent threads and moves us away from what's being talked about in this thread.)
One of the more interesting things he told me (it's something I see as related to this thread) is that many of "our" barns bet and they are the "only" ones who should be winning at this game.
He went on to say that horseplayers who win at this game are "stealing."
(Note that the quotes in the above two sentences are emphasizing his words not mine.)
I came away with a sense that many of this industry's decision makers think it's perfectly OK for barns that bet to put one over on us horseplayers. Not just every now and then. But as standing operating procedure and every single race day.
Not that I like it...
And not that there aren't rules against it...
Rules that for some reason are seldom enforced...
But as a horseplayer, of course I know that form darkening has always been part of the game.
But in my mind that's not what I was trying to say with my rant about the lack of sportsmanship in today's game.
Or is it?
In my mind, when you get to the level where history itself is on the line:
You 100 percent need to enforce the rules.
If not then?
When?
-jp
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When we consider the above...how can we justify wagering even a thin dime in this game? Who is left to instill "integrity" into this game...when this is the prevailing attitude of the "industry"?
