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Old 11-15-2021, 06:54 AM   #1
Andy Asaro
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Ouch! USADA's Travis Tygart takes swipe at Baffert in latest article

I've been skeptical but I really like what he has to say in this article. And nice to know he uses common sense which isn't so common these days.


https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.co...n-up-the-game/

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You might want to call this one the “Baffert Rule.” While USADA will distinguish between violations that involve performance-enhancing drugs and overages of therapeutic medications, Tygart believes that there is a point where enough is enough when it comes to overages. Four minor infractions or therapeutic overages within five years could result in a sanction of up to two years. (*) Just because a horse passes post-race urine and blood tests doesn't mean that they can't be caught later on. If someone uses something illegal and a new test for that substance comes around after the fact, they could get nailed.

This is another welcome development. “We will have the ability to do what is called retrospective testing,” Tygart said. “Samples will be put into storage. And then when you develop new tests in the future, we're going to be able to bring those samples out of storage and actually then analyze them with the new methodology for those prohibited old-time substances. That's also a great deterrent to people using things where they say you can't detect it. But in the future, when those technologies and the capabilities are enhanced and changed, then we can go back and you will still be subject to sanction (for a positive test).” (*)

More than six months after the race, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has still not acted when it comes to this year's GI Kentucky Derby and the reported betamethasone positive on winner Medina Spirit (Protonico). That, Tygart said, will not happen after USADA takes over. “I was pretty stunned to hear that (Medina Spirit's) Kentucky Derby case hasn't been resolved yet,” Tygart said. “That's not going to happen on our watch. I mean, it's crazy that it's taken that long to get to a final resolution, particularly when someone is competing the entire time.” Lawsuits have been filed by horsemen's groups and six states to shoot down the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act (HISA), which is what created the need for a new method of policing the sport, and USADA has yet to sign a contract with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. Both factors could mean that the projected start date for HISA, July 1, 2022 will not be met. But if and when HISA goes into effect, USADA will be ready. Tygart called the new rules a “gold standard program for the industry.” He's got that right. It's time for a new era.
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Old 11-15-2021, 08:02 AM   #2
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The guy is describing a 1984-style police state in which everyone is guilty of something, and eventually everyone will be caught. 2020's enforcement of Covid policies was just a tune-up.

In the world outside of racing, where federal agencies are increasingly being weaponized against some US citizens; where 'deep state' activities are picking winners and penalizing losers; where 'experts' in agencies like the CDC flounder aimlessly while following politics instead of science; why would anyone want more federal regulation?

The proposal raises more questions than it answers, like superseding state regs that target the trainer only. That will be more difficult than it sounds, seems to me. And punishing entire stables: Grooms, assistants, exercisers, other owners? Do they sign away all their civil liberties when they apply for a license?

The heavy-handed proposed cure can kill the patient. I prefer the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports to a Two Minute Hate.
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Old 11-15-2021, 08:44 AM   #3
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IMO what we have now in racing is "keeping up with the Jones's" or "If you can't beat'em join'em" mentality. That has to stop one way or the other.

I also believe that once the reforms take hold we'll see more horses continue to race beyond 6 years old. If field size is important than we want to stop the "pump'em up at 2 and burn'em out at 3" stuff.
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Old 11-15-2021, 09:18 AM   #4
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At least there are no politics allowed in the racing section. Thanks God for that.
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Old 11-15-2021, 09:51 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rastajenk View Post
The guy is describing a 1984-style police state in which everyone is guilty of something, and eventually everyone will be caught. 2020's enforcement of Covid policies was just a tune-up.

In the world outside of racing, where federal agencies are increasingly being weaponized against some US citizens; where 'deep state' activities are picking winners and penalizing losers; where 'experts' in agencies like the CDC flounder aimlessly while following politics instead of science; why would anyone want more federal regulation?

The proposal raises more questions than it answers, like superseding state regs that target the trainer only. That will be more difficult than it sounds, seems to me. And punishing entire stables: Grooms, assistants, exercisers, other owners? Do they sign away all their civil liberties when they apply for a license?

The heavy-handed proposed cure can kill the patient. I prefer the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports to a Two Minute Hate.
One of the problems in racing enforcement has always been that the chemists are one step ahead of the regulators. Allowing retrospective testing gives the reegulators a chance to catch up. I think it's a great idea.
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:36 AM   #6
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At least there are no politics allowed in the racing section. Thanks God for that.
I don't see how it can be avoided if the topic is a new federal agency and its effects.
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:41 AM   #7
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perception or reality

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Originally Posted by Sysonby View Post
the chemists are one step ahead of the regulators
that's one of the elephants in the room


ideally 'integrity' = incorruptibility


but if you can't detect the stuff (hint; it's not lasix or betamethasone)

it's easy to go down some "Sam Harris" rabbit hole
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:50 AM   #8
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that's one of the elephants in the room
How is a standard phrase, that's been used openly for decades, considered an elephant in the room?
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:51 AM   #9
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I don't see how it can be avoided if the topic is a new federal agency and its effects.
It can be by posters not using things to present their own personal politically motivated views of things. It's actually not that hard.
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Old 11-15-2021, 11:58 AM   #10
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The guy is describing a 1984-style police state in which everyone is guilty of something, and eventually everyone will be caught. 2020's enforcement of Covid policies was just a tune-up.
No, he's describing a regulated industry that people voluntarily enter.

Start here: the government doesn't have to permit pari-mutuel betting or horse racing at all. Go to Utah or Hawaii. There are no racetracks there.

If a state decides in its grace that it wishes to permit people to race horses with folks betting on them, the state can literally impose almost any regulatory regime it wants to. In other words, if the rule were "your horse fails one drug test and you will never race here again for the rest of your life", that would be perfectly acceptable. Not "1984". There are regulated industries (like airline pilots and train engineers) where there are rules that approach that level of strictness.

Every step a state takes away from that standard is purely a matter of grace. Nobody has any right to race horses with public betting. If you don't believe me, go sue the state of Utah for not allowing it and let me know how it goes.

We, the public, LET these people into this profession. And we can make the drug testing requirements as strict as we want to. Indeed, we should.
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Old 11-15-2021, 11:59 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Sysonby View Post
One of the problems in racing enforcement has always been that the chemists are one step ahead of the regulators. Allowing retrospective testing gives the reegulators a chance to catch up. I think it's a great idea.
It's really a great idea in every sport, and really, for the historic record alone. Imagine if we had a library of samples of previous champion athletes that we could go and retest- we'd probably find out a ton of folks were doping.
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Old 11-15-2021, 12:43 PM   #12
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You can't be more anti drugs than I am, but we have to be careful. Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. We are trying to clean up the sport, but not at a cost of driving more people out of it because the regulations are too onerous/costly to deal with and/or the risk of ignorance by an owner or stable hand can get you in legal hot water. I hope it's done well or people will leave.
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Old 11-15-2021, 12:49 PM   #13
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You can't be more anti drugs than I am, but we have to be careful. Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. We are trying to clean up the sport, but not at a cost of driving more people out of it because the regulations are too onerous or costly to deal with. I hope it's done well.
Well...I wouldn't mind if the cheaters were driven out of it.
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Old 11-15-2021, 01:12 PM   #14
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Well...I wouldn't mind if the cheaters were driven out of it.
There's nothing to complain about yet because nothing has been done, but this wouldn't be the first time regulators screwed up.

I'm talking about innocent owners, assistant trainers, and grooms (and even trainers if they have an employee that did something) taking on risks they may not be aware of because they don't know someone is cheating. Not every cheat is using "whatever" all the time and winning 30% of his starts. A smart cheater would pick his spots and stay under the radar, even to his high level employees and owners. If I was a trainer with bad intentions, I'd pick a handful of races every year and disguise any move up really well.

I'm also talking about the cost of compliance to make sure there's no way you can get an accidental positive that would cause trouble for a lot of people because of an honest error.

Owners get into this game because they want to have fun and have the potential for some upside luck. They have enough headaches from their jobs. They don't need more. This has to be done well.
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Old 11-15-2021, 01:20 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by classhandicapper View Post
You can't be more anti drugs than I am, but we have to be careful. Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease. We are trying to clean up the sport, but not at a cost of driving more people out of it because the regulations are too onerous/costly to deal with and/or the risk of ignorance by an owner or stable hand can get you in legal hot water. I hope it's done well or people will leave.
This is reasonable as a gambler's POV, but it doesn't work for the government. I don't think government regulators should ever think "if I impose the correct regulation, it will put this discretionary activity out of business" or something similar. If there's no way to run horse racing cleanly, then the correct thing for them to do IS put us out of business. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. It's our sport's obligation to figure out a way to clean it up, not the government's obligation to let us run anyway if we can't.
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