Steve Asmussen accused of animal cruelty by PETA

[Grits]

Winstar Farm owner, Bill Castner, weighs in. He suggest owners be far more selective in their choice of trainers. Pletcher and Mott only, Mr.Castner? Yep, that'll work. The rest of you boys, just enroll in Spring classes at your local community college. Your time training horses was questionable, your barns can now disperse.

http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com...4#.Uy2UZWOn-9w

Mr. Castner's mighty quick to throw trainers under the bus, at least all who are not working for him. While indicating owners should now demand accountability. However, as far as "vet work", you're good to go, but call him if its orthopedic. Somehow, this lets a whole lot of "vet work" off the hook, Mr.Castner.

As for those lay ups and rest for your horses. Mr.Castner can be reached at:
1-800-HYPERBARIC.

Most trainers have little or no investment in the horses they train, whether it is financial or emotional. They will run red light after red light in pushing that horse until it fails and then they will call the owner and spin him a story.

It will only change when an owner’s choice on "who will train my horses" is predicated on a trainer’s integrity, his willingness to tell him the truth at all times and to do the right thing for the horse. Owners will have to become an active part of the process in managing their horses’ welfare by demanding accountability. It's not that hard---all they have to do is draw the line on any orthopedic veterinary work without being consulted. If the horse needs injecting, the odds are the horse needs surgery or time.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Originally Posted by Grits

Winstar Farm owner, Bill Castner, weighs in. He suggest owners be far more selective in their choice of trainers. Pletcher and Mott only, Mr.Castner? Yep, that'll work. The rest of you boys, just enroll in Spring classes at your local community college. Your time training horses was questionable, your barns can now disperse.

http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com...4#.Uy2UZWOn-9w

Mr. Castner's mighty quick to throw trainers under the bus, at least all who are not working for him. While indicating owners should now demand accountability. However, as far as "vet work", you're good to go, but call him if its orthopedic. Somehow, this lets a whole lot of "vet work" off the hook, Mr.Castner.

As for those lay ups and rest for your horses. Mr.Castner can be reached at:
1-800-HYPERBARIC.

[/font]

[/font]

I'm surprised by your reaction to this column, but I don't know Mr. Castner. I don't understand the hyberbaric comment - if certain precautions are taken (shoes off to start) and the treatment is provisioned by a licensed vet, what's the issue with the hyperbaric chamber? Again, I have no opinion of this gentlemen, so I'm more than open to your point of view.

[maclr11]

Originally Posted by tzipi

Assmussen has run no horses in those no medication BC races the last two years.

You sure about that?????

http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbP...try=USA&race=4



Let's at least get the facts straight.

[Howlet]

Originally Posted by mountainman

The messenger in question has been shooting themselves for years.

For many, Maggi Moss epitomizes compassion toward animals. Nobody is more respected in the industry. The woman is a self-avowed extremist animal nut. Have you read her comments on peta? Take the time. You'll find them illuminating.

While you pay lip service to the toiletry depicted on the video, your main focus is PETA? Give me a break. Do you get that 40 years in the industry doesn't qualify you for anything, that's actually a negative not a positive? Get it?

[Saratoga_Mike]

Originally Posted by mountainman

The messenger in question has been shooting themselves for years.

For many, Maggi Moss epitomizes compassion toward animals. Nobody is more respected in the industry. The woman is a self-avowed extremist animal nut. Have you read her comments on peta? Take the time. You'll find them illuminating.

Curious, why haven't you watched the video? Maybe you have at this point? Any plans to watch it?

Maggi Moss employs trainers that seem to be really, really good at what they do. I see Chris Richard is winning at a 29% rate (for YTD and 2013 combined) and Tom Amoss is winning 32% of his races over the same time frame.

[Jeff P]

Originally Posted by Saratoga_Mike

I'm surprised by your reaction to this column, but I don't know Mr. Castner. I don't understand the hyberbaric comment - if certain precautions are taken (shoes off to start) and the treatment is provisioned by a licensed vet, what's the issue with the hyperbaric chamber? Again, I have no opinion of this gentlemen, so I'm more than open to your point of view.

The issue for me (as a bettor) is one of transparency.

In my opinion ALL (repeat ALL) medical/therapeutic procedures need to be disclosed to the wagering public. Continued failure/refusal to do this weakens the game from an integrity standpoint.

You don't have to reinvent the wheel to get this done. The Hong Kong Jockey Club does a fairly good job of disclosing medical/therapeutic procedures performed on today's entries. (It's a clickable item right on their website.)

Isn't it odd how their handle trend and our handle trend here in North America have taken two divergent paths?

-jp

.

[Grits]

Originally Posted by Saratoga_Mike

I'm surprised by your reaction to this column, but I don't know Mr. Casner. I don't understand the hyberbaric comment - if certain precautions are taken (shoes off to start) and the treatment is provisioned by a licensed vet, what's the issue with the hyperbaric chamber? Again, I have no opinion of this gentlemen, so I'm more than open to your point of view.

Not to redirect the topic. I'm sorry, Mike, but I don't have to know a big and rich Texan to realize he seems to be picking and choosing here. Its obvious. Not every owner in racing has such staggering wealth.

My only concern about hyperbaric chambers? Is, again, a level playing field for all owners and trainers. Not every owner can afford the high cost of sessions in stationary, or in mobile chambers. Casner has them at Winstar. His horses benefit from them.

They, of course, help to heal soft tissue injuries. This we know, and they are used often, and to good effect. Mr.Casner has been instrumental in bringing them to thoroughbred racing. This is an older article, and he may have since sold his interest in this company that first began using them here in the US.

There have been questions related to the breathing of pure oxygen, or close to pure. Is this, too, performance enhancing? Some think so.

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/143...under-pressure

Bill Casner, chairman and co-owner of WinStar Farm; Hub Johnson, owner of KESMARC; and Bain are partners in Equine Oxygen Therapy. Bain serves as vice president and medical adviser for the group.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Transparency is great, but that doesn't invalidate many of the points made in that op/ed piece (not that you said otherwise). It is helpful in Hong Kong that the Jockey Club regulates ALL gambling in the city, not just racing.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Thanks for the info Grits.

[Grits]

Mike you're welcome. Fairness and transparency will benefit us all.

On a different note, Asmussen had a 5 year old mare, Finesse, drop dead after the wire yesterday at Oaklawn. Running second, its believed she died of an apparent heart attack.

Thyroxine...that thyroid med that "makes 'em feel good" as Blasi stated. The one put in their feed each day? It may have been too much for her heart. Wow, this stuff is just so very, very wrong.

RIP Finesse.

http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...4-03-21&race=0

[TurfRuler]

Being an avid reader of the print edition of the Daily Racing in the late 70s and early 80s, one section always caught my attention. It was the section about the infirmities and diseases of thoroughbred. It is no longer featured but if trainers and owners have to deal with all the possible problems that a thoroughbred has to be exposed to, I would cuss and say that colic was the worst thing one could see a thoroughbred experience. Here is a list form a website of Thoroughbred diseases:

2007 Australian equine influenza outbreak

A
African horse sickness
Anoplocephala perfoliata
Anticor

B
Bovine papillomavirus

C
Cerebellar abiotrophy
Choke (horse)
Chronic progressive lymphedema
Colitis-X
Contagious equine metritis
Covering sickness

D
Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis

E
Eastern equine encephalitis virus
Epizootic lymphangitis
Equine atypical myopathy
Equine encephalitis
Equine exertional rhabdomyolysis
Equine herpesvirus 1
Equine herpesvirus 2
Equine herpesvirus 3
Equine herpesvirus 4
Equine herpesvirus 5
Equine infectious anemia
Equine influenza
Equine metabolic syndrome
Equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis

E cont.
Equine polysaccharide storage myopathy
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis
Equine Recurrent Uveitis
Equine Venereal Disease
Equine viral arteritis
Erbovirus
Ethmoid hematoma
Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage

G
Glanders
Glycogen-branching enzyme deficiency
Grass sickness

H
Headshaking
Henipavirus
Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia
Equine herpesvirus
Highlands J virus
Horse colic
Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis

J
Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (veterinary medicine)

K
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca
Kunjin virus

L
Lameness (equine)
Laminitis
Lavender Foal Syndrome
Lethal white syndrome
List of West Nile virus outbreaks

L cont.
Equine Lymphangitis

M
Mallein test
Mare reproductive loss syndrome
Mastocytoma
Mud fever

N
Equine nasal cysts

O
Osteochondritis dissecans

P
Pigeon fever
Poll evil
Potomac Horse Fever
Purpura haemorrhagica
Pythiosis

Q
Quittor

R
Racehorse injuries
Rainscald
Recurrent airway obstruction

S
Skin cancer in horses
Strangles
Sweet itch

V
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

W
West Nile virus
Western equine encephalitis virus
Wobbler disease
Wry nose

[Saratoga_Mike]

Originally Posted by Grits

Mike you're welcome. Fairness and transparency will benefit us all.

On a different note, Asmussen had a 5 year old mare, Finesse, drop dead after the wire yesterday at Oaklawn. Running second, its believed she died of an apparent heart attack.

Thyroxine...that thyroid med that "makes 'em feel good" as Blasi stated. The one put in their feed each day? It may have been too much for her heart. Wow, this stuff is just so very, very wrong.

RIP Finesse.

http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...4-03-21&race=0

Why hasn't this substance been banned? Is there no test? Didn't Baffert stop giving it after a number of his horses dropped dead for no apparent reason?

[RunDustyRun]

For many, Maggi Moss epitomizes compassion toward animals. Nobody is more respected in the industry. The woman is a self-avowed extremist animal nut. Have you read her comments on peta? Take the time. You'll find them illuminating.[/QUOTE]


Maggi Moss was hellbent on destroying Carl O'Callagahan over some missing money that was supposed to go to a horse retirement fund.....but when it comes to her buddy Assmussen, she is strangely silent...lost all credibility in my book

[chadk66]

Originally Posted by Saratoga_Mike

Why hasn't this substance been banned? Is there no test? Didn't Baffert stop giving it after a number of his horses dropped dead for no apparent reason?

probably because there are some horses that actually need it for legit reasons.

[Saratoga_Mike]

Originally Posted by RunDustyRun

Maggi Moss was hellbent on destroying Carl O'Callagahan over some missing money that was supposed to go to a horse retirement fund.....but when it comes to her buddy Assmussen, she is strangely silent...lost all credibility in my book

In 2008, she was there for him!

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...ainer-asmussen