Archive for September, 2008
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
It seems we have outrun the PBS lawyers, but with our Top Tens being unveiled we have little doubt that David Letterman’s folks will have us on speed dial in no time at all.
For those of you glass half full types, yesterday’s "Top Ten Reasons to Support the Paulick Report" was like a deliciously light tiramisu after a three-hour meal at your favorite Italian bistro. But if you view the world from a darker place and are motivated by the negative, we probably haven’t hit your sweet spot yet. That is why we give you these 10 reasons one might NOT support us. It’s reverse psychology at its best!
10. You had your entire 401K invested in Lehman Brothers, AIG and Freddie Mac.
9. Thoroughbred racing has never been in better shape, so you don’t get what all the fuss is about.
8. You don’t see anything wrong with three Jockey Club members controlling the entire industry.
7. Any guy who has to be rushed to the emergency room because of a bratwurst accident really isn’t worth your time.
6. You don’t believe in ethical standards among journalists, stud farms, trainers or Congress.
5. If you see one more picture of Rick Dutrow’s sweaty armpits, you may give up racing for good.
4. Steroids, Shmeroids!
3. You believe 5,000 readers CAN be wrong.
2. Someone told you Paulick was the guy who recommended changing the name of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff to Ladies Classic.
1. The Internet is a fad.
What’s that? You aren’t compelled by our reasons to not support the Paulick Report? Then you have most likely found value in the independent voice we have crafted over the past few months and we ask you to please consider sending a donation of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or even $50? Any amount is greatly appreciated and rest assured that donor anonymity is guaranteed. Please click the link below to our ‘Support the Paulick Report’ page where you can make a donation either by PayPal or through the mail.
Click here to support the Paulick Report
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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Meetings between Hialeah Park owner John Brunetti and a team of advisers representing track suitor Halsey Minor were held last Thursday in South Florida and described as “productive” by individuals involved.
Minor, a Virginia-based owner and breeder and the Internet entrepreneur who founded and later sold the technology Web site CNET.com, assembled a team of experts who made presentations to Brunetti on a variety of issues related to Minor’s interest in buying, renovating and reopening the historic track. In advance of the meetings, a telephone book-sized proposal went to Brunetti that included a detailed operating plan, plus cost estimates on architectural work and construction for renovations to existing buildings and a new stable area. The proposal also included some architectural renderings and layouts. The mayor of Hialeah also received the notebook.
Minor did not attend the meetings.
According to one source, Brunetti used the opportunity to drill the people who drafted the individual reports on their assumptions. Brunetti made a number of suggestions in response to the proposals and indicated he is interested in meeting again with Minor in the near future.
Hialeah Park has been closed to racing since May 2001.
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Tags: cnet.com, florida racing, Halsey Minor, hialeah, Hialeah Park, Horse Racing, john brunetti, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, south florida
Posted in Florida, Halsey Minor, Hialeah Park, People | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
By Ray Paulick
While Congress begins deliberations on the proposed economic bailout package that could cost taxpayers as much as $1 trillion, Thoroughbred owners and breeders are beginning to feel the effects of the turbulence on Wall Street and other world markets.
The financial markets meltdown came smack dab in the middle of the industry’s most important transactional event: the Keeneland September yearling sale. The sale began with a lowered price ceiling during opening select sessions that saw some resilience in the middle market, but, as many consignors feared, the bottom fell out after the first week. Most yearlings going through the ring in the latter part of the Keeneland sale will reflect economic losses to their owners once stud fees, mare investment and boarding costs are taken into consideration.
But those losses are minor compared to what’s happened on Wall Street, which traditionally has created much of the wealth that’s found its way into the yearling market. “If anyone is dependent on new money in the horse business, I don’t think this is going to be a very good time for them,” one business analyst told the Paulick Report.
In addition, many yearling-to-juvenile sale pinhookers from Florida depend on bank loans to fund at least a portion of their investment, and those loans or lines of credit from banks are evaporating in the current crisis that actually began last August with the sub-prime mortgage fiasco.
Loans of all kinds will be more difficult to acquire, one banker told the Paulick Report, whether it’s for pin-hooking, stallion and mare acquisitions, or real estate. “A wide range of people need bank financing to buy farms or mares,” he said. “Some people who didn’t start off thinking they wanted to borrow end up taking out loans just like any other business often does. Stallion deals are often supported by banks. No matter what you are borrowing money for, it’s harder now and it will cost more. Everything is going to be more difficult.” In addition, the banker said, many businesses with “standing operating lines of credit” are going to feel the crunch. “There are acquisitional and seasonal businesses. Some spend money all year and collect over just a couple of weeks. Stallion or mare purchases term out over a number of years.”
The crisis could have a severe effect on the bloodstock markets at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland in October and November, especially for mares in the $50,000 and under price range. It is expected the top end of the market, which is unlikely to establish any new records for high prices, will maintain some semblence of strength. The deadline to enter mares and weanlings in Keeneland’s massive November breeding stock sale preceded the financial market meltdown. What will be interesting to follow is the number of horses entered for Keeneland’s January sale of horses of all ages. Will breeders look ahead at cutting their losses on marginal mares and newly turned yearlings? The credit tightening comes as uninsured money market funds have disappeared into treasury bills and other secured investments. Banks that were counting on money market dollars to buy up bonds, mortgages and other loans now require cash on hand to extend credit to their customers. That cash, in many institutions, simply doesn’t exist in abundance.
“Things that have some value in the real world, like real estate loans, have no value in the market,” one analyst said. “Assets that used to be like cash no longer are like cash.” Many in the horse business are watching how the crisis is affecting the financially troubled Magna Entertainment ( MECA) and its real estate affiliate, MI Developments ( MID). Magna Entertainment is the racetrack operating company that is living month to month on bridge loans from MID and other creditors. Magna, controlled by Frank Stronach, owns Santa Anita Park (host of the 2008 and 2009 Breeders’ Cup) and Golden Gate Fields in California, Gulfstream Park in Florida, Pimlico and Laurel Park in Maryland, Lone Star Park in Texas, and Remington Park in Oklahoma, and several smaller tracks. Its stock, battered in recent years and recently the subject of a 1-for-20 reverse split to retain its listing on the exchange, has declined by 25% in the last five trading days, closing Monday at $4.39 per share.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: Breeders' Cup, breeding stock sales, credit tightening, fasig-tipton, Frank Stronach, horse business, Keeneland, keeneland january horses of all ages sale, keeneland november breeding stock sale, keeneland september yearling sale, magna developments, Magna Entertainment, market meltdown, meca, mid, Paulick Report, pinhookers, Ray Paulick, real estate market, stallion acquisitions, Thoroughbred breeding, wall street crisis, yearling sales
Posted in Breeding, Keeneland, Magna Entertainment, Pinhooking, Thoroughbred Auctions | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
Yesterday, we made a general appeal as to why we think the Paulick Report is worth supporting financially. We keep checking our backs for a team of PBS lawyers but so far they haven’t seemed to notice our blatant fundraiser knock-off!
As a service to our prospective donors, we thought it would be neighborly of us to point out 10 reasons why writing a check or sending a PayPal donation would be the right move for you. Think of these as talking points when your spouse asks why you just wrote a check to a Web site you don’t own.
10. You never got over seeing Ray on the other side of the soup kitchen counter when you volunteered last Christmas.
9. Sheikh Mohammed isn’t returning his phone calls.
8. PBS keyed your car.
7. Reading online publications reduces waste and makes you feel like an environmentalist.
6. You just cashed in your Magna Entertainment stock and don’t know what to do with all those profits.
5. It’s your way of thanking us for publishing all 74 of your trainer’s rulings from the RCI database.
4. You believe in Ray’s new TV script CDI: Kentucky.
3. Your local paper doesn’t have a turf writer anymore (and you live in the horse capital of the world!)
2. Moving Ray into a higher tax bracket gives him that much better a chance to be elected to the Jockey Club.
1. You believe that an independent, truthful voice supported by anonymous donors and not controlled by advertisers is the best way to bring about meaningful change in the industry.
Whether you have found your reason to support the Paulick Report in this Top Ten or not, if you place value in the independent voice we have crafted over the past few months, we ask you to please consider sending a donation of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or even $50. Any amount is greatly appreciated and rest assured that donor anonymity is guaranteed. Please click the link below to our ‘Support the Paulick Report’ page where you can make a donation either by PayPal or through the mail.
Click here to support the Paulick Report
Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Dear Colleague,
This week we’re kicking off our seven-day Public Broadasting System knock-off quarterly fundraising drive. Like PBS, we depend on viewers like you for the majority of our operational support to allow us to maintain and enhance the Thoroughbred industry’s premiere independent voice. Fortunately for you, we will be deviating from the PBS format when it comes to featuring old British actors in bad wigs and documentaries on the life and times of such stirring historical figures as the 11th U.S. President James K. Polk.
In just over 90 days, the Paulick Report has grown to an online community of 5,000 readers that includes the Who’s Who of Thoroughbred racing and breeding, fans of the industry and my mother-in-law. We have pulled no punches in our quest to become an honest broker for the sport we all love. The feedback you have given us confirms our belief that a truly independent voice has long been needed and will serve to benefit the health and future of the Thoroughbred industry.
If you place value in the independent voice found only on the pages of the Paulick Report and would like to support its continued growth, would you please consider sending a donation of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100 or even $50 to help further our cause? Any amount is greatly appreciated and rest assured that donor anonymity is guaranteed. Click the link below to our ‘Support the Paulick Report’ page where you can make a donation either by PayPal or through the mail.
Thank you for your consideration and as always, we greatly appreciate your daily support of the Paulick Report.
Regards,
Ray Paulick
ray@paulickreport.comÂ
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Monday, September 22nd, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Best unintentionally funny line of the week came from John Brunetti, the owner of Hialeah Park. Discussing a conversation he had with Halsey Minor about the technology wizard’s interest in buying and reviving the shuttered South Florida racetrack, Brunetti was quoted in a trade publication as saying: “I have told him that in some ways I don’t think he understands this business.”
Does Brunetti think he understands this business? How could he? If he did, how did he let Doug Donn outsmart him on every move and get control of the best winter racing dates for Gulfstream Park? Why did state legislators and regulators turn their back on him? How did Calder crush Hialeah in head-to-head competition? Why did Brunetti raise take out to the point that he chased away any remaining horseplayers Hialeah had? Why has the track sat empty for more than seven years?
It’s a mortal lock that Hialeah will never reopen successfully with Brunetti as the owner and operator. I happen to think John Brunetti is a nice guy who loves racing, but I have zero confidence that he can revive Hialeah Park on his own (and I may be more optimistic than state officials or Florida horsemen).
Does Halsey Minor know everything there is to know about Thoroughbred racing? Of course not. But he comes to the game with passion, enthusiasm, capital and confidence that he can return Hialeah to some semblance of its past glory.
Brunetti isn’t the only industry veteran who thinks Minor may be nothing but a dreamer if he thinks he can revive horse racing as a sport. I’ve heard from a number of racetrack executives and horse owners who said they’ve heard it all before. But what is the alternative for Hialeah Park or operating tracks that are hanging on by a thread? Lobby to get slot machines, turn the facility over to a casino company and hope it will subsidize the money-losing portion of the business indefinitely?
Should Brunetti and others in the industry just blow off this opportunity that Minor presents to give horse racing in the Miami area one last chance to stand on its own as a sport?
I remember when Frank Stronach came into racetrack ownership and said he would try to make the sport more compelling and entertaining. In the beginning, Stronach said he had no interest in getting slot machines at his tracks. But Stronach became a victim of his ego, forcing in too many of his own bad ideas and forcing out too many executives who dared to disagree with him. He almost seemed obsessed with getting control of as many tracks as possible without having any idea what he was going to do with them all.
Gulfstream Park was the first Florida racetrack to get slot machines. Under Stronach’s vision, Gulfstream became the least successful slot machine operation in North America, based on the benchmark of dollars won per machine per day. Calder will be adding slots as early as 2009 after getting approval in a local referendum in January of this year. The rebuilt Gulfstream Park is more slots parlor and simulcast theater than it is a facility to host live racing. In short, it’s a disaster.
Calder, built to host hot-weather summer racing, has always struck me as a cold and impersonal track, but it’s never seemed colder or more impersonal than it is today. In a recent weekday visit there I stumbled across what seemed like no more than several hundred fans scattered throughout the first two floors (most of the third floor is closed).
 Count on Churchill Downs management to pigeonhole those fans in as small an area as possible once the slot machines are installed and plugged in. Racing at Calder will become secondary, though its purses will be healthier than they are today because of the slot subsidies. But what will Churchill Downs management’s long-term vision be for racing at Calder?
Minor said he has no interest in bringing slot machines to Hialeah Park. The competition for slots players is intense, with the Seminole Native American tribe holding the market share advantage at their Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Minor wants to focus on the excitement of racing and the fact that it’s the only sport you can legally bet on.
Racing needs people like Halsey Minor, and people in the industry should be doing everything possible to help him succeed.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: calder, CDI, churchill downs, doug donn, Frank Stronach, gulfstream park, Halsey Minor, hard rock, Hialeah Park, Horse Racing, john brunetti, Magna, Magna Entertainment, Paulick Report, racino, Ray Paulick, seminoles, Slot machines, thoroughbred racing
Posted in Churchill Downs Inc., Florida, Halsey Minor, Hialeah Park, Horse Racing, Magna Entertainment, Slot machines | 11 Comments »
Sunday, September 21st, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Richard Duchossois, who became the largest shareholder in Churchill Downs Inc. when his wholly owned Arlington Park racetrack was merged with Churchill in September 2000, has been steadily adding to his holdings over the last 10 months. In September alone, the Chicago industrialist has purchased 17,296 shares of CDI.
As part of the original agreement to merge Arlington into Churchill, Duchossois Industries received 3,150,000 shares of CDI and had a right to receive another 1,250,000 shares.
Last November, Duchossois bought nearly 15,000 additional shares in the $49-$50 per share range. In December he bought approximately 25,000 in the $52 range. In March he purchased 69,000 at prices between $45-$47 per share. In August he bought 29,000 shares, about a third of them at $37 per share and the rest around $43.
Churchill stock (CHDN) closed at $50.48 per share on Friday.
The only other major insider trading transactions of CDI stock in the last year was the sale of 15,931 shares by CEO Bob Evans.
Churchill officials are hoping the Kentucky legislature passes legislation permitting racetracks in the state to add slot machines as several other racing states have done, including to the north and West Virginia to the east. Pro-slots legislator Greg Stumbo (formerly the state’s attorney general) said recently he will mount a challenge to be Kentucky’s speaker of the house, a position currently held by Jody Richards, who has fallen into disfavor with many in the horse industry because he blocked a casino bill earlier this year.
The company has had some difficulties in 2008 over contract negotiations with horsemen at CDI-owned Calder in Florida and its flagship track in Louisville, Ky. Purse cuts resulted at both tracks. It will be adding slot machines at Calder after a local referendum was approved, and its other track, Fair Grounds, will be offering record purses at its upcoming meeting, thanks to slot machine revenue.
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Tags: Arlington Park, bob evans, calder, casino legislation, churchill downs, Churchill Downs Inc., dick duchossois, duchoiss industries, fair grounds, greg stumbo, jody richards, kentucky legislature, richard duchossois, Slot machines, slots
Posted in Arlington Park, Churchill Downs Inc., Kentucky, People, Slot machines | 2 Comments »
Friday, September 19th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Californian Mike Mitchell has produced a steady stream of winners – mostly in the claiming ranks – since taking out his trainer’s license in 1974. He also has been cited quite regularly for various rules violations, including numerous medication and medication procedural infractions, by track stewards and the California Horse Racing Board, the latest being a positive test for the Class 3 drug Procaine in Scat Thief, third-place finisher in a race at Del Mar Aug. 3.
Procaine is commonly found in the antibiotic Pencillin G.
The longtime California claiming king consistently ranks among meeting leaders at Santa Anita Park, Hollywood Park and Del Mar, and he usually cracks the top 50 in the national standings by earnings. Horses he trains have won $3.5 million thus far in 2008, and he’s winning at a 24% clip. Mitchell makes semi-frequent forays into graded stakes, as he did in 2007 when the $50,000 claim Sun Boat won Del Mar’s Grade 2 San Diego Handicap. Sun Boat died a month later after contracting laminitis.
Earlier this summer, Thoroughbred Times reported that Mitchell received 10 notifications for anabolic steroid positive tests during the transition period to ban the substance in California. The only trainer with more notifications, according to the article, was Del Mar’s leading trainer, John Sadler, who reportedly received 18 notifications. The article said there was a total of 38 notification letters to all trainers, which means Sadler and Mitchell allegedly accounted for 74% of them.
Those reported anabolic steroid notices do not go on Mitchell’s record at the CHRB or into the database of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, which compiles rulings from around the country. The RCI’s compilation of rulings involving Mitchell are shown below.
One of the more interesting rulings in the list of violations is a $5,000 fine in 2004 against Mitchell for an Acepromazine positive that occurred in 2003. Apparently, then CHRB executive director Roy Wood cut a deal with Mitchell for a fine and no suspension before the case even reached track stewards. According to a 2004 article in Bloodhorse magazine by Michael G. Wagner, Wood bargained for fines and no suspensions with trainers whose horses tested positive in order to save the racing board money spent on attorneys.
According to the article, when stewards conducted a hearing on the matter with Mitchell and asked him to discuss how the case was resolved, he told them: "Talking to some of the (CHRB) investigators, they said, ‘You know they really don’t like to suspend anybody now — if you acknowledge the fact that it happened, and you want to pay the fine.’ … So I went through Roy Wood, talked to him. … I felt I just — you know, a 30-day suspension just would have been devastating to me. It would have been terrible. The fine was great."
Wood is no longer with the CHRB.
A hearing for Mitchell has been scheduled Oct. 11 at Santa Anita on the Procaine charge.
Below is Comprehensive Ruling Report on Mitchell from the RCI.
Rulings Against: MICHAEL RAY MITCHELL
46 total ruling(s) listed.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: LATS090 Date: 3/16/2007
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: LOS ANGELES TURF CLUB
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: ALTERATION OF SEX OF HORSE
________________________________________
Ruling Number: LATS083 Date: 3/14/2007
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: LOS ANGELES TURF CLUB
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 3000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 06HP192/TC02 POSITIVE
________________________________________
Ruling Number: OTTS001 Date: 10/1/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 500 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 06DM072/1629 LATE DECLARATION
________________________________________
Ruling Number: OTTS005 Date: 10/1/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 1000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 06DM075/1843 DICIOFENAC
________________________________________
Ruling Number: HRTH104 Date: 6/29/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Horse Breed: Thoroughbred
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: HORSE INELIGIBLE TO START
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10101543 Date: 6/29/2006
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: ENTERED AN INELIGIBLE HORSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10092082 Date: 5/5/2005
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: METHOCRBAMOL - "ALPHABETIC", 2ND RACE, 3-72-05.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10080229 Date: 11/11/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: IMPROPERLY SHOD FOR TURF COURSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10090571 Date: 11/11/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 04SA179/E0681/IMPROPERLY SHOD
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10073956 Date: 3/27/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Promazine Promazine
Fine Amount: $ 5000 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: PROMAZINE, "SWEET STEPPER," 3RD RACE, 9/7/03.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10075126 Date: 2/29/2004
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Prednisolone Prednisolone
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: METHYPREDNISOLONE, "AREYOUTALKINTOME", 1ST RACE, 12-20-03, WINNER.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10065309 Date: 7/26/2003
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: LATE TO THE RECEIVING BARN.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10054303 Date: 6/27/2002
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: LATE TO RECEIVING BARN.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*10023128 Date: 3/17/2001
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 200 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: PENALTY FOR LATE DECLARATION.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*339217 Date: 5/8/1998
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Flunixin
Fine Amount: $ 300 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: EXCESS FLUNIXIN.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85390 Date: 6/8/1996
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: FAILED TO FILE A DECLARATION AT THE PROPER TIME.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85389 Date: 10/22/1995
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Methocarbamol Methocarbamol
Fine Amount: $ 750 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: TWO POSITIVE TESTS FOR METHOCARBAMOL.
________________________________________
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85372 Date: 2/13/1991
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 100 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - EMPLOYMENT OF UNLICENSED PERSON.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85391 Date: 2/13/1991
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 200 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - EXCESS BUTAZOLIDIN FOUND INSAMPLE TAKEN FROM "SILVER STRAND", 2ND RACE ON 2-1.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85398 Date: 7/31/1990
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 200 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OF AND DISRESPECT TO PADDOCK JUDGE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85373 Date: 9/7/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $500 - FOUND EQUIPROXEN IN "BELLE MO", 1ST RACE, 8-30.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85374 Date: 9/1/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $500 - FOUND EQUIPROXEN IN "SPEEDRATIC", 8TH RACE, 8/17/89.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85375 Date: 7/15/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - FOUND ROBAXIN IN "SUCESS FORMULA", 3RD RACE, 7-4.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85376 Date: 1/28/1989
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Positive Drug Test
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s): Hydrocortisone Hydrocortisone Hydrocortisone
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1844 (MEDICATION-HYDROCORTISONE).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85399 Date: 8/22/1988
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - EXHIBITING CONDUCT UNBECOMING TO A LICENSEE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85377 Date: 7/9/1988
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - EMPLOYMENT OF UNLICENSED PERSON.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85392 Date: 12/5/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - NEGLIGENCE IN RACE DAY BLEEDER MEDICATION PROCEDURES.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85378 Date: 11/25/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: 00$200 - FAILURE TO DELIVER HORSE TORECEIVING BARN AT PROPER TIME.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85393 Date: 1/15/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1844(C) (AUTHORIZED MEDICATION; MORE THAN ONE APPROVED DRUG SUBSTANCE, SECOND OFFENSE).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85400 Date: 1/3/1987
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1843(D) (MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVEL - BUTAZOLIDIN).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85379 Date: 10/3/1986
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1843(D) (MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVEL - BUTAZOLIDIN).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85401 Date: 6/11/1986
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1843(D) (MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVEL - BANAMINE).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85380 Date: 2/22/1986
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: Unknown
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF PERMITTED LEVELS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85381 Date: 3/28/1984
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - MEDICATION IN EXCESS OF LIMITS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85382 Date: 9/7/1983
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $200 - VIOLATION OF RULE #1845(E) (BLEEDER LIST).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85383 Date: 7/8/1982
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - FAILURE TO HAVE HORSE, A CONFIRMED BLEEDER, TREATED FOR RACE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85402 Date: 6/21/1981
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACEDAY BLEEDER MEDICATION CONDITIONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85384 Date: 5/29/1981
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACE DAY BLEEDER MEDICATION CONDITONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85394 Date: 9/14/1980
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: DEL MAR
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $50 - FAILURE TO BE PRESENT AT PADDOCK TO SUPERVISE SADDLINGOF HIS HORSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85385 Date: 5/23/1980
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE FOR RACE DAY BLEEDERMEDICATION CONDITIONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85395 Date: 2/17/1979
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $300 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACE-DAY BLEEDER MEDICATIONCONDITIONS.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85386 Date: 1/25/1979
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - NEGLIGENCE IN PROCEDURE OF RACE-DAY BLEEDERMEDICATION.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85403 Date: 5/26/1978
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: HOLLYWOOD PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $100 - FAILURE TO PROPERLY REGISTER A HEEL NERVED HORSE.
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85387 Date: 1/2/1978
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: SANTA ANITA PARK
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $150 - VIOLATION OF RULE 1895 (UNLICENSED GROOM IN RECEIVINGBARN).
________________________________________
Ruling Number: *N*85388 Date: 12/10/1975
Issued By: California Racing Commission Facility: BAY MEADOWS
Ruling Type: Unknown
Division: Unknown Breed: Unknown
Drug(s):
Fine Amount: $ 0 Fine Paid: Not Submitted
Suspension Start: None Suspension End: None
Description: $50.00 FOR VIOLATION OF CHRB RULE 1629 (PENALTY FOR LATEDECLARATION).
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: acepromazine, anabolic steroids, association of racing commissioners international, California Horse Racing Board, california racing, CHRB, Del Mar, drugs in racing, Hollywood Park, Horse Racing, john sadler, Medication, michael ray mitchell, michael wagner, mike mitchell, Paulick Report, procaine, Ray Paulick, RCI, roy wood, santa anita, scat thief, sun boat, thoroughbred trainer
Posted in California, California Horse Racing Board, Medication, Regulatory Issues | 7 Comments »
Thursday, September 18th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
National Thoroughbred Racing Association CEO Alex Waldrop said his organization neither opposes nor supports a U.S. House of Representatives bill that would criminalize transportation of horses with the intention they be slaughtered for human consumption. A letter from Waldrop expressing the NTRA’s neutrality was entered into the record on Wednesday by Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) during a markup hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on H.B. 6598, known as the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008.
The bill, introduced in July, is sponsored by Democratic Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers of Michigan and 11 other House members.
In his letter to Congress, Waldrop said the NTRA supported 2003 anti-slaughter legislation, which failed to pass. He did not reference support or opposition to current legislation before the House (H.B. 103) and Senate (S.B. 311) that would prohibit slaughter and transportation to slaughter plants.
Those bills will prohibit slaughter, while H.R. 6598 criminalizes transportation of horses to slaughter plants for human consumption by amending federal criminal law and calling for fines and imprisonment. There currently are no slaughter plants operating in the U.S., the two in Texas having been shut down by a court ruling and a plant in Illinois shuttered after a state law was passed. There has been an increase in the number of horses being transported across the borders into Canada and Mexico, however, and this law provides enforcement for federal officials to end that. Horses confiscated would be under the jusisdiction of the attorney general, who, according to the bill, “shall provide for the humane placement or other humane disposition of any horse seized.”
Waldrop’s difficulty in supporting or opposing the bill stems from the makeup of the NTRA membership, which is funded in part by organizations such as the American Quarter Horse Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners, which have opposed anti-slaughter legislation.
Passage of the bills seems a longshot with time running out during the current session of Congress.
Following is the text of Waldrop’s letter, citing the NTRA’s neutrality and concerns with the bill:
Dear Representative:
It has come to my attention that the House Judiciary Committee plans to mark up H.R. 6598, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008. As you may know, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has previously supported another bill to ban the slaughter of horses, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 857), introduced in 2003.
We are now examining H.R. 6598, but have reached no decision as to whether we would support or oppose this legislation. After an initial review, we have some concerns with the bill and potential unintended consequences, notably that:
- The bill would require the Attorney General to provide for the humane placement or other humane disposition of any horse seized in connection with an offense under this section. As an organization deeply involved in the care of horses every day, we have concern that this requirement (for the Department of Justice, with no known capacity to care for seized horses) could result in improper treatment.
- Simply adding criminal penalties – while not providing procedural guidelines or funding for the care and treatment of abandoned horses – will likely only exacerbate the situation. While supporters of this bill might believe that adding criminal penalties would cure the problem, it could easily make it worse.
These are but a few of the questions that we and our members are examining.
With all due respect, I believe that prior legislation dealt with this issue in a more comprehensive way, was designed to address some of the possible unintended consequences that we find troubling, and was on the whole better legislation for horses and horse owners. We continue to examine this legislation but these concerns remain.
Finally, several anti-slaughter advocacy groups, including the Humane Society of the United States and Animal Welfare Institute, listed the NTRA as supporters of this legislation before consulting us. We trust that they, and any other third party with whom you may have spoken relative to the NTRA’s position, have clarified that they claimed our endorsement before discussing our concerns with them. Our association takes no position on this bill at this time.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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Tags: aaep, alex waldrop, american association of equine practitioners, american quarter horse association, animal welfare, anti-slaughter legislation, aqha, bob goodlatte, congress, h.b. 103, h.r. 6598, horse slaughter, john conyers, judiciary committee, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, prevention of equine cruelty act, s.b. 311, u.s. house of representatives, u.s. senate, unwanted horse coalition, unwanted horses
Posted in Congressional Hearing, Horse Slaughter, Horse Welfare, Industry Organizations, Industry Reform, National Thoroughbred Racing Association | 42 Comments »
Thursday, September 18th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Stewards at Delaware Park have suspended trainer Larry Jones for seven days, fined him $500 and ordered a purse redistribution following a hearing on Tuesday concerning the discovery of a higher than permitted level of Clenbuterol in a post-race test for Two Bucks Stable’s Stones River, who won a June 8 allowance race at Delaware Park.
John Wayne, executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission, told the Paulick Report that Jones indicated he would appeal the ruling, which was handed down on Wednesday. The commission is expected to hear the appeal on Oct. 21. Jones was granted a stay until that time.
The ruling against Jones was the first of any kind during the trainer’s 25-year career, according to the data base at the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
The penalties assessed Jones are significantly lower than the model rules recommended last month by RCI, which Wayne said call for a suspension of 60 days to six months and up to a $1,500 fine for Clenbuterol, a Class 3 drug according to RCI guidelines. The seven-day suspension and $500 fine is in line with other first-offense Clenbuterol rulings in the Mid-Atlantic reguib, according to Wayne.
“The testimony given would be taken into consideration by the stewards,” said Wayne, who did not attend the hearing. Wayne said mitigating circumstances also may be taken into consideration by stewards when ruling on medication violations.
The Stones River case gained national attention when Jim Squires, co-owner with wife Mary Anne of Two Bucks Stable, issued a statement after being notified of the positive test, saying that it was a “highly suspicious” case and suggested it may have involved sabotage of the horse or drug test. Squires was notified of the result two days before a Congressional hearing examining drugs and welfare issues related to Thoroughbreds; a one-time member of the Kentucky Racing Commission, Squires has been an outspoken critic of the drugging of horses. An author and former editor of the Chicago Tribune, he also wrote a blog for the New York Times during this year’s Triple Crown in which he called for a ban on anabolic steroids.
Squires also wrote a New York Times commentary citing the need for widespread industry reforms in the wake of the death on national television of the Larry Jones-trained filly, Eight Belles, after she finished second to Big Brown in the Kentucky Derby. No illegal drugs or anabolic steroids were found in the filly’s system during post-mortem testing.
“That a Two Bucks Stable horse in his care has become the first drug positive in his career in the highly charged atmosphere during the week of a congressional investigation focusing on drugs and safety in horse racing is highly suspicious,” Squires said in the written statement in June . “It reeks of a deliberate effort to impugn our credibility on the subject of drugs and damage the reputation of a highly successful trainer who has been unfairly and mistakenly blamed by a few critics outside the industry for the death of Eight Belles. … Larry Jones and I have both been prominent in the media voicing our support for the banning of steroids in the Thoroughbred industry and of more vigorous, uniform regulation of therapeutic drugs such as Clenbuterol, which can have steroidal effects.
“This test result on Stones River appears to be another miscarriage of justice in the offing, which we plan to challenge in every legal way possible,” the statement continued. “Holding Jones responsible for something beyond his control only aids and abets criminal behavior by people intent on hurting a competitor in particular or our industry in general. It will demonstrate once again how easy it is in Thoroughbred racing to impact a trainer’s livelihood and discredit both a horse and its owners.
“We have faith in the integrity of Delaware racing authorities and their interest in fair treatment. But we also are aware how staff and budget resources limit the ability of regulators to conduct thorough, successful criminal investigations. If this were a case of cheating in NASCAR or the NFL, there would be a commissioner with full authority and investigative expertise to step in and get to the bottom of it. In view of the highly charged public atmosphere surrounding the credibility of racing, the full resources of the Jockey Club, the NTRA, Breeders’ Cup and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association should be offered to the Delaware Racing Commission and the Department of Agriculture to assure a fair and credible resolution of this matter. If necessary, the entire purse from the race should be used to supplement required resources. As an owner, Two Bucks Stable is far more interested in the credibility of our horse, our trainer and our industry than we are the money.”
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Tags: association of racing commissioners international, clenbuterol, Congressional Hearing, delaware park, delaware thoroughbred racing commission, eight belles, Horse Racing, jim squires, john wayne, larry jones, Medication, model rules, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, RCI, stones river, trainer insurer rule, two bucks, two bucks stable
Posted in Congressional Hearing, Horse Welfare, Industry Reform, Medication, People, Regulatory Issues | 6 Comments »
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