MAGGI TO MIKE: ‘PLEASE GET OUT OF RACING’
Maggi Moss knows the claiming game and has shown a strong competitive desire to succeed in the Thoroughbred business. Those are two traits she shares with Michael Gill. Moss won 211 races in 2006, more than any other owner that year, the first woman to do so in more than half a century. She’s won no Eclipse Awards (Gill was voted an Eclipse Award as outstanding owner in 2005), but the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders’ Association named her National Owner of the Year at the organization’s annual awards dinner in 2007.
A lifelong horse lover and successful trial lawyer by trade, Moss joined the ranks of Thoroughbred owners a dozen years ago and operates a large nationwide stable from her native Des Moines, Iowa. Moss also puts great emphasis on finding homes for retired racehorses and serves on the board of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation.
After reading about the controversy involving Gill’s fatally injured horses at Penn National, Moss submitted to the Paulick Report the following open letter to the controversial owner, pointedly telling him: “Please get out of racing.” – Ray Paulick
By Maggi Moss
An open Letter to Michael Gill
Horse racing is already suffering in every regard. Among the public and handicappers, perception is at an all-time low. Owners are increasingly looking to get out.
I have followed Michael Gill horses for almost two years now. I follow patterns and read charts and I have also read Mr. Gill’s comments. He sought out to break a record in 2009 and did not achieve it. Horses were the means to that goal. In that process, how many horses died?
I know about trying to reach goals, break records, and stay on top of the National Standings. I realized after obtaining my own personal goal in 2006, that I too was guilty of using horses to achieve my own personal accomplishments. I, however, did not lose one horse that year.
I opted to change my program and immediately knew that I had to give back to a sport that I am passionate about. It was my job to keep track of my horses and protect them in every way I could. In thoughts of getting out, I realized that I could save more horses in racing then merely turning my back on the sport. Most of all, even if I chose to compete at a lesser level, I could still treat my horses like they are all worth a million dollars, by picking the right individuals, giving them time off, and protecting them in every way I could. Most of all, I could try and give back in every way I was able to financially.
Mr. Gill states that “he takes care of his horses and sends them to retirement homes.” I think it’s important for him to tell us: What homes? I also think he owes it to this sport to tell us what monies he has contributed to the welfare of his horses or what charities has he ever contributed to for the retirement of racehorses.
One only needs to watch his horses run at Penn National and see that his horses do not react as other horses that are injured. When horses hurt themselves, the jockey comes off, and the horse stops–in most cases. Mr. Gill’s horses continue to run around the track even with broken legs, as if they feel no pain. It is gruesome, grotesque and unnatural and would lead one to wonder if these horses are blocked. Has Penn National performed full autopsies and blood tests to find this out ? Way too many horses owned by Mr. Gill have died a painful death, and it’s not due to mere numbers.
Horses getting hurt is the worst part of the business, incredibly sad. It’s enough to make many get out and, worse, the public to look upon us as barbaric. The industry continues to study the problem, the outcries keep us in the hunt to find the answers. One can blame the veterinarians, the trainers, the owners, or the surfaces, but it is the one sad and tragic part of the business. Mr. Gill’s rates of horses vanned off, hurt, and worse—“breakdowns”–is not due to his numbers but due to the fact that he wants horses he can run through their conditions at all costs. It’s not about claiming horses, it’s about what one does with the horse afterwards.
I have had horses break down, and I have claimed horses that have broken down and it is the most heart-wrenching, sickening feeling I have ever experienced. It only can drive you to protect your own horses and try to save others. The responsibility for these horses lies squarely with the owners.
The difference Mr. Gill, is that your history and your cavalier attitude about losing a horse is what makes you public enemy Number One. You are always more concerned about “being picked on” or suing someone rather than doing something about it. You do not show compassion for your animals, nor do you contribute back to this industry; it’s all about you.
You want to stop being picked on? Then do something about it. Hire an outside vet to come to your farm and go through all your horses and tell you which ones are racing sound and healthy. Quit running some horses three and sometimes four times a month.
Quit trying to break records and take care of the horses you have. Publicly tell us where all your horses go when you are through with them or no longer have their conditions. Donate some of your winnings to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation or other worthy cause. Do something for the industry and save some horses in lieu of destroying them. Stop the perception that horses are a piece of property for you for your personal gain.
If you can’t do any of this, please just get out: you continue to hurt the industry, not help it.
Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report
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Tags: eclipse award, maggi moss, Michael Gill, Paulick Report, penn national, Ray Paulick
January 27th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Very good letter! I genuinely hope it is taken to heart, but I doubt it will be; he will look upon your words and decry that you are yet another “picking” on him without cause.
I have know too many like gill to believe he will ever just go away. He is driven to succeed with no concern or care as to how, who, or what he goes through, hurts or kills to get there.
He will never look in the mirror and see the truth instead he will blame others for “unjustly” attacking him all the while allowing his underlings to “take the bullet” for him.
In short the only way to get rid of gill is to kick him out.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Excellent advice from someone who obviously has compassion for the sport, for her peers, and for the horses entrusted to her. These are qualities all racehorse people–owners, trainers, jockeys, backstretch workers, assistant starters, on down the line–should have for the athletes that make this game possible.
You tell ‘em, Maggi!
January 27th, 2010 at 8:08 am
Bravo, Maggi! You read my mind!
January 27th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Well said Maggi. Take care of the horses and they will take care of you. Their health and safety must always come first. It’s all about the horse and when they become just a tool for our egos then we have lost sight of the beauty and elegance of this SPORT.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Just curious….what is Mr Gill’s liability if jockeys and horses are injured/killed as a result of Gill KNOWINGLY entering a lame/doctored horse ?
January 27th, 2010 at 8:31 am
“Just curious….what is Mr Gill’s liability if jockeys and horses are injured/killed as a result of Gill KNOWINGLY entering a lame/doctored horse ?”
Horse owners have been sued in california for injuries suffered by others due to horses breaking down. I don’t know if the suits were successful, by you will find many owners running as “Lessee” or “LLC”s in order to limit liability.
As I said yesterday, and Ms. Moss says today, where do the horses go? Until Gill answers these questions, and unfortunately, his silence is giving more credence by the moment that they are being “given away for $1″ and then meet their demise in some barbaric country like Canada or Mexico.
If true, may he rot in hell with the rest of the criminals who participate in this hideous practice.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Three cheers for owners like Maggi Moss. Hopefully Mike Gill will read this - and provide us with the names of those retirement homes!
January 27th, 2010 at 8:41 am
I am sure Mikey Gill will clip and paste and send out another portion of his “victim” speech….and continue right along with his heinous operation, since there will always be a track owner in the USA willing to give him a handshake (with Gill providing a “thank you” card enclosed in an envelope, I’m sure).
That someone is allowed to operate like the star snake-oil salesman in a traveling road show demonstrates a sport that is probably too far gone to be saved. Does anyone for one moment believe that sleaze like Gill actually care about the welfare of the industry? He’ll continue to bleed it dry and seize the last buck while turning off the lights on what was once the “Sport of Kings.”
January 27th, 2010 at 8:52 am
What saddens me about this letter is the obvious lack of regulation and responsibility from the INDUSTRY ITSELF. With ENFORCED, Standardized National Regulation (and Punishment), you can pretty much forget about Gill. He is legislated, along with everyone else, into irrelevance.
But the Industry continues to drag it’s feet… doing nothing when so much needs to be done. We’ve been sold out for decades folks. You want change? Sorry, but you DO NOT start with Michael Gill.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:54 am
This is why, along with so many other reason, there should be some type of social security system in place for horses. There should be a representative at each track, possibly from the NTRA, that would be responsible for investigating injuries and illness, and then implementing funds for those horses that would go to a qualified, licensed, retirement facility. If the NTRA can certify tracks for safety, why can’t they HELP to insure the safety of the horses?
January 27th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Great letter but it would carry a lot more weight if one didn’t know the medicaton records and rteputation of some of Maggie’s trainers…………….
January 27th, 2010 at 9:10 am
What dray33 said.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:11 am
These ridiculous slots purses at these gip tracks are part of the problem. Even respected horsemen triple drop a horse who needs some time off when offered a $17,000 purse for a $7,500 NW2 race. If the tracks keep setting the table, the Gills (and dozens of others) will come to eat. 5-10 years ago, a horsemen with a solid $25,000 claimer treated that horse like a stakes horse. Treat an injury, maybe send him to the farm. Now, they can just reach into a stack of condition books and decide where to block him and run him for the bottom. Meanwhile, the Gills of the world are waiting to scoop them up. That same $7,500 race will fill for a $11,000 purse (look at Turfway, they fill for a $6,000 purse) use the other $6,000 to start a relocation program for horses or even fund a retirement farm. Step up the prerace exams and testing. Look at the posts on this site alone—the public cares about these horses. It is time to revisit some of these slots laws and give some of the money back to helping horses and building public perception. Or better yet—-because we know the horsemen won’t allow some of their purse money to go to programs that ultimately benefit them—let the casino put the money up out of their budget. These racinos will step up and do something when people start going to another casino because they don’t want to go to the place that the newspaper says “kills horses”. That is another problem, the 2.5 to 7% of handle doesn’t matter to the racino owners. They could care less about what happens on-track as long as everything stays quiet and the casino business isn’t harmed.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Great to see the one of the power people in racing speak up. too bad more of them don’t do it,however maybe a lot of them don’t want people like Gill out, after all claiming races are only a disposal system for the industry and barbarians like Gill fit the bill. Penn National is not innocent in this , are the vets looking the other way for his horses instead of scratching them. But then again Penn does nothing for welfare of the horses , no retirment program as the one they had the RACE Fund they refused to support, Of course the HBPA does not stand up either and provide proper funding for the horses to retire , it is a cess pool of break downs and slaughter .Look for more horses to be killed at Penn. it is the culture
January 27th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Isn’t this the same Maggi Moss that was pilloried by comments on this site six months ago for her outspoken defense of Steve Asmussen after the latest in his long list of medication violations? Just checking.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:20 am
The most outrageous statement Gill made to Paulick was that he doesn’t gamble on horses. I doubt his tax records will reflect winnings or losses since he uses young men to place his bets for him, but this guy is full of it if he thinks anyone believes the management of his stable isn’t tied to his betting.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:23 am
In the case of one of Gill’s horses, I can answer Ms. Moss’ question as to where she went when Gill was done with her. The filly Trinity Moon was found in a kill pen at New Holland, lame, underweight and on her way to slaughter, shortly after she finished last in her final race for Gill. She did indeed end up at a retirement home, but not because Mr. Gill sent her there. She was saved because Chris Heyde of the Animal Welfare Institute went into the kill pen and saved her.
Mr. Gill won the Eclipse Award for outstanding owner that same year.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Thanks Maggi! Mr Gill needs to get out again, for good. His type ruins our industry. His complete lack of regard for his horses turns my stomach. It is so easy to see why people dislike and stay away from racing. One of the few sports that can make people upset, make you sad, make you cry. What the general public feels is a rush to get away and never see another horse hurt again. Who can blame them.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:31 am
And, I would still like to know what retirement programs Gill is using.
Again - any 501(c)3 retirement or placement program would give a receipt for a horse donated to that program. If Gill is really doing this, then it’s **really** easy for him to prove it.
As for local programs, in all his years at Suffolk not a single Gill horse was listed on CANTER New England’s site for sale to the public or donated to their retraining program. In the mid-atlantic, we’ve only seen a couple on the site, listed by trainers who no longer work for him. None have been listed through the PA chapter, which works out of Penn National.
There are other programs, and people who know more about them should speak up. The only Gill horses I’ve heard of going to rescues or retraining programs were picked up at New Holland.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Ray, you need to hear/read a replay/transcript of Steve Byk’s radio show yesterday; he invoked your article. This man needs to be spoken to, he portrays himself as knowledgeable on racing, he is clueless. The comments, particularly the disparaging comments regarding the Penn jockeys are unconscionable. This man does no research on the topics he pontificates upon. The rescue organizations particularly in the mid Atlantic and Boston areas need to enlighten this man on Gill and his tactics
January 27th, 2010 at 9:35 am
There is just absolutely, positively no way that the above letter (nice try though) is going to humiliate, embarrass or shame the likes of Gill into doing the right thing. Ms. Moss, with all due respect you would better spend your time leading a legal revolution with like minded owners, breeders, etc to get a national commissioner to institute national reform with enforcement powers. Communicating with Gill is like blowing your nose into the wind without a kleenex…the boogers just hit you in the face.
Endorse dray33’s opinion 100%.
And to those that want to know where the Gill horses went, if they didn’t die on the track…quit asking. Everybody knows where they went: in pain, without food, water, rest on a truck to hell peddling contaminated meat to unwitting humans. To think Gill is going to open his books and come “clean” is ridiculous. To believe anything spewing from that man’s mouth is reality and truth is completely absurd.
A leopard never changes it’s spots. National commissioner, NOW!
January 27th, 2010 at 9:49 am
If I was Penn, the first thing I would do is require that any horse entered to run has been on the track grounds for at least 5 days prior to the race.
Gill is playing by the rules of a very dysfunctional industry. There is no rule that says that an owner has to worry about horse racing’s reputation.
It is up to the tracks, the commissions, and the jurisdictions to make rules to protect racing’s reputation. The rules need to be changed.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:52 am
I agree! He should give names of where his horses go. I honestly never heard of Mike Gill until 2009. I started following him to see how someone could have so many starts. He about tripled everyone elses starts. What record was he trying to break, most starts? Cause he didn’t even get most wins. Owning however many horses he owns isn’t gonna help break records when they aren’t healthy. It should be about Quality not quantity. I think to many tracks worry about chlenbuterol then they do about a horse being blocked. My goal is to one day be a trainer and trainers have to be successful to make money these days but if a horse isn’t 100% then give them more time off, wether its a $5000 claimer or a horse like Zenyatta or Rachel Alexandra
January 27th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Maggi Moss is the best thing to happen for horse racing since I started going to the races at Churchill Downs in 1951. Maggi Moss is horse racing’s best chance to do things right on all levels.
Maggi Moss is #1.
Buddy
January 27th, 2010 at 9:56 am
Ray - Thanks for posting your interview with Michael Gill yesterday and thanks for posting Maggi’s open letter today. The silence of the most publicly well-known names in racing when it comes to the utterly broken places in the industry is so damn disappointing. I hope Maggi’s effort (this is one of many of hers) is the beginning of what is truly needed for anything to really change - a hell of a lot more outspokenness by the best of the breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys, track vets, auction houses, racetracks, etc.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Maggi, You are a Class Act, Thank You! And to the low life Gill, “What Homes?”, Sadly, That question will never be answered…
January 27th, 2010 at 10:02 am
Someone did say that this wasn’t about the “final solution” issue; what happens to racehorses is something I doubt anyone who has had an appreciable number of them through their hands can be truly comfortable with; it isn’t really part of this story.
How long did Gill have these horses on average? Were they all “as sound as a pound” when he claimed them? [Admittedly that description - or for that matter "as sound as a dollar" - may be a little questionable at the moment!] If he hadn’t claimed them might they not show up as wrecks on someone else’s watch?. Don’t the jockeys’ agents feel any responsibility to their riders - perhaps not when $5000 agents are getting % of $20,000 purses.
More horses here train on synthetics than on anything else I would guess. No medication any time near a race. We have so many old horses running that the 2 year old programme has been decimated in their favour - because, they say’ that the betting public wants big fields with open betting.
Even if you disagree with that pursuit of mediocrity it makes you appreciate the medication/ surface regimes - and wonder at the result of the Santa Anita poll right here just last week.
It’s not all roses! Far from having $5,00 horses running for $20,000 as at Penn we routinely have $1,000,000 horses [like Conduit] breaking their maidens in MSp Wt at Wolverhampton for $6000 or $7,000!
January 27th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Let’s tax the top 1% of America. …Wait, that is another debate. But it also singles out a select few, and the rest sometimes jump on the bandwagon. Ms. Moss, who i greatly respect, makes soome excellent points. But everyone must be held to the same standard. Are we going to ban Lidocaine now? It would have saved me a lot of money on vet bills if NOONE could tap or block their horses. Should we ban buckets of ice on legs before a race, since that is also to mask pain? I favor a nationwide “No Kill” policy, but EVERYONE must pass the same muster. The various retirement organizations do great work, but they are under constant pressure to raise money to continue, and I think this leads to this bandwagon effect. Let’s face it–Horses at Penn National have more health problems than horses at A tracks. That’s why they are at Penn National. Lastly, should we yank the license of an owner and/or trainer who has a horse with a bad tendon and drops him from 50k to 10k Claiming to get rid of him/her? Because–guess what? That was probably the horse that Michael Gill would claim! Does that trainer have clean hands? It’s a complicated issue, and I personally like large fields in races with enough trainers and owners involved to run them. Lasix and Lidocaine extend the racing life of horses, and that is good. Even million dollar horses take a bad step and break down every day.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:32 am
“When horses hurt themselves, the jockey comes off, and the horse stops–in most cases. Mr. Gill’s horses continue to run around the track even with broken legs, as if they feel no pain.”
If true It’s odd to me that the horse racing ‘media’ failed to see such a phenomena. Did they turn a blind eye? If so why and what else are they ignoring? No wonder horse racing is in the state it is in.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:36 am
“Isn’t this the same Maggi Moss that was pilloried by comments on this site six months ago for her outspoken defense of Steve Asmussen after the latest in his long list of medication violations? Just checking.”
It is, and she is arguably hypocritical, given her propensity to blindly defend trainers who she happens to have employed.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Gyp slot tracks gather all the super gyps. These gyp trainers have no compasion for horses or do their owners. Even the Ca. gyps are flocking back East. This sport is being taken over by gyps and thats how we lose credibility. On top of that they rewarded these gyps with Eclipse awards. Nice going NTRA.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Moss wrote: “The industry continues to study the problem, the outcries keep us in the hunt to find the answers.”
She writes as if the “industry” were a coherent entity. It isn’t. The industry is all the separate states and their racing authorities, with whatever level of competence, integrity and impartiality exists in each, and all the special interest groups, the many, many alphabet soups, each of which has its own axe to grind. Too many cooks continue to spoil the broth.
If racing were united under a rational management structure, maybe it would not have taken a rescue group and the Paulick Report to unmask Paragallo; maybe it would not take a jockey’s boycott and again, the Paulick Report, to stop (temporarily?) Gill and maybe it would not take years to make the smallest of changes.
With the advent of computers, tracking horses from owner to owner would be a piece of cake – if there were some entity with the power and will to mandate that horses be tracked. National information on injuries and breakdowns from track to track, surface to surface, likewise, should be reported, entered into a national database, and available for review from day to day. The sort of anecdotal evidence Ms. Moss cites – that Gill’s horses run on damaged limbs as if they can’t feel the pain – should not only be factored into information reported by Penn National to a national authority – if there were one – but should immediately trigger an investigation. Etc., etc.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Thanks Maggi for a great letter and thanks also to Ray for printing it!
January 27th, 2010 at 10:53 am
I didn’t realize Ms Moss was so hot!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Talk is cheap, and all those individuals who benefit from TB racing need to step up to the plate. I
challenge the Penn National HBPA and all other HBPA’s to donate 1% of all purses to the various
rescue programs in their respective areas. The one percent is so small the owners and trainers
would not even see the difference but it would be a tremendous amount to the rescue/retirement programs, which in turn could rescue even more horses.
Once this is in place the HPBA could go to the track owner and and put pressure on them to make matching donations. What a cheap PR bonanza it would be for the track. As i am typing this I heard a radio commercial advertising the local casino.The positive PR for the tracks would probably be better than all their commercials and probably alot cheaper too. I am not saying this would solve all the problems but what a good start it would be. Penn National HBPA, put it up for a vote. Others just might follow your lead.
i am not trying to say this would solve all the problems bur what a good start this would be. Penn
January 27th, 2010 at 11:06 am
I wish The Jockey Club would declare Marshall Law, they have such a great head start.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:35 am
With all due respect to Ms. Moss, she employes trainers who are known cheaters, not just once or twice either.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:36 am
NTRA and specific state jurisdictions with the cooperation of tracks, owners and horsemen’s associations run the game. Guess one could throw in the AAEP vets too, but I think they are part of the track or state racing regulating commissions.
The Jockey Club only controls the stud book and papers of the horses…to a point. Other than helping concerned individuals looking for papers and number search, they are useless.
Still think those jocks at Penn were awesome. Good job!!!!!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Maggie is “right on” with what she says concerning the racing industry. However, there is a “disconnect” among those that make their living on the backs of these horses. People such as Michael Gill never see themselves as part of the problem. Even when these horses are retired to reputable rescues or TB adoption programs, they STILL can fall through the cracks and I do have a personal example of that happening to a horse that I saved from going to the kill auction. I have been involved with horses for 50 years and I am proud to say that I applaud the precipitous decline of the illustrious racing industry. I care too much for the horses to support the majority of these athletes being run into the ground, and yet the racing organizations do aboslutely nothing. What a joke they all are!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Ray, thanks for posting this.
Maggie, thanks for speaking your mind, for demonstrating just exactly what the PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATION of an owner is, and for ACTING on it. Hopefully others in this industry will take note.
Every one of us-owners, trainers, jockeys and veterinarians in this industry, has professional obligations; RESPONSIBILITIES . Evading them and ignoring them has significantly damaged the sport. In the case of Michael Gill, doing so, the irresponsible behavior places the lives of MANY HORSES and MANY JOCKEYS at risk. I am not certain that “cavalier” is an adequate descriptor for such behavior.
There does need to be an official inquiry into these breakdowns as well as consequences if they were predictable and/or preventable. Frankly, I believe that “players” with no regard for the life and safety of these human and equine athletes need to be banned from the sport. And finally, Michael, your public displays and commentary are a disgrace. This is not about you. It is about unsafe racing practices that jeopardize lives and careers. Please try to keep that in perspective, if you can swallow it.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Thanks Maggi and Ray.
If anyone here is truly concerned about cruelty , unwanted racehorses, and horse slaughter, please get involved in Thoroughbred retirement, rescue and outlawing slaughter and transportation to slaughter. There are numerous groups involved and they all need support, not only financially, but volunteers, foster homes, people to write letters, faxes, and make phone calls. No matter where you are located, YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, even without a big commitment of time and money. There are lots of sites you can google.
In addition, there are internet forums like the one on alexbrownracing.com, where there is a community of members dedicated to saving horses at risk raising funds for numerous horses and open to help various horse rescue groups Some of these horses are saved by donations of as little as $10-25, but collectively they add up to save lives. Just last week, they saved a sound, dressage ridden, 4 year old Dynaformer gelding who had been given to a ‘good home’ but actually wound up in the slaughter pipeline.
Many of these horses are purchased out of kill auctions around the U.S., including New Holland, Sugar Creek, Shipshewana. AC4H.com maintains a list of ‘Broker Owned Horses’ to give these horses an additional chance to live, prior to shipment to slaughter each week. These horses need someone to pay for bail and quarantine, and rehoming assistance. Some have medical issues, but all can be helped. Even if humane euthanasia is the only option for a horse, that horse deserves a kind, pain free death. Many, many could avoid a horrible death of being slaughtered while conscious if only additional people would step up to help save their lives.
There is legislation in Illinois that will be voted on February 2 that if passed, would REOPEN THE CAVEL HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANT IN DEKALB, IL. Let your voice be heard. Please do not allow this to happen.
There is also legislation introduced in KY in January promoting PRO Slaughter and Transportation For Slaughter, as being pro-business. This is totally unacceptable in a state whose largest industry is the horse business, generating $4 BILLION DOLLARS for the state.
For those who care, please take up the fight for equine welfare. These horses have no protection, and only through the actions of small groups and individuals can we do anything to help them.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:56 am
It’s quite disheartening that the NTRA has made absolutely no public comment about this matter. I assume they know the situation, but even if they are claiming they don’t want to “take sides” a public comment could be made. Here is there contact info:
Lexington Office:
2525 Harrodsburg Road
Suite 400
Lexington, KY 40504
Phone: 859-245-NTRA (6872)
Phone: 800-792-NTRA (6872)
Email: ntra@ntra.com
New York Office:
800 Westchester Avenue
Suite 641 N,
Rye Brook, NY 10573
Email: ntra@ntra.com
Name Department Email Address
Alex Waldrop President & CEO alexwaldrop@ntra.com
Eric Wing Media & Communications ewing@ntra.com
Joan Lawrence Media & Communications jlawrence@ntra.com
Keith Chamblin Marketing kchamblin@ntra.com
Michele Ravencraft Marketing mravencraft@ntra.com
Peggy Hendershot Legislative Affairs phendershot@ntra.com
Terry McElfresh NTRA Advantage tmcelfresh@ntra.com
*****Mike Ziegler Safety & Integrity Alliance mziegler@ntra.com*****
Perhaps if they hear from enough concerned people they will be cajoled into making a comment, one that will hopefully denigrate Mr. Gill and show him as the chump that he is.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:57 am
I meant “here is their contact info”. Apologies.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Srong words for serious problems that needs to be addressed. How about another one. Have any of the bleeding hearts that so openly condemn the Gill’s or slaughter advocates ever been to a Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation facility? I’ve only been to one and it was all I could stomach. Between the condition many of these poor horses arrive in or the care they receive afterwards death would be a kindness I would bestow with a clean conscience.
Perhaps I saw the worst of it,I hope so. However since its inception “retirement” programs have been at odds with their premise. Overpaid foundation executives. Wide spread graft of monetary and material donations. And “care givers” most of us wouldnt put in charge of anything we truly hold dear.
Typical of the world these days factions of this industry have jumped up on their soap box and railed against the failings of the industry. All the while managing to do little more than point fingers or throw money at the symptoms.Guess what,as long as we breed thousands of horses every year and supplement a FAILED buisness model with government subsidies and racino money the Mike Gill’s of this world are in ample supply.
How to address the anti-capitalist tone of limiting the foal crop and WHO can breed? I wish I knew.Continuing to pretend anyone wants to see 365 days of sub par horse racing a year damn sure isnt helping.Dont worry the horses will continue to suffer silently until we come up with another miserable idea as to how they can suit our desires.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
I applaud Ms. Moss’ commitment to taking care of her horses both during and after their racing careers.
While I am very happy that this issue of Mr. Gill has brought a glaring spotlight to this problem, I strongly believe that our collective disgust for such racing practices needs to be directed at ALL OWNERS, BREEDERS AND TRAINERS! Is Gill an extreme in this industry…maybe in terms of “numbers”, but not in terms of “practice”. Anyone who has indepth knowledge of racing knows that what Gill is doing is not rare and it is not just at Penn.
As long as the socalled LEADERS in this “sport” continue to ignore the WELFARE OF THE HORSE..racing will continue to decline and rightly so. After many years in this industry I have come to realize that it is not just a “few” horses that end up in peril it is in fact the majority! I’ve learned this repeatedly through personal experience. I have gone to great lengths to follow the horses I bred or owned..and in defence of owners and breeders it’s not easy. These animals are repeatedly traded, not on yearly basis, but monthly basis. Most of them matter to nobody. They go through so many barns that there is never any commitment or attachment to them.
I truly believe this very serious problem of THOROUGHBRED welfare MUST START WITH THE JOCKEY CLUB and the NTRA. Can anyone tell me what the NTRA has ever accompllished for racing or the horse? Just think of all those dollars spent and how many horses they could’ve saved! There should be a mandatory percentage of every registration fee set aside for tbrd retirement. The current “matching” program that is in place while well meaning is NOT ENOUGH…It must be mandatory.
And most importantly, if we expect the bottom feeders in this business to be held accountable for the care and welfare of the horses…then we must expect the LEADING BREEDERS AND OWNERS TO COMMIT AS WELL. I’ve never seen a word from Farish, Coolmore, Maktoum, etc regarding the welfare of the multitude of horses they own and breed! Many of these “cheap” horses didn’t start out cheap. I have yet to see any of the BIGGEST farms in KY discuss the problem of horse slaughter and what THEY are going to do to prevent it. The majority of tbrds are being created by these stallion owners. How about a small percentage of stud fees to be committed to rescue. Is that so unreasonable?
This really isn’t about Michael Gill it’s about a culture that has been allowed to exist for too long. In a few decades it’s likely we won’t be having this debate as there will be no such industry to debate about. At least thats what PETA believes and they tend to know a little something about animal rights issues.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
For Andrew Smith:
I’ve been to TRF-Montpelier. They worked their butts off with not enough help, low funding and being treated as third class citizens at the expense of the hisotorical society for Montpelier.
The horses looked good. The facilities needed some help. Overall, I thought it to be a win-win for the historic location. With funds so short, needs and a historical mindset the equines weren’t a priority. But it was better than the kill truck. I saw Corregio. God, what a magnificent horse. His owner did right by him.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Re: #45 — “However since its inception “retirement” programs have been at odds with their premise. Overpaid foundation executives. Wide spread graft of monetary and material donations. And “care givers” most of us wouldnt put in charge of anything we truly hold dear.”
Perhaps you should spend some time with those on the front line — going to the auctions, pulling horses from kill pens; bargaining with the intermediaries between the original seller and the auction to “divert” a horse destined for auction; working hard to maintain relationships with brokers and others so they’ll be notified when a TB comes into the auction site. Etc.
Trust me, there are no overpaid folks working at that level.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Gill is a sociopath. He has no conscience. Only his own satisfaction. Using the track as his “graveyard”. Gill will never stop until he is banned for his nefarious treatment of his stock.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
Maggie Moss says,
“Stop the perception that horses are a piece of property for you for your personal gain:
Is this going to be asked of anyone else in this industry? Isn’t that the ONLY motive behind most of the people in this business? I don’t know anyone who breeds a thoroughbred without the INTENT and HOPE of PERSONAL GAIN.
I greatly respect your commitment and truly wish more owners felt the way you do, but they don’t. You must realize that MOST of the people in racing do not LOVE HORSES…they love the rush to their egos and hopefully their checkbooks.
While working for the largest sales consignor in KY I rescued one of the consignments horses from a kill buyer at Keeneland (aptly named Silent Darkness). My boss turned to me and said “If you love horses that much you shouldn’t be in this business. This business is not nice to horses”. TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN!!!
Being a multimillionaire he didn’t offer to reimburse me or help with securing the horse a home though!!! But he sure didn’t have a problem taking the consignors minimum commission!!! A horse in “need” is always “somebody elses problem”.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
to worry ourselves so much about these $4 to$5000.00 claimers is fine and thank god good people do wonderfull work in looking after them in their “retirement”(meaning we mess them up so much they are useless for anything else in life)Last time I checked most hunter jumpers and show jumpers were still competing at 15 years old.But 85% or more of the races carted by the tracks are claiming races.75% of those are in the $5-10000 level.These horses were never meant to be valued this low,it is the way we race and look after them that causes them to be so worthless.Go to most other countries in the world and you will see a racing business with the attitude of creation not distruction.Of course there are slow horses,but the ability to keep finding a cheaper and cheaper race rewards people in this game who should not be there and does nothing to help to raise our standards
January 27th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
#48.
Of course there are no overpaid folks working at the level you indicate. Suggest you check how the top executives are paid. Guaranteed, you will be shocked. Unless we have lost our capacity for outrage, which may be true.
Re MM. Pot and kettle ??
January 27th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Interesting from Maggie from above:
“One only needs to watch his horses run at Penn National and see that his horses do not react as other horses that are injured. When horses hurt themselves, the jockey comes off, and the horse stops–in most cases. Mr. Gill’s horses continue to run around the track even with broken legs, as if they feel no pain. It is gruesome, grotesque and unnatural and would lead one to wonder if these horses are blocked.”
One question maybe you know the answer, Is this how horses blocked with MEPIVACAINE run? Because it seems you might have been an expert at watching horses run on this and have experience with it. Do you live in a glass house?
January 27th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Ray,
Can you tell me how claiming races started and what was the purpose for them? I’m not a racing historian, but I almost bet they were a means for the prominent stable to liquidate the horses they no longer deemed useful or worthy.. Much easier to “drop them in” then find a home or purchaser. And the fact that a claim isn’t nullified if the horse breaks down is BEYOND UNFAIR…..WHO IMPLEMENTED THESE RULES? AND WHY AREN’T THEY CHANGED?
The fact that it is so easy for people like Gill to operate and prosper off this system is the real issue. Why aren’t claiming races optional? Why does an owner HAVE TO BE FORCED TO LOSE A HORSE? It doesn’t work that way in Europe so why does that have to be the way racing operates here?
January 27th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Smithy said “85% of these horses carted off are from claiming races.”
Probably 85% of races run in America are claiming races.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Advice from the Attorney who is defending Steven Asmussen who has had almost as many
positives as winners and continually asks for a ‘continuance’???????????
C’mon now!!!!!!
January 27th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Leslie,
Claimng was introduced so that owners could make money with horses that do not have the skills to compete against the very best in the sport. If was designed to allow the “little guy” to compete in the Sport of Kings and allowed the small guy to buy or sell horses at a different sort of public auction rather than Keeneland. In it’s truest sense, the claiming framework is prerry pure. Where it gets a litlte skewed is when you have slots fueled tracks like Penn, CT, Delta Downs et al who run $4,000 claiming races for a $18,000 puse. MOST horseman still do the right thing, but others resort to getting “one more race” out of the horse because winning that $18,000 race brings them $10k back.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Amen Maggi Moss!!!! What a well thought out letter. My thought is who cares about breaking records if it is done the way he does it. He will definitely be one that is not thought of by the records he broke but rather by HOW he broke the records….very sad…..
January 27th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
One thing that the slots subsidies have done is made it so much easier to “dope” and “drop” a horse and recoup the claim (investment) faster, because they’ve raised the purses, but not the bottom perceived “value” (Itag) of the horse in equal proportion. The classic claiming trainer/owner (especially in PA) used to have to win twice with a $5K horse in order to make money. Now, a $5K horse that runs for $17K can make $10.2K in purse money, twice its “value”, in just one start. That’s one motive for throwing a sore/lame horse back in quickly, if it’s proven it can win at a certain level. Until they bring purses more proportional with stock value, or raise bottom level $ for claimers to accomplish that end, this feeding frenzy in PA and other slot jurisdictions with enhanced purses will go on.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Great statement by Maggie Moss. I don’t think she has to worry about gill getting out of the business. He is going to be removed from the business. I wonder how the egomaniac known as gill is going to like being throw on his backside out of penn national. The jockeys at penn national will not ride in races with his horses anymore and from what I hear Phila could be following suit. So here’s to hoping that his merry band of henchmen suffer the same type of pain in the unemployment line that they have inflicted on countless others
January 27th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
@ 52 - while top executives of some organizations are paid well, not all are.
The top people at the group I work for are unpaid and we are a completely volunteer-run organization (from the trenches on up)
Not all groups are the same (and really, execs are essentially running a business - it’s hard work and I don’t really have a problem with them being paid, as long as resources are being used properly for the animals too).
I will say some of these retirement groups with fancy brochures and conveniently located central offices do seem to collect the bulk of the donated money, without doing much of the “in the trenches” work. When called for help, it can be hard to get, despite all the fancy/shiny they sell the contributors. But that’s a topic for a whole other day.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
All it takes is one person with some cash to hook up with the rescue groups and offer to join them in purchasing Gill stock at the killer pens. Videotape the whole process, show the lip tattoo, then send it to HBO or someone who will air it on TV. That will end Michael Gill as we know it. Does anyone doubt that right now at 1:53PM on January 27 that there is a Gill horse somewhere in the east where a Gill horse is standing and waiting to be sold for $200? It would be pretty easy to end this guy, someone just has to take the initiative to do it.
January 27th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
This industry is so backwards it can’t even give the proper respect to the Thoroughbred Race Horse it has earned,the medical term is INJURY,Catastrophic,Fatal, Pulled up lame or just plain INJURY. The word BREAKDOWN is what happens to machinery when it stops working,such as NASCAR and your garage door opener . Living athletes become Injured, so please change this GOOD OLD BOY lazy non respectful term, it costs nothing but a little reminder to yourself before you speak or write the word BREAKDOWN. Shame on the vet who used breakdown, your one of a very few,most in your field use CATASTROPHIC INJURY……..
January 27th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I think Ray’s poll tomorrow should be “Does Michael Gill know the color of any of his horses?”
January 27th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
BRAVO, Maggie!
KLB
January 27th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Good for you Ms. Moss. And well said, Ruffian.
Gill’s last victim, Laughing Moon, is typical Gill. 12/09/09, Gill claimed Laughing Moon, 8YOG, typical hard-knocking, class-dropping winner of $ 201,690, for $6.25K at Penn where hoss finished 5th out of seven “no rally”. 6f. And then…
01/14/2010. Penn. Hoss finished 1st out of 9. Hoss WON BY 10 LENGTHS, “off rail, ridden out “ $9-10K CLM. One mile. (Gill’s take $13,800.) ONE MONTH AFTER CLAIMING AN ANIMAL TOO WORN OUT AND SORE TO CATCH A 6F COLD, GILL RAN IT BACK AT A MILE FOR $10K, AND THE THING WON BY TEN LENGTHS????
‘course it died next out. 01/23/2010. Penn. Hoss finished 3rd out of 9, “gave well, fell [fell after the wire].” Allowance. 6f. (Gill’s take off his dead horse $3,960.)
Laughing Moon’s previous three races:
11/26/09 Woodbine. 5th out of 14, “chased, all out driv” $7.5-8K CLM. 6f
11/11/09 Woodbine. 5th out of 14, “all out” $7.5-8K CLM. 7f
10/29/09 Woodbine. 8th out of 11, “off slowly, 4w to 6w” $7.5-8K CLM. 6f
Anyone who defends Gill or works for him or is willing to ride for him or polish his shoes or allow him to run needs to take a serious look at the patterns. This has been going on for so long, and I am so tired of it.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I’m all for calling out Gill and the “look the other way” trolls at Penn, but seriously, if no one is going to say I’m calling my turd of a Congress rep (Senate and House) and demand that this industry be regulated independently (and NO, that doesn’t mean the government) then this just becomes a useless exercise of more stupid.
This freaking industry is a freaking mess and the industry and users have no intention of thoroughly (pun intended) cleaning up the situation.
Sorry, no more Mr. Nice. No more, take charge and clean it up yourself. The industry has repeatedly shown they neither have the will, comprehensive authority or resources to do it. It’s time to legislate it! That will be interesting considering how screwed up major state racing venues are bleeding revenue, mangement of surfaces/facilities, race dates and simulcasts, betting, slots, etc. ENOUGH! Waldrop/NTRA…you stink! Many states….YOU REALLY STINK!!!! Congress…you not only stink, you are so much roadkill. Absolutely useless.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
At Penn National , Guidelines have been put in place that force horses who cannot maintain some consistant form to be removed from the grounds . This keeps the Horses you see in the PPs who never hit the board from racing . As for the generalization that just because we race at Penn National that we should be lumped in with people who do not care for their animals is crazy. There are some very good horsepeople at Penn National and Many do care for their horses . Bernie Houghton , Tim Kreiser , Tom Lingenfelter and Murray Rojas just to name a few . These people have some great ideas for change at this track , but the same good old boy click keeps getting voted into the HBPA positions and the only thing that gets done is what benefits the good old boys(but mostly good old girls) and those who know Penn know who im talking about. We have races getting 18-20 entries and the race does not get used and replaced by races that have 10 horses and benefit GUESS WHO. By the way the tracks do have records on horses that are put down on the grounds. They require extensive paperwork when a horse goes to the “PIT” and I can tell you they know exactly who has the highest put down rate at the tracks . As for the Slots inhanced purses , well finnally the little guy is benefitting from the ability to run for some real cash and and for once make a living ,what happens we are villified because of a clown like Gill . Im sorry to disagree but at a track like Beulah where 5000 claimers are running for $4000 the winners share is $2400 . This causes these horses to run as many times as possible just to make ends meet . At least with slots money we can afford to give the 5000 claimer the time they need to get back to healthy after each start. It all boils down to “Do you have a heart or not” . “PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES”
January 27th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
What is amazing in this debate is the absolute silence of the Trainers of Racehorses regarding racehorse welfare. With all those Eclipse Awards and Earnings Titles going out, you would think some enterprising young journalist would eventually ask a horse trainer some very hard questions.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
A couple years ago I authored an article titled “It’s the Horse, Stupid,” which ran in The Bloodhorse and garnered me a personal response from Alex Waldrop. In the piece I contended that racing needs to take a page from the NFL and NBA playbooks with respect to image management.
The economics of racing are brutal, especially at the low end. Nonetheless, I stand firm in my belief that the sport - namely the NTRA and TOBA, and track owners - need to do a better job of protecting their most important asset - which is not TV rights or wagering pools. It’s the horse. The business starts with the horse, it’s nothing without the horse .. and as the public sees horses die - on tracks, in slaughterhouses, the sport is at risk for the same fate.
Bravo, Maggi.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/37652/its-the-horse-stupid
January 27th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
>>These people have some great ideas for change at this track , but the same good old boy click keeps getting voted into the HBPA positions and the only thing that gets done is what benefits the good old boys(but mostly good old girls) and those who know Penn know who im talking about. We have races getting 18-20 entries and the race does not get used and replaced by races that have 10 horses and benefit GUESS WHO. By the way the tracks do have records on horses that are put down on the grounds. They require extensive paperwork when a horse goes to the “PIT” and I can tell you they know exactly who has the highest put down rate at the tracks.<<
#68Big Dog - Then “these people” need to speak up! They need to speak up (LOUDLY) about their ideas for change and they need to speak up (LOUDLY) about the track(s) having records on what trainer(s) have the highest “put down” rates. Why don’t they?? If they (and you, with your real name and not as “big dog”) speak up, will the track and HBPA blackball all of you? Then you need to speak up LOUDLY about that, too! These “behind the scenes” secrets just have to be broken right open.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Mr.Gill is a money grubbing scumbag that just wants to win at all cost.The people that he employs don’t really care about the horses.They are trying to rip off Gill for all the money the money that they can get and that is it.
He says that his horses aren’t sore,Yeah right.I have been in this business as a hot walker,groom,exercise rider for 36 years and if Gill thinks anybody believes that statement then he’s more stupid then i thought.
I galloped horses for Mark Shuman at Gills farm and not once did i ever see Gill there,so how would Gill know if the horses are sore or not,HE WOULDN’T.
I am glad that Maggi Moss came out with this letter,but her defense of Assmussen sometime ago is laughable as everybody know he was and still is a cheating training.It’s funny how she can praise one guy and bash another.
Listen, every trainer tries to take an edge ,it’s just comes down to what meds can they get and/or what can they afford.I am sure there are other Gill type owners out there that don’t care about the horse and it’s a business to them.The sad thing is that there always will be.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Gill will continue on until he is stopped.
It really needs to come down to all the tracks standing together and making a decision that is in the best interest of racing.
They need to unanimously state that having Gill (or anyone like him) race horses is not in the best interest of any of the tracks nor the entire racing industry as a whole. It is another black eye that can be avoided.
Why does it all need to escalate to the point it is now? Many horses have suffered and died. Jockeys and other horses in the race fields are at risk. Racing does not NEED this person. Wake up officials, it’s time for all of you to just say no.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I realize that this is about the problems of racings, the courage of the jocks at Penn and Ms. Moss’s open letter to Gill, but I was saddened to hear about Kinsella. His connections did right (hopefully) in the end. Nice horse, very, very nice horse. No comment about Pletcher and why. It happened, but I think the demise is another point of reference in the debate on the future of racing in NA. Figure this out good old boys or soon you will have nothing left to figure out.
When you try to discuss “crap” happens, just try and begin to tell the horses.
For the horses, always for the horse that always try to us their all. What we do with it is another matter.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Sorry…should have read: “For the horses, always for the horses that always try to give us their all.” After all, we ain’t betting on cattle.
Whatever and I now suspect, “flame on”.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Mint Hill…it’s hard to wake up when your pockets are being padded by Mr. Gill. Seems to me that he is the only owner in America who is given stalls at Penn National. How did that happen? Also, why did Rob Marella, the Director of Racing, do nothing to remedy this situation 2,3,4, 5 months ago? He’s the leader over there and his choice was to let things continue as they were. People need to remember, if the jockeys had not boycotted the 6th race on Saturday, none of this would be in the news and Gill would be running 2 more horses tonight and he’d have another half dozen entered each day Friday and Saturday. Shame on Penn National. I hope NRYA gives them the bird for the Aqueduct bid.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Amen Aunt Bea.
Congrats to Maggie Moss for speaking up. I’d suspend this guy in a heart beat, but then I’d suspend anybody that is consistently breaking down horses during races,and I’d decline to care about your “numbers.
Big Dog–I’d agree that the HBPA is the most obstructionist block of idiots in this sport. We know who they are. How can we get rid of them???
January 27th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Gill has one horse entered Friday at Phila. Park and two more on Sunday at Phila. Will be interesting to see whether he shifts his focus to that oval. Seeing that Tony Black was quoted in a Blood-Horse article about the situation, wonder if the Phila. jocks will follow suit. Stewart Elliott has the mount on the Gill horse on Friday; Abel Mariano takes the reins on the 2 on Sunday. Godspeed!
January 27th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
There has been some discussion about retirement at Penn.
Penn had an agreement with an organization called RACE FUND, I believe. I think their site is racefund.org.
Penn Gaming, who according the New York Times has $301 million dollars in the bank to buy another slot license in NY, has said they can’t afford to give any money for horse retirment and instead said they are giving a lot of money the HBPA and they should fund it on their own. The HBPA partnered with the RACE FUND, but ultimately the relationship ended because the HBPA stopped giving funds to the RACE FUND. Maybe someone knows why the funding stopped, because I do not.
January 27th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
No slots………….No racing!!! It’s as simple as that. Ask your friends in Ky (breeders or owners)!!
January 27th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
I haven’t been able to check all the websites today, but has anyone heard whether Gill has furnished any names of rescue organizations his horses went to ? Thanks in advance for letting me know the answer.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Mitch C:
Holee Crap!!!! 301 mil to peddle gaming and not one dime to humanely assist with the athletes involved??? Guess we could throw the jocks and injured backstretch workers in there too. God, this game is a complete disaster.
But we got enough to bid on gaming in NY??? Perfect!
Slots ain’t the problem…what you do with the money and lack of industry oversight is the problem.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Come to Ky and see what it’s like racing here at Turfway Park.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
The HBPA and assorted owner and trainer groups are part of the problem, not the solution.
Scum rises to the top, takes control and continues to defend what’s killing horses, jockeys and racing: drugs, the racing of lame and spent horses on drugs into the ground, the full payment of just totalled and killed claimed horses (Maggi Moss just lost $25K that way) and the scumbags who are attracted to and thriving within such chaos and anarchy. Shady business is performed behind the trainer-vet privacy-shield, and other horse related business is done in total secrecy, without accountability, responsibility and remorse.
January 27th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
There is alot of talk about helping horses after there to sore or to slow well there r alot of us trying to help and ask help from our hbpa want to take afew dollars from every horse that runs but they say can’t take the owners money what bull they could and I’m sure no one would even miss it horses r the way we live and we should take care of them after we use them. Ms moss u can help u have the respect and the name and the pres of hbpa as your trainer it’s time everyone steps up
January 27th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Slightly off subject, I have heard rumors about a “surrender stall” at Turfway Park and talk of one at River Downs. I have been told, no questions asked horse can be placed in stall and racetrack will care for until rescued. This is a great idea and would help rid the problem of sore horses racing. Here is what happens, horse runs, doesn’t matter where finishes, horse comes back lame (possibly old injury or a new one). Trainer walks the horse a couple of days, tells owner horse is bad, owner says find him a home. Days go by then weeks, horse still there, owner asks how is he, he is sounding up, might have one more left, horse jogs a few days, here comes a race, well can’t find a home, might as well run him. Cycle repeat (if lucky). The retirement groups out there are impossible to deal with now. Quite frankly they want too much money up front to be considered. (cheaper to put one down) Sad but from a business point there needs to be a racing subsidized retirement that is immediate. Tracks take money for backstretch alcohol rehab programs, This is more needed and more important. Does any one have info on “surrender stalls”?
January 27th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
“I know about trying to reach goals, break records, and stay on top of the National Standings. I realized after obtaining my own personal goal in 2006, that I too was guilty of using horses to achieve my own personal accomplishments. I, however, did not lose one horse that year.” ~ Maggi Moss
I think that is well and good, but the following year you raced 9 year old Northwest Hill (72-16-11-7 $346,674) 3 times in a 21 day span after claiming him back. We all know how that turned out.
Then I remember Silver Nat, claimed on 10/30/08, ran for $50,000 on 12/13/08 finishing 5 of 6. Eighteen days later, Silver Nat ran for a $5,000 tag at FG and had a catastrophic life ending injury. Why was Silver Nat dropped down so far?
I’m not a trainer, but the above statistics from equibase.com make me think that the connections of these two horses weren’t thinking of the best interest of the horses.
How many others?
January 27th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
This is my first email response ever. I am the owner of these horses not the trainer. Every one of my trainers has strict instructions that if a horse is sore, you don’t run that horse and there is not a trainer that has worked for me that will dispute that by name. I give away more horses than anyone in this industry and I have a bill of sale for one dollar for each and everyone. Many of these horses are still running but not for me.
None of my horses have tested positive for anything. So when you see the comments on these blogs they are coming from trainers like Mr. Guilforte that won’t tell you that I claim a bunch of his horses and he cries each and every time and I mean big tears, Maggie Moss who has horses running in Penn now an has Stephanie Beatie to claim horses, and the other bloggers? Jockeys I don’t use. So when you win $3 million dollars out of a little track in Western Pennsylvania their motives are pretty clear. The other group of bloggers hates horse racing all together, and jump on every opportunity to give me a black eye. Every one of these horses were bread to race, otherwise they would not be here and trust me they do not come cheap.
I want all you bloggers to pay attention because class is in session: Gillforte, Maggie Moss, Mr Clifton, Ray Paulick, pay particular attention. Have you all heard of liable? And antitrust? If you think I am kidding about suing you, you haven’t been paying attention. I have never made a threat and not followed through. I have a case in the Supreme Court right now. I am going to have horse racing as my business, and my hobby will be punishing each and every one of you pinheads, so happy blogging you have my attention.
January 27th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with what Dray33 said:
“. . . the obvious lack of regulation and responsibility from the INDUSTRY ITSELF. With ENFORCED, Standardized National Regulation (and Punishment), you can pretty much forget about Gill. He is legislated, along with everyone else, into irrelevance. But the Industry continues to drag it’s feet… doing nothing when so much needs to be done.”
We so desperately need a single authority to regulate medication. It is the multi jurisdictional loop holes that allow these tragedies to happen.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Wow, you guys are right - he really can’t spell.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
It’s bred not bread
And isn’t the meadows the only track in western pa?
January 27th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
It’s also “libel” and not “liable,” but maybe it’s better if he doesn’t really know that distinction…
January 27th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
Did mr gill graduate from high school? How about learning what part of the state you are doing business in. I knew you were a cruel arrogant man. But to learn that you are a moron too. Priceless!!!
January 27th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
@#86: “pinheads”? I take offense and would hate to view that as defamation of character. Lawsuits against those who post comments are some of the most complicated, multi-jurisdictional cases that exist and with precious little success. Energy should be better invested in meaningful purposes.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Mr. Gill,
You do need to go back to school and study grammar and spelling. Also, I think you should sue those who speak the truth. We, who are involved with horses day in and day out, know about the “atrocities” that go on behind the scenes. Have your attorney contact me. I can’t wait to speak to him or her!
January 27th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
You are on target ace. Add further that the middle man came late in the afternoon on quiet days,and took them away in groups of 5 or 6. Receipts for each one? Hah. The truth is slowly coming out, Gill, and it feels good to watch you squirm.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Ray, that can’t be gill, can it? Don’t you have to know how to spell libel to pass the bar?
January 27th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
The very cool part of Mr. Gill’s post is that we now have a sense of what he feels about, and how he has interpreted, the current situation - straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were.
The hugely disappointing part is that we now have a sense of what he feels about, and how he has interpreted, the current situation.
In spite of saying “you have my attention,” he has entirely missed the point of the vast majority of postings here on Paulick and on the other racing forums (e.g., horse welfare, issues with claiming, industry integrity, transparency, etc.)
And he gives away more horses than anyone else in the industry and has a $1 bill of sale for each and every one to prove it. Damn! Wish instead of that bill of sale he had proof of what happened to each and every one.
January 27th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Mr. Gill - Thanks for checking in. It shows a lot to me that you are indeed an open book. I have a couple of questions for you.
1.) Could you please give us an update on TERRIOR ? He was not reported to have broke down at Penn last May and I want to make sure the horse is ok.
2.) You are correct, the responsibility falls with the trainers, but since you are the one who employs them, do you do background checks on them? For example, Mr. Delahoussaye can’t get licensed in some states - did you check as to why and could that have been a red flag for you?
3.) You did a good job of placing 230 horses (down to 220 from 450 in the same year), can you let us know which retirement homes you placed these 230 horses into?
Thanks a bunch.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Gill quote
“I gave away more horses than anyone in this industry”….
i”m sure you have!!! Buying a horse for $1 and selling it for slaughter, wow talk about a profit margin. I can’t believe you haven’t picked up on that money making scheme…after all…didn’t you refer to yourself as an “intelligent” owner? Seems to me a smart guy like you wouldn’t want to miss out on such “easy money”!
January 27th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Mitch C, re: your post above.
Is Gill an attorney, or are you confusing him with Maggi Moss?
January 27th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
That Mr. Gill he sure is litigious when things don’t go his way. His case in the New Hampshire Supreme Court is attempting to essentially eliminate “free speech” in this country, whether it be in the NY Times or on this blog. He’s mad because after his company The Mortgage Specialists, Inc was accused of 60 violations involving loan fraud, a consumer mortgage web site blogger suggested Mr. Gill had done something bad. The Mortgage Specialists, Inc vs. Implode-Explode Heavy Industries Inc. case has been heard by the Supreme Court and a decision is still pending.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
What’s really sad is that while some critique his spelling and ownership abilities, his horses appear to be in some sort of peril and still on the card or would that be menu?.
I don’t give a crap how he spells. I care about his horses, the people that work for him and the industry. I don’t wish him harm, but I certainly don’t wish him well.
Commissioner, NOW! And where are Mr Farrish and other ensconced pillars of the industry. Got to HRTV about 40 minutes into live and didn’t hear one word about Penn.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Does any one listen, this is relentless. Some horses went for riding horses,jumpers,breeding and studs. Others are been found still running.They aren’t broke down horses just no longer competitive at this track.Isn’t that being responsible,not running horses where they have no chance to be competitive. The only purpose of the $1 is show transfer of ownership.The ones still running are in Iowa,texas, mountainer and beulah. Some bloggers have alot of time on their hands so I invite you to look them up. I’m sure there is going to be some back lash on this blog, so be it. The only thing I continue to be concerned about is this farm did not send horses for meat.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
It’s rather ridiculous having someone like Moss who has employs only the biggest cheats at each track say this stuff. Gimme a break. She was no different than Gill when she was trying to win 9000 races a year with claimers. She employed some of the best “move up” trainers in the game who obviously broke the rules to get an edge. She really has no credibility on this topic and embarasses herself with this letter.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Hi S Adamo. Could you please provide an update on Terrior and Lion’s Pride? Thanks.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
HaHahHah!!
January 27th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
sAdamo:
I suggest you provide the list of known locations and JC#/names of horses. I don’t think any fan of racing should have to “look up” a horse by way of your suggestions. Frankly, the JC should track them foaling to track to death…but take that up with them.
Last I heard, horses from the farm or straight from the track went to KBs. But check that out with past posts and the people pulling from the KP.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
S Adamo,
I really want to believe you and I hope you’re right. But on the other post that Ray put up there were MANY DETAILED accounts of named horses found at the kill pens that were owned by Michael Gill….I don’t believe these accounts to be untrue. Many very knowledgeable posters also mentioned that Mr. Gill was REPEATEDLY asked to contribute to the rescue of these animals…Of course he contributed nothing according to those involved. It makes me sick to see that people of VERY LIMITED MEANS are the only ones stepping up to secure these horses the safe future they DESERVE!!!!
The issue of thoroughbred welfare needs to be at the forefront with regards to Gill’s business model! And I sincerely hope that the other owners and trainers that conduct themselves without any regard for the animal heed this wakeup call…People are watching…
As for the “leaders” in our industry taking a stand? Well all one needs to do is go to the Blood Horse website and note tha LACK of any mention of this ongoing saga….Deny, ignore, divert….that is the way this industry’s leaders handle issues such as this. After all it’s been working pretty well for decades…right? Well guess what..the old days are over and you can’t hide behind the walls of Keeneland and the Jockey Club….It’s time for a little accountability.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Also, Sheryl, are you suggesting that Mr. Gill currently has 230 horses either running somewhere ellse or comfortably munching on hay somewhere? There have been 1-2 people come forward and say they adopted from Elk Creek, but many more who talk about your horses going to the kill pen. People aren’t going to back off until you provide names, not just one for White Buck, of the retirement organizations you’ve been working with. Sorry, but your operation is going to have to start doing more explaining in vivid detail rather than making blanket statements that simply aren’t substantiated by the results of the real world. If you can sleep at night knowing that selling the horses for $1 to someone washes your hands of the expense to keep feeding the horse, then perhaps you should talk to retirement organizations about what happens to horses who are sold for $1.
I hope gill takes the same route at Mark McGwire - lie for years. It cost McGwire the Hall of Fame and it will cost Gill any further win pictures.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Leslie,
The Bloodhorse just laid off a bunch of people. They can’t afford to cover racing anymore.
January 27th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Of course your being IGNORANT about lions pride he had to be put down on the track. terrior was Darrell’s i honestly don’t know him but i have a feeling you were being a wise A** when asking
January 27th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Myectomy,
Hahaha..what they can “afford” to do and what they don’t “choose” to do are very different things. I actually contacted Dan Liebman (editor of BH) weeks ago regarding the terrible story on CNN about the horse that was found in Florida at a “blackmarket” slaughterhouse. The horse was named Freedoms Flight and was very well bred by Pulpit and bred by Herman Heinlen. I asked why the “leading” publication in the industry had no mention of it…Given the fact it was featured on CNN’s webpage I wondered how such a high profile story could be ignored…His resonse to me was basically “how can owners or breeders be expected to track their horses and be responsible for them”…… Does anyone out there have any suggestions for Mr. Liebman?
January 27th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
I have not read all of the resposnes, but I have this to say. I too, would like to see a veterinarian chosen by an independent party visit your farm and provide his/her assessment of your horses…blood work included.
And, when they’re done racing you want to sell them to a rescue for $1 each? Man…you should be supporting their retirement! A vet should independently visit your facility, and every single horse that is deemed unfit to race should be retired at YOUR EXPENSE. They are not a commodity to be used up then thrown away. Shame on you. The NTRA should revoke your Eclipse Award.
Beverlee Dee
January 27th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Gill shipped out over 100 horses from Suffolk Downs in the middle of the 2008 meet. Does anybody know why?
January 27th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Bev Dee…the NTRA should be revoked.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Ms Adamo, You are as contrite as your employer. Let me tell you how I spend my time puling the industries used up/not fast enough horses from kill buyer auctions and directly from the slaughter truck. It is most certainly not our responsibility to look up Gills horses in an effort to find out if they are accounted for. The burden of proof is on you. Not us! Although I am sure if I do some research will find that our organization has pulled some of your horses from the slaughter pen!! As you have already stated some went for hunter jumper dressage or just hanging out somewhere, so if this is true, it would behoove you to proof it. I am sure it wont be to hard for you to put together the list and post here. You now have yourself an audience and we are waiting for some answers.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
in response to lj boussard who seems to know so much about laughing moon, if u think u know a horse by reading his form are u that naieve if u such a good handicapper did u ever think maybe he likes a fast track that his previous starts were on poly then his first start at penn when claimed was a sloppy track if u pay attention many horses r takin off giliforte and are improved furthermore penn is flooded with woodbine horses being purchased or claimed that fair very well. If people get the real facts they will see that the amount of stanrts and breakdowns is barley above average for gill more should be done for retired racehorses but this is a nationwide problem that goes way beyond gill so lets be real and dont use him as a scapegoat. also any barn that wins at a high rate is taking every edge bending every rule and pushing the evenvelope on medications, if u disagree u dont hav a clue or your one of those wanabe horse trainers who never wins and cant offord to stay in the game. also penns surface is infamous for breakdowns in the winter .yeah they resurfaced the track done by a guy from a track in the south west ,they put gypson on the track its also in drywall so instead of having a deep sandy winter track posting slow fractions they hav a rock hard base with lighting fast times. all im sayin is be proactive and stop pointing fingers!
January 27th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
To all you retirement hippies, do you know the process involved to give you a horse?? It is not simple. Racing, like it or not is a business and the IRS makes some of us treat it that way. First the $1 that some of you are getting stuck on is for tax purposes, because the IRS doesn’t like “gift”. It is not because they are worth $1 (truth is they are worth about -$20 a day). Any retirement group here that is willing just to take a horse at anytime for nothing? Please post and hope you have a lot of stalls. Every racetrack needs a “surrender stall”. Well as long as someone is asking for proof,
oliviajay:
Although I am sure if I do some research will find that our organization has pulled some of your horses from the slaughter pen!! well then be sure of it and expose them??? You are so sure, help out your case and give them some names.
AGAIN any retirement home that wants some give aways post you contact here and everyone pass it to all of the tracks.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Who will take the next “bullet” for Mr. Gill - will it be you Ms. Adamo ??? Hiding behind terms like libel and antitrust - coward.
Sincerely,
Pinhead number 118
January 27th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
TO: Maggie Moss Thank You.
Thank you for speaking out on this “Gill” issue. I am sure you have, or will be told that is not smart on your part to express your opinion publicly. Well, it may or may not be smart, but you were right to do so, and very much justified in demanding answers to questions others fear to ask. Many in the industry know the answers, though they avoid “knowing” because they do not ask.
Again, Thank You.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Sheryl Adamo,
Thanks for clearing that up. Horse didn’t break down according to the racing form. Sorry to hear the news.
I’ll ask darrell about terrior when i bump into him in the winner’s circle the next time a budrewicz horse wins since he’s running the show for longo.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
I certainly had no intention of participating in this discussion board, but I cannot sit by and watch Sheryl get slammed by you people. I’m assuming that the horses people are referring to ending up in the killpen are the three horses at AC4H? (rescue group) Those horses were not trained by Tony Adamo. Do you have proof that any horses that were stabled at the farm, and trained by Adamo, ended up in a killpen somewhere? That is an absolutely HORRIBLE accusation to make…. I know that the rescue groups go to auctions every week and do wonderful things because I watch them religiously do their best to pull all kinds of horses to safety. The thoroughbreds that end up there have their tattoos read and their previous connections are tracked down. Were any of them trained by Adamo? There is no way that it would be any EASY task for Sheryl to put together a list of horses that were given away…we are talking about a huge operation here! And to say that Sheryl buys her groceries with blood money (on the other thread) and all these other horrible things is so completely unfounded. These people don’t know the first thing about you Sheryl, don’t let them get to you!
January 27th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
And I in no way meant my thread to seem disrespectful to any horse rescue groups that are on here. You guys should be commended for what you do, and I wish that this many people took as much of an interest in horse slaughter as they do bashing people they don’t even know. Maybe the Paulick Report should write an article on the upcoming congressional hearing for the “Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act” on February 2nd???
January 27th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Mrs. Adamo, I’m sorry if I missed a response in the other thread, but can you tell me if Croesus and January Rain are ok? I’d love to look them up somewhere as you suggest, but sadly there isn’t anywhere. Is Summer of Summers, Summer Bird’s older half-brother, ok after his last terrible race? He was with your husband less than two weeks ago. Thank you.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Thanks, wemc1823! I agree. As posted on the other thread, I have personally given good homes to horses from Gill’s Elk Creek Ranch. They were given to me for $1 and all of the guys (Tony, Cole, the assistants) were trying hard to ensure that each of the horses available found a good home. Why would they work so earnestly to find them good homes if they were only making a buck? Because they honestly cared about the future of the horses. The horses I have are now in various stages of dressage and/or jumping training, staying sound, and are happy. And I wouldn’t hesitate to look at other horses from Elk Creek again.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Wow, very impressive Mr. Gill,
It must be nice to have so much money and get away with all that you have gotten away with and continue to do so. And than threaten people that speak the truth against your actions.
For the record, I fully admit that there were times I was very ticked off about your persistent attacks on my business and the position you put me and my family in. You almost put me out of business and I have a family to support and I believe that would make anyone concerned. However, on the other hand, I was instructed to lose the horses that I had when I relocated to Penn from Fair Hill. Penn National being the choice because of you, it was known that you would make this goal achievable. In doing so, I knew that if I talked to Tony and slammed you with names and criticism and asked him to tell you to back off that you would keep coming. Believe what you want, but it worked. If either of you was smart enough to contact my owner and the time like Tony threatened to and tell him you were going to quit claiming the horses because of my calls than I probably would have lost my job. But instead, you both fell into the trap and took the horses I was sent to lose. And in turn, I have acquired new clients and new horses because of you. Again, I am not saying that at some times I was not pissed and reacted at the heat of the moment but 9 of 10 times my calls had a purpose.
To add to that, Tony told me one night and I quote as closely as I can remember, “I can’t tell this man anything. He is never happy. If we win 4 than he’s mad that we didn’t win 5. If we win 10 in week than we should have won 12. I hired Cole Norman so that I don’t have to listen to his shit anymore. If I lost my job today than I would be very relieved and move back to Canada.”
Does knowing your employees feel this kind of pressure, dissatisfaction and lack of appreciation make you feel like a man. Like you are so much better than them and everyone else.
You indirectly attack people. You threaten people. You treat people like they have no worth.
The jockeys that your trainer’s leg up to ride your horses are people to. People with families. People that sit at home and watch their father/husband lay motionless at the 1/4 pole and worry sick until they get the phone call that they are OK. If you can say you don’t allow your trainers to run sore horses and you can believe that you don’t put pressure on them to do so, than I truly hope that helps you sleep at night.
Mr. Gill, you are a horrible person. And believe me, I have never hated someone in my life as much as I hate you!! And can say that this sport would be better without you in it but also feel that this world would be better without you in it. That is not a threat, that is my heartfelt feeling!!!
January 27th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Maggi… Great letter, you are the class of the sport. Being in the claiming game for over 15 years I feel the same as you do. Breakdowns and sore horses are a sad reality of the business. We as owners have a resposibilty to the horse to make sure we give them every oportunity to live out their lives in a humane manor, even if it means “us” taking a loss. Mr. Gill doesn’t see it like this. Being an owner at Penn National I see Gill’s actions first hand.. I was probably the closet person other then the jocks to Molodeeman and Quinones for the horrible breakdown. Hopefully Adamo & Delahoussaye see what they have been subjected to and they can walk away from the greed and turn into trainers again instead of henchmen for the nations leading owner in breakdowns. We all can assume (and i say assume because i don’t want sued) that Gill and others “block” horses. I have claimed off of Gill already, numerous times and I will be contacting him via email or a phone call if he accepts it in regards to horses claimed. Gill if you read this feel free to email me and please.. please… get out!
January 27th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
I’ve worked for Tony Adamo for 9 months and have been responsible for placing approximately 9 horses into good homes. I have witnessed how adamant Tony is for finding appropriate homes for these horses. They go to people to be retrained into other disciplines, to be a broodmare, or to be a pet. Every person is required to sign a bill of sale for $1.00 and it is imperative to Tony that the horses do not go to the “meat market”, as has been suggested.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Whoever posted as Scavs, please stop posting as me. Thank you…..
January 27th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
To Med:
I don’t want to comment on horses that are still in training.Please contact tony.I think the race office will give you his #. Croesus is currently out in the front paddock and we are looking for a home for her.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Ah, Layne, you are a spy, a double agent. Which glass of wine (or whine in your case) are you going to drink from. (princess bride reference). With the success,gill and his “idiots” have had claiming your horses. I think I might give it a try. Problem is now you called out gill and will have to shake with him for every horse. But you want to loose them. You tricked him again. Might I ask why your great owner from the north was wanting to loose those horses? Were they all to sore??? Should you not have done the right thing and found them a home rather than subject them to the cheap claiming game? or did the lucrative purses and economic gain prompt them to have you patch them up for gill to claim. Please explain yours and your owners reasoning for handing gill all the horses so he could ruin them. Why not just find them homes?? Heartless and full of hate is all you are. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game!!
January 27th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
According to insiders I know in the racing business, Maggie Moss is a miserable owner to work for. While I agree Mike Gill should go, so should Maggie Moss.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Seems all day long, maggie had her open letter which seems to have opened discussions and shut her up. Where is maggie and her response to the Asmussen positives and do you really think you are the chosen one to speak on this? I would love to read your responses to many of the above posts. Or did you just realize that your house might be made of glass?
January 27th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
I also commend the horse rescue groups - something you should do Ray - but is what they are doing just not quite controversial enough to merit posting about them.If it’s not controversial,probably won’t show up on the search engines anyways.
What I don’t commend is the animal rights fanatics and the P.E.T.A fanatics and I have a funny feeling there’s quite a few of them posting here.These type of fanatics have one agenda and one agenda only…………………..thier’s.If they have a dog,or a horse,or a cow,or a cat that’s OK—if you have them your cruel and inhumane and exploiting animals.What did I just read about above that Mr. Gill should now pay for the care of all these horses retired ?
Why are not the original breeder’s responsible for that,the pinhookers,previous trainers,previous owners ?What,now if I own a horse weather I can afford it or not I have to keep him forever ?What,no one else that has owned it in the past is resposible for it.Now it all falls on who owns it last?
I’ve raised a lot of horses over the years,I’ve also seen the suffering of horses now since the elimination of slaughter.You see,I go out for the county sherrif departments and catch abandoned horses (I’ve always had a knack for catching the uncatchable),if I can’t catch them,they are basically shot (3 in the last 2 years) if a vet cannot be found with a dart gun.I go out and catch the unclaimed,not the ones in all these kill pens.I’ve found horses literally a rack of bones having to fend for themselves,I’ve found horses that have been hit by vehicles.Should these previous owners be hung for what they’ve done,most definitely yes if you can find them.But I also know what happens when people run out of money.It happens folks.It’s a fact of life.Horses are not cheap to maintain.There’s a lot more suffering out there now after slaughter than what were before slaughter.I didn’t condemn slaughter or support slaughter.I definitely didn’t like it myself the way the kill buyers were hauling these horses.To me they needed to be regulated.But that’s my opinion on it.
And as far as some of these so-called non-profit rescues.I’ve found one in 3 years that will accept abandoned horses.This is something that also needs to be regulated.I had one that only accepts mares for a $300 fee with papers and certain breeds only.Another that had a nice paint yearling filly one time they were supposedly re-homing for a $1500 fee with papers but if you took her and trained her and showed her and won anything with her monetarily belonged to the rescue and if you re-sold her that also had to go back to the rescue.
I had an older pair of clients that had 2 old grandma thoroughbred mares that had been together for over 20 years.Well needless to say he ended up with Alteimers and was put into a home and she could not afford or was able to care for the mares.So I checked around and thought I had found a retirement farm for them.Oh yes,they most definitely had a home for life.This lady even donated close to $5,000 to this so-called rescue.Funny how 6 months later I stopped in to check on them and the girl working in the barn informed me that one was rehomed in Wisconsin for $2,000 and the other went to Missouri for $1500 but when I talked to the owner of this so-called forever retirement home she tells me they were humanely put down.I’ve found this has happened quite a bit with this so-called rescue after further investigation.Upon finding out,she was not a non-profit either as told to me to begin with.If she was we could have nailed her but she just said that the lady gave her the $5,000 for boarding the mares.
Don’t get me wrong—there are some outstanding retirement homes out there but there are a lot just as shady as the kill buyers were.
It’s sad what you’ve done here Ray,I have a funny feeling some of the posters that are so adamant with their agenda have probably never owned a horse in their life.Their on here seeking their agenda,and you’ve created another place on the web for them.
I even wonder if Maggie actually wrote that letter,she’s a smart lawyer and a horsewoman that grew up with horses.It just baffles me that she would post her opinion like that on a blog.She does an outstanding job of taking care of her horses when their careers are done.Obviously you should go to Mike as obviously all your capable of doing is listening to insiders instead of finding out for yourself.I know her,is she the most personable person in the world,sometimes yes,sometimes no.Is she good for racing,most definitely yes.She does care for them and loves them and unfortunately people,horses do break down.Do you honestly think anyone that might claim a horse for $5-10-15-25-or fifty thousand doesn’t attempt to keep that horse as sound as possible ?Do you not think when one does break down it does not affect that owner ?I’ve seen horses kick a stall wall and break legs,I’ve seen mares fall running in a pasture and break a leg.It happens,they are 1000 pound animals standing on 4 spindly legs.I’ve also seen many running horses in recent years pulling up way to fast after the end of races,it’s like the race is over,let’s get my next mount now,I made my dime.What happened to the days when horses were allowed to gallop out gradually ?It’s called track management,let’s get the show done as quickly as we can.We save money that way.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Pa. could abolish horse racing
and that would double the amount
of revenue and jobs created by slots.
PA. could run ads in the region
stating that Delaware and New Jersey
take millions from slot players
to subsidize horse racing while
PA takes those same millions and return them
to slot players in the form
of comps and higher pay tables.
This would create jobs that pay for
themself rather then jobs
that need to be subsidizes more
and more
each year.
http://www.clockerbob.com/chapter8.html
January 27th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Agent 99
Good post. Go ahead, give it a try…. you have not been watching if you think they are all doing so well. They lost money on the first 17 they took - FACT. Others that have taken them have not done all that well but I admit there are horses out there that are winning. Few at higher levels than they were claimed - FACT.
My clients breed and own horses hoping to race a good horse. When they don’t turn out and are inevitably going to be cheap than they move them on. NONE will nor will I race an unsound horse. A cheap horse simply is not economical OVER THE LONG TERM so we move them on while they are still marketable. The bills stop and the horses continue to race and win races. For the owner that is also the breeder, this is a WIN-WIN.
Heartless is the man that is patching them up for the lucrative purses and trying to prove to the IRS that he can turn a profit.
Full of hate… you are so right.
Heartless are also the people on this site that hide behind a fake moniker and attack people. Heartless is not the person who comments using their real name and/or public business name as I do.
Thanks for the reply.
January 27th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
hey 99.. Not sure who you are or if you have any idea of what you are talking about but i do know who Eugene Melnyk is. and I know he does not want cheap horses.. The man probably has more money in his pocket than Gill is worth….He breeds alot of his own horses and turnover is a must in this business…I dont ever want to be a horses last owner and sure alot of others feel the same way.. One thing is for sure I can tell you are not worth too much so instead of sitting here bashing people that you know nothing about why not go out and try and make something of yourself…The majority of the people here are making honest livings and are just trying to keep what little respect our sport has intact….
January 27th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
“Mr. Gill should now pay for the care of all these horses retired ?
Why are not the original breeder’s responsible for that,the pinhookers,previous trainers,previous owners ?”
Yeah no doubt! I feel the same way about why the previous owner shouldn’t have to come over and repair my leaky roof.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Sheryl,
I’ll come pick up GEEFOUR tomorrow if he needs a home. I’ll wait with baited breath. Since there’s no way he’s ever going to be sound enough to run I’m assuming you can comment. Thanks
January 27th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Starting small, my point is what you are complaining about gill, is exactly what your owner does, just on a different level because your owner has more money. He is the next step up?? Have you or melnyk ever contacted gill or adamo and said hey you claimed him fair and square, but when he is done and needs a home, I will help out, our you can send them to us, because we are so rich. Or have you even gone far enough to offer a number for a rescue. I ask of you, what have you done to protect the welfare of these horses?? you admit that you brought them there to loose them with your fancy trickery. And your owner did it for gain? Seems just like what gill did but one step up. Look in the mirror?? Are you better than you make out gill to be? And if you are so good at what you do, then why has mr. melnyk chosen another trainer at penn and not you? maybe the other trainer is a double agent also.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
@ Michael Gill: You are right. Your horses don’t run sore. They run blocked and drugged. Which is SO much better.
You are like a petulant child with your threats of lawsuits. Just because things aren’t going your way doesn’t automatically you get to try and make it someone else’s fault. YOU are the reason these horses break down. You and no body else. It’s time to face the music and have your dance.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
#114 Bevdee:
“They are not a commodity to be used up then thrown away. Shame on you. The NTRA should revoke your Eclipse Award.”
Nope! The NTRA won’t and probably can’t anyway. The NTRA is not against horse slaughter, after being against it officially became neutral which means it is pro-slaughter like its best bud the AHC.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Mike it is nice to know that you plan on punishing these “pinheads”. Funny thing is you have already hospitalized many. What could be worse than this? Are u planning on setting grenades on the racetrack to ensure that casualties occur for certain? Don’t worry because I am sure that your valiant trainers will go along with your attempt to further torture and terrorize jockeys
Finally I would like to thank you for giving all of us the ammunition to rid ourselves of you forever. I will personally make sure that every jockey in sight sees your post. I will make sure that Penn national knows about your axe to grind and your plot for revenge. This just cements the fact that you have no regard for human life and honestly feel that these jockeys are no different than a predatory bad mortgage that you can just move on from
And when this all comes to a head- and I promise that it will for your racing career. , know that not only will you Rot in hell but that a bunch of small time nobodys from Penn national squeezed you into submission
January 27th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Joe, the NTRA is as much of a non-entity in horse racing as Michael Gill will be in 2 weeks. Alex Waldrop couldn’t market free deodorant to a homeless person.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:34 am
It is my understanding that for tonight’s racing card, there were no horses stabled on the backside who underwent a pre-race exam by any of the state vets. I guess they just really enjoy drinking their coffee in the morning instead of doing their job. But rest assured, the 30 or so horses in the receiving barn got the ever-enlightening 2.5 second jog to make sure they were sound.
It’s refreshing to see that Penn Gaming utilized the 2 days off on Monday and Tuesday to implement some new regulations regarding pre-race exams instead of leaving it up to a the vet with his ear muffs standing in the winner’s circle.
Where is the Racing Commission? Asleep at the Wheel…
January 28th, 2010 at 12:42 am
From the PA Racing Commission Website:
“The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission has general jurisdiction over pari-mutuel thoroughbred activities in the state, as well as the corporations engaged in these activities. The Commission provides regulatory oversight to all racing jurisdictions in Pennsylvania, which includes three tracks. ”
That’s refreshing. So glad to see that they’ve been overseeing Penn National. It’s kind of ironic that the track that is about 12 miles from their headquarters is in more shambles than Philly Park (2 hours) and Presque Isle (seems like 10 hours when you drive it). My congressmen and women will be getting a lot of information about how we need to clean out the wrecked hierarchy of racing in Pennsylvania. Given the Commission’s general “oh well, it’ s just Penn national” attitude one has to wonder who is truly running the ship in Harrisburg? Perhaps Rendell’s budget slashing has them understaffed. Maybe their site should list what it is they do in a day because other than having a few meetings every couple of months, I can’t for the life of me figure out what they do - what they don’t do is take any interest in cleaning up the garbage that runs the operation at 777 Hollywood Boulevard, Grantville, PA 17028.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:55 am
I think this letter is hysterical considering Maggi Moss employs Scooter Davis , Chris Englehart, and Steve Assmussen; Three trainers who have received their share of bad tests in recent memory.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:08 am
Congratulations, Michael.
Judging from the number of posts above, you’ve made quite a name for yourself.
But that’s not all. You’ve also made a unique place for yourself in the annals of American horse racing.
I’ve been following racing since 1985. During that time, I’ve also had the opportunity to read various histories written about our sport.
To my knowledge, this is the FIRST time any owner has ever publicly denounced another owner, and - in addition, directed him - point-blank - to vacate the premises.
I’m guessing that if we go back far enough, we’ll find another example of someone else whose behavior has been so flagrantly obnoxious that he was given the heave-ho by a fellow owner.
But for the time being, Mike, you’re The Man.
Maggie, thank you.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:31 am
Mrs. Adamo, thanks very much for your response. I’m glad to hear Croesus is ok. I’d LOVE to give her a home, but I’m on the other side of the country. Let me talk to a few people I know and maybe we can do something.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:23 am
I have to say, Mr. Giliforte, that I’m absolutely reeling at your post 127. So you took horses to dump at Penn in the hopes Gill would claim them? How exactly does that make you ANY better?
I’m just a fan. I love the horses. I place my small bets and rejoice when I win a little and shrug off my losses as supporting youbet. I didn’t know who you were until Gill came on my radar and well, if you spoke out against him I thought you must be my kind of guy. Was I ever wrong. I can’t tell you how disappointed and disgusted I am.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:30 am
For those who forget what is really important:
” A Horse’s Prayer”
Give me food and drink and care for me. And when the day’s work is done, shelter me. Give me a clean bed and leave me not too small a place in the stable. Talk to me, for your voice often takes the place of the reins. Be good to me and I shall serve you more gladly and love you.
Don’t tear at the reins. Don’t reach for your crop when we come to a hill. Don’t beat me or hit me if I misunderstand. Don’t think me disobedient if I fail your will; perhaps there is something wrong with my harness or my hooves. A bad tooth–you know how that hurts. Don’t tether me too tight and don’t crop my tail–my only weapon against mosquitoes and flies. Let me ask this of you.
And when the time comes dear Master, when I am no longer of use to you, don’t let me starve or freeze, nor sell me. Don’t give me a strange master who works me slowly to death and feeds me not. But be kind and prepare me for a quick and merciful end. God will reward you for it, now and through eternity. And I shall come to you, always…running. Amen.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:13 am
Mrs. Adamo, it’s me again. I have some help now and I’m 98% sure we can find a great home for Croesus. Would you contact me in email at lotsacats @ comcast.net (remove the spaces)? Do you have a better way to get in touch? Thank you. You’ll be treated with respect as much as I can guarantee it.
No nasty-grams from anyone else, please. It’s a throwaway addy so that’s what I’ll do if necessary.
Ray, you can pass Mrs. Adamo the email address I post with if it helps.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:21 am
Large segments of this sport are cruel and corrupt. The individual in question is simply a high profile representative of what is wrong with this sport. Fortunately, as the sport continues to shrink as middle class fans become more aware of the cruelty and indifference of many, there will be fewer horses bred and fewer to suffer. The industry is incapable of reforming itself. IMHO.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:48 am
MED,
Twist it how ever you like. My clients are quite happy with the job I do for them and my horses get the best care possible.
Only sound horses are led over to race and anyone associated with me retires horses that need to be retired.
The best I can recollect since I started training, I have had 1-2 breakdowns in about 4,500 starts. And I am sure that I will have more as long as I train but rest assured that if I do, I will have a clear conscious that the horse went over to run in top shape and that it was 100 % accidental. The fact that it does happen is unfortunately a harsh reality of horse racing.
There was bound to be people that are PRO Mike Gill and that is fine and very fair but the people that are twisting people’s stories that can not substantiate what they say really shouldn’t say anything at all. It was very obvious that the PRO Gill people were going to attack the successful people in horse racing like Maggi, Asmussen, Englehart and so on to try to defend and justify their position but the truth of the matter is that you cannot pin the same misconduct on these people nor the same number of breakdowns and injured jockeys that this one man has been first hand related to.
I personally will not defend myself anymore on this site as “actions speak louder than words”. Anyone want to continue to have negative remarks for me, at least have the nerve to identify yourself as I have been open to who I am.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:12 am
I’m curious to see how Dragooner http://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorseInfo.cfm?refno=6501147®istry=T is doing.
January 28th, 2010 at 10:35 am
Wisdom,
Does Moss employ Scooter Davis? I didn’t know that. He just had a long vacation for positives at Mountaineer, didn’t he?
January 28th, 2010 at 11:17 am
I’m guessing that Maggie doesn’t have any mirrors in her house. Get real it is hard to throw stones when you use trainers like Asmussen and Chris Richard. Maggie is the queen of dropping horses just to win races. I’ve seen some of her horses barely walk off the track after races. Although I think she is heads above Gill, she is still bad for racing. They both need to get out. The redeeming thing about Maggie is that she does donate lots of money to the TRF proving that even a defense lawyer feels guilt.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:34 am
Maggi -
Thank you, this needed to be said.
Matt
January 28th, 2010 at 11:48 am
#144, Myectomy, yes indeed! NTRA is a eunuch controlled by the grand poo-bahs.
Where is Alex Waldrop when the industry needs him to blow smoke?
He needs to swear once again –with a straight and grave face– that horses are Priority #1 in horse racing, just like he did in front of a large media contingent following Eight Belles gruesome death and public outrage.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Wow this discussion has got out of hand. First off, Maggi Moss is one of my favorite thoroughbred owners. And yes, owners are going to stand up for their trainers! And a trainer like Steve Asmussen who probably has 200 or more horses he trains all throughout the country can’t be by every horse everyday all day. He has many assistants so how do we know his positive tests didn’t happen due to his assistants mistakes?
As far as blocked or sore horses racing goes, sometimes those horses do get hurt worse and sometimes they run fine. However I don’t feel people realize, a lot of trainers won’t run a sore horse because of the fact it can get hurt worse and trainers can’t make much of a living if they aren’t winning races. They are better off healing the horse and running it when its sound then when its sore.
As far as Michael Gill posting on here, that’s probably fake. If he was gonna stick up for himself he will do it publicly so it gets out to everyone not as a reply to a letter.
And people are complaining because of high purses? We need those in this industry. Yes so what if the owner gets $10,000 of an $18,000 purses. What people don’t realize is 10% of that $10,000 goes to the trainer and 10% goes to the jockey. Then probably another $2,000 would cover a horses training bill a month. And Trainers have to pay all their employees. Jockeys have to pay their agents and valets. And with how many people tracks employ, we need high purses from slots or anything in order to keep all the people employed.
January 28th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Nah that was definitely gill who posted. Hadn’t it been gill, the adamo’s or one of their many employee who are posting here would have said it was fake.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Mr. Med: You keep this up, and a good number of us will be looking forward to reading what you elegantly write. Thanks, bud.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I’m not here to defend Michael Gill, but as many of you have pointed out, Ms. Moss’ editorial smacks a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. Michael Gill is the big bad boogie man and everyone else is sparkling clean, particularly all of the trainers employed over the years by Ms. Moss. Gill is sort of like Jerry Tarkanian, the former UNLV basketball coach. A certfied crook, Tarkanian took the brunt of NCAA sanctions and everyone loved pointing at him to explain away all of the problems with amateur sports. But no way in hell was Tark the only cheat in the sport.
January 28th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
U Hemmings - Ms. Moss, while not even remotely in the same category as Gill, does need to answer as to why she employs some of the horseman she has. I wouldn’t say it’s the pot calling the kettle black, but it’s kinda close. There are hundreds of winning trainers out there who do not cheat and still win their fair share of races. Ms. Moss, being the smart lady I think she is, needs to either do more background checks on her trainers or make better decisions.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Don, #162, I’m a MS. MED, but thank you.
Mrs. Adamo, someone emailed me a phone number for you, but it wasn’t you and they spelled your first name wrong. I don’t want to make an unwelcome phone call, so I’d appreciate if somehow you could confirm this person has your permission to pass the number on to me. The initials of the person are CG. Thank you.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I think the first change that needs to be implemented is the current owner is responsible for a horse that breaks down during a race it is claimed in and they do not get the claim $’s. I know this has been discussed before but not sure why not done.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Any news on whether Philly is allowing Gill horses to run?
January 28th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
That’s 3 different States in ONE article!!!
January 28th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Isn’t Maggie Moss the very owner who represented trainer Steve Assmussen with his drug infractions in Texas? Not only is her trainer Assmussen the leading trainer in the United States, he also leads the charts in having the most drug positives. I 100% believe Mr. Gill should be watched through a microscope, as he has not done a thing to help racing, but people who live in glass houses throw stones. It’s at least nice to see Ms. Mops admit she too has horses break down. Actually, just last week at Oaklawn if memory serves me correctly. Although Gill may have more horses break down than Ms. Moss, I find it fascinating she has the audacity to speak out on another owner when she too has horses break down and filed continuance after continuance for her trainer so he can continue to condition her horses. Lets be fair. Maggie, I see a lot of “I’s” in your speeches and letters. Do your trainers ever get ANY credit?
January 28th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Where is the NTRA? Ms. V. Baumgardner has told me via e-mail that she is truly concerned about the welfare of the horses. What a joke she is and the rest of the crew at the NTRA. They are too busy covering up for the industry that puts food on their table. Where is Alex Waldrop? He is “missing in action”, too. All these clowns need to be fired unless they are willing to put the horse first.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
#170 P L Lewis, you are correct. The horse in question is Dragooner, dropped from a 15K tag to a 5K tag,
http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/OP012210USA6.pdf
January 28th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
As to the comment made by susan, I have trained horses for Maggi since 2005 and we have NEVER had one horse break down on the track that had to be euthenized. If fact, we have had very few major injuries because Maggi, unlike some owners, will give them time off and not risk injuring the horse. If anyone would maybe do some research before running their mouths, they would see that Maggi has had very few horses break down with all of her trainers. It is something that she simply would not tolerate. Maggi is passionate about this industry and her horses, that is why she is so successful.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Chris,
I don’t think anyone called you out. Maggi has a public image and people have a problem with her employing trainers who have questionable rap sheets in the pharmacy department that is all. Asmussen’s record is very long. Have you ever had a positive? I don’t know, just asking and you can clear the record for everyone.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
The one disturbing thing about all of this is the lack of moral conscience involved. Numerous trainers have quit the Gill operation because they no longer could stomach the horror and could not stand to lay another sleepless night. Yet one lone soldier looks to ride the Titanic to the end.
In some ways I am almost jealous. I wish I could gain some tips on how to consistently and recklessly gamble with human life and just keep on going like nothing is wrong. How can you block the screaming of the injured out of your head? How can anyone stand to work with these animals everyday and know that they may be on a one way trip to destruction? If you ask a criminologist for they opinion they would probably sum it up in one work Psychopathic
January 28th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Dear Rob Marella,
Can you please explain why your company allots stall space to Michael Gill?
January 28th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Dear Rob Marella,
Can you please explain why when the races are canceled Myectomy and greatavenger are home early (even though they had 2 in tonight)?
January 28th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Gill’s MIA horses (list from poster at The Chronicle of the Horse forum):
Unraced in 2009
Clay’ s a Hero (Mohave Moon), 4yo filly
Gold Pleasure (Ide), 6yo mare
Jeannette’s Hope (Yes It’s True), 5yo mare
Snow Eagle (Wild Again), 8yo gelding
Chicago Nate (Exploit), 6yo gelding,
Deacon Gray (Pulpit), 5yo gelding,
Flaminsun (Smoke Glacken), 7yo gr/ro gelding,
Holy Okie Dokie (Holy Bull), 3yo filly
Maui Moonrise (Drewman), 4yo filly
MIA SINCE FEBRUARY 2009
American Officer (Officer), 5yo gelding,
Beat the Chalk (Valid Wager), 7yo gelding
Benjamin (Digimist), 4yo gelding
Bouley Bakery (Songandaprayer), 4yo filly
Classic Set (Regal Classic), 5yo mare
Cormorant’ s Pride (Honour and Glory), 4yo colt
Keltish Lass (Eltish), 6yo mare
MIA SINCE MARCH 2009
Bachelor’s Lane (Lodge Hill), 4yo gelding
Deputy’s Honor (Milwaukee Brew), 4yo colt
Hitting Hard (Red Bullet), 5yo gelding
Jaguar Joe (Service Stripe), 9yo gelding
P. Vee’s Thunder (Untuttable), 3yo gelding
Red Sail At Sunset (Petionville), 6yo gelding
Scooter Roo (Salt Lake), 5yo gelding
MIA SINCE APRIL 2009
Bexar (Posse), 3yo colt
June Tune (Concorde’s Tune), 7yo mare
Sir Ray (Sir Leon), 9yo horse
Whisky Swish (Whiskey Wisdom), 8yo mare
MIA SINCE MAY 2009
Aka Roxie (Cactus Ridge), 4yo filly.
Carrington (Carson City), 8yo gelding
Clever Selection (Forest Camp), 6yo mare
Kiwi Krush (Two Punch), 3yo filly
Majestic Slewville (Evansville Slew), 7yo mare
Nerve (Tour d’Or), 5yo gelding
Rule the Music (West Acre), 5yo gelding
Shapez (Lemon Drop Kid), 4yo colt
Sway With the Wind (Devil His Due), 6yo gelding
MIA SINCE JUNE 2009
Avonian (Not for Love), 4yo colt gelding
Communicated (Distorted Humor), 5yo horse
Fandango Girl (Trippi), 3yo filly
House of Boo (Chester House), 6yo gelding
Hymn for Her (Bowman?s Band), 3yo filly
Keystone Baby (Stormin Fever), 3yo filly
Keuka Maid (Phone Trick), 6yo mare
Loveland (Halos and Horns), 8yo mare
Lucky Frolic (Carson City), 7yo gelding
Miss South Slope (Cryptoclearance), 3yo filly
Navesink Sunset (Commendable), 7yo gelding
Need the Write Off (Snow Ridge), 5yo gelding
Night Owl (Out of Place), 5yo gelding
Outstriding (Outflanker), 4yo filly
Red Magic (Rubiano), 7yo gelding
Shabril Thrill (Louis Quatorze), 5yo mare
Theatrical Talent (Theatrical (IRE)), 6yo horse
Tis Unanswerable (Metfield), 7yo mare
MIA SINCE JULY 2009
Abulletforfrank (Red Bullet), 4yo filly
Antilles Flat (Graeme Hall), 5yo gelding
B L’s Metropolitan (B L’s Appeal), 4yo gelding
Captured Emotion (Explicit), 4yo filly
Chase for the Gold (Golden Gear), 5yo gelding
Clair Bear (Olmodavor), 3yo filly
French Action (Action This Day), 3yo gelding
Geefour (Dixie Union), 5yo gelding
Head Games (Silver Deputy), 5yo gelding
Hoppel’s Bulls Eye (Aldebaran), 3yo colt
January Rain (Behrens), 6yo mare
Koufax Curve, 4yo filly (Kafwain
Kris Appeal (Kissin Kris), 4yo colt
Marconi (Yes It’ s True), 3yo colt
Ranger Creek (Cat Thief), 5yo gelding
Shemeansbidness (Kafwain), 3yo filly
Southern Terminus (More Than Ready), 4yo gelding
Swingle (B L’s Appeal), 4yo filly
Three Tiaras (Diamond), 5yo gelding
Touch a Prince (Touch Gold), 5yo gelding
Whisper a Tune (Way West (FR)), 6yo mare
January 28th, 2010 at 10:52 pm
I don’t know if it was on this thread or another, but Mrs. Adamo said WHITE BUCK had been returned to his breeders. Well, that’s true, so far as it went. What she didn’t mention was that his breeders were called many weeks after he last raced, or that they had contacted Gill several times long before that offering to take White Buck back, anytime, any place, at their expense. When finally called, they arranged transport ASAP to Florida. When White Buck got off the van, they were there — and he was “dead lame.” The very next day he became seriously ill and was diagnosed with pleurisy and a collapsed lung. Despite immediate and aggressive treatment, two or three days later, Buck collapsed and died.
And then there’s LUCKY REAL LUCKY, whose previous connections had tried to get back. When finally told they could come and get him, they found that he was in such awful shape, they had no choice but to take him home and euthanize him, because he could never live without pain. He was THREE YEARS OLD.
So is this Gill’s “retirement plan” for his horses? Ship them off his property when they are literally on their last legs???
January 28th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
RE POST #177, the list that Joe posted is actually from thoroughbredchampions.com, and can be found here:
http://thoroughbredchampions.com/forum/index.php?topic=40453.0
Additional names of more horses have been posted at the end of the list.
I’m posting because if you have any additional information about any of the horses on that list please post there or PM the author of the list.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
On the slight chance that Penn would start accepting entries for Gill again - the Penn jockeys were told they had to ride or they face consequences - and a Gill horse unfortunately broke down and something catastrophic happened to one of the jockeys. Is there any limit to the amount of money that jockey’s family could sue Penn Gaming for?
Furthermore, if the entries are taken, is there any chance that people would be willing to picket at Penn during the races or at the Racing Commission in Harrisburg? I heard it takes eight commission employees on Cameron Street to screw in a light bulb. They wouldn’t know what to do if they had a group outside their door.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
A list of former Gill horses that have been traced to new connections or at least out of Gill’s barn:
http://thoroughbredchampions.com/forum/index.php?topic=40532.msg887996#msg887996
January 28th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Thanks Pisces for the clarification and to Thoroughbred Champions for caring and working hard to build such shocking list.
January 29th, 2010 at 10:31 am
I’m doing a study and would appreciate any help that I can get. I’d like a list of any and all horses that Ms Moss has run in the last 10 years. Just names are fine, any name, one or many will be appreciated. I can get details and stats from the web.
thank you
maggisfarm101 (at) gmail.com
January 29th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Farmer, you can also get that list of the internet.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Mary J -
NTRA should step up, but a corn field won’t grow tomatoes. NTRA’s chief Alex Waldrop has come out publicly against the proposed Federal ban on horse slaughter. The ultimate betrayal of the horse.
Why? Mr. Waldrop flip-flopped NTRA’s official position on horse slaughter in exchange for notorious pro-slaughter US Rep Bob Goodlate’s (R-VA) support for adding horse racing to Federal internet gaming legislation.
Somewhere in the same time frame, Bob Goodlate cashed a donation check from NTRA.
Dirty business, that.
Here’s a golden opportunity for the game to fix some really bad PR and do right by the horses on a lot of levels. Come out strong in favor of the Federal ban on horse slaughter, and have a national review panel with coast-to-coast banning power for trainers like Gill.
NTRA, are you listening? Being afraid to piss off trainers like Gill when the public is heading for the hills with its gaming dollars (and states like MA are banning greyhound racing - in part - for what was done to dogs when they could no longer race) is really, really stupid.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
185. Horseofcourse Says:
January 29th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Farmer, you can also get that list of the internet.
Thanks, but not easily for the past horses. I am now listing all entries, but there is no way to get all past entries in a convenient manner. That is why I asked for help.
I will be posting them on a blog, just facts, no comments. Sort of like a horse watch.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
I just spoke with Sharyl Adamo on the phone. I don’t know what I expected, but what I got was a sincere, kind woman who is passionate about the horses on Mr. Gill’s farm. I’ve known my share of nasty, dishonest people and have a good BS detector, but if Sharyl wasn’t sincere she deserves an Oscar. She welcomes help on finding homes for horses Mr. Gill no longer wishes to race. I’ll make a more detailed post later on how YOU can help, but for now, while I can’t explain Pisces shocking list, I do have a lot of hope for the future of any horse for which Sharyl Adamo is responsible.
January 29th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Not to be a smart ass, but maybe Sharyl should just ask Mike to help. After all, he claims he’s found many, many homes for these poor horses.
January 29th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Heck if he just signs them over, I’m good with that.
January 29th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
That is encouraging news about Mrs. Adamo. But what about the sore horses that Cole Norman is allegedly patching up? What about the horses at Elk Creek who allegedly have sore joints from bad taps? I think you should sit down with your husband sooner than later and abandon ship with Gill. That is the only way your husband is ever going to be able to save face. Ask yourself this question, Mrs. Adamo. Even if you go crazy finding retirement homes for these horses, do you think Michael Gill is ever going to change his ways? Has he ever donated money to a retirement farm or not for profit? Has he ever offered to pay to retire some of his horses? You need to pack your things and leave the property, scratch the horses entered under your husband’s name and go call the “Don’t Tell the Wives Stable” and ask them for a string of horses. Once the reality of Gill is fully in public view it will be too late for your husband to save face.
January 29th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
#113
Leslie Marceau Says:
January 27th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Myectomy,
Hahaha..what they can “afford” to do and what they don’t “choose” to do are very different things. I actually contacted Dan Liebman (editor of BH) weeks ago regarding the terrible story on CNN about the horse that was found in Florida at a “blackmarket” slaughterhouse. The horse was named Freedoms Flight and was very well bred by Pulpit and bred by Herman Heinlen. I asked why the “leading” publication in the industry had no mention of it…Given the fact it was featured on CNN’s webpage I wondered how such a high profile story could be ignored…His resonse to me was basically “how can owners or breeders be expected to track their horses and be responsible for them”…… Does anyone out there have any suggestions for Mr. Liebman?
i suggest he go work for fox news…they need advertisers and he seems to be good at selling snake-oil
January 29th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Excellent advise Mitch C.. He should do just that but I doubt because Adamo knew who Gill was before he chose to work for him.
I have two questions:
How much training is Adamo actually doing?
Is he mainly being used to saddle some horses and claim others since Norman can’t?
January 29th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Wonder Man, another Gill horse, trained by Adamo eased in the stretch in the 9th at Laurel.
http://www.drf.com/drfNCWeeklyHorseDisplay.do?track=LRL&country=USA&raceDate=20100129&raceNo=9
Last work I could find on him was 1/7 at PEN. Why 22 days with no work and then a race?
January 29th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
i would like to kno something, do you people think that when these horses are claimed that they are sound?? Maybe they claim them, bring them back to the farm, try to make them sore so cole norman can do his thing, right? you guys dont make sense whatsoever, the whole industry is full of sore horses, every trainer does what they can for the horse to get him as sound as possible for the races, a very high percentage of horses are tapped every couple races, and any trainer that denies tapping horses, please forward your name, so us bottom feeders can make money off of you, please.. Vets wouldnt have any business if horses were sound, and the fact of the matter is that they are the ones making all the money, win or lose!! These horses that gill claims are lame to begin with, i kno if his trainers had any say in wether to claim 90% of the horses he choses, that they would tell him NO because they are sore, i will gaurantee you almost every trainer is happy as can be and offer him a fork and knife in which he can eat his new purchase, so were is the blame to those traainers for running sore horses??? there is no blame on the former trainers!! everyone just wants a fall guy, and now the horsemen have one, right?? Let me tell you one thing right now, most horses if there sound aint worth a dime ( cant run faster then me ) real athletes get aches and pains and they get sore, thats why human athletes have there own doctors and physiotherapists and so on..
As for cheryl Adamo, its NO “ACT” she is one of the nicest, most honest woman you are ever going to have the privalege to speak too.. everyone seems to be attacking her instead of helping her, if you are so concerned about the retirement of the horses then offer your help or offer to adopt some horses for REAL..My hats off to cheryl for putting up with all your nasty comments and people trying to give her husband a horrible name, Its very easy to sit behind your computer and tell people how they should do things and that there doing the wrong things.. in my experience when you supposedly find them a good home it is no where near the care they recieve from an actual race track personel. everyone paints a picture that horses have it so bad, well guess what, us horsemen treat our investments, business aquisitions and for some “pets”, better then most people are treated in this world today ( as u can see by the way some have treated tony and sheryl) any horsemen that is on here is throwing stones in there glass house…. When a horse drops from 50,000 to 20,000 is that because he is just getting slower with age?? someone please go through the racing form, look at every track in it and tell me by reading the forms on all the horses in there wether those horses are in a suspicious spot or if that horse is just getting slower, and MIKE GILL stop claiming sound horses and making them sore so you can try out your new BLOCK cole norman just made up in the lab room….
January 29th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Got a little inside info that the PA SPCA raided Gill’s Elk Creed Ranch today. But could not get any info on what happened. Does anyone know?
January 29th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Heard it through the grapevine that the humane society made an unexpected visit to Elk Creek ranch today. Anyone else hear? And, if so, any news about what they found? Sure like to find out their report.
January 29th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
In a very weird twist to all this, Darrel Delahoussaye, Mr. Gill’s former trainer, just claimed a horse form Maggi Moss at Penn.
See http://www.equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/PEN012910USA4.pdf for the details. I hope the new owner, Mr. Witt, is cut from a different bolt of cloth than Mr. Delahoussaye’s previous employer.
January 29th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Nancy,
please check out the results at aqueduct racetrack today..
January 29th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Has the breakdowns stopped at penn national since gill is not running??? any pull ups, fallen horses, vanned off, dnf’s, like i said long ago in these threads, we are pointing fingers in only one direction, were are the vets that should be examining these horses the afternoon of the races and may more ways to protect everyone in this business, also , this is winter racing, conditions are not going to be consistent with the track, there are so many variables that need to be looked at, instead of accusations… yes anyone got info on the farm?? all this talk about how they are mistreated i will gaurantee every one of those horses are well taken care of and there was no issue !!! i seen adamo horses ship in and they look a lot more healthy then most i see here at the track
January 29th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
“Got a little inside info that the PA SPCA raided Gill’s Elk Creed Ranch today”
They were probably a little too late, as Adamo and company had time to clean/fix that place up. It was a real pig sty as of last week.
January 29th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
C Silver…Sharyl Adamo may be a nice person, but is she intelligent? It would seem to me that an intelligent person would make a phone call to TRF or CANTER and invite them out to take pictures of the horses possibly get them into a new home. I think we know why that phone call has never taken place. All she has to do is pick up the damn phone and make the call !
January 29th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
CSilver…I’ve read some of these threads and I think there have been plenty of daggers thrown at people other than Gill.
January 30th, 2010 at 11:21 am
At this time, when racing’s image is so tattered in the eyes of the public, letters such as this can only be a good thing. Thank you, Maggi, for speaking frankly. Now if your letter gets the same publicity as the story about this individual, perhaps the public will begin to understand that most of us in racing are nothing like him, that we cherish these noble creatures who give us their all, day in and day out, and that we appreciate them for all the unique and special beings they are. I live north of the border, where people who get off the fence and actually STAND for something are few and far between, so I appreciate Maggi Moss’ outspoken reaction - especially as she’s owner of so many horses herself and shows concern and consideration for all of them. Thank you for speaking out! Now let’s have a legion of thers follow in your footsteps!
January 30th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I have Layne Giliforte for 25 years and i find him to be very professional person and runs his business very professionaly .All his horses get taken care of well. He has trained for some of the leading owners in the U.S.and Canada such as John Franks. And cares about horse racing. And on the other hand i have known tony Adamo for 20 years and known him to be devious at times Ex: Claimed a horse from a Woodbine trainer named Tri Sunny he took the horse off the track and tapped the horse himself the end result was the horse had a invected joint and never ran again
January 30th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Now now retired trainer, why dont u get some balls and use ur real name!!! people want to start talking smack then lets open up tthe closet doors, cause everybody has skeletons in there closet… this has become way out of hand with people trying to destroy peoples livelly hoods and what they pride themself on being and thats horsemen… people keep talking crap like this and the animal activists are going to be all over this sport, is that what we want?? this is getting way to personel, and if people want to get personal like this then have some courtesy to use ur real name and then people can dig up dirt on you, or you can be dealt with face to face and see if you start studdering ur words then… cowards hide behind phony names and run there mouth about B S… there will be a lot of regrets if this nonsense happens again, i promise you that, GAME ON or GAME DONE ??? please advise
January 31st, 2010 at 8:56 pm
I don’t know why I’m responding to this but I feel compelled to give some facts about this “situation”. The reason for not giving my name is because I am involved with Penn National and do not wished to be fingered out. Even though I feel I’m educated I will spell things wrong in this blog and will improperly use grammar, so I appologize. I will first start out by saying that I back the riders at Penn 100%. I said to myself 3 months ago “why do these riders continue to ride for Mr. Gill”? I’m now asking myself “why would I want to ride in a race with one of his horses”? (I’m not a jockey at Penn). While I’ve never been a fan of Mr. Gill, I’m not certain if he should have the crosshairs directly pointing at him! That being said, I still think that he is an “undesireable”.
When Maggie Moss wrote that letter to the paulick report, I thought she went out on a very thin limb. A limb that I don’t think she should be on alone. I know Penn should accept some of this responsibility of the problems we are having. I’ve been to at least 5 or 6 tracks to watch training in the morning and oversee everyday life of the backside. The everyday activities of the horsemen, veterinarians (both state appointed and private), and officials are unnacceptable.
Lets start with horsemen. I’ve seen more sore horses train at Penn, than any other track that I’ve ever been to. Whether it’s jogging, galloping, or breezing you may see a dozen horses a morning that you would think should not be training on that particular day. I do understand that this has been a staple at Penn for a longtime, and MANY trainers are very cappable of training a “special need” horse. The money that is given away there should overtime help this. Why? because horsemen there can now make this their living, they can buy/claim better horses. I’ve seen it at other tracks, and it will happen at Penn. Like in any business “the strong survive”. If you want something bad enough you will work hard for it.
Now onto the private practice vets at Penn. “SHAME ON YOU”!!!!! Everyone at Penn knows that there is not a vet on the ground until 9:30am. Training in the summer starts at 5:30am, and is presently starting at 7:30am. There has been several occasions where a horse has broken down, and I’ve seen trainers, riders and/or other trainers standing with their horse/s waiting for a vet to come to the track. I’m not talking minutes, I’m talking hours!!!! Everyone knows this is true. I’ve seen a trainer breeze a horse and after the breeze the horse broke down and an hour later a vet arrived. All tracks I’ve ever been to, there has always been a practice that was there when training opened. It gets better, there is not one vet one the grounds after the first race. Why is this you ask?? Because there is no more lasix to give!! I’m not saying that I’ve never seen a vet scope a horse after the races, because I saw it for the first time this week. However, this was a new vet that came back to do it for a friend. I personally had a horse get hurt in a race (7th Race). I called my vet and he told me to pop it some bute and I’ll be there first thing in the morning. The horse could not get comfortable all night. I watched my vet drive in around 9:45am, and after three calls, and two hours later he came to treat my horse that slab fractured it’s knee. Once again, I believe that this can change, and most certain needs to change!!!!
Officials, I’m not familiar with this department at all so my comments are just observations. Like any track accept for NYRA I feel that they are being a little stingy in the pockets when it comes to having enough, and sufficient help. Although they have tried to help with the surface, they are not trying to help the surface. Last year there was a survey taken that management handed out asking what we thought about the racetrack. For about three months the track seemed pretty good, but without proper maintance it slipped away and until this winter it was a poor surface. It is once again a pretty decent surface. Management however needs to meet with a regular group of trainers and riders maybe bi-weekly to ask questions, and try to stay on top of this SAFETY issue. It is done at least three other tracks I’ve been to, and all three tracks maintain a good racing surface. Last for management, state vets, at least three or four. Two to check morning horses, and another two for the night races. You could even check them all right before the races. Actually look at them when they gallop out in a race, and come back. You could find at least one a race that don’t come back good.
I know I’m going on and on but I see alot wrong, and I so desperately want to see this sport strive!!!! I was born into it, I love it, I’ll never want to do anything else with my life. Let’s stop the bashing, and lets start fixing!!
I’ve had a bad test before, it was for a tranquilizer (that is legal to have in the barn) but illegal to run on. Was I guilty? Yes, did I do it intentionally? No, it was on the bit of a 2yo that went out to the track, and right after a filly that was in a day later had the same bit in her mouth. It caused her to get a positive test. I said this because “Jamie Ness, Steve Asmussen, Stephanie Beattie, Chris Richard”……I’m forgetting some, are all good people, and do things “right”. They might have gotten bad tests, but the majority of tests came back positive of something that is legal to have in a stable!!! There was a mistake made and it was dealt with. Move on, get back to business. We as a hole are mainly made up of uneducated people (barring owners, commisions, and vets), but we all have some level of common sense, lets use it!!!!
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:18 am
i agree completely with mr driscoll, post #13…mr gills would not be able to survive his murky waters without the support of ‘racinos’…inflated purses give him the freedom mortgage bankers used to employ(oops, that is mr gill’s original profession, isn’t it?)…
although it is good for hard working horsemen, penn national racing(along with many other racetracks)would not exist, were it not for the license they need to plug in their machines, and soon to be ‘table games’…
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