Posts Tagged ‘maggi moss’

By Ray Paulick
Wednesday was our third day of the continuing saga of Michael Gill, the controversial mortgage broker/horse owner from New Hampshire. We first broke the story on Monday about an incident that took place at Penn National racetrack last weekend when jockeys voted not to ride in future races where the field included a Michael Gill-owned horse. The jockeys took the unprecedented action after one of Gill’s horses, trained by Darrel Delahoussaye, broke down past the finish in Saturday night’s fifth race, causing a trailing horse to fall. Jockeys were quoted in subsequent published reports that they didn’t feel safe because of what they said was an unusually high injury rate among Gill’s horses.

“We did it for safety concerns,” jockey Tom Clifton was quoted as saying by the Thoroughbred Times. “We’ve got horses left and right snapping legs off in front of us, and every time it happens, three or four guys behind him go down, too. At what point do you say, ‘Listen, this is getting out of control.’ That’s why we did it, strictly as a safety concern. I have nothing against Michael Gill. I’ve ridden races for him before. I’m just getting tired of watching my fellow riders and horses go down that don’t deserve to.”

On Tuesday, we gave Gill a chance to provide his side of the story—and he did. He made a number of claims that some individuals told the Paulick Report are just not true, including a statement that “all of the horses go to retirement programs” when they can no longer race.

Prominent owner Maggi Moss, like Gill active in the claiming ranks, was following the story and contacted the Paulick Report Tuesday, asking if we would run her “open letter” to Gill, asking him to “please get out of racing.”

Gill has long been a lightning rod for controversy in this industry, and all three stories created a firestorm of comments from readers, some anonymous and some posting under their own name. These comment boards can be tough, but we didn’t think the criticism of Gill (and, yes, there were defenders, too) would prompt him to respond with a bizarre, rambling and threatening message that included a vow to sue me, Maggi Moss, jockey Tom Clifton and Penn National horseman Layne Gilforte.

Following is Gill’s post:

“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.”

For the record, we’re not scared.

And we’re certainly not going to let the threat of a frivolous lawsuit intimidate us or prevent us from taking a closer look at Gill’s racing operation.

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.

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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Press Release

For the first time, female Thoroughbreds occupy the top two spots on the list of leading North American earners in 2009, according to final statistics released today by Equibase Company LLC, the Thoroughbred industry’s official database for racing information.
 
Zenyatta earned $3,330,000 in 2009 to become the fourth filly or mare, and the first since Dance Smartly in 1991, to top the leading earners list. Runner-up Rachel Alexandra earned $2,746,914.
 
In the other categories, Steven Asmussen, Garrett Gomez and Michael Gill head the individual lists of the leading trainers, jockeys and owners, respectively, by North American earnings in 2009.
 
The year-end compilations are distributed annually by Equibase and include results from Thoroughbred racing in North America only. The top 100 North American leaders in each category are accessible at equibase.com.
 
Asmussen, who previously topped the trainers’ list in 2003 and 2008, won a single-season record 650 races from 2,944 starts for North American earnings of $21,876,405 in 2009. Runner-up was Todd Pletcher, whose horses won 238 races from 1,108 starts for earnings of $15,454,429 in 2009.
 
Completing the list of top 10 trainers by North American earnings in 2009 were Bob Baffert, $9,574,394 (117 wins/504 starts); William Mott, $7,957,370 (116/689); Jerry Hollendorfer, $7,309,169 (273/1,210); Kiaran McLaughlin, $6,983,433 (113/555); Scott Lake, $6,928,884 (307/1,462); Christophe Clement, $6,849,013 (91/448); Robert Frankel, $6,586,098 (42/293); and John Sadler, $5,999,956 (132/637).
 
Garrett Gomez, with earnings of $18,571,171, topped the North American leading jockeys’ list for the fourth consecutive year in 2009. He rode the winners of 210 races from 967 mounts. Julien Leparoux finished second, with 247 wins from 1,284 mounts and earnings of $18,560,565.
 
Rounding out the list of top 10 jockeys by North American earnings in 2009 were Ramon Dominguez, $18,348,422 (391 wins/1,651 mounts); Kent Desormeaux, $13,262,760 (177/936); Joel Rosario, $13,073,777 (284/1,476); John Velazquez, $13,069,881 (204/1,160); Rafael Bejarano, $12,403,993 (240/1,129); Rajiv Maragh, $11,736,729 (236/1,479); Robby Albarado, $11,504,625 (204/1,148); and Alan Garcia, $11,280,481 (183/1,049).
 
Michael Gill won 370 races from 2,247 starts and earned $6,669,950 in North America in 2009 to lead all owners. Runner-up was Juddmonte Farms Inc., which won 27 races from 116 starts for earnings of $6,525,818. 
 
Completing the list of top 10 owners by North American earnings in 2009 were Zayat Stables LLC, $6,323,286 (113 wins/573 starts); Darley Stable, $4,977,513 (78/343); Heiligbrodt Racing Stable, $4,880,906 (151/819); Augustin Stable, $4,825,552 (57/244); Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss, $4,172,533 (31/128); Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, $4,108,857 (140/521); Melnyk Racing Stables Inc., $3,991,368 (81/387); and Maggi Moss, $3,799,637 (193/716).
 
In addition to the official North American racing leaders’ lists available at equibase.com, Equibase also provides a second set of leaders’ lists that includes the results of the Dubai World Cup card from March 28, 2009, at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. Including these international earnings, Well Armed was the leading Thoroughbred with earnings of $3,649,000 and WinStar Farm LLC was the leading owner with earnings of $7,145,236. Steven Asmussen remained the leading trainer with earnings of $21,876,405 and Garrett Gomez the leading jockey with earnings of $18,571,171.
 
Equibase Company is a partnership between The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America and serves as the Thoroughbred industry’s official database for racing information. In addition to year-end rankings of the top trainers, jockeys, owners and horses, the company’s website, equibase.com, features daily rankings of the top 100 by category for the current year as well as an ever-increasing menu of racing information and handicapping products for handicappers of every skill level.

By Ray Paulick
Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmussen has been suspended six months and fined $1,500 by Lone Star Park stewards representing the Texas Racing Commission for the case involving a maiden winner at the Grand Prairie track in May 2008 that subsequently tested positive for a metabolite of lidocaine, a Class 2 drug under the classifications of the Association of Racing Commissioners International.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
I’m wondering if Mark Fenner, general counsel for the Texas Racing Commission, owns a hungry dog. Fenner used just about every excuse in the book except “the dog ate my homework” when he asked racing commission steward Dennis Sidener on Friday to postpone next Tuesday’s hearing regarding a nine-month-old medication charge against Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmussen

Sidener, naturally, granted the request, which stunned Asmussen’s attorneys, Maggi Moss of Iowa and Karen Murphy of New York. They received news of the postponement as they were preparing to travel to Texas and after making arrangements for a number of people to testify before the stewards, including Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and Louisiana State University chemist Dr. Steven Barker.

“I am blown away by their cavalier, callous indifference to any of us,” said Moss, who is also a leading Thoroughbred owner. “We are so ready to go. Steve wants the truth, we want the truth. I’ve never dealt with any commission like Texas, which has had seven lawyers involved in this complaint. I’ve handled cases in 10 jurisdictions, and Karen’s counted 15 states where she’s handled cases, and we’ve never, ever run into anything like this.”

Asmussen, who was recently honored with his first Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer of 2008 after setting an all-time single-season mark with 623 wins, was charged in late June with a positive test for lidocaine in Timber Trick, a 2-year-old filly who won a maiden race May 10 at Lone Star Park. Lidocaine, classified as a Class 2 drug, can be used as a pain blocker but also is found in many non-pharmaceutical products, such as creams or lotions. If the stewards ruled against him, Asmussen faces up to a six-month suspension and a fine of $1,500-$2,500. Owner Gainesway Stable would lose the purse money.

Fenner, whom Moss said was the first of six or seven racing commission attorneys she has dealt with on the Asmussen complaint, wrote the following note to stewards on Friday: “I have just been assigned to lead the presentation of this case, and I have pre-existing commitments that prevent me from adequately preparing by that date. These commitments include a Commission Working Group on Funding Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, a Commission Committee on Racetrack Licensing on Feb. 13, and a full Commission meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Each of these meetings requires substantial advance preparation and coordination with individual commissioners, and I must dedicate these next few days to those efforts.”

The delay is just the latest exasperating development in the case for Asmussen’s attorneys. Moss said Texas authorities months ago denied their request to have the plasma tested (which experts told her would be more conclusive than a standard urine test), would not quantitate the amount of the drug detected, and wouldn’t allow a split-sample to be tested at LSU.

“If the plasma says there is a metabolite we’ll accept it,” she said. “Why won’t they quantitate it? Dr. Barker says from what he can tell it’s not lidocaine, it’s some minuscule metabolite of something that contains lidocaine.

“We cannot think of any time that anything like this has happened. There have been 22 lidocaine cases in Texas and they were not handled this way,” Moss said. “In many cases there were mitigating circumstances. In others, the stewards have a hearing and they get their penalty. But the stewards aren’t the bad guys here.

“We’re fighting this,” she continued. “This isn’t just about Steve. Karen and I took this case because we want uniformity in drug laws. This is about Joe Blow at Mountaineer. It’s about tracks and attorney generals taking off and calling everybody cheaters. Texas does not have the same rules the rest of the industry has. We think if you are going to have millions of dollars worth of horses we should have the same kind of testing as the Olympics.

“Steve asked me today, ‘Why do they hate me so much?’ These lawyers have done things that are very questionable. Like today, saying they are going to represent the stewards and also prosecute the case. This is supposed to be a stewards hearing.”

Tommy Simon’s Vinery Stable has moved 21 horses from the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen, not long after an allegation of a positive test for traces of the therapeutic anesthetic  lidocaine from an Asmussen-trained  horse that won a maiden race at Lone Star Park in Texas May 10.