Posts Tagged ‘rene douglas’
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
By Bradford Cummings
It is amazing what a difference a year makes at the Paulick Report. Traffic has more than doubled, debate is livelier than ever and Ray has pledged to stop talking about jet lag. (I’ll believe it when I see it…or don’t see it) We made a cross-country trip to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita and raised $75,000 for two great causes in the process. Ray flew to South Africa on the premise that some horse people actually wanted to hear what he had to say, then later to Japan (where apparently he and David Hasselhoff are quite well known), where he took in some very exciting racing. And we have been blessed to have such a strong stable of supportive advertisers who believe in the mission we set off to accomplish in June of 2008. Perhaps most remarkably, we started a business two months before the largest recession since FDR and we are still kicking.
In what is turning into a tradition (if you can call twice a tradition) we are looking back at the year that was and rehashing the top ten stories based on reader interest. Basically, the more you clicked on these stories, the higher up the list they traveled. So take a trip down memory lane with us and let us know which stories still resonate with you today. Or let us know about a story that touched you we don’t have here. Because sometimes even 1.5 million user sessions can be wrong.
10. McLaughlin Horses Allegedly Test for Banned Substance in KY
In a year where horse racing started to admit it has a drug problem, it was disheartening to learn that Kiaran McLaughlin was a new member on the list of medication violators. A trainer that featured prominently on our American Graded Stakes Standings brought to you by Keeneland, McLaughlin had become a bit of a Paulick Report favorite as a successful trainer who found himself a bit under the national radar. Unfortunately for him, if his standing in Graded Stakes wins didn’t do it, our tenth most popular story of the year did.
9. Equibase Strikes Out
Perhaps no organization has had the upward trend on the Paulick Report that Equibase has experienced. In what was the most popular story on the Thoroughbred Racing Associations/Jockey Club-owned statistics company, we compared what Equibase provides versus what other major sports give their fans in the way of data. Unfortunately, the comparisons were not favorable as this industry seems content to charge its loyal customers for everything from parking to the very data Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA make readily available for its fans.
But whether it was the Paulick Report or an internal struggle that finally made its way to the light of day, Equibase started to get it right and quickly saw their headlines become more favorable. Equibase Takes Step in Right Direction and Equibase Gets It Right is more along the lines of what we’d like to write about. Keep up the momentum.
8. When It Comes to Douglas, Racing Stewards Share the Blame
Any time a jockey is paralyzed, it is an unspeakable tragedy. We saw it first hand on several occasions during our Breeders’ Cup or Bust fundraising tour when we had the opportunity to spend time with several permanently disabled riders. In a precursor to our decision to take on such a trip, Rene Douglas, the top rider at Arlington Park, was severely injured in a spill at the Chicago track when a horse ridden by Jamie Theriot brushed his mount in a move that stewards rarely penalize a rider for. Ray’s point was that stewards should keep a tighter rein on the race riding that goes on and far too often can lead to clipped heels and spills. By doing the best job they can do, stewards can help protect jockeys from serious injury.
7. Ziadie Blames Drug Violations on ‘Chaos’
What do you get when you combine a 60-day suspension for your 13th medication violation in Florida since 2004 with a rich stakes program at Calder? An opportunity to start four horses if you are legacy trainer Kirk Ziadie. One of several stories this year that were out there for the picking but ignored by the mainstream Thoroughbred media, people seemed to be drawn to the laundry list of infractions by this trainer who piles up the wins and medication violations in uncommon numbers.
6. Cullen: Sales Ban Only the Beginning
Know and Trust. That’s the ironic mantra of this Kentucky-based journalist turned bloodstock agent (hey, he’s giving journalism a bad name, if that’s possible!). It’s also the name of one of the horses that Jim Cullen consigned for his overflowing book of clients who have felt taken advantage of over the last several years. The evidence is too large to encapsulate in this brief recap but judging from the amount of people who read this story, you don’t really need a point-by-point description.
The only thing more disturbing than his previous actions was his personal defense, a convoluted web of seemingly nonsensical explanations that never really came close to exonerating him.
We aren’t saying he is the Bernard Madoff the horse industry, but there are some folks plenty mad at him. Oh, and Jim, the fact that Know and Trust ran a good race after this story came out is not newsworthy. It only proves that even a blind squirrel can find an acorn from time to time.
5. Indian Charlie: Racing’s Court Jester
It was a rough year for racing’s court jester, the sometimes funny and consistently offensive Indian Charlie aka Eddie Musselman. While his legal troubles were probably the most noteworthy news to come out of his newsletter in years, the readers of the Paulick Report really enjoyed reading the Indian Charlie parody being distributed on the grounds of the Keeneland September sale.
Who did the parody? We honestly have no idea. But at least it helped give what was a torturous sale a bit of levity.
4. Live Blogging: Kentucky Senate Committee Slots Hearing
The biggest news in Kentucky racing this year was by far the unsuccessful push for slots at racetracks through the state House and Senate. While it got narrow approval in the House, Gov. Steve Beshear’s slots bill stalled in the Senate’s Appropriations and Revenue Committee, stonewalled by David "Blackjack" Williams and his crew of Republican merry men.
Of course, Ray was there to watch the whole thing happen and reported live from Frankfort. Real time blogging, it’s the greatest thing since slots at the racetra…er…never mind.
3. Van Driver: Paraneck Horses Were ‘Walking Skeletons’
Not the way any website wants to experience a spike in traffic, but Ray was the first to uncover the absolute travesty that was the lice-infested and under-nourished stable of horses at Paraneck Stables in upstate New York. The pictures are gruesome and the effects of this tragedy are still being felt as horse welfare groups from around the country are trying to find homes for these truly victimized animals.
2. Live Blog: Mr. Paulick Goes to the Eclipse Awards
A man of many talents, Ray Paulick pulled off a feat of unprecedented magnitude…he live blogged the Eclipse Awards without a computer! Transmitting his thoughts and some appetizing pictures (we’re all still craving that dessert with the chocolate sticks on top) via his cell phone, Ray was able to give moment by moment updates to all of those people on the "tubes" who weren’t able to watch the TVG telecast. And looking at the number of comments and readers, that was no trivial number.
For those of you wondering, Barbara and I have since made up after she took offense to my comment about the shininess of Steve Asmussen. Love it or hate it, we call them like we see them here at the Paulick Report.
1. Hollywood Park Past-Posting Incident Under Investigation
At first blush, we were a little shocked that this story was number one. A past-posting incident, while surely problematic, is not the sexiest of topics. But when you consider it potentially hurt the pocketbooks of thousands of horseplayers across the country and the fact that we were first out of the gate with the story, it makes a whole lot more sense. Wouldn’t it be nice if the propeller heads at the tote companies were able to figure out how to stop betting when a race begins?
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: American Graded Stakes Standings, Arlington Park, bernard madoff, bradford cummings, Breeders' Cup, breeders' cup or bust, David Hasselhoff, david williams, eclipse awards, Eddie Musselman, equibase, ernie paragallo, Hollywood Park, indian charlie, jamie theriot, Japan, Jockey Club, Keeneland, kiaran mclaughlin, know and trust, major league baseball, NBA, nfl, paraneck stables, past-posting, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, Republican Party of Kentucky, santa anita, South Africa, steve beshear, thoroughbred racing associations
Posted in Paulick Report, Year In Review | 16 Comments »
Friday, June 12th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
We’ve all heard of online social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Some of us have experimented with these web sites to keep in touch with friends and family, make new acquaintances or promote our businesses, charitable activities or social causes.
On one extreme there is someone like the University of Kentucky’s new men’s basketball coach, John Calipari, who has accumulated more than 175,000 “followers” at Twitter.com (people who sign up to receive the frequent updates he sends out in 140-characters “tweets.”) The latest from Coach Cal: “Busy day. Great mtg w/ music dept, who I want to help. Mike Pratt stopped by & we x-o a little. Ran on campus w/ Robes. Saw my team (:-).”
At the other end of the popularity chain is a Facebook social group of three individuals from the not so popular sport of lawn bowling.
The best example I’ve found in the racing industry of how social networking can play an important and beneficial role was the Facebook page set up by former racing publicist Brock Sheridan in the wake of the accident at Arlington Park on May 23 that left jockey Rene Douglas severely injured.
The “Rene Douglas Get Well Card” Facebook group has nearly 3,500 members who are able to send their best wishes to Douglas, and get regular updates on the jockey’s condition from family friend Doreen Razo, wife of jockey Eddie Razo, as well as learn of fund-raising activities to help the Douglas family during this very difficult time. You don’t have to be a member of Facebook to view the page. Click here to see it.
Sheridan is a financial adviser to jockeys and trainers who had only recently set up a blog called “The Brock Talk” as well as Facebook and Twitter pages. I have been so impressed by how much the “Rene Douglas Get Well Card” has benefitted the racing industry and asked Sheridan a few questions about the experience. Following is our exchange.
When/how did it occur to do the “Rene Douglas Get Well Card” page on Facebook?
Brock Sheridan: On Sunday morning following the accident, I was working on my blog and reading drf.com and learned of the accident. At that time, I had been on Facebook about two months and was still learning about its applications and decided this was an opportunity to try to do something nice with what I was learning on Facebook.
What were your original expectations and goals?
I honestly thought that if I could get 25 of my friends to post some well wishes and prayers on the “wall” of the Get Well Card on Facebook, it would be something nice to maybe print out and send to the hospital inside a conventional get well card.
All I did was produce the Card and write on my Facebook status “just created a Rene Douglas Get Well card group on Facebook. Feel free to post your messages, well wishes and prayers for Rene who took a bad spill at Arlington Park yesterday.” I didn’t even send out an invitation to friends to join the group. I was maybe going to do that after I had finished my work on my blog.
The first member was (racing consultant) Lonny Powell, who had just started on Facebook, and the first person to post a message was John Hernandez (a radio show host from California), who I had worked with on some Facebook marketing ideas. My honest reaction was, “that’s nice… those are two good guys in horse racing.”
When did you realize there was going to be a greater response than expected?
Almost immediately. Within a few hours more than 50 Facebook members had posted messages to Rene and at around 6:30 that night, people were posting messages at a rate of one every 2-5 minutes for a while. I was struck by two things: the heartfelt and sincerity of the messages and that these messages were being posted by people I didn’t know. By the end of the first day, I had 69 get well wishes to send to Rene and I was very pleased.
But Memorial Day Monday was when things began to really surprise me. We passed 1,000 members and had 169 additional wall posts with messages for Rene. By that time members started sending me messages to my personal Facebook page asking about Rene’s condition and where to send money, questions for which I had no answers. So I knew that I now had an opportunity to help Rene and felt a sense of responsibility to get this information out to these members.
That’s when the milestones started.
That afternoon, I had sent an e-mail to Anthony Granitza, president of the Illinois Race Track Chaplaincy, asking about where to send money. Anthony replied within a few hours and had copied me in his e-mail to Nancy La Sala at the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Nancy sent me an e-mail the next day (Tuesday) and informed me that a fund would be set up in time and that she would notify me.
Shortly thereafter, Doreen Razo became a member and started posting on the discussion board topics on the Card. I didn’t know Doreen but assumed she was Eddie Razo’s wife. I was looking to contact Dennis Cooper to get information, but I was very hesitant to bother anybody close to Rene with this because things were still pretty uncertain regarding his condition. That’s when I sent out some info on an Illinois OTB fund raiser by accident and before I could recall the message it had already gone out. So I called Illinois Inter-Track to confirm and got Dave Zenner (Arlington Park’s director of media relations). After apologizing for my erroneous message, Dave said they were looking at my Get Well Card at that moment and I knew then that it had really taken off. I struck up a conversation about the situation and he told me that Doreen was acting as a family spokesperson. I called the hospital public relations department to confirm as well.
So when Doreen started posting updates on Rene’s medical condition, I started re-posting them on Recent News on the Card so they would be more visible, and created a Rene Douglas Medical Update on the blog for non-Facebook users as well. I also started sending out “Messages to All Members” with updates. (At one point I had replied to so many inquires that Facebook suspended my message center for a day because I had somehow kicked in some “Spam Guard” even though all of my messages were individual responses to individual questions.)
On Tuesday, May 26, Doreen Razo posted that the family was aware of the Card and messages. But a few days later at 5:45 am, Natalia Douglas (Rene’s wife) posted a thank you message and I knew that the messages and prayers were getting to Rene and the family. That was a milestone.
Looking back what have learned about this experience.
First, it is now obvious that there are a lot of people out there that care and want to help. This is not just illustrated by the number of members or posts on the card, but by the people who have sent me messages asking what they can do to help. There is a RDGWC member who is an exercise rider at Hollywood who posts updates in the racing office and in the jock’s room. There are people who have contacted me about wanting to volunteer time or organize fund raising events.
And there are people who still care enough to send messages and tell their friends even after more than two weeks after the accident.
People have posted messages about Rene winning races they remember, fans have posts of memories of Rene stopping to take pictures with them at the track, Rene helping others, the list goes on. Of the nearly 600 posts, I have not had to remove one post.
These members can be broken down into:
• People who click “join this group”
• People who care enough to type a message or send a prayer.
• People who look through the Recent News, Discussion Topics and The Brock Talk blog for information. (Judging by my up-tick in blog hits I assume they are also telling their non-Facebook friends where to get more info.)
• People who want to help financially.
• People who want to help any way they can.
What has been accomplished?
If it has offered any sense of comfort and support to Rene and his family I would say it has accomplished an awful lot.
I’m sure we have helped increase the awareness of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and the individual fund raisers, but we have just hit the tip of the iceberg on what can be done in that arena. I’m hoping to continue my work to promote the PDJF and create awareness of the everyday dangers Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse jockeys endure on a daily basis.
I am working on formulating some way to keep this momentum going to support all of these riders and the other disabled jockeys.
The Paulick Report wrote about the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund in a “Good News Friday” article in the wake of the injury to Douglas. Those who haven’t read that article can click here to do so. Please consider a donation.
Previous Good News Friday subjects: Father Chris Clay, The Race for Education, Military Appreciation Day at Keeneland, Kentucky Oaks Pink Out for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Mary Lee-Butte and the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy, Mary Jo Pons and the Radio Reading Network, TV Ratings Are Up, Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club.
Do you know an individual or organization who you think we should consider for an upcoming “Good News Friday” feature? Then please e-mail info@paulickreport.com with the name of the individual or organization and a brief description of why you think they should be featured. Additionally, we’d like to thank Rob Whiteley and Liberation Farm for encouraging us to bring to light some of the industry’s positive stories and for sponsoring this exclusive Paulick Report feature.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: Arlington Park, brock sheridan, calipari twitter, david zenner, doreen razo, eddie razo, facebook, good news friday sponsored by liberation farm, jockey injuries, john calipari, john hernandez, lonny powell, myspace, Paulick Report, permanently disabled jockeys fund, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, rene douglas get well card, the brock talk, twitter
Posted in Good News Friday, Jockeys | 5 Comments »
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Do you know an individual or organization who you think we should consider for an upcoming “Good News Friday” feature? Then please e-mail info@paulickreport.com with the name of the individual or organization and a brief description of why you think they should be featured. Additionally, we’d like to thank Rob Whiteley and Liberation Farm for encouraging us to bring to light some of the industry’s positive stories and for sponsoring this exclusive Paulick Report feature.
By Ray Paulick
Good news doesn’t always make us feel good. To me, that’s the story of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, a 501(c)3 charity that has the thankless task of providing financial assistance to help former jockeys cope with the realities of lives too often spent in wheelchairs. It’s an organization doing exceptionally important work, and like many other worthy causes it struggles to get the funding it needs.
The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund makes a huge difference in the lives of these former riders, who currently number 60 (nine are women). Nancy LaSala, the Fund’s board chairman, is like so many in the racing community who is hoping and praying that Rene Douglas, severely injured in an Arlington Park accident on May 23, does not become disabled jockey No. 61.
“There is a need for assistance for these individuals,” said LaSala, a native of Chicago who for 26 years has been married to jockey Jerry LaSala, currently an officer with the Jockeys’ Guild. “Many of the riders are hurt at a young age. They don’t have time to build retirement savings. Some have young children. They have no other means of income. Many have said to me, ‘If I didn’t have this assistance, I wouldn’t have a roof over my head.’ The $1,000 a month we provide helps them pay for basic necessities. If they’re ever thrown a curveball, believe me, it’s devastating for them.”
That there is even a Fund for permanently disabled riders is almost a miracle, given the turmoil the Jockeys’ Guild went through under the disastrous leadership of Wayne Gertmenian, whose 2001-2005 reign of terror left the organization teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and its Disabled Jockeys Fund depleted. Gertmenian was removed as president in November 2005, just a month after a Congressional hearing on the Guild uncovered massive problems. The Guild eventually was forced into bankruptcy.
During the final stages of Gertmenian’s tenure, Nancy LaSala and a number of Guild officers worried that the disabled riders would be left on their own, without any assistance. “I very much care about the welfare of the jockeys,” LaSala said. “In 2005, before the Guild severed its relationship with Gertmenian, I asked, ‘If this organization fails, what will happen to these disabled riders? We got involved in helping with their needs, and I think that was very valuable. We then started having meetings with other groups in the industry in January of 2006.”
Racing executives like Steve Sexton of Churchill Downs Inc. and Don Amos, then with Magna Entertainment, helped lead the charge to start a new Fund, and in May 2006 the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund was created as part of NTRA Charities. One month later, with seed money from Churchill Downs Inc., Magna and other tracks, it was able to begin offering financial assistance to permanently disabled riders in need.
LaSala said many racetracks have really stepped up to help raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Horsemen’s organizations have not been as supportive, though individuals in the ownership ranks, including Richard Santulli, chairman of NetJets, Bill Casner of WinStar Farm, Barbaro owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, and Michael Bello, a California-based owner, have made significant contributions. In 2008, thanks to Santulli and Casner, the Fund raised $500,000 during the Triple Crown, which amounts to more than half of the Fund’s $800,000 annual operating budget. Santulli and Casner again kicked in major contributions to the Fund at this year’s Kentucky Derby.
“Jockeys have the most hazardous occupation of any professional athlete, and I feel are greatly unappreciated,” said Casner, the former chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and a self-described “ex-gallop boy that got on about 25,000 of those beasts over 16 years as a young racetracker,” one who “had my share of hitting the ground and having several flip over on me …but for the grace of God."
“There are around 1,500 licensed professional jockeys,” Casner added, “with most of them struggling with weight and making a living. They put their lives and bodies at risk every time they get on one of our horses and most will deal with a plethora of injuries over a career. If they are lucky they will walk away and not have to deal with paralysis. Exercise riders and backstretch help should also be included in this group. While they do not experience the injury opportunities that race riders do, they are still subject to the same events. It is only right that we as an industry work with the jockeys to help them help themselves as well as other backside employees. I comment Richard Santulli, as well as the riders, for taking the leadership on this important charitable endeavor over the last two Triple Crowns.”
Riders have been directly involved in some of the creative fundraising that’s been done for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. At Keeneland this spring, “Riders Up!” a karaoke competition involving many current and past jockeys, was the highlight of a very popular dinner that raised $50,000 for the Fund.
Earlier, in Hot Springs, Ark., restaurateur Mike Loy provided free dinners at his popular KJ’s Grill and racing fans paid $100 each to dine and meet some of their favorite jockeys, raising another $17,000 for the Fund. A similar event, “Dining With the Dynasties,” will be held at Arlington Park Aug. 7, the day before the Arlington Million, thanks to Arlington boss Richard Duchossois and track president Roy Arnold, who is now a member of the Fund’s board of directors. Retired Hall of Fame jockeys like Pat Day and Gary Stevens, along with other current and former riders, including some of those who benefit from the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, are expected to participate at the Arlington event.
Speaking of Pat Day, there is good news about him and Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey, two former Jockeys’ Guild presidents who resigned from the organization when the former manager, John Giovanni, was forced out and Gertmenian was brought in. Now that the Guild has regained its credibility and is on the road to financial recovery under the leadership of Terry Meyocks and a newly configured board, Bailey and Day have rejoined the organization in a show of support. Meyocks said a number of other current riders who had quit the Guild during the Gertmenian era have also come back into the fold.
Earlier this year, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund became a standalone 501(c)3 charity, and it is no longer part of NTRA Charities. It continues to struggle for its funding. “We need the support of the entire industry and all of its partners,” LaSala said.
Please contact the Fund if you would like to help. Its web site will have an online donation link in the near future. In the meantime, you can send donations to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, P.O. Box 803, Elmhurst, IL 60126. The telephone number is: (630) 595-7660 and fax is (630) 595-7655.
Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them. To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.
Previous Good News Friday subjects: Father Chris Clay, The Race for Education, Military Appreciation Day at Keeneland, Kentucky Oaks Pink Out for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Mary Lee-Butte and the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy, Mary Jo Pons and the Radio Reading Network, TV Ratings Are Up.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
Visit the Paulick Report for all the latest news throughout the racing world.
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Tags: Arlington Park, Barbaro, Bill Casner, churchill downs, dining with the dynasties, disabled jockeys, disabled jockeys fund, don amos, Gary Stevens, Good News Friday, horse racing injuries, jerry bailey, jerry lasala, jockeys' guild, john giovanni, Keeneland, kj's grill, liberation farm, Magna Entertainment, mike loy, nancy lasala, pat day, Paulick Report, permanently disabled jockeys fund, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, richard duchossois, richard santulli, roy and gretchen jackson, roy arnold, steve sexton, terry meyocks, wayne gertmenian
Posted in Good News Friday, Jockeys, racing injuries | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
How many times have we seen this happen? A jockey, thinking he is on a “live” horse but with nowhere to go, makes a sudden lane switch in tight quarters at the top of the stretch, bumping or impeding another horse in the race. Oftentimes the “live” horse turns out to be a dud and is outrun to the wire, finishing out of the money. Because there is no need for an inquiry, the stewards scarcely give the incident a second look.
Sometimes, if the jockey in question is an apprentice or young journeyman, the stewards will call him or her in the next racing day to review the incident in the film room. Occasionally, the jockey might get a fine or suspension. Far too often, these incidents pass without any warnings or repercussions to the jockey. No harm, no foul, the thinking goes.
But then we have a situation in which there were severe consequences, as in Saturday’s Arlington Matron at Arlington Park near Chicago. Jamie Theriot, riding Sky Mom, was tucked in along the rail, right behind the leader, and anxious to let his horse run. Even though Rene Douglas and his mount, Born to Be, was racing shoulder to shoulder with Sky Mom, Theriot forced his way out, jostling with Douglas’ mount, and resulting in Born to Be clipping heels, throwing Douglas to the ground, and then rolling onto the fallen jockey and causing severe damage to his spine.
Moments later, the horse on the lead that Theriot was so impatient to pass, drifted off the rail while tiring, providing enough room to drive a Mack truck through. By then, however, it was too late. The damage had been done. Born to Be suffered a fatal injury, and Douglas likely had his highly successful career cut short. There’s a very good chance he’ll never walk again.
Theriot was only riding the way stewards in too many racing jurisdictions allow him to ride. Watch the replays from any track on any given day, and you’re likely to see similar moves by other jockeys — some with less experience, others with more — than the 30-year-old Theriot.
Stewards who don’t pay attention to these incidents, who live by the “no harm, no foul” philosophy, are like the referees in a basketball game who don’t call many fouls, who “let the kids play,” at least until things get out of control. The stewards who let these incidents pass, just as much if not more than Jamie Theriot, are to blame for the accident that so severely injured Douglas.
Theriot got a 30-day suspension for his actions in the race from the stewards at Arlington Park. It’s a moot point now, but I’m curious if there would have been any disciplinary action taken against Theriot had Born to Be not clipped heels and fallen after being bumped, and Douglas not been injured. Would the same move off the rail by Theriot, but with no accident and death to a horse and injury to a jockey, have resulted in a 30-day suspension? I don’t think so.
The Illinois Racing Board stewards refused to discuss the incident with the Paulick Report or with other reporters. It is part of racing’s secret society, the one that says the public has no right to know what these “judges” are seeing and thinking during or after the running of a race. In many racing states, it’s virtually impossible to find out if stewards have taken action against jockeys, trainers or other licensees, even though the rulings are a matter of public record.
By contrast, racing officials in many international jurisdictions routinely file in-depth stewards reports on every race they see. It is part of the culture in those countries that the racing public has a right to know. In some countries, trainers are required to disclose riding instructions to racing officials in advance if they are likely to result in a change in tactics. In other countries, jockeys or trainers are quizzed when a horse has a reversal in form. Interviews with jockeys about lane changes are published. Click on the following hyperlinks to see some examples of stewards reports in Dubai, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore.
There are at least two reasons state racing commissions across the United States should insist their stewards file similar reports.
First, it will indicate whether or not these officials are doing their jobs, or how well they are doing them. The racing public, as well as horsemen, will keep the stewards’ feet to the fire and make sure they are paying attention and performing their duties. Many of the currently unreported riding incidents may no longer be brushed aside.
Second, the betting public deserves to know what is going on in the races on which they are betting their money. This is, after all, a game with betting at the foundation, and diligence and attention by the officials who are paid to keep the game clean and on the up and up should go a long way toward building confidence among horseplayers and satisfying the public’s desire and right to know.
Racing has so many challenges now, many of which do not have immediate solutions. This is not one of those “unsolvable problems.” Disclosure and transparency by racing stewards is easy. And it’s the right thing to do.
Better performance by racing stewards, along with greater transparency, may not have saved the life of Born to Be and the career of Rene Douglas. But what is the downside to expecting more from those who are hired to enforce racing’s rules?
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: arlington matron, Arlington Park, born to be, disabled jockeys, illinois racing board, jamie theriot, Paulick Report, racing injury, racing officials, racing stewards, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, riding accident, sky mom
Posted in Arlington Park, International Racing, Jockeys, Regulatory Issues, racing injuries | 38 Comments »
Monday, May 25th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Jockey Jamie Theriot has been suspended 30 days by Illinois Racing Board stewards for his actions in Saturday’s Arlington Matron Handicap that resulted in a spill in which jockey Rene Douglas has been seriously injured and possibly paralyzed from the waist down.
The ruling against the 30-year-old Theriot reads: “Jockey Jamie Theriot is hereby suspended from riding 30 calendar days, Saturday, May 30, 2009, through Sunday, June 28, 2009, inclusive, for permitting his mount ‘Sky Mom’ to jostle another horse during the running of the 9th race Saturday, May 23, 2009, causing the jostled horse to clip heels and fall, injuring both jockey and horse. Jockey Theriot’s mount ‘Sky Mom’ was disqualified from 5th to last position.”
The ruling was signed by state stewards Joseph Lindeman and Eddie Arroyo and association steward Peter Kosiba Jr.
Theriot had Sky Mom racing along the rail throughout the 1 1/8-mile Matron. Douglas’ mount Born to Be was right alongside Sky Mom as the field hit the top of the stretch, when Theriot appeared to angle Sky Mom out for racing room. The two horses bumped or jostled, and Born to Be clipped the heels of another horse, stumbling and throwing Douglas, then rolling over the fallen rider.
Douglas, 42, was placed on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Later that night, he was moved to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he underwent seven hours of spinal surgery. His agent, Dennis Cooper, told reporters the native of Panama who came to the U.S. in 1983 and is a six-time Arlington Park riding champion might never walk again. Cooper said doctors held out remote hopes the paralysis might disappear as the swelling to the spinal region is reduced.
Born to Be, a 4-year-old stakes-placed A.P. Indy filly owned by Chiefswood Stable, was euthanized.
NTRA has a biography of Douglas here and video of the Arlington Matron here. Click here for the Equibase chart.
Theriot is based in Kentucky, where he is currently fifth in the Churchill Downs standings, with 18 wins from 105 mounts.
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Tags: arlington matron, Arlington Park, born to be, dennis cooper, disabled jockeys, eddie arroyo, jamie theriot, jockey injuries, joseph lindeman, paralysis, Paulick Report, peter kosiba jr., racing injuries, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, sky mom
Posted in Arlington Park, Jockeys, racing injuries | 15 Comments »
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