ART WILSON: WHAT I WOULD DO IF I WERE IN CHARGE OF HORSE RACING

by Paulick Report Staff | 11.17.2010 | 12:48am

Art Wilson of the Pasadena Star-News outlined the changes or lack of changes he would make to get racing on the right track. From making the Breeders’ Cup a one-day event to ripping up all synthetics in lieu of dirt, Wilson probably has something for everyone in today’s column.
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http://none Roger

Re: his ADW comment, TVG not only has a surcharge on bets, they keep it when you cancel the wager! Talk about gouging!
Trappeddownontherail

Art did not mention the gorilla in the room: drugs and his close relative, cheating. From what I have seen and heard of D. Wayne, he won’t mention them either.
Fah lo Suee

Some good ideas, but the reduction of the Breeders Cup to one day is a non starter. The revenue/handle increase is too much to give back.

Some tweaking of the races presented shuold be looked at though.

If I was commissioner, I would be putting the full court press on Sheik Mohamed to buy out Stronach at Santa Anita. Commit his resources to The Great Race Place, and he could have a show piece that complements his Dubai investment.
SteveG

A glaring omission from the new Czar’s wish-list is reformation of the crazy quilt of medication rules that are, whether by reality, perception or misperception, proving ruinous to the sport. What a can of worms the license to medicate animals on race day has proven to be. Unfortunate, in hindsight, that we couldn’t foresee how difficult it would be to close that door once it had been flung open decades ago.

Surely, the athletes themselves have not appeared to flourish as a result of all the pharmacological “help” they’ve been treated to.

Stepping into line with the rest of the world in regard to this issue should be a 1st priority; however massive the pushback might be from the firmly entrenched medicators in the game.
takethat

This is a shocking comment from Stirling. No matter how many die it’s just ‘business’.
Where is the ‘proof’ Mr Stirling represents ‘horsemen’? The people who inject and inject again
cannot call themselves ‘horsemen’. They are scum off the streets who want to extract every last dollar from the horses allegedly in their care.

“No thought was given to the cheaper horses that train on bute,” Stirling said. “A significant number will be over (the proposed two-microgram limit).”

Florida HBPA executive director Kent Stirling, who chairs the National HBPA Medication Committee, said Sept. 22 the RMTC, of which he is a member, has long had a policy of requiring a “preponderance of scientific research” before it recommends changes in medication rules. He contends not enough work has been done on phenylbutzone, commonly called bute.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/59000/upset-lingers-over-proposed-bute-regulation
Paul Deblinger

I have written the same article in the 80s, 90s, 00s and things just get worse. I remember hearing Frank Stronach speak at Keeneland in the mid 90s. While most people applauded him and loved his ideas–I thought “where are the Emperor’s clothes?”

Horse racing is mired in the past, ruined by ineffective and damaging legislation, addicted to race-day medication, clueless when it comes to presenting its product to the public, and is mostly controlled by breeders which have only one interest, their own.

Horse racing had a future in the 80s with the development of new markets with fan-friendly tracks. It squandered that opportunity and now the hole is way to deep.

The only solution I see for horse racing is for the entire industry to surrender to a leader who takes Draconian measures. All dates would be approved by the leader, all graded stakes dates approved by the leader, all drug rules would be uniform, all racing surfaces inspected and maintained to standards, takeouts would be lowered…

I could go on and on, but what racing needs is a Pete Rozelle–a leader capable of telling anybody in the business to shove it. I am not talking about another committee or organization. I was a proponent of the NTRA but it has been a joke because it has no power.

Horse racing must have a total dictator who can go to Congress and state legislatures and say–”look this it–if you don’t pass what I want you are going to lose thousands of JOBS.” That’s the magic word now.

Of course, it will never happen. No one cares about the sport anymore. In a shockingly few years, some father will be walking by a big hole in the ground and tell his son, “There used to be a racetrack here!”
Concerned Observer

This article makes some good points, but it is like so many discussions about racing, in that it grossly oversimplifies the problem. There is no magic pill that will fix racing. Instead we need many many many changes, all focussed on a common goal. A czar could do that, but it is unlikely that anyone or any group can do the job alone.We need a big picture list of the problems, a strategy of how to attack each and assignments, of who is going to do it.

This is like recovering from a very bad accident. We need medicines, but we also need interim splints, wheel chairs, rehab, therapy….etc etc ettc. and we won’t get well in a week.

These over-simplified solution folks are delusional. Most are well meaning but very naive.
We did not get in this mess overnight and we aren’t going to get out of it by taking a magic pill.
ThomasMc

Art has many good points in his article and all would help. What will not help is this idea that racing needs some Czar to run the whole show. How have our latest appointed Czars in other businesses been doing? Racing is run on a state to state basis and some will have different rules than others.All states have different licences and rules for different professions, (doctors and lawyers for example) and this is the way our country works best. If horse racing is so bad why are you interested in it?
Trappeddownontherail

ThomasMc, Unfortunately more and more participants are asking themselves that last question you posed and are walking away.

Change has to come on vital issues including medication, scheduling, take out and many of the points made by Art and others, but it seems more and more likely that these changes will come when we are down to a handful of tracks, and most of those supported by slots.
LJBroussard

Paul Deblinger knows what he’s talking about.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/5407/wake-up
Rolly Hoyt

Is the game really damaged because there is now an entry in the history books for Champion Female Sprinter? Since expanding to 14 races, the Cup handle has generated millions more in handle and provided exciting and competitive championship-caliber races. Not necessarily championship races, but championship caliber (even when there were six Cup races, championships weren’t always decided).
Caleb B

Bobbie Frankel deserves no award to be named after him. He was a curmudgeoney old-fashioned type. Hardly the model of individual or life that should be held in high esteem. Could he train a horse certainly. Is he the ideal prototype to follow, hardly.
Buddy

Horse racing has got to make the customer King and do away with the Stewards. This will lead to everyone in the business making more money and it would be a win win.
Luigi Giovanni

The takeout on doubles and exactas will increase from 20.68% to 22.68%, which is an increase of 9.67%.

The takeout on other exotics will increase from 20.68% to 23.68%, which is an increase of 14.51%.

Today I focus on the Pick 5 at Monmouth, where the takeout on that wager is only 15%.

So long California on 12/26/10, and best of luck to you.
joe

To improve racing:

1) eliminate all drugs up to a race and on race day so only healthy, fit horses compete.

2) protect horses against performance tempering and abuse.

3) eliminate moral and chemical decay by investing in security, integrity, testing, severe punishments.

4) reduce racing to a humane, manageable size and only offer quality.

5) rebuilt racing from the ruins.

Nothing can be achieved without vision and good will. Abusers will either sell their horses to better people and quit or improve.

Mr. Wilson:
Lukas polluted Thoroughbred racing with Quarter Horse tricks, he won everything with whatever survived “the program” until the game caught up with him. The very last individual that this chemically polluted, morally decaying industry needs as a racing commissioner is him.
good gov’t

Solve racing;

Keep paying avioli a million bucks a year

Keep gov tommy thompson on the 2 million a year dole

Equals

the moron leadership in racing did it to themselves