Simon Husbands Suspension and Racing Is About Gambling You Doughhead Racing Execs

On Simon Husbands Suspension

Simon Husbands got a year suspension. Way too harsh when compared the suspensions trainers get, and obviously get away with.

And one question I have is that since trainer John Leblanc went on record stating that Husbands rode to instructions, how come he gets off when in fact, he was the one who gave Husbands the instructions that got him a year ban?

I wonder if there was more to it. The race was run very very slow in comparison to other times that day. I wonder if some insiders cashed some tickets and I wonder if HPI notified the ORC about it.


Well at least Equibase seems to be doing OK in light of a global recession.


Cobra Venom has been around since at least 1978, when it was used on Alydar Does the ORC and other jurisdictions even test for this stuff? If not, why even have drug rules at all?
Meanwhile Biancone's former vet is probably going to return to practice. What a dysfunctional game!



Prevent suspended trainers from training by cell phone? Good luck. What about email? You can't stop it. The best way to handle suspended trainers is to hand them enough of a suspension to make them consider another livelihood. H/T Equidaily



I'd like to have seen these surveys. It states that racing's biggest fans have lost confidence. What are the number one complaints by hard-core bettors who have been leaving?

"..."overmedication" of horses and the perception that the bet-processing system was being manipulated"

Yes, overmedication is a huge problem, and so is the idea that people are screwing with the tote systems, but overmedication has always been a problem, and the game was fine even though it was marred with betting scandals, breakdowns, and drugs ever since there has been parimutuel betting on the sport.

I'll bet these professional marketers who did these surveys didn't even get into the idea that other forms of gambling allows players to last longer. Yes, the general public is losing money faster and faster at horses than ever before because of relatively higher takeouts compared to the 70's, a lot less mooches (who left to play slots and lotteries), and professional players (whales) who also cut into the takeout.

Losing money fast is the number one reason people are leaving. Racing isn't even trying to pretend that they are a business of gambling, as they keep pretending they are a business of entertainment.


Lots of great posts are up at HANA's Blog


Not For The Squeamish
Thanks to Jen, for finding this blog that is keeping score of racing fatalities.


John Pricci has written an excellent piece called Thoroughbred Racing: Study This:

"But you lost them long ago (the younger generation) when you failed to fix the “juice” issue, you priced your product too high because you didn’t understand what business you were in, or you just flat-out gave them bad service."

Racing still "thinks" it is in the entertainment business and they are "growing" accordingly.


PINNACLE SPORTS WILL STOP ACCEPTING BETS ON NORTH AMERICAN HORSE RACING DECEMBER 15TH

(From their site)
Please note:

Important Racing Announcement : Due to the various changes in the North American racing industry, Pinnacle Sports finds itself in a position where we are unable to offer horse racing to our satisfaction. This, added to the declining interest of our clients in racing in general, has prompted us to discontinue wagering on daily North American horse racing as of Mon. 15th Dec. 2008.
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As posted here earlier this year, Pinnacle is bookmaker and they don't like consistent winners. The rumour is that thanks to the rebates they offered, Pinnacle was beginning to lose money on the thoroughbred betting side of their business.