Here We Go... Congress to Hold Hearings on Horse Racing

[horsenuts]

Now that they've solved baseball's problems they are moving onto horsse racing. June 19 is the hearing date. Two trainers are scheduled to speak along with several officials and breeders including Arthur Hancock. The trainers?

Jack Van Berg and drum roll please................... Rick Dutrow Jr.


Congress has saddled the US with an 11 trillion dollar national debt over the years and these know nothing a$$ clowns are going to "fix" racing? Oh my! And how pathetic that they are spending a single second on this while the country is swirling around the stool in many critical areas.

[mikec]

Wonder if any members of congress are also members of PETA ?

[Equipoise28]

I hope it's on CSpan - this is "must-see" TV. Probably just election-year TV face time for the congressmen involved, but with Dutrow there anything can, and probably will, happen. I'm looking forward to Van Berg's comments, though.

[Equipoise28]

Sorry to double-post, but you'd think Larry Jones would be on the list, if the congressmen were completely clueless. But he's not...so maybe they have a better understanding than we think?

[docjocoy]

The Congressional hearings are almost inevitable, you could see them coming a mile away. With baseball, a weak commissioner led to the steroid abuses, which led to the hearings. In racing, NO commissioner is in place, leading Congress to step in. We have been arguing on this forum for days on the pros & cons of meds in racing, yet the most powerful statement out of it all is that "someone" needs to do something. Well, that isn't happening, so in jumps Congress.
It's not a bad thing that Dutrow will be testifying, at least he talks about it, rather than talking around the subject or saying that his horses only run on legal substances (and I am not a Dutrow fan at all).
Jack Van Berg is a plus, I've heard him speak several times and he is quite well-spoken, and knows his topic.
You could also argue that Congress has better things to do, but steroids are the hot topic of the moment, guaranteed press, and this is going to happen. Hopefully it will lead to our industry leaders jumping into the fray and moving more quickly into steroid and med regulation.

[ruaff]

Let's get to work on $4.00 a gallon for gas and an economy teetering on recession. Then they can worry about sports. Steroids in Baseball, Spygate now this - and they'll have their hands in the NBA soon. It's a good thing no one in the US cares about hockey anymore

[Linda_d]

The Congressional hearings are almost inevitable, you could see them coming a mile away. With baseball, a weak commissioner led to the steroid abuses, which led to the hearings. In racing, NO commissioner is in place, leading Congress to step in. We have been arguing on this forum for days on the pros & cons of meds in racing, yet the most powerful statement out of it all is that "someone" needs to do something. Well, that isn't happening, so in jumps Congress.
It's not a bad thing that Dutrow will be testifying, at least he talks about it, rather than talking around the subject or saying that his horses only run on legal substances (and I am not a Dutrow fan at all).
Jack Van Berg is a plus, I've heard him speak several times and he is quite well-spoken, and knows his topic.
You could also argue that Congress has better things to do, but steroids are the hot topic of the moment, guaranteed press, and this is going to happen. Hopefully it will lead to our industry leaders jumping into the fray and moving more quickly into steroid and med regulation.

Well said, docjocoy.

I suspect that we'll see movements to ban steroids and other drugs in various states before next year's Triple Crown.

[TBG]

There has been a good deal of discussion about things that need to change in this industry. It's true the words "we" and "someone" are used, but who are these people? Who should we expect to step up and lead these changes? Who has the respect, knowledge and influence to actually get something done? I have often wondered who the leadership is in this industry.

[Bunty Lawless]

Wonder if any members of congress are also members of PETA ?

Don't think any are, but their wives probably are. Peta doesn't pay enough to get the actual Congress person.

Just like the anti-slaughter legislation, it will have zero thought behind it, and even less teeth.

How about we just ban druggie, alcoholic, and addicted gambling trainers, who resort to cheating to make up for the money and opportunities they blow and then the horse suffers.

[dray33]

It's called reaping what you sew. We deserve it.

Or is it Sow?

[docjocoy]

It's called reaping what you sew. We deserve it.

Or is it Sow?

Nice quote, and its "sow"

[dray33]

TY docjocoy. Sow it is.

Or is that So?

[Equipoise28]

Well, I was initially optimistic about the hearing. Then I looked at the website of the chairman, Bobby Rush. Don't see anything in his record that indicates he has any knowledge of horse racing. The ranking Repub, Ed Whitfield, at least is from the first district in KY, so hopefully he knows something about the issue. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Here are their websites, if you're interested:

http://www.house.gov/rush/
http://whitfield.house.gov/

[Tiz]

Reaping, as in harvesting. Sow, as in plant.

Harvesting what you plant. Paying the consequences of your actions.

[hdembski]

Now that they've solved baseball's problems they are moving onto horsse racing. June 19 is the hearing date. Two trainers are scheduled to speak along with several officials and breeders including Arthur Hancock. The trainers?

Jack Van Berg and drum roll please................... Rick Dutrow Jr.


Congress has saddled the US with an 11 trillion dollar national debt over the years and these know nothing a$$ clowns are going to "fix" racing? Oh my! And how pathetic that they are spending a single second on this while the country is swirling around the stool in many critical areas.

this is a post about racing not Bush or the war or government waste. I applaud any intervention that would save one horse or come down on people who don't treat horses in a humane way. It's time to ban roids from racing so guys like Dutrow who can't trian without cheating can go away and he can prove to be the failure his father always knew he'd be..