NYT article...

BenB · Postby **BenB** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 4:30 am

I doubt seriously that asmussen and his assistent are the only ones.

Still these things are happening thank god by an minority, but they should be weeded out. Preference: an long steady jail time for this cheaters.

Horse abuse comes more in the front of my head.

TJ · Postby TJ » Sat Mar 22, 2014 6:23 am

Pitbull599 wrote:As much as I like asmussen I honestly have nothing to say in his defense this is not the first time I hear things like this about him!!! Just 2 years ago he was under investigation for some of his personal horse going to slaughter.
I have been around the back track long enough to know how he treats his horses and some of the stuff I hear is not so good!!

Hi Pitbull,
I agree with your thoughts, there is nothing that could be said in defense of this video. I only hope they go after everyone that was "caught" and not just Blasi and Asmussen. I'm sad to agree with PETA on anything, but a video like this was bound to find its way to them sooner or later. Anyone who has spent time in the trenches of the backstretch, working their way up from the bottom, unfortunately have seen everything in this video and a whole lot more. There comes a time, in your ascent to trainer that you will have to make a decision concerning your personal values, morals, ethics and integrity in dealing with a possible life and death situation concerning the proper assessment of a horses condition...and what the safest, best and moral outcome would be for all involved.

Scenario 1: You might see another trainer hit their horse with a joint in an AM workout and he works "lights out", then goes on and turns his form upside down in his next race and wins paying telephone numbers.
Scenario 2: You may witness another trainers horse walking the shed dead lame and you noticed on the overnight that horse is in the next day. As you leave the barn, you notice his vet coming in. Next morning the horse is bouncing around the shedrow (totally sound and full of himself) and goes out that afternoon and wins the race.

In the mean time you have two horses with similar situations......
Scenario 1: A horse you know has ability...but for lack of finding any other reason, you decide he's just a cheater (which is usually not the reason for the horse not running his best). The cure on the backstretch for cheaters is the joint....it forces a horse to run faster then he is comfortably able to, usually because he feels the pain you couldn't find that was bothering him....so the horses protective instinct (triggered by pain) keeps that horse from attaining a speed that might break him down.
Scenario 2: You have a horse that went lame and can't figure out what is bothering him. You've seen that other trainer's vet turn a lame horse sound overnight and figure you should check and see if that vet can help your horse. In most cases they are blocking the pain, effectively eliminating the body's fail-safe....pain, which triggers a horse to quit running at full speed to prevent a catastrophic breakdown.
These two scenario's are common in early morning training. It is at this point you have the option of going for the gold at the expense of the horse and rider or do what your personal values, morals, ethics and integrity tell you is the way to proceed. It is the crossroads that all face in this business sooner or later and I can tell you there are many who take the proper moral road and still are very successful. Yet the business is judged by those few who decide on these short cuts, (at the expense of horse and rider) which will be the ruination of horse racing in the modern era. TJ

ides of ice · Postby **ides of ice** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 6:35 am

You reap what you sow...

BenB · Postby **BenB** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 7:09 am

As long as most of the horseracing society is putting their heads under the rug. Nothing will be done, I suppose. Lost of training stables in public areas are gooiing to look like Fort KNOX in war time, closed gates and security, thus creating the vision of hidden practices. Creating even more negative outlook for the public

Either one is afraid losing powerful owners, either afraid losing their jobs, either afraid losing most needed horse to fill stables and starting gates, no one will step in voluantary.

Only the fed,s should be dooiing an good job, helping to prevent that the horsebuizz is ruining itself, as more video,s will show up in the future no doubt about that.

Cree · Postby **Cree** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 1:39 pm

Blasi's been fired: http://www.drf.com/news/blasi-fired-asm ... ints-video

After 18 years, they just up and fire him? Because of the video? Because they never saw him act like that? By firing him, are they blaming him?

This whole thing is ugly.

TJ · Postby TJ » Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:35 pm

Cree wrote:Blasi's been fired: http://www.drf.com/news/blasi-fired-asm ... ints-video

After 18 years, they just up and fire him? Because of the video? Because they never saw him act like that? By firing him, are they blaming him?

This whole thing is ugly.

Hi Cree,
I agree with you...Asmussen and Blasi go way back. You want your assistant to understand your way of doing things and very few (if any) assistant trainers make a move without discussing it first with the trainer. Asmussen is serving up Blasi as a scapegoat. It just vouches for the type of person Asmussen is. In my first post regarding this tape, I said it looked much worse for Blasi then it did for Asmussen and I guess his lawyers decided to take advantage of that. TJ
I want to see what they do about Stevens and Lukas' conversation....not to mention the FBI, ICE and the IRS who should have a lot to say about the illegals (falsifying SS numbers) and the use of a joint by Stevens and allegedly most recently by Santana (race fixing-buzzer). TJ

TJ · Postby TJ » Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:59 pm

Asmussen has to have a lot of clout in this business. One of the 2 years in a row, in which he won an eclipse award for outstanding trainer, was the same year he also served a 6 month suspension....how does a trainer that receives a 6 month suspension also recieve an eclipse for outstanding trainer in the same year??
Now he's under this dark cloud and Winchell allows him to continue training top 3YO colt Tapiture and 3YO filly Untapable. Can you imagine if Asmussen wins both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks with these two? Looks great for racing. TJ
http://www.drf.com/news/asmussen-will-k ... e-winchell

Pitbull599 · Postby **Pitbull599** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 5:01 pm

Like most of you guys are saying this is not the first time something like this happens to him!!! Their are always going to be people that are going to try to bring this sport down (PETA)... And trainers like asmussen don't help!!! And the worst of it is that they will just slap asmussen on the hand and tell him no and let him walk out Scott free!!!! PETA has successfully brought a lot of big sports down because of hence "animal cruelty" here in Texas even in rodeos you can't have your horse working for more than 1 hr like in rodeos it's to cruel!!! I have been to many rodeos in my life to know that every single time the roper missed the steer the horse always seems more upset then it's rider!!! Horses love completion just as much as we do. They want to win but when u have idiots training horses at the top level someone is going to try to find something they are doing wrong!!!! Asmussen needs to be removed from training horses as he has been bringing a bad rep to this wonderful sport!

BenB · Postby **BenB** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 3:32 am

If the sport is fully clean, than nobody is able to bring it down. But the sport is not, and therefore it calls out for these things to happen.

ides of ice · Postby **ides of ice** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:07 am

From the publisher of TDN:
http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/sh ... cfm?id=255

tmqh · Postby **tmqh** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 8:35 am

As much as it pains me to see the racing industry thrust into a negative spotlight(again) and realizing the fallout is probably just beginning, I can only hope that one of the small positives to come out of this is that it levels the playing field for those small, honest, ethical trainers that really are the backbone of the industry. Ones that actually put the horse first. Trust me, they do exist.

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:58 am

tmqh, trainers like you (and now, me) will always remain "small" because of our ethics, until the evil leviathan types like Asmussen are taken down or run out. As for Blasi, it is my experience that management attracts its own kind. They are both peas in a pod.

Ben, I don't think you really understand, in the US, the difference between breaking a rule and breaking a law. Breaking a medication rule is not the same as mugging a tourist. I wonder if there has ever been a case of jail time for medication violations?

ides of ice · Postby **ides of ice** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:20 am

Jail time, now THAT would be good-how can we get that done?

BenB · Postby **BenB** » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:51 pm

Madelyn,

Thanks for your comment. That makes the difference.

In the worst cases, not that I have ever witnessed one overhere. The court steps in. But in the US according your comment, he is not allowed to train anymore for some time.

tmqh · Postby **tmqh** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:07 am

Madelyn, being small doesn't bother me in the least. I actually relish it. Keeps it more personal between myself and owners plus I want to be the one handling the horses on a daily basis. It would just be nice to have afforded to me the same consideration/opportunities as the big outfits be it through stall apps, vets, stewards, etc.