American Horseracing is at a Crossroads
by Marty Irby
American horse racing remains steeped in controversy because of deaths on the track, recurring scandals involving doping of horses, and questions about the enforcement authority for the recently enacted Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). It’s an especially vulnerable time for horse racing, with the surge in sports betting threatening to leave the once-dominant betting industry on the back 40.
Despite the new law, which Animal Wellness action helped shepherd to passage, trainers and veterinarians addicted to the use of drugs keep trying to game the system. Take the case of Dr. Seth Fishman, a veterinarian tied to a doping ring that saw more than two dozen indictments in 2020. He was convicted in New York’s Federal Court and will face up to 15 years in prison.
Then there is Medina Spirit. The 2021 Kentucky Derby winner tested positive for illegal drugs in two samples and then dropped dead on the track at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Her trainer, the legendary Bob Baffert, has been mired in a running series of doping scandals. The autopsy report revealed this week the results were inconclusive, and that the horse likely died of a cardiac event.
Also on the West Coast, the California Horse Racing Board – an entity deep at the heart of the 2020 doping scandal that plagued Baffert’s Trip Crown winner, Justify – is at war with the California Veterinary Medical Board over the suspension of Dr. Jeff Blea’s veterinary license while Blea remains under investigation. Blea, who serves on the HISA’s Racetrack Safety Committee, recused himself from the committee, pending the investigation.
According to Thoroughbred Daily News, one high-profile bettor is now suing notorious trainer Bob Baffert and leaving the racing game. Michael Beychock said he’s “grown so disillusioned by the sport” that he will stop betting on a regular basis after attending this year’s National Handicapping Championship.
Another individual involved in the horse racing industry from Texas just penned a lengthy letter blasting the industry, “Why I Am Leaving The Sport I Loved For 50 Years,” to the Paulick Report. Interestingly enough, the writer is such a high-profile individual he or she asked to remain anonymous in the publication.
American horse racing would do well to remember the Washington Post editorial that followed Fishman’s and Giannelli’s indictments in 2020: Horse Racing Has Outlived Its Time. The editorial spurred U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to intervene in a decades-long debate about doping racehorses and to work with the Coalition for Horse Racing Integrity to secure the enactment of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The sport will not get a second bite at that apple — change must come now and must come quickly.
Horses are at the center of this industry. Yes, as a moral concern, they have long been at the margins. That must change, or the Sport of Kings will see its reputation erode even faster.
Horses are at the center of this industry. Yes, as a moral concern, they have long been at the margins. That must change, or the Sport of Kings will see its reputation erode even faster.