Business As Usual

[caryledee]

Penn Wants Commission to Investigate Gill

By The Associated Press
Updated: Friday, January 29, 2010 4:04 PM
Posted: Friday, January 29, 2010 3:51 PM

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course has asked the state to investigate Thoroughbred owner Michael Gill because 10 of his horses were euthanized on the track in 13 months, two in last week.
Penn National Race Course jockeys refused to ride on or against horses owned by Gill effective Jan. 23. The Pennsylvania racetrack temporarily banned Gill-owned horses from the entry box, though he has several entered for the Feb. 3 program.
Penn National’s Jan. 28 letter to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission requests immediate action. PHRC spokesman Justin Fleming said it’s not clear if a decision will be made by Feb. 3.
A meeting between Gill and Penn National officials had been scheduled for Jan. 30 to discuss the situation.

[Louise]

I don’t know Penn at all, so I don’t know if this would be even feasible, but, as an old protester, the first thing I thought of was a picket line, right where the people going to the racino could see it.

If it could be done legally, with permits, it might hit Penn where it would hurt. And, it would be something that those people in the area, but not connected with the track, could help out with.

I don’t know how Penn is laid out, or if there is even a safe place to picket, not on their property that would work. But, I thought I’d throw it out there.

edited to add that I just saw caryledee’s post. Looks like picketing might not be necessary.

[lily04]

[QUOTE=caryledee;4649939]
Penn Wants Commission to Investigate Gill

By The Associated Press
Updated: Friday, January 29, 2010 4:04 PM
Posted: Friday, January 29, 2010 3:51 PM

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course has asked the state to investigate Thoroughbred owner Michael Gill because 10 of his horses were euthanized on the track in 13 months, two in last week.
Penn National Race Course jockeys refused to ride on or against horses owned by Gill effective Jan. 23. The Pennsylvania racetrack temporarily banned Gill-owned horses from the entry box, though he has several entered for the Feb. 3 program.
Penn National’s Jan. 28 letter to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission requests immediate action. PHRC spokesman Justin Fleming said it’s not clear if a decision will be made by Feb. 3.
A meeting between Gill and Penn National officials had been scheduled for Jan. 30 to discuss the situation.[/QUOTE]
I heard this from the person that knows the truth.

[lily04]

And it didn’t just happen at Penn.

[Stellaspeed]

Penn Nat Punt?

Is this a tactical punt, or are they really insisting on an investigation ?

[DickHertz]

Goodness gracious. We seriously could have a great TV show on our hands if we would take this to a cable network. The title would have to be “Business as Usual” It would have to get higher ratings than JOCKEYS.

Some of this stuff that is going is simply not believable.

[lily04]

[QUOTE=lily04;4649972]
And it didn’t just happen at Penn.[/QUOTE]

Sorry when I read the story I thought they were investigating the ones that were shipped in just to be euthanized.

[AppJumpr08]

Wow. It gets curiouser and curiouser…

[Alagirl]

@DickHertz;4650053

Goodness gracious. We seriously could have a great TV show on our hands if we would take this to a cable network. The title would have to be “Business as Usual” It would have to get higher ratings than JOCKEYS.

Some of this stuff that is going is simply not believable.

Truth has always been stranger than fiction.

[AppJumpr08]

Thoroughbred Times article.

So if the necropsy results haven’t been released yet, do you think they found someone suspicious?

[DickHertz]

I wish I could post everything I knew, but I can’t do it as bad as I want to. There are many more shoes to drop in the days and weeks ahead. Please stay tuned.

[DickHertz]

REPORT: 1/29/10

Penn Riders to take off all mounts at scratch time tomorrow morning in races where Gill horses are entered. Penn will be forced to cancel those races on the card which will send yet another message to Mr. Gill to get out.

[AppJumpr08]

[QUOTE=DickHertz;4650098]
I wish I could post everything I knew, but I can’t do it as bad as I want to. There are many more shoes to drop in the days and weeks ahead. Please stay tuned.[/QUOTE]

Tease

I’m glad to hear the Jockeys are still sticking to their guns.

[foundationmare]

Dick, my daughter is at Penn but I truly think that, rightly or wrongly, she’s so wrapped up in the daily grind of getting horses out, doing them up and finding time for her kids, that she isn’t as aware of some of us from afar. So I look to you and Little Hound and Laurirace for credible information about the goings on there.

I am heartened by the stance taken by the jocks: is there any way that we, the collective “we”, could convey our support to them? I am impressed with their grit, this time off the track. Is there a number in the room where we could leave messages of support? It is important that momentum is maintained on every front.

I will look forward to your bombshells as you are positioned to disclose them.

Now that it is abundantly clear that MG: 1) has no compassion for his horses; 2) wants to win at any cost; 3) is shameless; 4) is greedy; 5) is arrogant, the few devices left to get him out of the business are pinpointed. If track management wherever he runs horses is too spineless to make him persona non grata, the only alternative is to present a united front that will disable his horses from running, as the jocks at Penn are now doing. Punters as well could refuse to bet races with Gill entries. As Louise pointed out, pickets could be implemented, if not on the actual premises, then in letters to management that, as a member of the public, attendance at the races at Penn is not happening because there is the fear of witnessing a breakdown, or in protest that MG’s questionable practices are given a pass. Nod, nod, wink, wink…with palm extended.

I have no idea what to expect next week when the next roster of Gill horses is entered to run, but I know what I hope will happen. My heart goes out to the many, many people and horses who are being manipulated and threatened by this buffoon.

[AppJumpr08]

The Paulick Report just posted a PDF of the actual letter sent to the Commission.

[Little_Hound]

[QUOTE=DickHertz;4650098]
I wish I could post everything I knew, but I can’t do it as bad as I want to. There are many more shoes to drop in the days and weeks ahead. Please stay tuned.[/QUOTE]

Dick, you’re doing a great job with all the updates!

[Little_Hound]

Some new info added to the Associated Press story from tonight:

[I][B]The racing commission performed necropsies - animal autopsies - this week on the recently euthanized horses, but the results are not public, Fleming said. According to McErlean, the commission also performed necropsies on the horses that broke down last year, something Fleming would not confirm. Three different Gill trainers trained those eight horses, McErlean said.

“Nothing has come back where there’s illegal medications being used. You do find in a number of horses, they do have some pre-existing conditions. Whether they’re the ones that caused the breakdowns or not, you can’t always tell,” McErlean said. “I would hope that if there were red flags in there, the racing commission would have taken action.”

Gill also runs horses at West Virginia’s Charles Town Races - also owned by Penn National - and Philadelphia Park, but breakdowns have not been a problem. He had fewer than 100 starts and no breakdowns in 2009 at Charles Town, McErlean said.

Tony Black, a veteran jockey at Philadelphia Park, hopes his riders will nonetheless support their Penn National brethren if they decide to extend their protest. Penn National might look for outside jockeys to fill in. The jockeys, meanwhile, risk losing income that can hit several thousand dollars a night.

“If he (Gill) happens to be using Penn National, because it’s not a high-profile racetrack, as a dumping ground, is that fair?” asked Black, 58, who’s been riding for 40 years and called it heartbreaking to see a horse go down.

“It’s not just unfair to jockeys and the owners they’re riding for, it’s also unfair to the betting public, because you’re sitting and riding a race worried more about where Gill’s horse is than where your horse is,” he said.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. [/B][/I]

[Acertainsmile]

Wow, and I agree Dick, this is unprecidented. The only thing that I can remember being so controversial during my years on the track was Oscar Barrera’s outfit in NY during the 80’s. And really, this kind of beats even that!

Now, this is what I find interesting…really, a trainer has the ultimate responsibility for the horses he runs, NOT the owner, never has, but maybe things will change. Taking a peek into the future I see Gill throwing his trainers under the bus like he’s done in the past (Edwin Vasquez). If I were one of his trainers I would be packing my bags pronto and heading for the hills!

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;4650478]
Wow, and I agree Dick, this is unprecidented. The only thing that I can remember being so controversial during my years on the track was Oscar Barrera’s outfit in NY during the 80’s. And really, this kind of beats even that!

Now, this is what I find interesting…really, a trainer has the ultimate responsibility for the horses he runs, NOT the owner, never has, but maybe things will change. Taking a peek into the future I see Gill throwing his trainers under the bus like he’s done in the past (Edwin Vasquez). If I were one of his trainers I would be packing my bags pronto and heading for the hills![/QUOTE]

He already did that, he fired Darrel this week.

[foundationmare]

I wouldn’t have been one of his trainers to begin with! Oh, the lure of filthy lucre.