Bob Baffert has declared himself “the face of horse racing.” This article discusses the inability of racing to police itself and the lack of consequences for drug violations. State racing commissions are full of people with a conflicts of interest and they wield great power. While many with deep pockets are supporting a government authority over racing, pushback s coming from many owners and trainers. From the article:
Each racing state has its own oversight commission, and the panels are often deeply compromised. Last month, a year after two of Baffert’s horses tested positive for lidocaine following major races in Arkansas, the state racing commission upheld the ruling but dismissed the penalties, which included the forfeiture of hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money.
The chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission is Alex Lieblong, one of the state’s most prominent racehorse owners. Among the trainers Lieblong employs is Hall of Famer Steven Asmussen, who has a history of medication violations pages long and is to compete in the Preakness with a horse named Midnight Bourbon.
Another trainer in the Preakness, Robertino Diodoro, who races long-shot Keepmeinmind, is competing while under a suspended sentence handed down last year by the Minnesota Racing Commission for two positive drug tests.
In the wake of federal indictments of 27 people involved in thoroughbred racing last year — including two leading trainers — on charges related to performance-enhancing drugs, Congress passed the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The new law authorized the creation of a government authority under the Federal Trade Commission responsible for proposing and enforcing health and safety standards in thoroughbred racing across the country.
Already, several state racing commissions and various horsemen’s groups representing owners and trainers have filed federal lawsuits challenging the law’s constitutionality. Racing is being dragged kicking and screaming toward a restoration of public confidence.
