While there may be no illegality to his actions, it sure does depict a picture of ‘routines’ I wouldn’t want my horses subjected to.
Obviously he is trying to safe face in some manner by getting rid of Blasi.
I’ve heard vets say that before, publicly. At the jockey club safety and wellness summit, for one.
Is it as bad in Europe?
How can getting rid of someone who has worked for you for 18 years, talks to you daily, presumably follows your instructions and you consider a good friend posibly distance you from accusations?
[QUOTE=minnie;7492291]
How can getting rid of someone who has worked for you for 18 years, talks to you daily, presumably follows your instructions and you consider a good friend posibly distance you from accusations?[/QUOTE]
No question that he is the scapegoat but he did call one of their biggest owners the C word. That owner is a guy too, weird.
[QUOTE=gumtree;7492225]
My reply was not meant to be snarky hope it didn’t come off that way. I would like to believe there are some racing jurisdictions that hold vets to the letter of the rules and law.
I doubt it.
I found Dr. (thief) Hunt’s statement particularly interesting. The first Vet that I have heard say, and I doubt he would have said it “publicly” Lasix is a PED.[/QUOTE]
No offense taken, but I’m getting grumpy repeating myself in this thread! How it’s supposed to work (the rules) and what really happens is quite different as you know. The only problem one will have is when they get caught.
As far as undocumented workers, yes, they come in with very authentic green cards, visa’s and even out of state drivers licenses. Would I ever offer to help one obtain these items? Absolutely not, that would make me a criminal, and that is why I said that would be Steve’s biggest problem in all of this.
The Lasix slip may be an issue for the vet and trainer, but maybe not.
And of course it is PETA, so there is going to be some over the top sensationalism in the charges, it’s what they do. No big surprise there.
[QUOTE=minnie;7492291]
How can getting rid of someone who has worked for you for 18 years, talks to you daily, presumably follows your instructions and you consider a good friend posibly distance you from accusations?[/QUOTE]
It won’t…hard to say if Steve had to get rid of him or wanted to. As a trainer I would be pissed that someone that close to my operation ran his mouth period.
I wasn’t sickened by the video. Disheartened? You bet. Anyone who has been in the business knows that this is business as usual in A LOT of barns. Not all barns by any stretch and I hope not as many as I imagine.
Other than the fake documentation of SS #'s and the like nothing in the video really is “illegal”. It is against the rules for a horse to run on Lasix without the proper documentation but I have yet to find a track where you don’t just call up the vet and they write up the slip for you, no blood or scope required. It’s harder to take a horse off of Lasix than it is to put them on it! It’s not illegal to run horses with fake feet, joint injections, rampant use of Thorazine, blistering, pin-firing, etc. Do I agree with the use of these practices? No, I don’t but it’s still not illegal.
What I’ve found really pathetic is the industry’s reaction. As others have said everyone is circling the wagons and getting defensive. Wake up people! There is a problem and it needs fixing!
I see people all over facebook posting pictures of themselves kissing their horses to #petafullstory. Meanwhile some of them are injecting horses with barely any cartilage left in their joints and they don’t see anything wrong with it! Sorry but that kiss isn’t going to save them when their leg finally blows.
Rumor, w/ a few credible friends on FB - the “informer” is outed. She was under the sheets w/ Blasi. I’d say a good reason he was shown the door.
Although other comments that they weren’t surprised at the video - that he does have a foul mouth - but apparently took good care of the horses.
“Then don’t run bleeders. It’s simple.”
Is it that simple?
My thoughts exactly mintano, although I feel that now that they’ve actually been documented falsifying the Lasix slips there may be more than a slap on the wrist.
I’m not one to spread rumors, but there is one circulating that he’s lost more than one big owner. Guess we shall see.
Several interesting comments in today’s TDN, starting on page 13.
Barry Irwin makes some good points - the industry can do whatever it chooses to do, but if racing loses enough sheen it won’t attract new well-heeled owners to keep the sport going.
[QUOTE=ejm;7493004]
Several interesting comments in today’s TDN, starting on page 13.
Thanks. Reading this and what I’ve read elsewhere, I don’t really see people in the industry “circling the wagon” and protecting their own. Actually, I see much less of that than I’ve seen in my own profession. The only really outrageous comments I’ve read are from Angelico here (and I have a feeling this is a very young and naive person) and Maggi Moss (who comes across as an idiot and is an embarrassment to me as a fellow attorney).
[QUOTE=TemJeito;7493081]
Thanks. Reading this and what I’ve read elsewhere, I don’t really see people in the industry “circling the wagon” and protecting their own. Actually, I see much less of that than I’ve seen in my own profession. The only really outrageous comments I’ve read are from Angelico here (and I have a feeling this is a very young and naive person) and Maggi Moss (who comes across as an idiot and is an embarrassment to me as a fellow attorney).[/QUOTE]
That’s funny, seeing as how Maggi Moss and I are the only ones in this debate that have actually been on the inside of the Asmussen barn.
[QUOTE=CVPeg;7492841]
Rumor, w/ a few credible friends on FB - the “informer” is outed. She was under the sheets w/ Blasi. I’d say a good reason he was shown the door.
Although other comments that they weren’t surprised at the video - that he does have a foul mouth - but apparently took good care of the horses.[/QUOTE]
So?
[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;7492023]
I’m wondering what else PITA has on those tapes…are we really that naïve to think that this is all she got in 7 hours of taping? I doubt it, and the one thing PETA is good at is getting peoples attention, so I’m thinking they may have a whole lot more to go on than just this one video.[/QUOTE]
I haven’t seen the video that PETA posted. But I would assume it’s like a movie trailer and all the good stuff is on the trailer. 
[QUOTE=Angelico;7493165]
That’s funny, seeing as how Maggi Moss and I are the only ones in this debate that have actually been on the inside of the Asmussen barn.[/QUOTE]
Don’t kid yourself…while personally I have never been, have plenty of friends that have. That being said, Maggi no longer employs him, since you are such the expert, care to elaborate on all of his drug overages?
As for Barry Irwin, he has been all over the place in his viewpoints since it started. His remarks early on in the Paulick Report are disturbing, and far from what he wrote in this article.
[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;7493292]
Don’t kid yourself…while personally I have never been, have plenty of friends that have. That being said, Maggi no longer employs him, since you are such the expert, care to elaborate on all of his drug overages?
As for Barry Irwin, he has been all over the place in his viewpoints since it started. His remarks early on in the Paulick Report are disturbing, and far from what he wrote in this article.[/QUOTE]
Exactly, you have “friends”, meanwhile he kept my family fed. Maggi still has enough respect for him to stand up for him against the accusations by the uneducated. Everybody loves to hate a winner. Steve wins because he does things right. I’d advise you to go to his barn or talk to one of his current employees, but you prefer the statements of those who have never set foot in his shedrow.
[QUOTE=Angelico;7493304]
Exactly, you have “friends”, meanwhile he kept my family fed.[/QUOTE]
And this wouldn’t influence your opinion at all???
What he says now:
The advent last week of PETA=s report on the operation of Steve Asmussen has our game in peril because for the first time there is video evidence for all to see of how sordid, uncaring, unethical and illegal the caretakers of our horses can be. It is one thing to hear gossip, read articles and op-ed pieces, hear chit-chat; but it is entirely another matter when one is confronted so rudely with the evidence in moving film. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth billions of them. When all is said and done, I fear the aftermath of the PETA video presentation will be the most severe removal of a layer of the once prestigious patina under which our sport thrived for so many years.
What he said 4 days ago:
Barry Irwin • 4 days ago
- This is not an investigation, this is an infomercial intended to raise funds for PETA.
- That was no investigator. That individual was too close to the subjects. Looks like a hit job to me all the way.
I know Scott Blasi comes off as a bad guy in this video, but consider that what was shown was likely only a fraction of what was taped. Who knows under what context any of his comments were made. The one shot of him holding the head of the horse while it was being examined strikes me as Scott venting out of disappointment that a horse he really likes had sprung a leak and would unable to run. I’ve seen Scott in action for many years and I don’t think this accurately portrays him. This girl was out to get him. In that regard, she did a swell job.
