Suffolk Downs

[Barbara_L]

Philadelphia Park program

Repercussions for sending a horse to New Holland include loss of stalls.

We do know all about Little Cliff, I have spoken to one of the owners many times, but that incident occurred before we were up and running. As you can imagine, it took months to work on a business plan that would best help all of the horses that may need homes at Philadelphia Park. With the support of the PTHA and the track, however, we are in business.

The trainers have mostly been pretty good about seeing me when they need to retire a horse. I try very hard not to point the finger at anyone, and my little office’s door is always open right across from the racing secy’s office. The veterinarians have also been great in evaluating each horse for us, and I think everyone is relieved that there is an outlet on track for these horses. It is so difficult for many trainers to find guaranteed good homes for these guys when the trainers themselves are working such long hours and many have no “outside” connections.

Many of the trainers do a lot of the work themselves (groom, hotwalk, even gallop), and money can be tight (like I think it is for every horse owner right now).

If you want to see some of the horses that have come into the program, we have a page on the PTHA website (www.patha.org).

[I_m_EBO]

I couldn’t find your page. The only mention of adoption and rehoming I found was in the “President’s Message”, and it put quite a spin on the situation.

However, I’m glad the PP is trying.

[Acertainsmile]

There is a nice horse running today at Suffolk that we used to have, I’m glad this rule is in effect, he keeps going down the ladder, hopefully he will end up in a good place when he’s finished.

[spooked]

Which horse?

[Acertainsmile]

Ruffles and Ridges… he finished a bad 6th today… look for his trainer to run him back for a nickle… Keep him on your radar if possible…

[DickHertz]

[QUOTE=Barbara L.;3322697]
Suffolk is not the only track to create this policy. we at Philadelphia Park did it three weeks ago in an attempt to stop trainers from sending their horses to New Holland. SInce we started Turning For Home, Philadelphia Park’s racehorse retirement program, there really is no excuse.

Barbara L.
PTHA’s Turning For Home, Inc.
Philadelphia Park’s Racehorse Retirement Program[/QUOTE]

Is Ramon Preciado the president of this foundation? Apparently he has a knack for finding good homes for his ex-racers.

[I_m_EBO]

Dick Hertz, tell me you’re kidding about RP!

I noticed Barbara L. was being very polite about the trainers, but surely he’s not in charge of a rehoming program!

[867-5309]

@Barbara L.;3323811

Repercussions for sending a horse to New Holland include loss of stalls.

I would guess the Quebec slaughterhouses are just about the same driving distance as New Holland is to the Boston area so many may go straight to Canada.

This policy is great, kudos to Suffolk. I hope they can enforce it. Wouldn’t this be easily circumvented by trainers shipping a few out to outside farms for a rest or to lay them up, and ship them in days from there?

[DickHertz]

[QUOTE=867-5309;3330365]
I would guess the Quebec slaughterhouses are just about the same driving distance as New Holland is to the Boston area so many may go straight to Canada.

This policy is great, kudos to Suffolk. I hope they can enforce it. Wouldn’t this be easily circumvented by trainers shipping a few out to outside farms for a rest or to lay them up, and ship them in days from there?[/QUOTE]

Tatto numbers should be looked up and the last trainer would be responsible I guess??? I can’t wait to see how this will be enforced at both venues. I don’t know how it can be enforced.

[Pronzini]

@DickHertz;3330461

Tatto numbers should be looked up and the last trainer would be responsible I guess??? I can’t wait to see how this will be enforced at both venues. I don’t know how it can be enforced.

Except that most trainers don’t own the horses that they train. I can see the reason for the “insurer” rule vis a vis medications and foreign substances when the horse is under a trainer’s care and his license but what if an owner sold the horse to a “sporthorse home” and a few months later the horse is in Canada. You think the trainer should be responsible for that?

What I suspect is that it is like the slaughter proposition a few years ago here in California. It is an expression of a policy which probably can’t reasonably be enforced. It’s also quite possibly would not be upheld by a court if challenged. However, if you never enforce it, it won’t be challenged and it remains a somewhat feelgood measure.

Incidentally I’m not critical of Suffolk for that. In this climate, such stuff is necessary to compete with all of the muckrakers. Incidentally has there been anything on this board about Bruce Levine being shook down, 41 horses tested for EPO and the results across the board were negative?
Thought not.

[DickHertz]

Nice term ! Muckrakers !

Haven’t heard that since the college days and Upton Sinclair.

[DickHertz]

Regarding Levine or any horseman who races at Monmouth. If you know they are going to be testing you at some point randomly for EPO and your are caught using EPO - you are a complete idiot. The Levine barn getting tested was way overblown by all the racing media. He didnt’ get “shook down” - it was just the start of random testing in New Jersey. It was ingenius for them to start with Levine. That way when they make the rounds nobody can say “they won’t test Levine.” Great move by Monmouth by testing Levine first.

[War_Admiral]

[QUOTE=867-5309;3330365]
I would guess the Quebec slaughterhouses are just about the same driving distance as New Holland is to the Boston area so many may go straight to Canada. [/QUOTE]

When mine was stolen from SD, he actually crossed the border into Canada at Detroit. I think the killer buyers must just drive around the country until they’ve got a full load and then head north.

[luvmytbs]

@Pronzini;3330532

Except that most trainers don’t own the horses that they train.

At the level at which they are actually in danger of been sent to an auction (slaughter), most horses are owned by the trainer. An owner is not going to pay a day rate for a $ 5,000 claimer.

[DickHertz]

[QUOTE=luvmytbs;3331220]
An owner is not going to pay a day rate for a $ 5,000 claimer.[/QUOTE]

Yeah they will if it’s running at a slots track. $5k claimers run for over $10k at a lot of tracks.

[I_m_EBO]

“Muckrakers” is a term used to describe those who twist what is right, to make it appear wrong. In the case of racing, I don’t think that’s the term you want because a journalist, or anyone, doesn’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find something honestly wrong.

[SleepyFox]

Quote:
Originally Posted by luvmytbs
An owner is not going to pay a day rate for a $ 5,000 claimer.

Originally Posted by DickHertz
Yeah they will if it’s running at a slots track. $5k claimers run for over $10k at a lot of tracks.

Apologies for the quote above which I am sure will not come out looking right…

My experience has been in line with Dick’s. I’d say the majority of horses running for $5k and on down have owners other than their trainer. But, I was curious, so I took a small sample from both Suffolk and “my” track - Evangeline and checked it out.

At SUF, 5k claimers run for $7,300. In my sampling of 2 5k races (total of 21) horses, there were four horses listed as owned by their trainer. For kicks, I looked at the 4k race on the card and of 11 horses, 3 had the same owner as trainer. And… looking at the 25k race, 4 of 8 were owned by the trainer.

At EVD, 5k maiden claimers run for $15k for state breds and $8k for open breds. Looking at 2 races again (24 horses), 3 horses were owned by their trainers and 2 others were owned by immediate family members. I then lumped the 4k and 3.5k races together (26 horses) and found 3 horses owned by their trainer, one half-owned by the trainer, and one partially owned by the trainer’s wife. For the 20k race, there were 8 horses and 3 were owned by the trainer and one is partially owned by the trainer.

And, lest one thinks it’s only low rent trainers and owners at the bottom, in the one day I looked at for my example I found running for $4k horses owned by Michael Gill and Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and a Steve Asmussen trained horse.

So, I think it’s safe to say people do pay day rate on cheap horses, especially if the pots are rich enough. Some of them pay high day rates, too. I don’t know what Asmussen charges, but it’s not $35/day. I saw some other trainers in the bottom races at EVD that I know charge $65/day. But, you can also see why people are motivated to get rid of these horses ASAP when they aren’t making any money.

[lrkrame2]

[QUOTE=War Admiral;3330952]
When mine was stolen from SD, he actually crossed the border into Canada at Detroit. I think the killer buyers must just drive around the country until they’ve got a full load and then head north.[/QUOTE]

I think they just rolled through Detroit because of the lax border patrol honestly… I had someone mistake my horse for another and load him on a trailer ( he was going to an OWNER in Canada, not the slaughter btw)… by the time we got to the farm ( they loaded in the middle of the night) he was already 2 hours into Canada! made it back into the states and home without a problem…

scary part was… They came to pick up a TB… the horse they sent was a Dutch… completely different markings, completely different sizes… and obviously the dutch didn’t have a tatoo…

for the person who loaded the horses defense: they were in stalls next to eachother and were the same ‘bay’ color… however they have yet to live it down…

[War_Admiral]

Maybe they’re a little slacker nowadays, then. I would like to think not, but it’s interesting to see the variation in our respective stories.

For it was, in fact, the U.S. Border Patrol who found my horse on the slaughter truck. My horse’s ex-racing trainer at Suffolk was the one who thought to notify the Border Patrol in the first place. The BP must have kept a real eagle eye out, b/c they spotted him in a vanload of 18, and ID’d him by his tattoo.

Story doesn’t end well, but I’ve always been grateful that they found him so we knew what happened.

[luvmytbs]

sleepy fox,

you guys have some nice purses then. Around here (KY, OH etc) that is not the case. No slots, LOL.

So if you looked at tracks like River Downs, Beulah Park and the likes, your findings would be much different.