Paulick Report
Pletcher is unlikely to be the only one.
Makes you wonder how many other big stable trainers who’ll be hunting for help? Surely ther must be some locals.
I can’t believe that not going to Saratoga is anything other than an idle threat.
Saratoga has been problematic for trainers for the past 2-3 years. Some trainers stayed away last year and will probably do so again this year. I doubt that Pletcher will leave his stakes horses home, but rather than shipping 100 horses to SAR, he may bring in 30. That will matter to entries in the undercard races. Saratoga is such a prestigious place to race, and win that generally all the races overfilled. Last year, they didn’t. They probably won’t again this year.
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I’ll bet a certain Florida resort with be fully staffed with its seasonal visa holders…
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I’m just going to throw this out there:
My summers are usually free, so last summer I thought I’d volunteer to walk hots. I didn’t want any more commitment than that, since I already have a full time career. It had been about 15 years since I actually worked on the backside. It wasn’t about money for me, it was just about getting back into the game.
Not only did barns want me 7 days a week (which I was prepared for), but a new trend that has evolved since my previous experience was to want the hotwalkers to get the horses out twice a day. When I told folks I couldn’t do that, everyone was just like, “but the money!”
While I somewhat understand why things are the way they are, can there not be a happy intermediate between the racetracker lifestyle and employment? There is no way you are going to find enough domestic workers to make that kind of commitment.
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