WaPo Editorial Board: Horse racing has outlived its time
Source: Washington Post
Horse racing has outlived its time
By Editorial Board
March 13, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
IN THE aftermath of federal indictments that charged more than two dozen people in or associated with horse racing in “a widespread, corrupt” doping scheme, the industry rushed to put on a good face. The arrests, said the head of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, show that the system works, and that will have “a cleansing effect” on racing. “Let’s face it. It’s like any sport,” said one leading horse trainer, “We’re no different. . . .”
Let’s be charitable and chalk up such comments to self-delusion, because anyone who thinks horse racing is like any other major sport is lying, ignorant or kidding themselves. No other accepted sport exploits defenseless animals as gambling chips. No other accepted sport tolerates the cruelties that routinely result in the injury and death of these magnificent animals. The rot in horse racing goes deep. It is a sport that has outlived its time.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York on Monday announced the arrests of 27 racehorse trainers, veterinarians and drug distributors on charges of operating a massive international scheme to drug horses to make them run faster and to cheat the betting public. “What actually happened to the horses amounted to nothing less than abuse,” said William F. Sweeney Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York office. “They experienced cardiac issues, overexertion leading to leg fractures, increased risk of injury and, in some cases, death.”
Among those indicted were some big names of racing — such as Jason Servis who trained Maximum Security, winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified for interference and winner of four of five subsequent high-profile races, including last month’s $10 million Saudi Cup. The series of indictments unveiled in Manhattan makes clear that it is money like that in an industry valued at $100 billion that has given root to a culture of increasingly sophisticated performance-enhancing drugs that disregards the health and well-being of horses.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/horse-racing-has-outlived-its-time/2020/03/12/5dd48e46-6476-11ea-acca-80c22bbee96f_story.html
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