John Berry: Suggestions to level the playing field

Recently, I hosted a special event at a simulcasting venue and met up with some members of the harness racing BDHC (Broken Down Horseplayers Club).

Of course, many of these “punters” have been around the block or two over the years and, surprisingly, had some scholarly comments and suggestions about our recent Mane Attraction columns featuring “honesty” in sports…including, but not limited to, pari-mutuel racing.

Johnny G. said that he has cut down his wagering over the past few years because he just doesn’t know if his horse is “alive or not alive, anymore.”

He said, “We all know what’s going on…it’s no secret anymore since all that sh— came out a few years ago. So, I’m a once or twice a week player now. Before, I was an addict but, now, the ‘addicts’ behind the scene have kinda cured me, so I just nibble here are there.

“It’s still fun and challenging but it doesn’t possess me like it did years ago!”

When asked if there is any solution to the problem, he said, “No…no solution. What’s done is done as horse racing, in general, and, particularly, the sulkies, are in a bad way with bettors.”

Bob G lamented, “Racing is a sport for, mostly, the insiders, who know what they have done with a horse on any particular day looking for a score.

“The problem with that is, in harness (racing) the pools are pretty light and it’s tough for anyone to make a score.

“I’ll bet the Meadowlands because they still have some solid pools…and Northfield…they do, too. But, in general, you can’t make any money. The bite (takeout) is very high in racing and that has become evident compared to casino take. And the lottery prizes are so big that people don’t mind spending $20 or so knowing they are going to lose…but still have a prayer for that once-in-a-lifetime prize.

“So racing is killing itself with high takeouts and no comparative big pies awaiting.

“I will say that guarantee pools do help and carryovers do, too, but there are not very many of them!”

Noel from Jamaica had a much more direct suggestion. He said (using his derelict), “Hey mon, we love our weed (marijuana) in my country…everybody is mellow…we always say tings are ‘irie and copasetic!’

“If you want to make ‘everyting’ the same for everybody, make ‘everyting’ legal. Everyone is gonna make weed legal soon.

“If everyone has the same stuff available (in racing), nobody can complain.”

While looking the other way is not the option for which our industry is looking, it is a point well taken and the cost to implement a program of prevention is astronomical and the current situation is miles and miles away from a solution.

Yet another veteran BDHC player, Vinny from New York, explained, “This harness racing sport MUST get a commissioner on board with the power to mete our appropriate penalties—without wiggle room—for those who do this stuff and are caught!

“You can’t run a business with partial honesty.

“In baseball…in football…in any sport, it’s got to be dealt with an iron hand—an iron fist would be better yet—to discourage any hanky-panky.

“I say ‘ONE AND DONE!’”

“You can’t dip an rotten apple in caramel and put nuts on it and hope it tastes goodI It’s rotten to the core.”

Yet another old-timer interjected, “Look, who is gonna stand up for the athlete here…in this case, THE HORSE!

“I realize that, these days, there are some  trainers that use them (horses) to make money and nothing else. I think the horse has some rights, too, and there must be some representation for the animals that cannot speak for themselves!

“I am sure there’s is plenty of pressure on a trainer these days when you think about an owner’s investment.

“It’s a very difficult situation today…much more difficult than it was years ago.

“I’m not sure there’s a solution without strict oversight and the millions of dollars it would take for testing and enforcement.

“I can’t see a solution to this problem…only a sport that’s fading away one track and one bettor—like me—at a time.”

Another patron—wouldn’t even give a first name, not even on the condition of anonymity—remarked, “The industry has done this to themselves.

“This used to be a spectator sport.

“Now, it’s not even a sport. It’s a business loaded with greed and uppers and downers and we are betting in the blind. Hey, I go back to the RR (Roosevelt Raceway) days of the 60’s when the stands were packed.

“I’m not saying there wasn’t any stuff going on back then—guys running bets for the drivers and stuff like that—but it was pretty much based on if a guy really thought he could win. I really wish ‘Fluff’ (John Bailey) was alive today…he could give you some real insight!”

Outside the simulcast venue, relevant comments were received including the following from a “John Smith” from the midwest…

“Racing has missed the boat by 30 or 40 years…that’s how long they’ve had this problem—at least 30 or 40 years.

“The chemists have out-sprinted the ability to track and test these new drugs and they always will. If they come up with something that is going to make a horse perform better—or worse, when they want that to happen—it will take years before there will be a way to detect any new stuff.

“I don’t think that there is any way to stop this and the industry knows it will take too much money and manpower to stop it all.

“Look, how much do Customs and DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) personnel catch up to the illegal and fake drugs when it comes into the U.S.?

“We hear about the big busts when they happen but it’s only a drop in the bucket to what does get in.”

As bad as the situation is in our industry, we’ve hardly scratched the surface here in the U.S. or North America.

Counterfeit “medications” are rampant.

There are pills that have been tested positive for drugs OTHER FROM WHAT THEY APPEARED TO CONTAIN.

There are pills labeled with a particular drug that have tested positive for OTHER DRUGS, other than what s stated on the label.

In other words, when these drugs are used, does anybody know WHAT they are and IF they could have fatal effects when given to any form of life?

John Smith continued, “Hey, tobacco is a drug that kills millions of people every year” (Editor’s note: estimated at more than six million a year with another 1.3 million killed from second-hand smoke) and nothing is done about that.) “ I’d bet that 250,000,000 have been killed by smoking over the years.

“Sugar causes diabetes how many people die from that every year?

“The reason that horses are under the microscope here is because so many people love horses and they have no “voice” of their own in the matter.

“Ya know, we are appalled when horses go to the kill pen for whatever reason (unable to race or human consumption somewhere) but sheep, goats, camels, cattle deer, pigs and, sadly, dogs are sacrificed and we think nothing of it…and many chickens and turkeys are given “crap” to fatten them up and killed for people to eat.

“Vegans and vegetarians have stood up to this but they, too, are a drop in the bucket.

“The few people that fight-the-fight to stop this stuff on the drugging of horses (in racing) have a hurricane blasting them in the face.”

Smith concluded by saying, “It will make little difference—or none at all—and I don’t believe anything will change..except the fact that racing will suffer a self-inflicted wound which will prove fatal over the next few decades as casinos get tired of trying to defend the industry and the money infused…leaving the only fans being the drivers and trainers betting against themselves as we lose our aging fan base—like me—and you see what has become of my Illinois tracks!”

There were many others willing to chime in on this subject matter with ALL agreeing that the drug problem has little chance—if any—of being solved with current oversight.

As one “punter” on his way to the window said, “All they have to do is look in the mirror and they’ll see the problem,” with a closing remark at the window, “Hoosier…Race 3…$5 to win on the six…and $2 exactas 6-2, 6-4.”

May The Horse Be With You!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink