Letter to the Editor

Fasig Tipton, Keeneland, Breeders' Cup offer emergency support to Visit Horse Country as Virtual Tours Spike Worldwide Attention on Kentucky's Horse Industry Two weeks ago, operations at Horse Country HQ switched tracks, along with many others, as we and our members began to absorb the realities around COVID-19. Faced with growing warnings about transmission, travel interruptions, and event cancellations or postponements, experiences at member locations became deprioritized in favor of caution and best practices. That Wednesday, Mar. 11, was the last day of normal operations before we began a record...

The virus is not a joke. The virus does not just infect old people. The virus is not like the flu. Most of the youth around the world is missing the point. The virus will make you want to die if it doesn't kill you first. On Monday (3/18) my wife said to me in the middle of the night, "What's wrong with you? You're gasping for air." My response was, "I think I have a chest cold developing." It felt like there was phlegm stuck in my chest. On...

Dennis Drazin is a good man who has done much to keep racing alive in New Jersey, but his press statement released last Monday staggers the senses. The last paragraph of his statement reads, "I should also add that this indictment is particularly sad in that Jason Servis was my trainer. During my 45 years as an attorney, chairman of the NJRC, and racetrack operator, I have always advocated that cheating cannot be tolerated and I would never tolerate illegal conduct. My horses are being moved to Pat McBurney." This...

Mike Campbell is president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association representatives tried last week during eight hours of negotiations with Arlington Park and parent company Churchill Downs to reach a reasonable agreement on a contract that would provide adequate funding for overnight purses at Arlington in 2020. But Arlington and Churchill offered only what could charitably be described as proposals made in bad faith. The ITHA is deeply disappointed. And if Arlington's past actions serve as any guide to its steps in the coming weeks, we...

What has happened to this business? Growing up, I admired the participants, the trainers and the horses. There was Kelso, Forego, Typecast and a legion of others who raced and won without the need for modern day pharmacology. There were trainers who trained their horses without medications and honorable owners who only wanted to win at the highest level on a level playing field. You hear stories and rumors of "so and so uses this on their horses" and think that testing procedures will ferret out the cheaters. Then you...

Thank you, Mark Casse. It's great when a person of stature and respect in this business takes a stand against a problem infecting our sport. Clenbuterol has long been flying under the radar in its use in Thoroughbreds of all ages. To my understanding, it is not a critical medication and should be abolished. Mark's comments say it all for the racing side. As for its use in sales prep for weanlings and yearlings, there is absolutely no place for it. I have heard the stories of people using and...

Dear Editor: Thank you for your article keeping the pressure up on Governor Wolf, as his timing could not be any worse. Who is going to breed to Pennsylvania stallions this season with this sword hanging over our heads? You would think as governor he would have at least taken into consideration that breeding season is only from February 15 to May 31. By acting irresponsibly, Governor Wolf has absolutely destroyed the 2020 Pennsylvania breeding season, regardless of whether his proposal is defeated, which it most certainly should be. I...