Harness: Where do we go from here in the post-indictment world?

After 27 indictments were handed out a week ago Monday morning (3/9), a few more names trailed in by the end of the week. The addition of top trainers Rich Banca and Rene Allard to the list of horsemen initially named appeared to gain more traction as those in the “I told you so” camp raised glasses and toasted the addendum.

I will assume if I can that a large majority if not all of those indicted will end up with convictions on their permanent records considering the extraordinary success rate the Feds have in matters such as these. While the initial 27 appear to have more in common as to producing and trafficking in illegal drugs, both Banca and Allard show evidence of possession with intent that may allow them a tad more wiggle room when prosecutors enter their final negotiation phase.

There is of course continued speculation that the number of horsemen indicted will inevitably grow considering Mr. Surick’s list of close friends in the business have yet to be mentioned. Yet it is not for us to speculate or attempt to convict any horsemen just because they associate with Surick or for that matter anyone else on this particular list.

More important to be discussed is whether these indictments will in fact lead to any change in behavior to the betterment of all racing. Through conversations over this past week, I am struck by the concept that all drug-related activity will cease and desist once convictions and jail time are meted out by law enforcement. I’m more inclined to believe that horsemen with loose lips will come of age in this tech-savvy world and like crime bosses of old keep all of their conversations from becoming public. It’s much more difficult to be caught in a wire-tap scenario if you restrict all conversation.

Yet more important to me is the question of whether these actions allow some of us to move forward and attempt to correct the issues that are keeping the sport down. If as some have suggested the presence of “bad guys” has effectively weeded out the honest owners and trainers of the past, how does this industry go back to square one and attempt to attract more of those lost members of this industry? Or is it even possible to recruit from this alleged list of nice guys who no longer fit the industry mold?

Jeff Gural has strongly supported legislation that would put the Federal government in charge of policing all horse racing, both standardbred and thoroughbred. While in principle I can support the notion that a national body could finally give some teeth to protecting both horsemen and bettors in a more effective way than any local racing commission has been able to do, I am cautious to question just who would comprise a Federal organization. Having seen what happens when the “wrong” people are given Federal positions, it’s certainly not reassuring to know what might happen should the wrong politically connected individual be given the helm.

In asking that both tracks and horsemen contribute to this potential Federal oversight, I can certainly see many balking at a more expensive bureaucracy that could potentially ignore localities that need more attention.

In as much as I respect many that have opined over the last week of how the time has come for those who “see something to say something” when it comes to unearthing wrongdoing, it is extremely hard for me to see just how exactly that would work in real-life situations. The racing community is rather tight-knit and while scuttlebutt has always passed through both racetracks and training centers in regard to illegal drug use, enough to spill out to the public, it has never reached a level that horsemen were turning each other in. Perhaps it’s part of a code or perhaps it’s become increasingly difficult to tell those that attempt to reach the speed limit from those that exceed it by a few miles per hour. If your fellow trainer and you share the same veterinarian, are you really going to “out” both even if you know they are not playing by the rules in a strict sense?

While I can certainly understand how legitimate owners and trainers have been marginalized by those who have gained illegally, it has always been my belief that horse players don’t fit the same blueprint. As someone who grew up watching the races at Roosevelt and Yonkers from the late 1960’s surrounded by large on-track crowds, it’s virtually impossible for me to see the latest “scandal” remotely come close to some of the reaction to shenanigans on the racetrack. When crowds of 30,000 want to burn down the track because the exacta price was woefully low, you have an immediate danger to the future of the sport. That somehow crowds kept coming back afterwards says a lot more about bettors than it does about drivers of harness horses. Essentially gamblers are more resilient and somehow manage to turn the page even when what is patently obvious in front of them is completely fraudulent.

Perhaps it’s my experience from a younger age that makes me question the overall wisdom of the current crisis and how it’s perceived. I get the obvious impact those accused have had on the lives of our standardbred and thoroughbred horses. It’s disgraceful that any horses had to die while those accused were pushing drugs through their systems. To find out that many horsemen possess the drugs and administer them as well is appalling. Yet as we weed out more of those not worthy of being called even caretakers of any animal, I wonder where we go next? Racing still takes its toll on our horses and it seems near impossible to go back to a day where the proverbial “Hay, Oats and Water” will allow them to recover from 1:47 miles and race again seven days later.