Why do some think Horse Racing is fixed?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/hors...g/13470178.stm

Interesting article on a group of jockeys/trainers in the UK who were allegedly "communicating" to help along the outcomes of races. I know if I had bets on some of these horses I would be pissed. But it's a reason the industry as a whole is in the dumps.

There are many tracks/organizations who have gone into bankruptcy or have closed all together. The horse racing industry needs a shot in the arm, because if it stays on the current course it's on, the amount of tracks/seasons may dwindle even more.

Originally Posted by Dirty Sanchez

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/hors...g/13470178.stm

Interesting article on a group of jockeys/trainers in the UK who were allegedly "communicating" to help along the outcomes of races. I know if I had bets on some of these horses I would be pissed. But it's a reason the industry as a whole is in the dumps.

There are many tracks/organizations who have gone into bankruptcy or have closed all together. The horse racing industry needs a shot in the arm, because if it stays on the current course it's on, the amount of tracks/seasons may dwindle even more.

Anywhere there is gambling within a sport , there will be people on the take. Not many, but sadly, there will be. Hope this case is not true but we will find out .
As for the tracks, the biggest problem today is the population of available horses running to the number of races carded. 5-6 horse fields , usually with one prohibitive favorite, is a terrible betting opportunity in most cases. So the handle goes down. Eventually , due to the cost of having live racing, and/or the greed of track management the takeout is increased and things go from bad to worse. Horseman at any particular track do not want to give up there racing dates. It would put them out of business or make them move long distances with no guarantee of stall space.. As a result, it becomes a vicious cycle.
Only way to deal with this is to cut racing dates . No other way around it.
Back in the 70s most tracks shut down for several months in the winter.
Meets were shorter. Md. ran in the winter( pretty sure the only track that did) on the East coast, but would close in the summer. Delaware and Monmouth or Liberty Bell ran then.
Full, competitive fields with low takeout will bring players back but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

I think it's not a bad idea to cut down racing dates. Like Hong Kong racing, they only hv racing twice a week and it is such a big event that every race has full field and big paid outs. Definitely worth looking into.

anywhere there is money there are thieves.

Originally Posted by mrginandtonic

I think it's not a bad idea to cut down racing dates. Like Hong Kong racing, they only hv racing twice a week and it is such a big event that every race has full field and big paid outs. Definitely worth looking into.

then what do all of us everyday players do?

Horse racing is fixed in certain ways. Not all horses are in a given race to win it. Its part of the handicapping puzzle. Barry Irvin addresses the medication issue during the Preakness broadcast. This is a big black eye for the sport. Until things become more standardized with regards to testing and penalties the perception of cheating will remain in the minds of the average public.

Wow, the article says that punishment for deliberately holding back horses to lose is 5 -25 years suspension, no mercy there.

Originally Posted by thezbar

Horse racing is fixed in certain ways. Not all horses are in a given race to win it. Its part of the handicapping puzzle. Barry Irvin addresses the medication issue during the Preakness broadcast. This is a big black eye for the sport. Until things become more standardized with regards to testing and penalties the perception of cheating will remain in the minds of the average public.

With all due respect to you, Barry Irwin is nothing more than a loud mouth blow hard that does not know shit from shinola about medication. It is the constant misuse of medication by vets as well as trainers that have stained the game. Not by all , but by way to many.
ALL the other nonsense is shameful and I will be doing a write up on drugs and racing commissioners in the next day or 2 in my Q and A thread .
Racing opened up a huge can of worms in the 70s with Lasix. They along with the Breeding industry are now paying the price for that mistake.

Originally Posted by Art Vandeleigh

Wow, the article says that punishment for deliberately holding back horses to lose is 5 -25 years suspension, no mercy there.

If guilty, they should get life!

thats why there are supertrainers out there... all you have to do is follow the pharmaceutical trail

LOL... Always follow the lasix////

there are tons of point skimming scandals in college basketball too..
then there's the ref scandal in the nba...

where money can be won, there is corruption

Originally Posted by DaHoss

thats why there are supertrainers out there... all you have to do is follow the pharmaceutical trail

There was a trainer at Los Alamitos in the late 70's that was winning at 30%+ for several years. Then all of the sudden he disappeared! As it turned out his father in law was a chemist
The list of California trainers that used co2 before testing was introduced several years ago is a long one, including some hof trainers. Some have admitted to it. "My owners want to win and I need to stay competitive with the other trainers that use it. Co2 is used to delay the onset of lactic acid build up in muscles.
The pharmaceutical trail still exists. Only the names of the drugs have changed to protect the guilty.

Originally Posted by str

With all due respect to you, Barry Irwin is nothing more than a loud mouth blow hard that does not know shit from shinola about medication. It is the constant misuse of medication by vets as well as trainers that have stained the game. Not by all , but by way to many.
ALL the other nonsense is shameful and I will be doing a write up on drugs and racing commissioners in the next day or 2 in my Q and A thread .
Racing opened up a huge can of worms in the 70s with Lasix. They along with the Breeding industry are now paying the price for that mistake.

Barry Irwin is the front man for Team Valor a racing partnership that has been in the game nearly twenty years. The group has raced many top race horses including divisional champions. Included in their group is Jeff Siegal HRTV racing personality and handicapper. I would agree with the term blow hard. But disagree with the implication he is ignorant with the issues regarding horse medication.
I've played poker with someone who invested in the group in the 90's. He described Mr. Irwin as a clever businessman and a jerk. His investment yielded nothing. The horses never raced.

Thanks for prompting this discussion. Have there been any incidents in North America at the so called "A" tracks recently where fixing has been going on? I've always wondered about this but it seems there is not much to be found. During the Preakness broadcast on last Saturday, Barry Irwin mentioned he'd like to see the "FBI" brought in to regulate the use of drugs in the sport. Seems like pretty strong words on his part and I chuckled when he was asked by Costas on why he has hired extra security as he feels he is a "target". I thought he might have been referring to Rick Dutrow who has been suspended a number of times for drug violations with his horses. I'd like to see these dialogues more "out in the open" instead of being behind closed doors.