Thoroughbred Racing League A Call To Action By Rick Porter Owner, Fox Hill Farm I love horse racing. It is a beautiful sport, with the most exquisite and honest athletes in the world. The horses are racing’s centerpiece, and without them we have nothing. We have no history and no future. Unfortunately, competition drives the unethical to cheat in every sport but in our sport cheating can have life or death consequences. It also wrongly takes money out of the pockets of handicappers and owners. As participants in the sport, we are obligated to speak for and take care of our horses and in doing so, take care of our customers. My love for the sport caused me to have contradictory feelings upon viewing the PETA video and reading of the charges against two trainers. I was shocked at the blatant disrespect shown to the horses and sad for the sport to have the spotlight focused on the darker side of racing. I also felt energized by the fact that perhaps something serious enough has happened to shake racing to its core, with a much improved sport being the end result. In this fractured sport, it seems the only issue there is consensus about is the need for a national governing body. It shouldn’t take PETA or any outside entity to uncover cheating or animal abuse and demand accountability. With a national governing body determined to clean up the sport, we can create a fair playing field for owners, trainers and handicappers. We can assure the public that we are an honest and ethical sport that they can proudly support. We will also be able to defend ourselves when facing racing’s critics in difficult times. A national governing body is not a new idea, but to this point, what’s stopped it from becoming a reality is a pervasive pessimism. We envision that there will be opposition within our own sport so we give up before trying. Maybe we’ve finally reached the point where we will choose to work together before being forced to by those who don’t have our expertise or best interests at heart. Currently, racing is regulated by each state’s racing commission. However, there’s nothing preventing a national governing body from implementing its own regulations beyond those of the racing commissions. We can implement stricter drug and welfare rules that we enforce in an expedient manner and with greater immunity from legal challenges due to the private nature of the league. It’s good business sense for tracks and trainers to support us. If we encounter immovable opposition within the sport then we can appeal to Congress for authority. For whatever reason, perhaps the paralyzing pessimism mentioned earlier, a national governing body in racing hasn’t been created by those at the top of the sport. After a decade of unanswered pleas, I’ve reached the conclusion we must do it ourselves from the ground up. I am positive that we can do it. There is great power in numbers and great power in doing what we all know is right for racing. We need the support of everyone involved in racing including those who work in the sport as well as handicappers and fans. Please give this your support, and let’s start looking forward to a brighter future for Thoroughbred racing. n PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT!
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:03:24 +0000
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