E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Racing Industry's Integrity Examined
By Rene Romo
Journal Southern Bureau
SUNLAND PARK — Measures to ensure the integrity of horse racing were the main topic of conversation Monday during a special meeting of the state Racing Commission.
Julian Luna, the commission director, told the audience of more than 100 at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino that the commission plans to draft regulations establishing the authority to inspect two horse training facilities: one in Tularosa and one in Sunland Park.
State personnel are able to inspect racetrack facilities, but a lawsuit alleging trespassing was filed against the state after inspectors entered a barn at one of the private training facilities, Luna said.
He said a proposal will be presented to the Racing Commission's rules committee at its meeting Feb. 18. "It will enable the Racing Commission to protect the industry and the integrity of the industry," Luna said.
The meeting was unusual in that the agenda included an open forum when anyone could raise any concerns about horse racing in New Mexico.
The meeting took place in the shadow of a scandal involving the winner of the 2008 All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs, a Labor Day event dubbed the richest in quarter horse racing. The first-place horse, Stolis Winner, was disqualified for testing positive for caffeine, and the $1 million top prize was ordered redistributed to the other nine horses in the race.
Carl Draper, a trainer whose horses won the All American Futurity in 2004 and 2007, urged the commission to more aggressively confront the use of medications that appear to give second-tier horses an advantage. "It's the most serious thing that's happened in 30 years of racing," he said. "It's got to be stopped or there are a lot of trainers that are going to retire."
Others at the meeting urged the commission to look into halting a practice whereby trainers of horses that test positive for illegal substances are allowed to transfer the horses to other trainers. That allows the horses to continue racing while the case against the original trainer moves through a review process.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
