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Baseball is a great analogy. Just think of how many ball players grew up dreaming of playing MLB and when they finally got their chance, the only way they could make it was by putting junk into their body just to keep up with the other cheaters. Some did but many wouldn't compromise their integrity or their health and ended up out of the game after dedicating their life to making it. Their are many similarities between the honest horseman(yes, believe me, there are some) and the clean ball player. I don't know any baseball players but I know quite a few horsemen that were forced out of harness racing because they wouldn't cheat. Very sad.
I was never a trainer but I regularly wonder how difficult the job has become. It’s not just about the hours, travel, vet costs, feed, supplements etc that causes me to pause. It is what goes through a trainer’s mind knowing he is at such a huge disadvantage trying to win against the chemists and the tracks that allow it to continue. It reminds me of the heavy steroid era in baseball. At first it wasn’t about building body mass and strength. It was about using steroids to heal from injuries a lot faster. That really wasn’t so bad under the right conditions. But once companies like Balco started promoting these drugs as performance enhancing that’s when the game went to hell. Is this what happened to harness racing too? I don’t know but the dirty trainers have just killed the sport.
You guys are lousy at reading comprehension. I never said Allard was a great guy, but he took his medicine like a man. Nicky is blowing his fortune on legal bills for appeals and informing on people.
Cheating and looking for that edge has gone on since Church going people raced each other back to their farms from Sunday services. Probably gores back to biblical times. This last go around was a perfect storm. State testing was underfunded and sub par. Money available to the cheats. The more you cheat the more money they give you. Corruption on every level of the game. And, when they finally have solid evidence of doping, the Commissions refuse to continue the investigation because, the state will not fund a prosecution. Add in the ownership of racetracks are happy to give you the rope to hang yourself. But you still cheat because nobody cares. Trainers are getting theirs, owners are getting theirs. Vets are getting their end. Drug manufacturers and their sales force are getting theirs. The only people who are screaming thief, are the people that nobody listens to. The get dismissed as incompetent, behind the times, lazy and looser. I don't care if you arrest convict and impression 100 more, cheating will always be there. If you see some recent posts from 'ittle Nicky of Facebook, he acts like a man without a care in the world. I don't know, maybe his Lawyers have some influence in that. What is amazing is the horse people who all respond with praise and encouragement, to this low life scumbag rat bastard. Again , I do have a suspicion that is the play his lawyers are looking for. This mutt, keeps playing everyone for fools.
Jail is one thing. Large financial penalties to the trainer & owners are needed too. There would still be some that cheat. The logic being the Feds will go away & business will be back to normal.
Commissions need to stop with suspensions. There is always a beard to step in when someone gets one. The way to deter cheating is huge fines. Your horse comes up positive..First offense 10g's. No suspension. Second offense..25g's. No suspension. Third offense...50g's. No suspension. Fourth offense...100g's. No suspension. HOWEVER. Until fine is paid. all horses on trainers roster are not allowed to race until fine is paid. No transferring trainer until fine is paid.
