Web of Surick Expands

[Watchandtell]

Why wouldn't they just shut up?

https://ustrottingnews.com/response-to-public-comments-regarding-sanctions-imposed-by-the-usta-board-of-directors-at-its-2025-annual-meeting/

[JT]

Why wouldn't they just shut up?

https://ustrottingnews.com/response-to-public-comments-regarding-sanctions-imposed-by-the-usta-board-of-directors-at-its-2025-annual-meeting/

Just another in the long list of black eyes for the sport we grew up in and loved. What a bad look for Diamond Creek. The fines recommended by the USTA are an absolute joke. Chump change for these guys. The only way to clean up the industry is for all penalties for this, drugging horses, stiff jobs by drivers etc..is to be much more harsh. Fining a driver 100 bucks won't do a thing for a whipping violation. Bartlett will probably get nothing for his blatent stiff job last week. Merriman continues to drive after his 4th dui and verbally ripping an officer to shreds. That officer showed so much restraint to that drunk driving piece of crap. All the corruption that everyone on here knows about with The Meadowlands and Yonkers. Trainers like Burke who get caught cheating and serve their suspension in January. I could go on forever. The point is people better wake up or this sport will be dead in 10 years.

[Dr. O]

Story is bizarre. Why would diamond creek deal with a guy on a contraband phone calling from federal prison?  Do they really need the breeding revenue that much?  Penalty should have been stiffer to serve as a deterrent to other scammers. 

[Mazola]

I assume Nick won't be getting out early for good behaviour

[The Answer]

The response by Russell and Faraldo just shows their pettiness. I am
no fan of the Diamond Creek gang but they were treated unfairly compared to others. Hanover did business with Surick and got nothing. Wonder why? Faraldo has a black eye from Banca. Did the USTA do any investigation there? As long as those two are at the top of the food chain of the USTA harness racing will continue deteriorate.

[Chips N Salsa]

I agree that DCF was wrong but Hanover did the same damn thing and Faraldo had horses with Richie and helped him with the draw and what races were being black boxed.

[Yonkers1A]

Unbelievable, All parties need to be banded for life, dealing with a prisoner, wow, life + is needed

[Parked]

The USTA should refuse to register any foal that resulted from these deals.. 

[The Exporter]

The USTA should refuse to register any foal that resulted from these deals..

Including the mattings at Hanover? Not likely. Law suits would be a plenty.

[simplify]

Contraband cell phone. Is there a bigger douche than Surick? And to think Lucparc defended him...another douche.

[Stan durbread]

I agree that DCF was wrong but Hanover did the same damn thing and Faraldo had horses with Richie and helped him with the draw and what races were being black boxed.

I must of missed something. Is there somewhere that shows Hanover was doing business knowingly with Little Nicky?

[Grandstand Handicapper]

They got fined. Questioned it, perhaps the objectivity (and they should), perhaps the conflict of interest (and they should), and whatever else they did. Then the layers of the onion get peeled back, and they come out looking even worse. Very bad optics. Surick was doing business with a lot of people when he was prohibited from doing so. Was it worth it for DC? My answer is, I couldn't care less how much, the answer is unconditionally no.

[Grandstand Handicapper]

I must of missed something. Is there somewhere that shows Hanover was doing business knowingly with Little Nicky?

I question whether or not anyone would even look, and if they did, how would anyone else find out? Conflict of interest. Period.

[Stan durbread]

I question whether or not anyone would even look, and if they did, how would anyone else find out? Conflict of interest. Period.

Could be the issue. So I’ll ask this. Why does the USTA membership  keep voting these guys into power?? JMO. I would rather pay a little more and buy from Hanover knowing that I will actually get the horse than wasting my time looking at and bidding on horses from many other breeders like DC and Winbak that very rarely sell a horse. Look at the names the sign the slip and the owner when it shows up to race. Never seen anyone other the Jablonsky own a piece of Hanover yearlings and they shot canned her

[Grandstand Handicapper]

Could be the issue. So I’ll ask this. Why does the USTA membership  keep voting these guys into power?? JMO. I would rather pay a little more and buy from Hanover knowing that I will actually get the horse than wasting my time looking at and bidding on horses from many other breeders like DC and Winbak that very rarely sell a horse. Look at the names the sign the slip and the owner when it shows up to race. Never seen anyone other the Jablonsky own a piece of Hanover yearlings and they shot canned her

Ask the people who vote for these people. Does anyone really know how the "vote" is conducted. Is it a no vote then straight ticket or incumbent? Is a no vote counted as a proxy or board directed vote?

As far as Hanover, nobody questions Hanover's practice of retaining horses, simply because they don't. When they used to they always made it a "buyer's choice" auction. However, for me the questions were who are you bidding against, is that person(s) bidding with real, out of pocket money, and who did Hanover put on what horses. I never thought Hanover played the game legit. I don't know that any commercial breeder did all the time. I do know that if you bought from certain breeders, and they liked the horse, if they knew you, and knew who you were going to use to to train the horse, they would offer to buy back in. Then the question becomes how much did you pay? Myron Bell puts some of his horses through the ring, buys them back at inflated prices and then sells shares to his "partners". Others he lets sell. But he chooses which. I used to ask, how do you buy a horse from Brittany? Sure, they sold plenty of good ones over the years. Plenty. But they used to cull and retain. Many farms do so with fillies, but colts too? So you are buying what? Ones they didn't want? Sure, everyone lets a good one go. But the deck is still stacked, and it's against you.