ISLAND SHOCK

[Jctoronto]

PEI harness racing and beyond turned upside down this week when AGCO put Jeff Gillis name up in lights this week...10 years worth of Canadian suspension light.

And PEI harness racing must be asking..how could we have allegedly been duped two yrs in a row with Covered Bridge and his connections (or a portion of those connections) and who knows who else before that and possibly by others in elimination heats over the recent years with animals from other operations which may well have been 'juiced to the gills'.

PEIs signature racing week each August culminates with the Saturday night title race, that the province and harness crowd there does better than anybody. Usually an event for that 50-60 claim aged level, many of which require 'a little assistance' to get the biggest job done, in the biggest week of the Maritime year.

And of course many travel into PEI from near and far to take a shot at that historic Canadian harness glory before thousands on hand.

The 2025 edition ought to be very interesting...wha t will the barn rules be? Are they changing as we speak? Should this horse level ('allegedly solid' aged claimers) be 'reconsidered' as the field that goes to post that week? Perhaps later season 3 yr olds (who yes, can need 'an assist' too)? Many 'aged boys' need a helping hand...some more than others..and therein lies a problem.
--

Ill also ask:  if a trainer just got 10 yrs for his taped  'malfeasance', that may, repeat may, have had plenty to do with back to back wins in PEIs most prestigious event,, would you not agree, the owner AND the driver be barred for a period of time from that event and Canadian racing as well?
Is it not possible for an owner (hmmm) and driver to not know 'everything' about the animal they sit behind, especially in events of a larger magnitude?

Anyway..gotta think what has happened 'down east' has got them very upset. Here's wishing them better weeks ahead leading to their mid August showcase week once more.

[Chessington]

Let’s hope that Mark Ford finally gets exposed. Interesting he has three horses on OnGait including Covered Bridge

[mwins]

I will NEVER understand the idiotic stance that an owner always knows what is going on EVERY SINGLE DAY with their horses.
That stance is next level stupid.

You know what I'm doing during the day? Working. With the money I earn, I sometimes buy horses.

I fully understand the concept of purse money being returned if my horse tests positive. But the notion of assuming that I knew anything prior to the race is RETARDED.

[JT]

The prestige of the race won't be altered in any way at all, just like the LBJ yogurt incident with Coleman and Betting Line. No owner or driver should be barred from that or any race. My family and I were small time owners for years and years in Ohio, mostly racing at the county fair circuit and Scioto. We would go to the farm about once a week and talk to the trainer and visit the horses. Our trainer would tell us everything that was going on and would also say whether he liked or didn't like a horses chance for a particular week. He NEVER got any positives or suspensions by the way. Anyway as an owner you have to put your faith in the trainer that he or she is doing right by the horse and you. You are paying the trainer to do a job so it's best to let them do it. I don't like people hovering over me while I'm working so I'm sure a trainer feels the same

[AgentQ]

The prestige of the race won't be altered in any way at all, just like the LBJ yogurt incident with Coleman and Betting Line. No owner or driver should be barred from that or any race. My family and I were small time owners for years and years in Ohio, mostly racing at the county fair circuit and Scioto. We would go to the farm about once a week and talk to the trainer and visit the horses. Our trainer would tell us everything that was going on and would also say whether he liked or didn't like a horses chance for a particular week. He NEVER got any positives or suspensions by the way. Anyway as an owner you have to put your faith in the trainer that he or she is doing right by the horse and you. You are paying the trainer to do a job so it's best to let them do it. I don't like people hovering over me while I'm working so I'm sure a trainer feels the same

Not so fast. While I agree that the majority of owners have no clue as to the day to day workings of training a horse, there are many that do. And they tend to be associated with the top trainers of any given circuit and would NEVER have a horse with a guy that can't produce. Furthermore, they tend to move horses to trainers that "get on a roll" and stay there until that trainer's roll stops and a new trainer surfaces. Those guys know something is being administered to make their horses crush the competition don't kid yourself. It's high time for a rule that prevents an owner from simply taking his horses elsewhere when a postive test is administered.

[Chessington]

Many many many owners know what’s going on and will move a horse to a drug barn in a heartbeat.

[Jctoronto]

https://youtu.be/7p-Tc_zwLD8?si=DjS2Jqkdk7GrsHOP

and if you havent seen it before, the alleged remarkable connection(s) sham pulled off on a remarkable night in August '24. Thatd make it back to back wins for this horse at this prestigious event.

this vid, the '24 title race. And about 5:30 into this video, witness the amazing walk with driver, horse, fans, announcer etc. TO CHEAT THE FANS, THE WORST.

[Stan durbread]

https://youtu.be/7p-Tc_zwLD8?si=DjS2Jqkdk7GrsHOP

and if you havent seen it before, the alleged remarkable connection(s) sham pulled off on a remarkable night in August '24. Thatd make it back to back wins for this horse at this prestigious event.

this vid, the '24 title race. And about 5:30 into this video, witness the amazing walk with driver, horse, fans, announcer etc. TO CHEAT THE FANS, THE WORST.

So how do you know the fans were cheated?  Pretty good chances every horse In that race was on same stuff. In the PEI would have the ORC come and do out of competition testing but about 7 years ago they decided they didn’t want the expenses any more

[Mazola]

So how do you know the fans were cheated?  Pretty good chances every horse In that race was on same stuff. In the PEI would have the ORC come and do out of competition testing but about 7 years ago they decided they didn’t want the expenses any more

So its not the cheaters fault that the fans were cheated? And, if they were all cheating its ok?

[Harness Racing Revolution]

So its not the cheaters fault that the fans were cheated? And, if they were all cheating its ok?

Any illegal action that results in altering the natural outcome of a race fucks everyone.

[Scooteroo]

Was the horse tested after the race?

[Harness Racing Revolution]

Was the horse tested after the race?

What part of Fishman manufactured undetectable medications do you not get? Thus, if you PURCHASED it, you're guilty.

[Scooteroo]

I haven't read all the recent threads because there have been so many.  Just asking, if you purchased it but don't use it on every horse, is he guilty just for buying it even if it wasn't used on every horse?

[Harness Racing Revolution]

I haven't read all the recent threads. Just asking, if you purchased it but don't use it on every horse, is he guilty just for buying it even if it wasn't used on every horse?

Yes

[Brkn Headpole]

So how do you know the fans were cheated?  Pretty good chances every horse In that race was on same stuff. In the PEI would have the ORC come and do out of competition testing but about 7 years ago they decided they didn’t want the expenses any more

ORC investigators treated it as a paid vacation, at best a peripheral I see nuttin inspection, then hit the golf course and lobster dinner.

Kent Oakes was the guy gettin all paid expenses for Allard and Ford. He would do anythin for Renes balls to be bouncin off his chin.