HORSEPLOP.COM
General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Misty meadows on September 10, 2025, 01:55:21 PM
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I went to the racetrack northfield park and Batavia and loved sitting outside to watch and bet the races. Then I did something stupid I got involved with the horses. I learned how to do a stall. Put equipment on. Jog horses. Eventually getting trainer’s license. I bought horses They did ok some good some bad. But now unfortunately us small timers are racing for 5th place money. We don’t have the synthetic EPO. Or the strong painkillers that takes a crippled horse to winners circle these days. It’s really a shame but it is ALL ABOUT THE DRUGS!!if you choose not to care if your horse dies next year and race like so many of us do we are basically racing for 5th place. I did one time love the game. Now I laugh as watch the same people greedy people win every week and nobody says anything. I look at suspensions every week. It doesn’t matter. Just use your brother your uncle your mother and when you served your days just put yourself down again without missing any action. It’s a real shame
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I went to the racetrack northfield park and Batavia and loved sitting outside to watch and bet the races. Then I did something stupid I got involved with the horses. I learned how to do a stall. Put equipment on. Jog horses. Eventually getting trainer’s license. I bought horses They did ok some good some bad. But now unfortunately us small timers are racing for 5th place money. We don’t have the synthetic EPO. Or the strong painkillers that takes a crippled horse to winners circle these days. It’s really a shame but it is ALL ABOUT THE DRUGS!!if you choose not to care if your horse dies next year and race like so many of us do we are basically racing for 5th place. I did one time love the game. Now I laugh as watch the same people greedy people win every week and nobody says anything. I look at suspensions every week. It doesn’t matter. Just use your brother your uncle your mother and when you served your days just put yourself down again without missing any action. It’s a real shame
I understand 100%, I did the same , except never got my trainers license. The game is now a joke, waiting for its last breath.
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The sad part is everyone in harness racing. Owners. Grooms. Trainers. Drivers. Judges. Race secretaries. Starting car drivers. Spit box workers know it’s all about DRUGS!!!!!!! Period. Use them and your making money don’t and your lucky to get 5th place check. This is why the top drivers drive for top drug users what happens when top driver drives for a nobody. That’s right. 7th or 8th place. Before I knew anything about the business and was a spectator I loved harness racing
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Too many of the humans involved have completely ruined this game.
I enjoy listening to Larry Rolla's podcasts, but he epitomizes a harness participant.
"I only did what I had to do. Other people did worse. Cheating was around long before I was."
The real world doesn't quite buy those excuses. "Hell, murder has always existed, and I only killed one person, and that was because I didn't like the person. Please let me off!"
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It is really sad what Harness racing has become. The drug use is disgusting and nothing is being done about it. They get caught...no big deal. They just put another name down on paper while they serve the so called "suspension". It's a total joke! Most of the tracks they aren't even racing! It's a betting game. That's all it is. Not even fun to watch anymore honestly. It's sad.
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Over the last 8 years, I've been a part owner of 7 two year olds.
I know my trainer very well and only buy with friends and family.
It's a hobby. I'm not in it expecting to make money. If I do, that's a bonus.
I've never owned more than 3 at the same time.
All 7 have qualified and made it to the track.
5 of 7 have actually broken their maiden.
I've never added it up, but because of one excellent horse, I'm close to even.
Because of the feeling that my horses are getting beaten by cheats, I will never purchase another horse. I am part owner of a mare and am now prepared to only race her foals.
As I said, I didn't expect to make money, but I can't stand losing to horses that all of a sudden best their lifetime marks by 2 seconds. It isn't the training regime or feed.
So I've gone from contributing at least 50k per year, down to a quarter of that.
I'd expect I'm not the only one that is on this path of reduced financial investment.
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I'm a lifer. Been in it since I was a teenager and worked my way through college. Betting has been my livelihood from day one. Then I began owning horses. But I have always been a fan, a bettor, and an owner (breeder). The sport is where it is today because everyone involved turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the ever changing world. Think about the US steel industry (from the 60's to the 90's, and then through to today). The people in the industry (commercial breeding farms, for example) have also cannibalized it and themselves. The sport will not die. Neither will the industry. It will be reinvented and transformed, either by choice or by necessity. It will get worse before it gets better. The future will be less tracks, which will be part of a destination and entertainment offering, with casinos, poker, hospitality, retail, and other offerings for entertainment and the wagering dollar.
I don't think the new model will work nationwide. Under the current political landscape, it cannot work in CA. However, I think it will work in Toronto, NY, NJ, FL, and other places as well.
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HOOSIERPARK HAS BECOME A FCKIN EMBARESSMENT WITH ALL THE EPO THEY ALLOW SOME BIG SHOT TRAINERS TO USE WITHOUT PUNISHMENT ,,
JOE MORRIS NEEDS TSTEP UP OR ALOT OF GOOD PEOPEL WILL BE WALKING..
DISGRACE WHAT THAT TRTACK HAS TURNED INTO
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HOOSIERPARK HAS BECOME A FCKIN EMBARESSMENT WITH ALL THE EPO THEY ALLOW SOME BIG SHOT TRAINERS TO USE WITHOUT PUNISHMENT ,,
JOE MORRIS NEEDS TSTEP UP OR ALOT OF GOOD PEOPEL WILL BE WALKING..
DISGRACE WHAT THAT TRTACK HAS TURNED INTO
You actually sound in control as angry as you are.
That's tact, I lack it and have become more of a hot head.
With your financial commitment, loyalty to the brand, further always seeking more opportunities and always willing to put the cash down - I'm surprised you didn't tear that place into pieces.
I wish your babies develop into champions and stay healthy and you overcome this horror show, and your voice should be heard NOW there loud and clear so this fucking bullshit nightmare stops!
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HOOSIERPARK HAS BECOME A FCKIN EMBARESSMENT WITH ALL THE EPO THEY ALLOW SOME BIG SHOT TRAINERS TO USE WITHOUT PUNISHMENT ,,
JOE MORRIS NEEDS TSTEP UP OR ALOT OF GOOD PEOPEL WILL BE WALKING..
DISGRACE WHAT THAT TRTACK HAS TURNED INTO
Sadly it will more than likely be the latter.
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It's not a product you can bet on with all the juicing going on.
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I know there's alot of juicing going on, how much, who knows for sure, but when you basically suspect who is or isn't doing it I think you can still bet if that's what you like to do. Even if I don't bet, I still like watching the big races. If you do bet and lose you shouldn't blame it on other horses being juiced, your horse was stiffed or whatever because no one forced you to bet.
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Cheaters in all sports and businesses eventually get caught and are weeded out.
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Cheaters in all sports and businesses eventually get caught and are weeded out.
Name another game where cheating is so openly and well entrenched by many that accepts parimutuel wagers.
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My love for harness racing changed when I saw Brett Pelling tubing a horse with Mark Kemodel holding the twitch back in the 80’s. I thought then that this is not good. When I told the judges at the Meadowlands, they didn’t seem to care.
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Name another game where cheating is so openly and well entrenched by many that accepts parimutuel wagers.
Jai Alai
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I'm a lifer. Been in it since I was a teenager and worked my way through college. Betting has been my livelihood from day one. Then I began owning horses. But I have always been a fan, a bettor, and an owner (breeder). The sport is where it is today because everyone involved turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to the ever changing world. Think about the US steel industry (from the 60's to the 90's, and then through to today). The people in the industry (commercial breeding farms, for example) have also cannibalized it and themselves. The sport will not die. Neither will the industry. It will be reinvented and transformed, either by choice or by necessity. It will get worse before it gets better. The future will be less tracks, which will be part of a destination and entertainment offering, with casinos, poker, hospitality, retail, and other offerings for entertainment and the wagering dollar.
I don't think the new model will work nationwide. Under the current political landscape, it cannot work in CA. However, I think it will work in Toronto, NY, NJ, FL, and other places as well.
well said drew
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Faraldo & Ford have been around for many, many years. For them to be involved with cheating/banded trainers says it all. They don't get fired or resign from their positions. No one believes their excuses. The game is crooked from the top down, everyone knows it, & the game is ruined from a betting standpoint.
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I was once naive and joined the "game" because I was in awe of what these horses could do . Then, the same as Misty I got more and more involved. I wish I would've stayed on the outside where ignorance is bliss and I didn't see what greed can make people do
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Jai Alai
I agree that a lot of games at the jai alai fronton seem fixed, especially those easy shot drops.
Racing has many more fans than jai alai and when jai alai starts faltering, they don't get state tax money. They just close up like Milford and Bridgeport jai alai in Connecticut did.
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Misty Meadows, I waited a few days to read the comments and though they would really respond to your post and i am not talking horsemen as they have showed their colours for a long time, Iwould bet money that last year and this year combined did not pick up 10 gamblers across North America that are in the 20-30 range, The NFL pro bowl has no crowd and no interest with the biggest stars in the game putting 40percent effort into the game and i see horse racing as a much less percentage as at most race tracks you might not see one race this year with 5 in and 5 out, The powers in the game do not want to see this topic as it may drive away players and the truth is there are no players left and the people that play expect to lose as they have followed that pattern for their whole gamblng existance, Bad racing with poor prices and drugged up horses with drivers that have zero respect for the game is not a winning formula for success and one of the few racetracks in years past being hoosier park might today be the biggest speed highway track in racing as management of that track has done a super horrible job as that track looks like a single file version of Pompano a place when given the breeders crown produced what i call the worst race in harness history as no horse on that day was loosing on the lead and JC was well awhere of the extreme bias and knew that get to the front and its over. Misty no one will look to help you as every one is bad news when it comes to saving this game and Frank Sirpico looking to do the right thing and catch the bad guys has never happened and never will, How is it possible that years ago a horse like Saunders Alpine lobbel GB was huge odds in his first race and got beat by a huge ammount and one week later he dropped from double didget with 3 minutes to post and paid 4-5 and the CPMA never saw this happen and that is one out of thousands of examples of an industry with no law and no leaders that care.
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Grandstand you may be right about harness racing not going away as i remember the early days from the movie BEN HUR as i loved that in those days every one was aggressive with no holes and the bikes added for alot of excitement. Now those were great days with excited crowds
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If decoupling isn’t the final nail in the coffin, the fact is that harness racing gamblers for the most part are old and dying and not being replaced. Based on how horrible the sport/ business has become, there are zero reasons to think anything will change to attract new fans and bettors.
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it is getting very hard to post due to health reasons but i did not even know there was a small base of people going is to the JUG and that says a lot to me how you can be mistreated abused and still be a fan, But one thing i am sure of that no large bettors will be there and the crowd will be very old. The crew doing the colour work will be jolly as they collect their undeserving paycheck, It would nice to see that asian kid get a shot as to me he is the only good young talent in media who does not suck up but does his job
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Edison does a nice job! JWR would also be good on the broadcast. Those two would be worth a watch. tmbz1
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People know the difference between a trainer and a chemist trainers don’t do interviews
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I once loved harness racing and I still do! tmbz1
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WOW,. PACER loves the game, WONDERFUL. He stopped making movies the last movie he was in was a legandary film, THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS AND NEVER RETURNED,