Smelly

I don't know about you guys, but something really smells regarding the Lexington EPO situation.

From the Harness Edge:

Four horses that were scheduled to compete in the ongoing Grand Circuit meeting at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky have tested positive for EPO in out of competition testing initiated by the racetrack.

The names of the horses and their trainers are not being released.

“We will not name the trainers as we wanted them to be able to challenge the test if they so wish with a split sample test and give them the chance to defend themselves,” said Joe Costa, the President and CEO of the Lexington Trots and Breeders Association which operates The Red Mile.

“We want to err on the side of caution before we condemn anyone and be respectful.

I think this is why this sport must get into the 21st century and get their act together regulatorily (not sure that is a word, but we like to make them up here from time to time). In this article (hat tip to Cangamble) titled "Lack of Central Authority Threatens Sport's Future" the author explores this mess:

A half-century ago, horseracing in America was a collection of politically-appointed fiefdoms (state racing commissions) overseeing tracks that derived 100 percent of their (legal) wagering handle through their own pari-mutuel machines and had virtually no competition for the wagering dollar. In 2008, American horseracing is still a collection of fiefdoms

I have no idea what is going on at Lexington. I don't know if this is guilt or innocence. I don't know if this is a positive test, or a bad test or a no test, or if a Tour De France cyclist peed on some hay and they took a sample of it by mistake. But I know one thing - if a national testing consortium, headed by a commissioner was in charge, there would not be this issue at Lexington. A test in Ontario would be the same as New York and it would be the same as in Kentucky. And rules would be rules, and the way it would be handled would be uniform.

I know there are countless bureaucrats in each state, and many state houses with their fingers in the pie and all the rest. That is the excuse everyone gives when someone offers an opine to fixing this business. But who gives a damn? I agree with the author. Get rid of them and start over. This business is a jurisdictional and procedural nightmare and it is clearly unable to fix itself.