Takter Reaction Shows How Hard it is to Run The Sport

In Harness Racing Update, driver/trainer Jim Takter was "steaming mad". As most of you who watched know, Takter, driving a longshot against two other of his stablemates, sat on the outside and did not advance, in a stakes final last weekend. This caused crawling fractions and a good old fashioned boat race. 

•  “Why should I put pace into the race? I had no reason to do that. I was screwed no matter what I did; she couldn’t even keep up anyway. This whole thing is (expletive) bull (expletive).”
  Takter said
•  “It’s upsetting because I’m a standup guy,” Takter said. “I do everything right in this sport. Go after these scumbags doing all this dirty garbage.”

 Jim doth protest too much. No one is calling him a crook. No one is saying he deliberately boxed in a challenger. All people are saying is he did not advance with a horse on the outside - which is against the rules of racing - and because he had two others in the race, including the leader who clearly benefited, the perception for the sport is tarnished.

Jim is so upset, he says if the rules are changed he will sue.

The above shows how hard it is to police the sport, for the benefit of the wagering public. In Major League Baseball, a guy taking a supplement that you and I can take can be booted out of baseball. He's not a drug addict, but it looks bad. A dude who smokes a joint - legal in some states - as an NFL player is treated differently than a guy on the corner. He's not a drug addict either, but it can cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in suspensions.

Jim is not a crook, he just did not advance on the outside with a horse, which causes an issue for the $5 million or so going through the betting windows on Saturday. He should be fined. And he should, along with anyone else in the same position, learn from that mistake.