TGJB -

I'd pick another spot. I agree with classhandicapper that you're overreacting to the article.

I'm not a big Hegarty fan (I don't think he's very good), but my informed guess is that all reporters have a list of people they call when they need a quote. They compile the list based on who they can rely upon to (a) provide the needed info or quote, and (b) call back in time for the reporter to meet his deadline. If you want to cultivate that kind of relationship, there are ways to do it. RGS obviously does. Hegarty certainly had no journalistic obligation to get me-too quotes from every rebate shop.

Practically speaking, racetrack operators are not going to cut off a rebate shop based on what Hegarty writes. Money (handle) talks, and they listen.

In general, if racing is going to get cleaned up, I don't think the racing media is going to play a leading role. Perhaps because the racing reporters are afraid to bite the hand that feeds them, I've noticed that much of the good investigative journalism about racing is not done by a paper's racing reporter.