X-Man thanks for the referaal however there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in Kentucky. These are some excerpts taken from the Louisville Courier Journal from Keeneland officials and they are encouraging because those guys (Keeneland) could care less about earnings per share and content and field size and all the other gargage excuses people are using to try and avoid testing.


"Penalties for violating Keeneland's milkshake rules would increase with each infraction.

Trainers whose horses test positive for milkshakes would be required to send any horses they plan to subsequently race at Keeneland to a detention barn 24 hours before their next race. The track would stop accepting a trainer's entries with a second positive test and ban that trainer for the year with a third positive.

Nicholson also said Keeneland will build a database with the testing results for all trainers.

"It will let us know where we are. How deep the (milkshaking) problem is here."

They still do not know yet if they are going to be testing on Derby Day. My advice is they better be, I'm told there will be people there asking questions about Drugs and Racing using this as the perfect platform for publicity on the issue just as the jockey's did last year with weights and advertising.

One of the things some of the Kentucky people need to realize is when you opened your Product up to the rest of the World with Satelite-based simulcasting, people who are wagering begin demanding higher Standards. And I mean people all over the World who are watching and wagering. You are no longer operating in your own little blind-eyed arena and you had better adjust your Standards. If you try and hold yourself to a higher ground than the rest of the industry then it better be applicable in all respective categories, DRUGS INCLUDED.

We will never know the answer but the Drug issue may have been playing a much bigger part in why we have not seen a Triple Crown winner in the last twenty five years. And why it may be another twenty five if the playing field isn't leveled.