Raz: This entire episode has been a disgrace, and it is now a "farce" as Mota's lawyer put it. Whatever Wygod did, the CHRB has no excuse for not interviewing him. I hope that the van driver and/or Canani don't take the fall for the embarassment that resulted from all this, but I wouldn't bet against it at this point. All you need to know about this episode is the chief complainant -- the executive director of the CHRB and a former steward herself -- didn't bother to show up, even though she had been subpoenaed.

But there's something I don't understand about what happened yesterday. The charges against Wygod weren't limited to whether Wygod ordered false statements to be made to the stable gate guard. From the April 11th Blood Horse article: "The complaint further alleges Wygod violated CHRB Rule 1902 (Conduct Detrimental to Horse Racing) in connection with statements he made before and after Saturday's Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) concerning the health of Sweet Catomine, who finished fifth in the race as the even-money favorite. The owner was widely quoted in newspapers, magazines, and on Web sites as saying after the race that the filly had physical problems, such as internal bleeding after she exercised on April 3, and providing details that were not made public before the race." What happened to that part of the complaint? I'm not sure it would have been a good idea for the stewards to determine that Wygod violated that rule, but it sure would have been a good place to start an important dialogue about these episodes, their detriment to racing, and what to do about them.