It dawned upon me a couple of years ago that if Racing is viewed as a pyramid game the people at the very top are the breeders whose stallions are covering--what a hundred mares a year?--at $500,000 a pop.

The status quo is working for them. They have no reason to change the status quo. They have the money to insure the status quo is not changed. Ergo, the status quo remains the status quo.

Now, since being critical is not the same thing as thinking critically, I'm always reluctant to criticize without being able to propose a reflective remedy. But in this case I don't have one to offer. (I've played with the notion that stud fees should be subjected to a tax earmarked for drug testing and back stretch living improvements, but doubt such legislation could prevail against the liquidity of the special interests), Yet, I do believe that if the top breeders really wanted to clean the game up, it would be cleaned up.

From this perspective the wagging tails have been swishing away the flies of reform for quite some time. Never forget, the game, as is, is working for them.