I have been working on some things behind the scenes that could bear fruit on the drug question, we'll see. There are a few people in authority that really do care and get it, but the problem, even for them, is to some degree political, as well as legal (every time they come down on someone they end up in court, and that costs money). Yes, I know there are overriding issues more important, but as a practical matter they have to sell the ideas to a board.

The two things currently that offer an opportunity are a) the New York franchise being up for grabs, and b) the new position tracks are taking to throw people off without having to give a reason, on the basis of it being private property. The first is interesting because Spitzer likes to position himself as champion of the public interest, and the most leverage the public will ever have on whoever gets the franchise is before they get it. I'm working on this, don't know how it will work out.

The second is interesting because it may make things a WHOLE lot simpler in dealing with cheaters. It would if I were running a track.

Re the boycott idea: a few years ago there was a boycott (against Golden Gate, I believe), and it was very effective-- the track caved. At the time I thought that was a watershed event. Because of the internet, and rebate shops, and outfits like ours, and e-mail, it is now relatively easy to find and reach a lot of bigger bettors and attempt to organize them. That's not an idea for now, and if it is done it has to be carefully thought out in terms of what the specific goal is and whether it can be accomplished. But it is something that can be done, and it may take some form of organization of horseplayers to effect change in this industry, and take it away from the Kentucky breeders. Those guys don't get it and they don't care-- their business is doing just fine.