Re: Teflon Todd (679 Views)
Posted by:
Thehoarsehorseplayer (IP Logged)
Date: December 29, 2006 09:50AM
It seems to me the easiest way to turn a Racino into a Casino is to spotlight the animal abuse issues in Racing.
Afterall, one could make the case that forcing horses to race is inherently abusive.
They get whipped, they spend hour after monotonous hour in stalls, and after they show a propensity for bleeding while running they are given a diuretic for the sole purpose of keeping them running.
And this whole notion of legal vs illegal drugs is nonsense from an animal abuse perspective. If the drug is being administered for the purpose of allowing a horse to race--that is, if the horse would not need the drug if he didn't race--from an animal rights perspective it's abusive.
Elevate the issue to a national debate and horse racing is going to lose. At the very least suffer a holyshit shiner of a public relations black eye.
No, in the end the only way for the industry to become more responsive to the needs of horseplayers is for horseplayers to exert their economic power.
But then, of course, getting horseplayers to agree to do anything is kind of like herding cats. (And only the power of the internet makes it possible.)
Still, my motto is: Horseplayers Unite. You have nothing to lose but less money.