Hi Mike, that all depends on what side of the disqualification your ticket puts you on. Just as maddening as losing a big bet because the stewards take your horse down unfairly is losing a big bet because your horse was fouled and the stewards were too gutless to take down the offender.

While every case is different and must be decided on its own merits, my experience in general is that, more often than not, the stewards in both NY and Cal. are too afraid to take down horses despite flagrant fouls.

This also parallels the stewards’ reluctance to hand down meaningful penalties to trainers whose horses test positive for banned drugs as well. They both stem from a lack of guts on the part of stewards who are more concerned with not offending their source of profits than with doing the right thing.

Bob