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-   -   PETA undercover in Asmussen's barn - Whoa! (http://www.derbytrail.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53472)

Kasept 03-22-2014 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Left Bank (Post 970347)
Did they state in the video that 24 horses die PER WEEK at racetracks?? That would mean 1248 horses die a year at the racetrack, which I find very hard to believe. And I don't think Blasi will have a good time at the track anymore with the attitude he presented. I don't think this is good news for anybody.

That is the NYT's own manufactured number based on their 'study' utilizing charts with 'broke down', 'vanned off' as their reference points. It's also a conflated number including Quarter Horse racing. They quote it endlessly despite there being no actual substantiation.

Kasept 03-22-2014 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arletta (Post 970337)
No sure if it's true, but I read somewhere that it was Scott's ex girlfriend.

This is correct.

Arletta 03-22-2014 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasept (Post 970382)
This is correct.

Holy crap!

pointman 03-22-2014 02:47 PM

Per Marcus Hersh on twitter, Assmussen fired Scott Blasi.

tector 03-22-2014 03:19 PM

Let me say something I said 15 years ago on the old AOL horse racing boards.

The American people have become more and more divorced from the reality of dealing with animals. Formerly many people grew up on farms or at least rural communities, or had close relatives they visited, and liked, who did so. Many also hunted.

Now, for most Americans, their relationship to animals are strictly as pets (excuse me, in 15 years the term "pet" has become increasing stigmatized--"animal companions" or whatever). Many still consume other animals as "food", although they are completely removed from dealing with the reality of that food chain.

When it comes to horses, however, the overwhelming paradigm that newcomers implicitly apply to race horses is "pets" (I'll stick with the old school term). They are not interested in eating them, and to the extent they ever really dealt with a horse it is riding a pony (or having their kids do so).

Standards of conduct towards horses that were generally acceptable (to the extent they were even known) in past generations simply are not going to fly with this kind of populace. You can say "Nothing new here"--but that is not an answer to a population with different values than you. Some of you sound like the hapless old religious farts who cannot understand how the ground shifted under them on gay rights, or weed, or whatever. Your old certitudes about what is acceptable are just that--yours.

This has been on ongoing process--prior to the 70s or 80s, for example, horses were a disposable commodity in making films. Many were killed or injured filming westerns, for example, with trip wires and the like. That has been out of bounds for a while now.

Horse racing as we know it will not exist in the US in another generation--two at the most. What we will have, I don't know. But it won't be what is on that videotape, "selectively edited" or not. Blaming PETA, as despicable as it is, and the NYT is a distraction.

Arletta 03-22-2014 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointman (Post 970412)
Per Marcus Hersh on twitter, Assmussen fired Scott Blasi.

No surprise there.

Left Bank 03-22-2014 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pointman (Post 970412)
Per Marcus Hersh on twitter, Assmussen fired Scott Blasi.

I saw that coming.
http://www.drf.com/news/blasi-fired-...mplaints-video

Pants II 03-23-2014 08:05 AM

It was a well edited video. My initial reaction to it was..."Did Blasi have relations with that woman?"

That is the only way I could see him disclosing the undocumented worker "procedure".

As of right now, the video is hardly viral. 125,000+ views in 4 days has to be disappointing for the woman scorned and her new pals.

Calzone Lord 03-23-2014 08:29 AM

Was she a long-time girlfriend, or just a young person who applied as a hotwalker who charmed into dating for a few months?

Chalky 03-23-2014 08:30 AM

Context?
 
I agree with the fact that this tape is a cherry picked propaganda tape, and I think Lasix is a good thing, but Santana sure as hell looks bad and he should have a problem. Mark it down, his win % will drop now that this happened. The machine will be at that agent's house that has the "who are you going to believe? Me or that tape?" A strategy that should have been silence.

Crisis reveals character more than it builds it. The fact that Assmussen just threw Blasi out when you know damn well he knew everything that was going on reveals what a worm he is. There were problems on the tape and obviously Zayat would be offended (he probably should have been offended at the lack of big Steve at the stable), but Steve and him have already kissed and made up, insuring Tapiture will run up the track at Churchill like most of them he enters in that race on a yearly basis.

It sickens me that there is always a fall guy when firing them usually makes everyone look worse than trying to defend most of it. Asmussen will get a hand slap and be back at it soon enough. New York taxpayers will foot the bill to come to the realizations Mr. Byk (as usual) outlined that we already know. (P.s. Some jackass in Congress will launch one as well so we can all participate by paying for the witch hunt which will be the equivalent of the equine Marshall Report), and Blasi will be like Oswald "acting alone" and Steve will run the stable from across the street for a while while he "learns his lesson and sends everyone to sensitivity training or some other waste of time" and Santana will be exonerated but punished and Blasi will have years to overcome in this industry and will be persona non-grata because we always have to turn on people when they are basically exactly how we thought they were.

Who in the hell could be under surveillance for years and not have a tirade now and then in our industry? It's the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The bigger concern to me is stable and backside security when these nuts can get to our horses for years. For crying out loud, they have a reputation they wear proudly of a half-assed terrorist group. I have horses at Santa Anita/Del Mar and I would lose it if I knew a group like PETA was just wondering around the shed row. That's what New York should investigate. That, and ask the Feds what the policy is on illegals? Oh wait, we don't have one ( I don't know why this is a concern of PETA by the way since it does not effect animal safety or treatment, but since they raised it, what is their idea?). It's just like our Middle East policy. There, I saved the state money and did the report.


Oh well. More adversity for the sport we love, and just like every competitive sport, an expose can be done showing the people being competitive. Shocker to no one but PETA and the people that listen to them. Oh well, I'll be out there today and I'll be at Churchill with a line through Tapiture. I can't wait until those idiots on TV talk about it for 3 hours straight instead of shutting up. When those guys get done, can you imagine the outrage from the PETA supporters if somehow Tapiture wins? The timing would be like Tonya Harding winning gold instead of falling on her ass.

There is enough adversity in the sport without this crap, but it's the world we live in. Sad indeed.

Pants II 03-23-2014 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord (Post 970530)
Was she a long-time girlfriend, or just a young person who applied as a hotwalker who charmed into dating for a few months?

As I get older I tend to rely less on my memory cause it can be off...especially when concerning racetrackers.

But...I was under the assumption that he was married to Helen Pitts. So I would guess she wasn't a long-time girlfriend.

Kasept 03-23-2014 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pants II (Post 970532)
As I get older I tend to rely less on my memory cause it can be off...especially when concerning racetrackers.

But...I was under the assumption that he was married to Helen Pitts. So I would guess she wasn't a long-time girlfriend.

It's Scott's brother that is married to Helen Pitts..

dellinger63 03-23-2014 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pants II (Post 970532)
As I get older I tend to rely less on my memory cause it can be off...especially when concerning racetrackers.

But...I was under the assumption that he was married to Helen Pitts. So I would guess she wasn't a long-time girlfriend.

She's married to his brother Greg

Pants II 03-23-2014 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasept (Post 970533)
It's Scott's brother that is married to Helen Pitts..

My mistake.

If I were Scott...I would claim it was his split personality, Nicky Santoro, that was at the barn for those 4 months.

It could work. A little rehab, medication, and he'll be back on the track next spring.

dellinger63 03-23-2014 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pants II (Post 970536)
.

If I were Scott....

I'd being looking to relocate east, as in the middle east.

largo1 03-23-2014 09:34 AM

"The American people have become more and more divorced from the reality of dealing with animals."

True story. Granted, I haven't had the time to watch all of the video but nothing I've heard or seen has even remotely shocked me. Yes, both legal and illegal performance-enhancing drugs are used on horses. Yes, hooves are patched together repeatedly in hopes of holding up through another race/class/event. Yes, joints are pin fired,injected and whatever. All manners of therapies are used. Horses are raced/shown when they are unsound. Illegal workers are employed on the backside (as well as at many other non-horse related jobs).
I can tell you from experience that these practices are not exclusive to the racing world. They are present in the worlds of dressage, reining, jumping, and western pleasure. Heck, this goes on at the weekend 4H shows. Anytime that money or glory is involved with horses there will be people who will cheat, people who will eek every drop they can out of a horse, even people who will knowingly use up and throw away a horse , all in the name of winning.

But, as Tector said, none of this is not going to fly with the general population. I don't know what the answer is, but something is going to have to change, or horse racing will be a sport of the past.

Pants II 03-23-2014 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dellinger63 (Post 970538)
I'd being looking to relocate east, as in the middle east.

"Health Care Facility" "Anger Management"

Or just don't curse in a job where a hyper-sensitive society is watching your every move.

Or better yet a new type of beer that temporarily takes away your ability to speak. :D

freddymo 03-23-2014 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by largo1 (Post 970542)
"The American people have become more and more divorced from the reality of dealing with animals."

True story. Granted, I haven't had the time to watch all of the video but nothing I've heard or seen has even remotely shocked me. Yes, both legal and illegal performance-enhancing drugs are used on horses. Yes, hooves are patched together repeatedly in hopes of holding up through another race/class/event. Yes, joints are pin fired,injected and whatever. All manners of therapies are used. Horses are raced/shown when they are unsound. Illegal workers are employed on the backside (as well as at many other non-horse related jobs).
I can tell you from experience that these practices are not exclusive to the racing world. They are present in the worlds of dressage, reining, jumping, and western pleasure. Heck, this goes on at the weekend 4H shows. Anytime that money or glory is involved with horses there will be people who will cheat, people who will eek every drop they can out of a horse, even people who will knowingly use up and throw away a horse , all in the name of winning.

But, as Tector said, none of this is not going to fly with the general population. I don't know what the answer is, but something is going to have to change, or horse racing will be a sport of the past.

Go watch Braveheart and tell me that horses werent hurt in the filming, great movie but not if you were a horse in some of these battle scenes

Sightseek 03-23-2014 03:25 PM

Someone created a not so nice website revealing her identity.

GenuineRisk 03-23-2014 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freddymo (Post 970577)
Go watch Braveheart and tell me that horses werent hurt in the filming, great movie but not if you were a horse in some of these battle scenes

Horses weren't hurt in the filming. They used mechanical ones for the graphic stuff in the battle scenes. Mel Gibson took great pride in how angry animal rights people got about the movie because he took it to mean the mechanical ones were convincing. Truth.


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