"We’re in trouble"....D.Wayne Lucas

[Buckpasser]

This is the time when horse racing, which has clearly become more and more the sports pages’ stepchild, muscles back into the public eye for five brief weeks.

But Friday old D. Wayne was worried, but not about his twin entry of Dublin and Northern Giant — as a member of both the Thoroughbred and Quarterhorse Halls of Fame, he has seen enough and done enough to know that to win he probably needs a lot of luck and a major shift of Maryland’s position in the Earth’s axis.

There is an uncertain future for those who were once giants in this fading industry.

“I’m 75 years old,” he told a handful of reporters Friday in front of his stakes barn, pointing to the ancient split-rail fence some 10 feet away, “and some of the best times were the week I sat on that fence while Codex (the 1980 Preakness winner) nibbled hay in that stall behind me.

“But we’re in trouble. Look at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Churchill Downs has four tracks that balked at the $385K fee. Pimlico heard that and pulled out, too. It’s supposed to promote racing and what does it do? If I were one of their executives I wouldn’t put any more meat in the frozen food locker or send out dry cleaning. Those guys are done.”

http://www.nj.com/sports/njsports/in..._lukas_sp.html


This is the time of year when horse racing gets the most coverage , so hats off to Lucas for putting it out there for the public and horseman to comment on.