The following is an unanswered letter, written by Glenn Thompson, Horse Trainer, Author, and Champion of Horses and Horse Racing Reform, to Chris Kay of the NYRA.
What a freaking shame.
Read this letter, and then imagine how pathetically impotent the PETA video could have been, if Kay had paid any attention, and taken action to implement Thompson's ideas. Imagine how much better the sport would have been (and still could be) in just a few years. Imagine how many tragedies would have been (and could be) avoided on the track, if (once) drug free horses are allowed to heal - instead of racing on numbed but injured, ever more fragile legs. The rest of this post is for Thompson's visionary words:
Answer to PETA and Racing Begins to Heal
This was a letter that I wrote to the top man at New York Racing Association Chris Kay. Sadly he did not respond.
Subject: Nice to meet you yesterday
This was a letter that I wrote to the top man at New York Racing Association Chris Kay. Sadly he did not respond.
Subject: Nice to meet you yesterday
Good Morning Chris,
I know you are busy and want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. I will get into the marketing ideas at the end of this letter but want to start with what I feel could be a great legacy for you in racing. The public has lost our trust and between the drug violations and the horses losing their lives on the track it is going to take someone special to get it back. I feel that someone could be you but it will be risky and you are going to have to believe in the plan 100%. If you pull this off, you will be the most respected man in horseracing in 2014. The plan will be putting the horses first, which is where they should have always been and trying to tackle the integrity issues at the same time.
1. Have NYRA announce that they are going to fund a Horsemanship Series. Have one or two races per day with enhanced purses that will be drug free. Along with the enhanced purses have a nice trainer bonus for each horse entered to make sure you have maximum participation. Have a point system for each race and at the end of the meet have large bonuses for the top five leading owners and trainers in the series. Make a big deal about this while it is going on and give the owners and trainers a lot of praise for participating in the series. Announce that each horse is going to be scoped after the race and while your horseman's series is going on you will be conducting the most important experiment on racing and bleeding that has been done in the last 25 years. The trainers and vets don't actually know how good or bad the bleeding is without the other prerace drugs that are given on a regular basis. This will be a great experiment that the whole racing world will be very eager to hear the results of. You will be answering questions that every owner, trainer, breeder and vet want answered. There will be complications with the Racing Commission, putting horses back on Lasix if they bleed while racing in the series ect. but these complications are worth dealing with to get this done. This will give the public some hope that racing is trying to do the right thing and I feel you will get a lot of support with this once announced.
2. Announce that the NYRA is going to change the Whip Rule to follow the way they do things in Europe. This will actually spice up racing and add something new and exciting to a sport that desperately needs a new twist. It will also appeal a great deal to the public and the rescue and animal rights people. There is not much worse that watching a horse be beaten all the way down the stretch and I don't feel our horses, fans or their children should ever be subject to watching this. Changing the rule will also put more strategy in racing and make it more exciting for our fans. It will be something New!! The racing world is saying that the racing overseas is much stronger in many different aspects and I have to say when it comes to the drugs, percentage of breakdowns, how they deal with cheaters and the whip rule, they are correct. We need to make dramatic changes to turn things around and get our sport back on track. You could combine the whip rule with the drug free races so it would be a gradual thing and see how the public responds. I think the two would go very well together and you will get a great response.
3. Announce that the NYRA is going to put video surveillance equipment up in every barn. When I wrote my book, I made a claim that 85% of trainers were giving their horses illegal drugs on race day. I did not make this claim lightly and feel the number was probably low. I testified before congress which you can see at the bottom ofwww.sportofkingsbook.com and after all was said and done, not one trainer or vet challenged my 85% number; they knew it was true. Sadly over the years cheating has been the standard and the culture. Our last two leading trainers at Monmouth Park are currently serving suspensions for drug violations. Neither one of them is going to be allowed to race at Tampa Bay thru the year 2014. The suspensions are just 2 months but Tampa Bay has decided to take a well needed step and not allow them to race there. I think if you announced that NYRA was also going to follow Tamp Bay and deny their entries as well that you would get a lot of praise and the other tracks in the country would fall in line one after the other. We need to take a strong stance on cheating to get the bettors confidence back. A lot of the ones that I have spoken with are sick of seeing what is going on and are disheartened with the sport. If we make a powerful stance against the cheating, we will get them back. The video surveillance is used in about everything in America but racing. I don't understand this but do know that veterinarians are very scared of cameras and you will stop a great deal of the cheating if you install them.
4. Do anything you can to help the retired horse racing community! Have benefits, throw parties and try to come up with new ways to raise money for them. We need to do everything we can to show we care for the horses after they retire. The aftercare programs can be great press for racing if we get them back on our side. You could also tie this in with 1 and 2. The leading owner and trainer could along with their bonus get a nice check for the horse rescue of their choice. This would generate a buzz from the horse rescues and get a lot of very positive press.
I am going to save some of the marketing ideas for another letter but do feel the ideas above are far better PR for racing than any marketing plan!!. I do want you to know that I am not loved in the racing world and seen as a rogue and a troublemaker. I am ok with this because in my heart, I know that I am doing the right thing by the horses and the sport. If you look at the reviews for the book at the Amazon and Smashwords sites you will see how the racing public feel about me and it is very positive. My book is the 2nd top rated racing book at Amazon and the reviews are amazing. I honestly feel if you work hard on the ideas above, that for a short time there might be a couple of bumps in the road but after that, your reviews will be amazing and you will be what this sport has needed for years!! You might be the only man in the country that can pull this off and I hope and pray that you are up to the task and like the ideas. They are Bold! I look forward to hearing from you and your thoughts or questions about the ideas and once again, Thank You very much for your time!!
Best, Glenn
I know you are busy and want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. I will get into the marketing ideas at the end of this letter but want to start with what I feel could be a great legacy for you in racing. The public has lost our trust and between the drug violations and the horses losing their lives on the track it is going to take someone special to get it back. I feel that someone could be you but it will be risky and you are going to have to believe in the plan 100%. If you pull this off, you will be the most respected man in horseracing in 2014. The plan will be putting the horses first, which is where they should have always been and trying to tackle the integrity issues at the same time.
1. Have NYRA announce that they are going to fund a Horsemanship Series. Have one or two races per day with enhanced purses that will be drug free. Along with the enhanced purses have a nice trainer bonus for each horse entered to make sure you have maximum participation. Have a point system for each race and at the end of the meet have large bonuses for the top five leading owners and trainers in the series. Make a big deal about this while it is going on and give the owners and trainers a lot of praise for participating in the series. Announce that each horse is going to be scoped after the race and while your horseman's series is going on you will be conducting the most important experiment on racing and bleeding that has been done in the last 25 years. The trainers and vets don't actually know how good or bad the bleeding is without the other prerace drugs that are given on a regular basis. This will be a great experiment that the whole racing world will be very eager to hear the results of. You will be answering questions that every owner, trainer, breeder and vet want answered. There will be complications with the Racing Commission, putting horses back on Lasix if they bleed while racing in the series ect. but these complications are worth dealing with to get this done. This will give the public some hope that racing is trying to do the right thing and I feel you will get a lot of support with this once announced.
2. Announce that the NYRA is going to change the Whip Rule to follow the way they do things in Europe. This will actually spice up racing and add something new and exciting to a sport that desperately needs a new twist. It will also appeal a great deal to the public and the rescue and animal rights people. There is not much worse that watching a horse be beaten all the way down the stretch and I don't feel our horses, fans or their children should ever be subject to watching this. Changing the rule will also put more strategy in racing and make it more exciting for our fans. It will be something New!! The racing world is saying that the racing overseas is much stronger in many different aspects and I have to say when it comes to the drugs, percentage of breakdowns, how they deal with cheaters and the whip rule, they are correct. We need to make dramatic changes to turn things around and get our sport back on track. You could combine the whip rule with the drug free races so it would be a gradual thing and see how the public responds. I think the two would go very well together and you will get a great response.
3. Announce that the NYRA is going to put video surveillance equipment up in every barn. When I wrote my book, I made a claim that 85% of trainers were giving their horses illegal drugs on race day. I did not make this claim lightly and feel the number was probably low. I testified before congress which you can see at the bottom ofwww.sportofkingsbook.com and after all was said and done, not one trainer or vet challenged my 85% number; they knew it was true. Sadly over the years cheating has been the standard and the culture. Our last two leading trainers at Monmouth Park are currently serving suspensions for drug violations. Neither one of them is going to be allowed to race at Tampa Bay thru the year 2014. The suspensions are just 2 months but Tampa Bay has decided to take a well needed step and not allow them to race there. I think if you announced that NYRA was also going to follow Tamp Bay and deny their entries as well that you would get a lot of praise and the other tracks in the country would fall in line one after the other. We need to take a strong stance on cheating to get the bettors confidence back. A lot of the ones that I have spoken with are sick of seeing what is going on and are disheartened with the sport. If we make a powerful stance against the cheating, we will get them back. The video surveillance is used in about everything in America but racing. I don't understand this but do know that veterinarians are very scared of cameras and you will stop a great deal of the cheating if you install them.
4. Do anything you can to help the retired horse racing community! Have benefits, throw parties and try to come up with new ways to raise money for them. We need to do everything we can to show we care for the horses after they retire. The aftercare programs can be great press for racing if we get them back on our side. You could also tie this in with 1 and 2. The leading owner and trainer could along with their bonus get a nice check for the horse rescue of their choice. This would generate a buzz from the horse rescues and get a lot of very positive press.
I am going to save some of the marketing ideas for another letter but do feel the ideas above are far better PR for racing than any marketing plan!!. I do want you to know that I am not loved in the racing world and seen as a rogue and a troublemaker. I am ok with this because in my heart, I know that I am doing the right thing by the horses and the sport. If you look at the reviews for the book at the Amazon and Smashwords sites you will see how the racing public feel about me and it is very positive. My book is the 2nd top rated racing book at Amazon and the reviews are amazing. I honestly feel if you work hard on the ideas above, that for a short time there might be a couple of bumps in the road but after that, your reviews will be amazing and you will be what this sport has needed for years!! You might be the only man in the country that can pull this off and I hope and pray that you are up to the task and like the ideas. They are Bold! I look forward to hearing from you and your thoughts or questions about the ideas and once again, Thank You very much for your time!!
Best, Glenn
Glenn - we thank you.
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