Yes, I wish I had called Mike Progno before even mentioning Star of Rome, but I simply didn't think of it. My motivation was pure concern for the horse. However, I did behave in a very carefully measured manner when I mentioned Star of Rome. I did not call the track to complain or make demands that he not run. I did not comdemn his connections nor his running on social media. I simply asked questions. I left a message with the stewards saying "Hi, my name is Beth Wolpert, and I have a few questions I wanted to ask you about a horse named 'Star of Rome.' If you could give me a call back, I would really appreciate it. My number is: ----------. Thanks so much."
When I mentioned "Star" on social media, I simply said - to one of the people I know that watches older horses and horses "at risk" - "Are you watching Star of Rome?" And then I said that Star had a work out and is 15 years old, and included the relevant details. I'm sure you can find the tweet if you search for it.
Sometimes this person on Twitter will say that she/he is no longer watching this or that horse because it was found that the horse's connections love the horse very much, and the horse is happy, so he/she isn't considered "at risk." This is what I was hoping for. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. I have learned my lesson about the power of social media, and I am sorry, and have apologized to Mike Progno for any role I had in this situation - however minor and "measured."
If I hadn't mentioned it on Twitter, there still would have been a bunch of calls to the track, because when I found the information on Facebook, there was already a heated conversation taking place, in which many participants had called the track to complain, and demand that Star not be allowed to race. I don't know how much my mentioning Star on Twitter affected or didn't affect the outcome, but the track has decided not to let him run.
Still, however, after talking to Mike Progno, I thought it wasn't a just outcome, so I did all that I could, and will still do more, to try to help Mike, and get the track to reconsider their decision. I called them four times so far, and I spoke two 2 individuals and received a voice mail from Phil Palermo, the racing director. Unfortunately, he said that the decision would not be changed. But he also said that the decision was based on the fact that they can't afford to take the risk of running a 15 year old horse. Whether or not that is the whole story, I don't know. But seeing as the track doesn't have an age limit, and that the track veterinarian approved Star to run, I think that Mike has a good case to appeal the decision to not let Star race, and perhaps they can come to some sort of an agreement regarding the conditions under which Star can, in fact, run - or something like that.
I also posted what I learned from Mike all over social media, on my blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter. So far, 2 individuals have told me that they are calling the track in support of Star running, if vet-approved, as well. I do believe that horses are individuals. I do believe that it is not age that should determine eligibility, but soundness and a demonstrated desire to run. I think reforms are needed in the areas of Lasix, NSAID use & all medication use, age at which horses begin to train & race, whip use, and others. I think that we should focus on banning trainers with multiple violations, going forward, and not horses that are sound and that desire to run - simply based on their age. I hope that something good can come of this in the long run.
Sincerely,
Beth
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