Before Ushering In Fixed-Odds, US Horse Racing Must Fix Its Safety Issues – Opinion
An article virtually the hereafter of gymnastic horse racing, and how fixed-odds betting will run a role inwards that, has been on my to-do lean for a while, and especially since utmost week’s SBC Summit North America. But after Monday’s dreaded tidings near Medina Spirit’s tragical death on the track, at present simply doesn’t seem the likes of the right wing time.
It’s ease an important topic. And the insights from a panel at that group discussion as easily as those from the 47th Annual Global Symposium on Racing that started Tuesday at the University of Grand Canyon State are easily worth discussing at some point. But before horse racing looks to broaden its audience, in that respect are other changes that want to be made.
The major change that needs to come is improving the horses’ safety. Nothing else matters until that’s done.
I take this upwards non to be against racing because I’m not. i grew upwards 10 minutes from Winston Churchill Downs and make spent a lot of clip and money there. i convey it upwardly because i would ilk for the boast to make a future.
At its best, horse racing is a sportsman that seemingly endears itself to a 21st-century sports fan. Races take just a duad of proceedings and can bid exciting, spectacular finishes. The downtime between races gives time for bettors to learn who they ilk in the next race, or they put up vigil simulcasts from other tracks for a chance to play on another run that takes set just moments later. Offering a fixed-odds mathematical product would assist draw poker unexampled bettors.
But what ripe is it to pass the time, money, and get-up-and-go on campaigns to attract unexampled fans and bettors, when exterior of the Triple Crown races, the boast seems to only if garner media attention when a horse dies or when there’s a drug scandal?
‘Safer and Fairer’ Horse Racing is Attainable
Charles Scheeler agrees that Equus caballus racing can buoy and must follow safer.
He made that statement during his remarks Tuesday at the Symposium. Scheeler is the chairman of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Board of Directors. The gameboard has been supercharged with developing the national racing rules called for from HISA, the federal statute law passed a year ago. Those rules officially take essence next July.
HISA has been met with literary criticism by some horsemen in the game, who veneration it testament increment their costs and not improve the refuge of the sport. type A major occupy is the banning of Lasix, a drug used to hold pulmonary bleeding. But to the highest degree jurisdictions began banning the do drugs shoemaker's last twelvemonth inwards a phased approach. Banning it for 2-year-olds rootage inward 2020 and for all stakes runners outset this yr does not come along to have caused any issues inward the sport.
And while several horsemen’s organizations make sought-after(a) to block HISA inwards federal court, Scheeler called on them to conjoin with other industry leaders to improve racing.
It doesn’t thing which face of that (debate) you’re on,” he said. “Whether you conceive the glassful is three-quarters full or three-quarters empty, what matters is that we all recognise that a safer and a fairer sportswoman testament create a rising tide, which will prove all persons inwards the sport.”
Racing really doesn’t feature a choice, added Scheeler. He’s a retired lawyer who one time served as the conduct counsel to George I Billy Mitchell when the former US senator led the main(a) investigating into the utilise of performance-enhancing drugs inwards John Major League Baseball. Maintaining the position quo is not an option.
“If we detain where we are, we won’t detain where we are,” he said. “We testament turn a loss ground.”
Database Shows Improvements
Statistics show that racing inwards the rural area has improved in recent years. The Equine Injury Database, maintained by The Jockey Club, has kept records of fatalities from races since 2009. In 2020, participating tracks reported an relative incidence order of 1.41 fatalities per 1,000 starts. It’s the 8th straight twelvemonth the order has declined.
Another right smart to looking at at it, as The Jockey Club explained, is that 99.86 percent of all starters on those tracks completed their races without suffering a fateful injury.
That may seem same a real low-pitched relative incidence rate, but the database doesn’t cover song all fatalities. Medina Spirit, for example, died after a workout.
In addition, as racing publishing BloodHorse noted inwards its contemplate two years ago, fatalities in US racing run to course higher than in Great Britain, Japan, and Hong Kong.
More, indeed, tin can and must live done.
The utilization and insult of drugs inwards the racing industry feature assign the feature at a crossroads. Racing stakeholders must hold on which direction the sport needs to go before other measures to improve the summercater can buoy be implemented.
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