Asmussen Cleared By Kentucky Horse Racing Commisson

by Mike Kane

In a report issued Thursday, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) said that it could not find any evidence to support allegations by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that trainer Steve Asmussen and his assistant Scott Blasi mistreated horses or were guilty of rules violations. 

Asmussen’s attorney, Clark Brewster of Tulsa, Oklahoma, said that his client was vindicated by the KHRC findings. 

“Of course, we’re pleased that we’re seeing a conclusion,” he said. “And we’re pleased that they did such a thorough review and laid to rest a lot of the insinuations that overdramatized the message that this activist organization, PETA, was trying to put out in their attack. 

“Steve was just chosen as the guy to best represent their position, so he was chosen to kind of take horse racing on for them. We’re pleased that Kentucky spent the time and did the work, looked behind all the issues and reached some truthful conclusions.” 

The case drew international attention when PETA made its charges against Asmussen, 49, one of the most successful trainers in Thoroughbred racing history, in a letter to the commission dated Mar. 18, 2014. The KHRC said the request for an investigation included 22 minutes of video, five still photographs and some race and workout charts. PETA also sent four other photos in a letter to the Louisville Metro Animal Services and copied the KHRC. A second PETA letter and a 7 1/2-minute video tape was later sent to the commission. 

The following day, the New York Times broke the story. The package of allegations against Asmussen and Blasi included the videotape shot by an undercover PETA employee, Kerin Beth Rosen, while she was working for the Asmussen stable in Kentucky and New York in 2013. The New York Gaming Commission is conducting a separate investigation, but has not yet made its findings public. 

Asmussen maintained his innocence throughout. He quickly fired and later rehired Blasi, his longtime employee, who was shown making many profane comments on the video tape. 

After the release of the PETA allegations, trustees of the the National Museum of Racing decided to take Asmussen’s name off the 2014 Hall of Fame ballot. Though eligible since 2011, it was the first time Asmussen’s name had been on the ballot. The Hall of Fame announced Jan. 5 that Asmussen would remain ineligible for consideration this year pending the outcome of the investigations. 

Yesterday the KHRC released a 27-page summary and findings of its investigation that was part of a 213-page document. Among its conclusions were that the video tape was extensively edited and that the audio was overdubbed, which cast doubts on its credibility. It said that PETA failed to provide the Commission with a 285-page report it made or the nearly seven hours of unedited videotape that PETA said Rosen shot while working in Asmussen’s stable. 
In a statement, PETA’s Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo, criticized the KHRC report. 

“The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has today distinguished itself for being as uninterested in horse welfare as the Syrian government is in human suffering,” Guillermo said. “If there was nothing wrong in the documentation that PETA found, then something is very wrong with racing in Kentucky. A responsible enforcement agency would have examined the mountains of evidence–including sore horses who were drugged rather than allowed to recover from strained muscles and ligaments and 3-year-old horses who were made sore every day of their lives–and concluded that significant wrongdoing occurred. Perhaps the New York State Gaming Commission, which is still conducting an investigation, will do just that. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, however, saw smoke and concluded that there is not only no fire but also that everything at the track and in Asmussen’s disgraceful barn is just business as usual.” 

KHRC chairman Robert Beck said that the state regulatory agency did a thorough job, what he termed “an exhaustive investigation,” spending hundreds of hours looking at and examining the videotape that PETA made available and conducting many interviews with people involved in the case, including Rosen, and experts. 

“The investigation found no “evidence that a rule violation” had occurred,” Beck said in a statement. “No evidence was found to substantiate PETA’s claims that ‘Asmussen and Blasi maintained horses in their care in poor physical condition’ or subjected any horse to ‘cruel or injurious mistreatment,’ abuse or neglect. On the contrary, the investigation revealed that Asmussen- 

trained horses were well cared for as measured by such factors as incidence of injuries and KHRC veterinarian scratches. 
“The Stewards concluded the allegations do not support any administrative action because no evidence of rules violations was found. [Therefore, no further action in this matter is warranted.]” 

Brewster was critical of the way the Times handled the story. 

“What really started this was the New York Times article that was written by Joe Drape,” he said. “This was 10 months after this PETA girl that had worked for Steve had left. The first thing you’re left with is why would PETA, if they had a complaint about abuse of horses, wait 10 months after the departure to make any kind of claim at all? 

“When the New York Times did their article, we reached out to Joe Drape and said, ‘Listen, we’ll show you documents and why what was said here is not true.’ He just wasn’t interested in having that. He was just interested in sensationalizing and getting as much attention for his own story as he could. I think he contributed a great deal to what has happened over the last year.” 

In its report, the KHRC said that in addition to the extensive edits and overdubbing of the video, “PETA presented conversations out of context and contrary to the substance of the conversation as a whole. All of the allegations concern specific horses and specific events that took place almost a year prior to the KHRC’s receipt of the information from PETA.” 

The commission also noted that PETA refused to be served the subpoena issued by the KHRC or provide additional information that was requested for the investigation. However, PETA said in a May 16 email that it had turned over all pertinent information. The KHRC said it was its responsibility to determine what might be pertinent, adding, “PETA’s refusal to provide materials that would presumably aid in an investigation they request is baffling at best and calls into question PETA’s credibility and motivation for undertaking their ‘investigation.’ It appears that PETA created a shocking video using highly edited content.” 

The KHRC also questioned Rosen’s credibility and said that she was involved in an intimate relationship with Blasi while she was working undercover for PETA. 

Brewster said that Asmussen’s reputation and business were severely damaged damaged by PETA’s actions. 

“I think in two days he lost 53 horses from owners that became concerned about these accusations,” said Brewster, who has used Asmussen as a trainer for three or four years. “He’s been a soldier. He’s gone to work every day. He’s kept his head up high. He’s not lashed out at anyone. He’s done what he does, which is to train horses and do a good job doing it, trusting that the truth would come out. 

“I think for him, there is a sense of conclusion, to knowing all along what the truth was, but seeing that the authorities have reached the same conclusions.” 

Brewster said he thinks that Asmussen should consider legal action now that he has been cleared by the KHRC report. 

“I hope he allows that to occur,” Brewster said. “We’ve had some discussions and I’ve given him his options. Certainly, somebody that had such motivation to damage not only our sport but Steve himself…he’s a forgiving sort, so I don’t know what he’s going to do. I would encourage him to really look at that, and the same with Joe Drape.” 

Click here for the entire report from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.