The Latest Crisis

One of the things which struck me in the aftermath of the latest crisis to hit American racing, last week’s PETA/New York Times undercover expose of life in trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn, is how reactive this business is (including this columnist: I’m reacting). Dozens and dozens of people from dozens of organizations have spent thousands of hours trying to move the needle, but in spite of all these efforts, as an entity ‘American Racing’ does just seem to lurch from crisis to crisis. On the one hand, there has been considerable progress in some areas in the six years since Eight Belles broke down and died in front of a national television audience after running second to Big Brown in the 2008 GI Kentucky Derby. On the other hand, nothing has really changed–‘American Racing’ is still a rudderless ship.

https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/members/columnist_frame.cfm?id=8492