Loving The Race Horse: Recent Comments

Comment on Quiet is What Death Sounds Like

Beth Kinnane — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 18:45:04 GMT

We've been talking about this problem since we met in 1997. 11 years and an NTRA later, nothing has changed. But that doesn't mean what you're saying isn't absolutely dead on.

Comment on Quiet is What Death Sounds Like

winston — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:28:00 GMT

Excellent post.

I would like to link your site to mine if you don't mind.

Dead nuts on.

Comment on Quiet is What Death Sounds Like

Bonnie H. — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:51:44 GMT

<<>>

My favorite racing commercial to date is for West Point Thoroughbreds - the taped call from the answering machine as someone calls the race from their cell phone and the over-the-top excitement when their horse wins. It's about ownership more than racing fans, but it never fails to send a shiver up my spine.

Comment on Living Vicariously

Alli — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:53:20 GMT
It's amazing to watch the Olympics and the sportsmanship it requires both human and equine as well. Being from Baltimore, Michael Phelps is a huge deal here and people who even have water phobias are tuned in to watch him compete. As I walked out the door this morning, my 11 year old was watching Kayaking of all things. He's never seen it done before and the words out of his mouth were, "Oh Cool!!!". This is the same 11 year old whom I'm trying to mold into a racing fan while he's still interested in everything his Aunt likes to do. If I hadn't looked at the clock I would have been late for work. Hopefully the excuse that I was watching the Olympics would work since I do work for Visa. LOLOLOL I just wish we didn't have to wait 4 more years for another Summer event.

Comment on Living Vicariously

Lynn — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:24:46 GMT
I'm right there with ya. And I got to experience just a little hint of what it would be like to be there when watching my good friend Gina Miles of Team USA win the individual silver medal in the Eventing competition this morning!! Thank God for live online coverage, I got to watch both her team jumping round and individual medal round - both of which were clean, flawless rounds. Brought me to tears and I'm still getting goosebumps just thinking of it! I am so proud of her, no one deserves it more - GO GINA!!!!

Comment on Living Vicariously

gwenda — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:10:49 GMT
What a lovely writer you are my friend! Great job, and believe me I completely understand how you feel when it comes to living vicariously through the Olympiads.

I have never had a tattoo in my life, but I think had I been chosen to represent the USA at the Olympics, I would have to get a giant tattoo of the olympic circles so that when people asked me why I had the circles of life on my forehead I would have to tell them I participated as an olympiad and won!!

Comment on Living Vicariously

Frank — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:42:53 GMT
I am such an Olympics junkie. I'm right with you Billy. I won't be getting much sleep the next couple of weeks. I thought I was off easy last night because I'm not all that in to men's gymnastics but then suddenly the U.S. team shockingly took the lead through three events. I love how even though two of the best gymnasts could not make the trip because of injury the team rose up. They stumbled a bit at the end but held third for a medal they were not expected to have much of a chance at. It was very cool to see.

Comment on The Challenge Cup by Murray West

Vickie — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:07:32 GMT
You know me, I never even wanted to go to the horse races when we were kids growing up. I never got what you, mom and dad got so excited about. I'd take my purse and my doll and pretend I was a mom. I'd pick up the loosing tickets off of the ground and put them into my purse. They were my pretend money. I'd also take a small box of crayons, that I pretended were my cigarettes. I thought I looked so grown up!! I liked to watch the actual race, but my gosh it took so long in between the races. You know me, I don't appreciate calmness with nothing to do. But, reading your review of this book, gets me excited for you. I think it is so awesome that a person, you, knows what they are passionate about! You truly have a gift, Billy.

Comment on Trainer Contessa named President of Exceller Fund

Alison — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:21:50 GMT
Congrats on the appointment to the board Billy! Good job.

Comment on The Salt of Pepper

Alison — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:57:54 GMT
There's more to our problems in racing than PETA. Recently, I sat down with someone who's been doing a lot of research on the off-shore gaming account issues. Did you know that we are losing BILLIONS (it is not unlikely that we are losing more than $30 Billion) to offshore accounts that do not pay into our sport?

Yes, that's right! People are taking our signals and not paying us for them. Then there are the people who take signals under contracts that are so in favor of the signal taker that the horsemen get screwed out of $$.

Could you imagine how many ills additional money would fix in this business? How much more funds would be available to (and not in any order) 1) fund a true central "league" office; 2) fund drug testing; 3) fund breakdown research; 4) fund retirement/rescue organizations; 5) fund purses - WOW!! Imagine having so much money in the purses owners actually make money at this game!!!

How do we fix the problem? Get the owners, trainers and the few racetracks who really do give a dam to unite and form one central distribution center for the many signals out there. To get our signal, you need to be a registered North American license holder (ie, you're going to pay the US taxes and you're going to pay the horsemen their fair share).

The biggest obstacle right now is Churchill Downs and Drew Cuoto. Pepper Oak is just a by-product of the dismal state of affairs of California racing since Cuoto took over. Did you know he was fired from TOBA? Yes, he was fired from TOBA for getting reimbursed for expenses like an entertainment system, underwater camera, trips to the caribbean (oh, he did stop at one track on the way home...guess that justified that!) He hired his girlfriend who lived in California to be the editor of TOBA. He gave her a $80,000 salary and FedEx-ed her whatever she needed to edit! She was never in the office!!!! He was a train wreck and yet, TYPICAL in this business, he lands a job running the TOC!

Now it is rumored that he is living high on the hog in California on supplements to his salary in the form of paper bag payments from the off-shore shops to keep the horsemen from looking too hard!! Not saying that's true, but he really does have a nice lifestyle....hmmmm......!!!!! Wake up people. It ain't the marketing that's bringing us down. It's the money we're losing daily.

Time for a change!