oddsnark » Horseracing

Bad vet slips horses a mickey

oddJoe — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:04:55 +0000

Ah, the grand “sport” of horse racing. Who among us doesn’t enjoy the spectacle, the majesty, and of course the shady dealings and underhanded tricks to throw the races?

In Grand Island, Nebraska, the state veterinary board has accused vet Jay Stewart of administering shots of alcohol to several horses during the 2005 racing season, and he has been brought up on four counts of tampering with horses. Stewart allegedly gave several horses intravenous shots of vodka to calm the animals before their race. He charged $15 per shot for the service, which on the one hand seems like a damn expensive shot of vodka, but on the other hand, considering he must have know it could cost him his veterinary license, seems a little on the cheap side.

I realize that everyone involved in horse racing wants to make sure everything is above board so the gamblers don’t cry foul, but think of all the other sports we gamble on where alcohol could be a factor. We’ve all heard stories about baseball players getting drunk before games, and if I were a football player I’d need a nip of liquid courage to go out on the field. (Come to think about it, isn’t Rex Grossman usually hammered on game days?) Steroids and point shaving is one thing, but a little booze never hurt anyone.

Whipping Horses Is Fun

oddJoe — Sat, 06 May 2006 15:42:06 +0000

Don’t be surprised to see all the rich, white folks buzzing with excitement today, because the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby is on the docket for this afternoon. The field looks pretty wide open, but over at Bodog they have Brother Derek listed as the favorite at 3:1 odds, while both Lawyer Ron and Barbaro are both 4:1 to win. (Personally, I’m liking Sinister Minister at 10:1; what a great name.) A total purse of $2.2 million is on the line, with $1.4 million going to winner, which is a lot of motivation for the owners, trainers, and jockeys. But what about the horses? Basically, it comes down to this:

or this:

Good luck to all, and take it easy on the mint juleps.

YUMMY Derby Days

oddJoe — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 18:27:21 +0000

I guess it should come as no surprise in a day when everything and everyone it seems has a corporate sponsor, but it’s a little disappointing that now even the Run for the Roses has a name sponsor. This year’s race will be known as “The Kentucky Derby presented by YUM! Brands.” Never heard of YUM!, well you probably know their restaurants: Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver’s, and A&W. Wouldn’t a better, more appropriate sponsor be Elmer’s Glue? (That sound you hear is a million mouse clicks sending angry e-missives to ohnoyoudint@oddsnark.com.)

Afleet Alex to Retire from Racing, Start Banging Mare Hos

oddSeth — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:18:03 +0000

Afleet Alex was retired on Thursday after further injuries were discovered on the colt, who’d been out of racing since June with an bum ankle.

“We’re all very disappointed and frustrated,” Cash is King managing partner Chuck Zacney said. “We were really looking forward to racing Alex next year and to showing just how great a horse he was. I don’t think horse racing fans saw the best of Alex. They saw a lot of very good races. But, the way he was growing and maturing, I really feel the best was yet to come.”

Afleet Alex’s only comments when asked about his thoughts on being prematurely put to stud were: “It was all on a ho, G’s up, yeah, Hos down, hos down (hoooooooo).”