Mullins and the Little Syringe That Could

[ireneinwa]

What are the rules in New York? Does anyone have them handy, pertaning to this violation? Just like to see the legal aspects before I make a decision. Thanks

[majxmom]

Just like in CA, ANY race day medication is banned. He has to know better, or else I'd say there is an idiot at the racetrack, but it is not the bettors.

[photofinish]

*SIGH* I really, really could give a flying flip about Air Power being used, if the NY air quality is as crappy as the Chicago air quality this time of year I'd be using it, too! I am just super annoyed the dingbat wasn't more careful about it! Sorry if this offends the purists, but I wouldn't blame a human runner for sucking on a Hall's before they ran in that kind of air and that's all Air Power is. The reason it doesn't test is it's mostly honey with some camphor and menthol. Using that stuff violates the 24hr rule in effect in every racing jurisdiction. Most states don't pay alot of attention to that kind of stuff because it's not going to move a horse up (just makes him more comfortable). IL was very tight on that stuf, but it just taught trainers and grooms to be careful. Couldn't Mullins pay the hell attention and have his groom "lookout" or something?? It's just stupid and now every anti-racing PETA-nazi is focusing on the word "syringe" and acting like trainers are injecting them with heroin or something. I am alittle annoyed that several trade publications are not stressing that it was an ORAL syringe, because just "syringe" leads 90% of people to automatically think "hypodermic" and it lends drama. We do not need any more drama w/ John Q ("which end do you feed?) Public!

[Tucumcari]

Photo, the thing is the rule exists. I am sure Jeff was aware of the w/d for clenbuterol was or bute or any other commonly used med. And which shoes he is or isn't allowed to run in. It is ridiculous for anyone to believe he wasn't aware that administering anything other than water through the use of a "mouth syringe" was not going to be welcome behaviour. We commonly use big metal syringes to flush mouths out prior to going over to race, BUT they are "mostly" just water from a clean water bucket drawn and flushes out the mouth till debris (aka hay and grain particles) no longer come out of the mouth with the water.
Facts are air quality has zero relevance. LA isn't a mecca of clean air by any standard. And here "technically" on race day we aren't to even as little as put Vicks in a nostril. It still gets done, but if security is sitting there with a video camera and they are not on their phone one might want to think twice. Of course here race day security is appallingly bad. They are on their phones chit chattin' with their peeps having a good ole time gettin' paid for little effort on their part.
Jeff is not stupid. And the "I didn't do it" and "I didn't know' plea is tired. Imagine IF this had been Derby day and I Want Revenge was the only horse he had in and he did the same routine wins the Derby and then this comes out? Or is scratched from the Derby for the same reason. People need to be stepping up and doing good and honorable things in this industry for us to gain or regain any respect as a sport or even as a part of the horse industry. It's time to clean it up and be ambassadors for something we love. It's not too much to ask.

[docjocoy]

Photo, the thing is the rule exists. I am sure Jeff was aware of the w/d for clenbuterol was or bute or any other commonly used med. And which shoes he is or isn't allowed to run in. It is ridiculous for anyone to believe he wasn't aware that administering anything other than water through the use of a "mouth syringe" was not going to be welcome behaviour. We commonly use big metal syringes to flush mouths out prior to going over to race, BUT they are "mostly" just water from a clean water bucket drawn and flushes out the mouth till debris (aka hay and grain particles) no longer come out of the mouth with the water.
Facts are air quality has zero relevance. LA isn't a mecca of clean air by any standard. And here "technically" on race day we aren't to even as little as put Vicks in a nostril. It still gets done, but if security is sitting there with a video camera and they are not on their phone one might want to think twice. Of course here race day security is appallingly bad. They are on their phones chit chattin' with their peeps having a good ole time gettin' paid for little effort on their part.
Jeff is not stupid. And the "I didn't do it" and "I didn't know' plea is tired. Imagine IF this had been Derby day and I Want Revenge was the only horse he had in and he did the same routine wins the Derby and then this comes out? Or is scratched from the Derby for the same reason. People need to be stepping up and doing good and honorable things in this industry for us to gain or regain any respect as a sport or even as a part of the horse industry. It's time to clean it up and be ambassadors for something we love. It's not too much to ask.

Yes. Well said. Mullins isn't stupid, obviously used to getting his own way. I hope the stewards throw the book at him and the CA stewards uphold it. At least he was caught so SOMEONE was watching.

[AscotStud]

Mullett was wrong in what he did, and the excuse was laughable, but it's not like he was givin the horse some hemopure and testosterone, right after he shock waved him. The horse in question was scratched and if anything I Want Revenge was as clean as can be, I bet 100% of the Wood field was treated with some sort of airways meds, their trainers just did it before they led them into the test barn. Those that think he was juiced up please don't bet him, the price will only get better for me.

[imnumberjuan]

Why?

Cause how do you know you got beat by the best horse?

I admit I just looked at the earnings West Side Bernie is safe at 13th, but if I am sitting at 19th or 20th with two preps to go I'd be right pissed that I just got beat by a horse who's trained by the guy who just got caught a couple hours earlier.

[Heidilady]

I am so tired of the claim of innocence. "Duh, I didn't know it was illegal?"
DUDE! Seriously!!! Come up with better!
Mullins is too smart to say he was unaware of the rules! It's a weak excuse for pushing the envelope in a "non California" environment. He has a long history of "bad judgement" and as such will and ought to fall under scrutiny and he should be abstaining from all appearances of wrong doing.

Let's not forget, this is the guy that said people who bet were idiots basically. Nice one Jeff, you would know I guess. One of the things I'm learning is a reason that people get caught isn't that we're so great at investigating things, its that they do something stupid. Alas, being a jerk isn't grounds for a punishment but they caught him red handed. IWR never got administered that stuff (this time) because he hadn't made it over yet before it all went down before the Bay Shore.

See the way I figure, even if they let him walk right in with something banned from the barn, there IS a sign from what I understand. Just because you didn't get pulled over by a cop that you sped past doesn't mean you weren't over the speed limit and subject to penalty if they actually bust you. Happens all the time actually, people speed and don't get caught cuz the cops can't pull over everybody--doesnt' make what they did legal. If you do get caught, sorry, them's the rules. If they 99% of the time follow and you slipped through, all that matters is fire/discipline the security folks that did that.

I hear CA has been lax toward Mullins and NY really needs to put everyone else on notice. This isn't some beloved trainer, this is a trainer people aren't thrilled about and has one of the Derby favorites. They might give him a what for.

For those that say it's not a big deal, yes it is. They took an all-around gold medal from an Olympic gymnast a few years ago, a Romanian, when she took cough medicine over the counter and it had something that showed up in screening. Didn't give her an advantage per se but rules are rules. If you're not going to follow them, don't have the detention barns in the first place. Be prepared for the PR disaster of having a rule-breaker with a leading Derby candidate. It's already made the NY Times and LA Times, amongst others but sure good luck unringing that bell. I'm not going to lie, Mullins is an arrogant jerk and seeing him gone wouldn't phase me one bit.

[AscotStud]

They took an all-around gold medal from an Olympic gymnast a few years ago, a Romanian, when she took cough medicine over the counter and it had something that showed up in screening

The problem with that argument is that if you actually tested for Airways every horse would test positive. But they don't so he was just too stupid to be caught giving it to his horse. Like someone said it's like eating a halls before running a marathon. The biggest black eye for this horse is given by people who are acting like this is some kind of major performance enhancer, which then make people who don't know the game think there are more doped up horses. IWR didn't even get his and people on here are acting like he was doped.

He is talented as hell, talk about that instead of the guy that trains him who gave another horse something that everyone else is getting.

West Side Bertie could have been given rocket packs and anything else IWR had and would never had caught him, Atomic Rain was actually the better of the two that day, maybe we should look into how a wall of horses was formed and he didn't get through. Conspiracy #2 of the Wood.

[Tucumcari]

Why?

Cause how do you know you got beat by the best horse?

I admit I just looked at the earnings West Side Bernie is safe at 13th, but if I am sitting at 19th or 20th with two preps to go I'd be right pissed that I just got beat by a horse who's trained by the guy who just got caught a couple hours earlier.

I would have to "assume" that since one horse was scratched and it was publicly made known that the horse in question did not get the same "treatment," and that the horse had a VERY troubled trip and was so much the best, as a gambler or a horse person I could not totally disregard the race. BUT one could possibly disregard it in a different pace scenario. Hard to say. The horse blew the break so badly and Joe showed great (recent) maturity by not rushing the horse throughout and plagued by adversity.
Sure one could be pissed. Lost out on money to a historic cheat.... does that make Big Brown more or less legit? And Eight Belles extremely legit? It is black and white to me.

[imnumberjuan]

I guess we'll see in a couple of weeks and we are in North America innocent until proven guilty. However it doesn't sit right from experience and as a friend once said - "I was born on a day ending in 'y' but it wasn't yesterday".

I think the implied guilt can be measured by the reaction by threat of civil suit if he gets any accusers in the instance of IWR.

And credit should be given to Talamo. Is it just me or did this year's wood seem weaker than the last few?

[oliverstoned]

Mullett was wrong in what he did, and the excuse was laughable, but it's not like he was givin the horse some hemopure and testosterone, right after he shock waved him. The horse in question was scratched and if anything I Want Revenge was as clean as can be, I bet 100% of the Wood field was treated with some sort of airways meds, their trainers just did it before they led them into the test barn. Those that think he was juiced up please don't bet him, the price will only get better for me.

Well I am the one who said I won't be betting him, not because of just cough drops but because it shows this guy is a unrepentant cheat who may have done other undetected things with him that he will be wary of doing for the Derby with the eyes of the world on him (or is he completely insane). Plus Mullins has a history of flopping in the Derby. Call it a "hunch", but anyway sorry to say the way I bet it will have no effect on you in the unlikely event he wins.

[Tucumcari]

Some cough syrup in different countries, ie Canada has codine in it. One could understand that there would be questions if a competitor took some of that unknowingly or otherwise.

[dray33]

I am writing this from a bus, traveling back from Pisa to Florence, on my blackberry, pardon my spelling and grammar. I have been listening to many stories about responsibility and punishment: vestal virgins, roman courts, cause and effect. I drank wine, and had a double espresso very late one night... The cause to my effect of not sleeping through the night. I was awake at 3:33 as my room swayed as if I was at sea. The earthquake causing such devestation only and hour away was "playing" with my hotel.


So in my head as I read about the latest offenses is how crime and punishment is so very disfunctional in our sport. Maybe I am a zealot. As I read about those that would defend or minimize all thses infractions, time and again, from the same group of abusers, I realize that maybe I'm looking at this all wrong..

We don't do enough for the cheaters. Eclipse awards, purse money, clients galore... Not enough. 200 dollar fines? Bad idea. I think its time to fine those who do not use medications. it is criminal to run horses cleanly. Or at the very least, let's give 30 percent of all purse monies to the cheating trainers.

I think that if a trainer can prove that a horse won a maiden or allowance race while jacked up on anything illegal, we should relax the black type rules, and award G1 status too. Reward even the lightest of offenses. GIVE horses a vicks and airpower, legal or not, it doesn't matter. Obviously it is given because it has no beneficial effect, the horses are more comfortable and appreciate the fresh breath. I can't tell you how many time a filly came back after a 6 furlong race and say to me" I could have won easy, but the Number 3 had trench mouth, no I eased off".

Let's suspend logic. Sorry... Let's continue to support the suspension of logic. Of course it makes no difference, doesn't effect race outcome, doesn't weaken the breed, doesn't foster lack of ethics, doesn't take money out of the hands of fair pracitioners, doesn't tarnish the sport itself and doesn't create animosity for owners and the gambling public.

Wow, this is SICK traffic. Anyway, best to all... caio

[ireneinwa]

Dray33 wrote....
Obviously it is given because it has no beneficial effect, the horses are more comfortable and appreciate the fresh breath. I can't tell you how many time a filly came back after a 6 furlong race and say to me" I could have won easy, but the Number 3 had trench mouth, no I eased off".


LMAO