Update On Sears Hearing

It's just too bad that they don't make driving lines long enough to stretch to the Clubhouse. All you punters out there could have driven this mare yourselves.

As a bettor and former owner its not hard to see that BAM was NOT going to be pushed hard. Sears was obviously under strict orders. He did what he was instructed to do. Unfortunately $$ was involved and people invested in the race. For that, a unilateral decision was made. Sears did not stiff the horse, in retrospect he just didn't try with her and it was blatantly obvious. Recourse unfortunately needed to be taken and he is the fall guy. Lets make no mistake that the horse was not to be pushed and someone made that call. Who, we may never know but I can promise you all that it wasn't Brian Sears. One more note as it pertains to the race, I would never bet a race like that, I'd rather just watch it and enjoy it. My money goes on claimers and condition races. Way better value.

Just to get the record straight... I did not bet on BAM to win because of exactly the reason horsemen are stating, and I will give you 10/1 that neither did any of the astute people who commented on this situation and thought something should be done. I will also lay you 10/1 that everyone posting has something to do with the game well beyond betting. It is not just a disgruntled gambler's complaint.

You shouldn't be able to break the rules with impunity. The problem is that the rules and punishments are not consistent. Wake up; we're on your side. We want an even playing field for all of you, and we want some company in the grandstand because we love this game.

Here's the funny thing about all these posts here. There have been many of us so called disgruntled, or bad gamblers (though I would gladly put my gambling kills up against anyone's) who have repeatedly said that 1) we are not claiming every horse person out there is a cheat. In fact I would say I believe most are honest.
2) We have never said horses should be abused in an all out effort to win and we realize some days a horse simply doesn't have it.
What I find funny or actually almost arrogant is that I have not seen one single so called horse person out there actually admit or acknowledge that there are horse people (trainers, drivers, jockeys etc.) out there who do cheat.
The irony that is lost on many is that it's always the horse people who get fined for abusing horses. Jockeys who use electric devices on horses. Jockeys and drivers who vigorously whip or kick their horses. I saw one trainer one time give a horse a very hard kick to his belly with construction boots on. But here we are and the horse people want to tell the whole world that it is actually the gamblers who want the horse abused. Really funny if it wasn't so pathetic.
Go ahead and escort us all out of the building. I'm sure your game will be better for it. After all why should anyone question anything right?
When I see a horse listed at double digits in the program and shows no form at all but get bet down at 2-1 and wins going away Im supposed to think everything is just fine, right? The horse was just really off form or six his last seven starts but felt great this particular day. Nothing unusual there other then I'd like to know who bet him down at 2-1 when his form looked so horrible.
Or all the single file parades that we see night after night are a great example of every single driver trying really hard to win.
I have often said and I agree that as gamblers your job is to try to read between the lines and figure out who might have more incentive to go then not go.
You also need as someone else here said to try to determine if a horse has probably had a long campaign and is perhaps tired.
This is part of handicapping a race and I have accepted and benefitted from that.
I also accept that as someone else here said that no matter what betting of any kind (not just on horseracing) is a losing proposition long term. This is why I, for the most part, bet only on horseracing. Because I love the sport.
I don't love basketball or baseball enough to bet on it and since most times you will lose, why bother? If you are going to bet then bet on something you at least enjoy. I am one of those people who can actually watch racing without having to bet on it because I actually enjoy the races for what they are.
I personally do not believe that races are actually fixed and I believe most people do not believe that. That is just a term that gets thrown around a lot when we feel some driver or jockey obviously did not go too hard. To fix a race would imply a number of drivers to want the same outcome and that would be far less occurring in my opinion though it has happened as I mentioned in another post with 3 well known US drivers many years ago.
But to any so called horse person who wants us to believe that we are getting an honest effort every single night I would say give it a rest. Both you and I know better whether you like to admit it or not and yes I know this for fact.

RE: Mr. Boggs' last statement. The people you want escorted out are the CUSTOMERS! The sport has earned its bad image IMO. The only industry in the world that thinks the customer should just feel honored to lose their money & shut up. Can see why it's thriving so well. Nobody was saying Sears should have blasted off the wings especially knowing what he knew. However he has been in enough races to know when the pace/trot up front was exceedingly slow for the class. He was not going to hurt that mare moving her after she went her 1st 1/4 in around 30 seconds. In all likelihood he could have brushed her to the lead with very little resistance by the 1/2 & whether she wins on not who knows....but at least the effort would have been there. The lack of effort call is not enforced enough is this game IMO. (first I have ever heard of lack of good judgement LOL) BTW I have bet a few double digit odds horses over the years hoping they could get the right trip....not all losing bets are bad bets..... I would rather hit 2 of 10 bets @ 10-1 vs 9 of 10 3-5 shots.

This is truly an amazing thread. It should be clear to anyone who reads why Harness Racing is in the mess it's in.

No one is suggesting the races are rigged. What is being suggested is that your Handle is in the toilet and you are doing a terrible job cultivating wagering because of the manner in which the races are conducted.

If you don't believe that then keep your head in the sand. Pray that the welfare checks you are getting from Ontario, Pennsylvania and New York continue.

If, however, you are interested in growing handle and cultivating new betting customers or even getting some of your previous customers back, it might be a good idea to actually listen to some of those customers instead of constantly telling them they are wrong or don't understand the game.

It is you who really doesn't understand the game.

Growing handle will provide a future for the sport and you won't be at the mercy of the governments to give you a slot handout. That should be the number 1 priority of every owner, trainer and driver.

Why is it so hard to grasp for everyone?

Mr Decker... this has nothing to do with positive tests. I agree 100% with you on positive tests though. The more they can test for the happier I am as a horseman. More than a slap on the wrist is needed in these instances but that is a whole different subject. We have our bad apples as does every industry. To the disgruntled gamblers you seem to forget these horses are flesh and blood, this is not NASCAR where you step on the gas and go. If you crash and burn you make repairs and are ready to race next week. Not so with horse racing. It doesn't matter what we say to you as your minds are already made up. You insult all of us horsemen with your insinuations of widespread cheating so it's no wonder you don't get the respect here that you think you deserve.

If Brian Sears had gunned his mare to the front and won by 10 lengths, not one more dollar would have been won by gamblers. The house would keep their 20 percent, paid out the bettors 80 percent and we would all go on to the next race. Those people who thought 1/2 on a mare who on long term form was better than her competition would have been paid three dollars and all the long shot players would of lost their money. There is a constant theme by people who blog on this site that if the participants in the industry weren't cheating all of us gamblers would make more money. News flash - Betting on horse racing or in fact any form of gambling can be hazardous to your financial health. You do not lose because drivers cheat, you lose because you are supposed to lose. Mr Gural would solve a lot more of your money losing problems by reducing takeouts. After this silliness, Brian will gun his mare to the front... he might run away and hide or he might back through the field and for all of you who think harness racing is fixed you should go bet on Bee a Magician at less than even money and if she wins you will join the club of I told you they were crooks. If she backs through the field you will lose your money and then you can mumble to your friend I told you they are all crooks. I used to listen to a bad gambler at our local off-track who would mumble about how every race was either fixed by a trainer or marred by a driver not trying. Anytime there was a noticeable silence after a race every person knew that bad gambler had cashed a ticket. If some of you come back next week and say that was more like it, I know you won. I am betting against her not because I think they are crooks but because I think the rigours of racing have started to catch up to her. If I lose and she wins than I will have to take a novel approach I will say "Shucks I was wrong"... 20 minutes to next post "I hope I figure out the next race."

I've been betting horses before I was a teenager. I bet this 2yo named, "Bettors Delight" one night. He had an ace driver and wasn't being bet. So I went all-in on him. He got away a gapping last, held his position for 3/4 of the mile, and finished up mid-pack. I was all-in on Real Desire the time that they met. If you have TrackIT, check it out. I got even on Hambo day a year later when Real Desire, driven by one of the best in the business made a statement.

Dante Sintori and Kansas Snow and William Yamakva amongst others have hit the nail right on the head here. It's laughable to read on this thread how all these horsepeople think we are insensitive beasts demanding the horse take all kinds of abuse just to win a race. You guys are obviously missing the point. Nobody here that I have read is suggesting that. I would have absolutely no problem with a driver or jockey who is driving a horse in a race who notices DURING (key word 'during') a race that something is wrong with the horse and makes a split second decision to pull up or not go as hard because the horse is not or does not seem right. That would be the expected and smart thing to do first and foremost for the safety of all the other drivers and for the safety of the other horses as well as their own. What most of us here have a problem with is going into a race knowing full well prior to the race that you have absolutely zero intention of winning the race. That is cheating. Period. Now I will acknowledge that myself as well as many other smart and experienced gamblers on this thread might be able to read between the lines and make some educated guesses such as the race being an elimination race or as others pointed out the season being long or whatever else that may lead us to conclude that betting on BAM at 1-2 is not good value. I have avoided these bets many times and profited from doing so. However, try explaining to a person that that is at the track for the first time that I'm sorry the champion heavy favourite that just went off at 1-2 ran fourth today because she wasn't right so they just took her for a jog. But come back and bet her next week and you will get your money back and more. Really??? Do you really think this person is coming back? Is that how you attract new blood to the sport. Many of you may recall a Breeders Cup race a few years ago where John Velasquez was riding a champion filly who was very heavily bet.. He sensed something was wrong with the horse while warming her up but decided to run her anyways and she finished dead last by a mile and was never in the race. He then had the gall to admit after the race that the horse was warming up really bad and maybe he should've scratched her. Well let me tell you that created a firestorm of controversy and gave horse racing a black eye. Millions of dollars of peoples money went down the tubes that day. Is that supposed to be fair? I don't expect to wager on the right horse every time. And I don't expect that drivers or jockeys will make the right decisions during a race every time. And I know that even when they do make the right decisions the horse may not always win because maybe they just didn't have it that day. I am fine with all that. It is the risk and challenge of gambling an frankly I enjoyed the challenge when I did it. This Brian Sears incident is simply one example of the problem with racing but nonetheless it is a very important one. On any given night there are far too many suspicious drives. The recent Peter Wrenn incident is another. The incident involving 3 top US drivers many years ago is yet another. And the list goes on and on. I don't care whether the horse industry cares about what I say or not. The truth is I and others have been insulted many times on this website for speaking the truth and trying to actually tell the people in the game what they need to do to fix it. One fellow on this thread thinks \I should stick to the finance industry because apparently being a gambler on horses for 40 years, being a former sbred owner and friend of many tbred owners (including one who by the way is a member of the WEG board) does not qualify me to make any comments. I and others should just shut up because we don't know what we are talking about. The truth is I don't gamble on horses anywhere near as much as I used to. Not for financial reasons but because the product is horrible and if I must be truthful I find harness racing on many circuits BORING. The fact that I sit here to take the time to write the comments that I do is to try to help the sport survive but not for myself. I could care a less if racing stopped tomorrow. I have seen enough of the great champion jockeys, drivers and horses of both breeds. I saw Niatross & Cam Fella live. I have seen the many great Tbreds come to Woodbine. I have enough memories to last me the rest of my days. And I have had my fill. So if it all ended tomorrow it would be just fine with me. But to all you horsepeople who rely on it as a way of life tell me, would it be fine with you? Because the indignation and arrogance you display towards the people who actually keep your livelihood going will only guarantee the sports demise. What will you do when the governments $400 million dries up and there is no new deal on the table? What will you do if gamblers get tired of slots too? I hope you enjoy racing for bragging rights because that's all that will be left of the purses.

Okay, so we had the prep race, and, what did I learn? Scotty Z's charge needs to have a cone-skimming trip in order to get a cheque. Had Scotty Z stayed in, Bee A Magician might/would have caught Shake It Cerry's (the eventual winner's) cover. Shake It Cerry was given "whip tap reminders" at the end of the mile, while Bee A Magician (by the way she races her best off the pace) was closing, in a losing battle with minimal urging. Shake It Cerry is not the same horse that Ronny Pierce drove last year, but, with "the buckeye" drivin' it could well be "Miller time." I'm all-in on Bee A Magician. Good luck, and have fun. Nobody has more fun at the track than I do.

If a horse is 1-2 on the board in a Parimutuel race, then that horse has ZERO business being driven in a conservative manner.

If you want to give your horse an easy comfortable trip, they have these things called qualifiers. You can take back and sit last and race as easy as your little heart desires and nobody will say a word.

But when you enter your horse in a parimutuel race you are LEGALLY BOUND to try your best to WIN that race. Try to WIN. Not "try to get her around". Not "try to tighten her up". Not "try to give her an easy mile." Try to WIN.

The disrespect, lack of empathy and sometimes downright disdain shown by the horsemen towards the horseplayer in this thread is exactly what is killing the game. Not to mention a similar attitude by those who regulate the game.

Do you really think that most players, especially those posting here are so unsophisticated that they don't know basic strategy in a horse race? Of course every driver who drops back should not be fined, of course Sears can't control everything that happens in front of him, but an effort is expected, and the effort given in that race was just putrid. Yup, that's called stiffing by the bettors and it is against the rules, which give it a much more politically correct spin like "lack of effort".

Keep it up, guys, the rules are just suggestions to some of you. Give your buddy the inside lane down the stretch, go slower fractions in the open than the cheap claimers, take a break while your horse drops in class and pop him when he's in cheap, don't launch an objection when your buddy cuts you off in the stretch, put your foot on your horse's hock down the lane.

It's become like those rolling stops so many of us make at stop signs. We all do it in every vocation. Trouble is, unlike most of the other professions, there are many many eyes watching as it happens, with replays available like never before. They have become so frequent the cops are turning a blind eye. But the rest of us see it. Some will complain to you, and those are the ones you actually have a chance to keep and you need to respect the most because they want the game to survive. Others will not complain; they will simply leave and thrash talk to the rest of the world about how trainers and drivers stiff horses.

Who needs horseplayers? Do your thing like nobody's watching.

To Mr. Gural, I appreciate your efforts. Myself I didn't see this mare winning this race. I would of like to have seen these other mares to have race the scheduled races she has raced this year. It was clear to me that she was getting tired at the end of the long season with her last two starts, finishing sixth and fourth. I took this all in to consideration, including the three weeks off, in handicapping this race and went with Shake It Cerry. I don't know if posting information about a horse before races is helpful or not. If it helps new fans out in handicapping, I'm all for it. To the other sports bettors, or let me say NFL bettors, you seem to think this information helps you then good for you. I don't want to get into more details on this subject. At the end of the day, my horse wins by a nose, I'm cashing. You're football team wins the game, you take your ticket to the store, and you're rejected. Oh sorry, your football team didn't score enough points. You're ticket is no good. Have a good day.

What frustrated me in early 90's about racing and took me away from the game for some time was betting on maiden non-winner's races. Horses milking these classes quite simply one week coming home 31 last quarter finishing back. Following week paced the last quarter in 28.4, 29.1 and finishing second or third, this was happening a lot. These might have been used for schooling young horses or not, but for me it was very frustrating. These areas should have been addressed and people should have been held accountable for these performances. (Windsor raceway)

I started out going to the races in 1984, I was taught how to handicap races. Here's a list of thing I was taught:
- Don't bet on oil burners breeding
- Do not bet on fillies and mares racing against horses
- Check breeding
- Watch out for track conditions
- Compare track sizes
- Don't bet a horse that had been off three weeks or longer
- Keep an eye on the trainers
- Important to watch the workouts
- Important to watch post parades
- Watch out for horses on Lasix or going off Lasix
- Watch out for equipment changes
- Watch for trainer and driver changes
- Watch why a horse went off stride (was it interference or broken equipment)
- When you feel a horse is ready stick with them for three attempts
- At the start of the evening important to catch any program changes
- Take each race scratch ones that you believe have no chance
- Better to bet an inside post position rather than an outside post position
Believe me I caught on quite quickly.
Mr. Gural If you don't think horses get tired at the end of a long season then you need to check your entries for Friday November 20th 2015.

Pace - Mares Open Final 7 Horses
Pace - 2 year old Fillies Final 8 horses
Trot - Mares Open Final 6 horses

Saturday November 21st - 2015
Trot - 3 year old Fillies Final 4 horses
Trot - Free for all Final 8 horses
Pace - Free for all Final 6 horses

I do not get it? You get a lot of people saying the betting public needs to "guess" if a driver is going to try to win a race with a horse? That it was a bad bet to bet on BAM when she is only racing for 25k...."guess" it was LOL... That's old school thinking...& how is that working for the industry. This was a blatant non effort regardless if she was the best horse or not. The horsemen hate change & seem to think everything is fine as long as there's money in the purse account. The scare we just had in Ontario should tell you that money could dry up any time & then the customer would be more important.......But it will be to late. How about we try having a $100 entry fee per horse, with the $100 going into the win pool & the winning owner or trainer gets the $100 win ticket? Maybe then they would enter their horses ready to race instead of a glorified training trip? I know the $100 is not going to mean much to connections but it cannot hurt? Pay the top 3 with finishers with the winner getting a bigger cut (65%)& every horse getting a nominal amount based on the class of the race. Reward the winners.

The takeaway from this is that Mr Gural is prepared to embrace the gambler, at all costs. This is something Horse Racing has failed miserably at, thus our current predicament. Other sports like NFL football, MLB baseball, NBA basketball and NHL hockey have embraced the gambler and revenues are through the roof. What they figured out was having Jimmy The Greek on TV, in the early eighties, made gambling on football acceptable. If people gamble on something, they pay attention and are more likely to watch. If we put on a good show then we can create fans out of them. Fans drive TV ratings and they go to the games. We've been trying to get fans in and make gamblers out of them, a plan that seems to be failing. We have lost two generations of gamblers because we haven't been paying attention to what they want. In my opinion Horse Racing is far more exciting than watching a 3 hour basketball game, where it just comes down to the last 5 minutes to determine the outcome. Can we reverse the downward trend in horse racing? The answer is yes, but it will require a united effort by everyone involved in horse racing (Stardardbred and Thoroughbred), and by making fundamental changes to how we present our product to the gamblers. Not only have the other major sports taken all the younger gamblers away from Horse Racing, and made fans out of them, they have now partnered with the fantasy gambling sites (Fan Duel and Draft Kings). We need to listen to the gamblers, and take back our share of the pie.

I'm sure that if Mr. Gural felt that Sears had cheated in any way, then the penalty would have been much more severe. No one person can be bigger than the sport.

Raz Mackenzie

To the disgruntled gamblers, if the horsemen are guilty of anything in this instance it is caring for their horses to much. Gamblers know of the gambling side of the industry but are in the dark on the day to day lives of our equine friends. Horses are part of our familes and we would not want to harm them any more than any other family member. Sometimes unforeseen circumstances happen where the horses well being is jeopardized and decisions have to be made. You have to remember only one driver makes all the right decisions each race and in this instance a wrong decision was made. Respect the horse. Do you gamblers have pets at home? How would you react if your pet was in a possible threatening situation ? Tell me Randy Moss and Vince Carter and probably many more (The Leafs) gave their all every time they played.

I've seen plenty of the "he stiffed me types" over the years, and there are a couple that login here with a certain frequency. Pay no attention to them...

Regarding the actual race:
What is wrong with getting away 6th?
Should every driver that gets away worse than 5th be set down?
Do they have to leave to win?

They didn't set out to not win with the mare, they set out to race her in a more conservative manner. If she was good, she would have won. She's not, which brings me to my next point...she hadn't had a start in 3 weeks! That's an auto toss for many astute gamblers, and at 1-2 it does appear there was some $ to be made betting against her.

Mr.Macdabheid
How do you not expect me to take your post personally if you practically quoted some of what I said in your response. At least have the conviction of your comments to address me directly as I did you. Also I never accused you of having no morals or ethics. I don't know you well enough to judge you. My comment simply said that if someone believes that training their horse should come at the expense of the gambler who by the way sustains your sport then ANYONE who actually feels that way in my mind is morally and ethically bankrupt. Let me ask you this sir. How would you feel if you sent out a horse to race and you really could use the purse money but the driver of your horse decided to take it easy that night because he just wasn't feeling to good and so he didn't really give you 100%? Would you be OK with that? Would you not feel cheated. Or how would you feel if you came to invest money at my firm (perhaps in the hope of buying a new farm or more horses) and you rep invested your hard earned money in a stock where he knew the company's earnings were not going to be really good that quarter and the stock dropped? Would you not feel cheated. I am constantly amazed at the any indignant comments and attitudes the horse racing community has towards the gamblers who actually sustain it. Perhaps you would all like for us to simply send you guys a cheque every week. I have seen Randy Waples on many big nights go out of his way to thank fans because he might be one of the few who actually gets it. Someone else on this thread commented about how the gamblers stopped caring a long time ago especially when it comes to harness racing. He couldn't be more right. I hope if you have children you advised them not to get into racing because your future at the moment looks very bleak and you don't seem to care about trying to make it better. I care very much about the horses and you will not see one post where I suggest they should ever be abused. And I don't have a problem with trainers training their horses by racing as long as they are reasonably trying to win. HOWEVER it is obvious to anyone who watched the race that Sears had no intention of winning.That was not only his fault by the way.The trainer should be held accountable as well. Someone else on thus thread has also made the comment that both the Big M and WEG which are your two premier tracks are hurting. If that doesn't tell you so thing is very wrong then I don't know what will.

Very interesting points of views. Everyone is welcome to their own opinion and its great that this topic is getting well discussed. I have had mixed feelings about it, as I can see it from both sides of the argument. Yes if I would have bet BAM I would have liked to know what the game plan was, but if I owned a horse like BAM I would have likely wanted to do what was best for her and her future, not anyone else. And as a handicapper I would understand that and take it into consideration.
Did anyone watch the live feed before the race? I have not heard anyone mention this on Standarbred Canada, but when Sam McKee (track announcer) made his race selections minutes prior to the race he said exactly what did happen. I cannot quote his exact words but he chose the other horse as he said it would likely make front and said BAM would be a better selection for the final next week.

I followed his advice so I was ok with the outcome.

Great discussion.
Noses on the wire !

Mr. Yamakva,

Off and running once again I see wrongfully condemning people. Where ever did I once say that the racing public should not be privy to as much info as is possible, no to the contrary I was I believe the very first person to clearly state that I was fully supportive of the idea. In that post I stated that this has long been a format that should be used. Actually Grand River at one time used to interview trainers before the race to get their take on the upcoming race and I thought it was a grand idea.
You sir have very wrongfully convicted me as you have done the same to Mr. Brian Sears with little or no regard for the facts or the truth.
It was you sir when you do bring it to mind did make comment about 'carving on' horses and I do take exception to this line of verbiage.
Whether you go to Western fair, bet football that's fully up to you, it has nothing to do with me and I'll sleep just fine and I'm sure the sun will come up in the morning. I'll go to the barn and feed my horses and spend the day with five beautiful souls that look forward as much as I do spending time together.
Oh, and fans have always been number one with me, I am a fan. I have long believed and have stated many, many times that harness racing needed to do a way better job in trying to reach out to not only keep but bring in new people. I don't particularly like the idea of calling them customers because I don't see them as such and I think that is the wrong approach. I want people that actually will fall in love with the horses and want to come and watch these magnificent creatures do what they do best and I have long believed that this can not be done by catering to people such as yourself that cares nothing about the animals and only about the few dollars they bet on them. Decent people don't want to see animals beat on because they have bet money on them and they won't come and I know this for a fact they won't come to watch the barbarity of the past. Those days are long gone. The day of the whip is over in the minds of most people.
Back to Mr. Sears, you want me to hang this young man out for something he didn't do wrong, it won't happen. Brian Sears is one of the finest drivers in harness racing and a credit to the sport. I recall his mother once being interviewed about her son and she said, "Brian doesn't just drive a horse, he inspires them". Not verbatim maybe, but close enough.
Someone like you don't get it. You've no idea when a horse has had enough Brian Sears does, he's out there and he reads his horse to perfection as he does what is going on around him. He's not the problem you and the likes of you are.
You think hard sir,

This was a prep race. The pace of the race was slow, and when Brian (Sears) moved Bee A Magician he ended up flushing dull cover. Bee A Magician finished up the mile with lots of trot. I'm sure that the other drivers are aware of this. Brian (Sears) manages her very well. Bee A Magician is not tired, or tired of winning.

Mr. Riga,
Seems you took my post personally.
Sorry my friend but you need to read my posts. Don't see anywhere where your name was mentioned... to tell you the truth paid you no mind at all when I was writing.
As far as honesty and integrity goes I don't have to answer to you or anyone else on this earth. I've no problem shaving my friend as I've every faith that the lad staring back at me has done his best in that regard.
If you believe Brian Sears stiffed you or cheated you driving BAM in the race in question then good luck in your finding an honest drive.. at least in your mind.
Yeah, every body is a crook, blah, blah, blah. And, you say I'm the problem with horse racing losing customers? Do you think running around calling every drive into question...worse not only into question but questioning the ethics of someone that did nothing but look out for the best interests of the horse he was driving. What do you know about Brian Sears?? Maybe just maybe Gural is carrying a grudge still over past issues he had with Sears, namely that Sears wouldn't be a lap dog.
Oh, and by the way as Mr. Murray Brown pointed out the race wasn't even an elimination race!! Kinda kills the angle a lot of punters had going doesn't it?? Wrong about that!
Stick with finance probably you're better suited for that endeavour.
Oh, by the way I've never raced a horse dishonestly ever. You can bet your bottom dollar though you'll never see me 'carving' on one of my horses to make someone happy because they bet on my horse. I don't believe in beating horses, I happen to love them and that is why I am in them and I'll stay as long as I can. Oh, before you go on 'ranting and raving' about me, Read some of my earlier posts, I hate cheats, crooks, thieves and liars.

The comments by many people on this topic just show what a mess harness racing is in.

If you are fine with the status quo then great but realize that the status quo is an unbettable product that is only alive because of slot welfare from the Governments of Ontario, New York and Pennsylvania.
If you are fine with this then by all means support Brian Sears and anyone else does the same thing.

On Saturday night the Meadowlands handled $2.2 Million and Woodbine handled $1.4 Million. Those are your 2 marquee tracks and those handle numbers are abysmal.
Why? Because you have created a product that no one wants to bet on anymore. The takeout is too high and the racing/tactics are not compelling anymore.

If the racing was so good and the handle was doing so well then this Sears drive would not be an issue.
The problem is that harness racing is in the toilet and everyone seems satisfied with racing at Chester, Pocono, Yonkers collecting the welfare check from slot money.

So by all means leave racing the way it is, let Sears and every other Driver and Trainer do whatever they want.....because it doesn't really matter. The bettors stopped caring a long time ago and they are showing it with they wallets.

If you really want to fix some of these issues you can stop having elimination races, 6 and 7 horse races and get serious about having a good product to BET on. If not enjoy the welfare and hope that Ontario, Pennsylvania and New York don't take it away.

Mr. Macdabbheid
I would suggest that next time BEFORE you ramble on insulting people that you learn a little bit about them. Had you read any of my many many posts on this website and on this very topic you would know a couple of things about me. One, I have been involved in horse racing for 40 years. Two, I did used to own horses as well as know many people who did (I owned S-breds and had uncles and friends who owned t-breds.I am very well acquainted and knowledgeable about the costs of horse ownership. So please spare me the "if you knew anything about horseracing" lecture. If you choose to get into horseracing as an owner you must be prepared to pays the costs of doing so. And while I realize that my next sentence might be a pipe dream, that cost should NEVER EVER EVER come at the expense of willfully cheating the public. Unless of course you are a morally or ethically bankrupt person. I work in the finance investment industry for a large brokerage firm. Our people give clients advice on their investments all the time. Now while I realize that there are crooked people in our business as well, the fact is the penalties in our business for cheating a client are much for severe then anything horse racing hands out. And frankly I fully support that. The interest of the clients should always come first and in horse racing the gamblers are your clients whether you choose to acknowledge that at all. One day many many years ago my trainer entered a horse into a race that was not his class. My horse was coming off a win and I knew she would take action on the board. However because my horse was having to move up in class due to not fitting the conditions of a lower class my trainer said to me that since we couldn't scratch we would simply go to the back of the bus and take a ride around the track. Well you know what, that didn't sit well with me and I got out of the business because that was something I did not want to be a part of. I did not want to cheat others out of their hard earned money. It was my decision to buy a horse and if I can't afford the costs then I should get out. And for the record I am not asking you to kiss my butt. I am asking you to acknowledge where your paychecks are coming from and maybe yes a simple thank you would be nice. With attitudes like yours its no wonder the sport is dying.

Mr Sears did as instructed and drove the horse conservatively. You have a horse worth millions of $ and the connections decided on a different race strategy to protect their horse. She came out to challenge during the race and was impeded by the race flow and the slow fractions. Being off form a bit lately called for a new statagy. She is flesh and blood and maybe she is in decline. Bettors wanted her gutted no matter what, horsemen want her to race again next week, hopefully great as usual. Would the bettors be happier if she was gunned out of there and finished up the track? I see nothing wrong with giving the bettors more info if they think it will help. Decisions are made by the drivers in a split second as soon as the gate's wings fold and when she did not leave the fractions were slow but had they been faster she may have won from off the pace, who knows how the race will unfold? Why has no blame been put on the one who gave the instructions and put Sears between a rock and a hard place ? Why, because he was protecting one of the most important horses of our era. Maybe she should have been scratched if his concern was that great. To place blame on Mr Sears in my eyes is wrong.

She wasn't going to win no matter the trip. On her best day, she overcomes the trip to win going away.

She'll be rolled for the final, and she'll be up the track.

#youhearditherefirst

Oh, and by the way check out Bee A Magician's last six lines or so. When has she made front in her latest attempts. Racing for a million, racing in the breeders crown for over 600 grand and yet took a seat. It's obvious to a blind man that she's been off form. Oh, and Sears tried the 3 wide move for home in the Million at Yonkers and where did that get him? He learned from that race not to do it again with her.

Don't race your horse unless it's ready to race?? Your expense?? Try owning some horses for awhile and you'll find out what 'expenses' really means. You've no idea yet on... and on, and on. It kills me listening to people that know nadda, nothing, absolutely nothing about horses, railing on telling people that have spent a lifetime at it on how to do it. Number one have you any idea how few horses would be in to go if it depended on the trainer knowing that his horse was at the top of his game? You couldn't fill one race!! You talk about gambling.. nobody knows more about gambling than horse people, nobody takes more risks and receives as little in return. It is about the horses and if you don't like horses than why bother having anything to do with them. I'm sick of people thinking I should kiss their butt because they bet on horse racing. Sorry won't happen. Do you think hockey players, hockey teams always give it their all?? Football players, football teams??? Bull crap they do. "It's the playoffs, I'll have to elevate my game". Ever heard that one before? Well if one can elevate their game for the play offs then that can only mean one thing and that is that they haven't given it their all, all season long!! Horses put more out there day in and day out racing than any human does in any other athletic sport alive.

GLENN... I'M afraid it's you who has it wrong. If you really believe for one second that even though the NFL doesn't promote gambling it isn't aware of the enormous amounts of money bet on its games then you are really naive. The NFL knows better then anyone that the reason it's ratings are so high and its sport so popular is because people bet on it... even if they won't openly admit this. This is true of basketball baseball and many sports. You think people tune in to watch Tennessee beat Cleveland 10-6 just because they love football.
This is the problem with horsepeople (full disclosure I used to own standardbreds that raced at Greenwood/mohawk). Horsepeople still don't get it. Gamblers don't need you. You need us.. I can bet on a ton of different events. what are you gonna do if gamblers stop betting.on horses. Are you gonna race for fun? Are people going to magically give you horses and equipment. SO YES WE.ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR SPORT. WITHOUT US YOUR SPORT DOES NOT EXIST.
When drivers, trainers, jockeys and track authorities get this through their head then you might just might have a shot at survival. I am shocked or maybe not that Mr.Gural is the only one who seems to get it.
MR.Yamakva is absolutely right. The more I Know the better chance I make a winning wager. Why do you think I rarely bet elimination races at the WEG CIRCUIT. Coz I know there's a great chance I'll get stiffed. Twenty years ago a friend of mine who had inside knowledge that I was at the track told me not to bet on a horse that was 1-5 coz he was lame. so I didn't bet him and guess what. I cashed my ticket so yes that info was very helpful. I just felt bad for all the people who didn't know what I knew.

Dear Will I was not kidding. Your analogy of the NFl is horrible and shows your lack of understanding of horse racing. The NFL does not agree with gambling or even acknowledge that there is gambling on their sport. When they publish any reports on players injuries they take no responsibility for any gambling outcome or any liability for how you use the info. Racetracks on the other hand promote gambling and have to think long and hard about any info that they provide to ensure its accuracy and usefulness to bettors. By giving more info to the gambler does not increase the amount paid back at the end of any race that amount is consistent based on the takeout. It just means you think you will do better because you are smarter than the rest of us and will use the information wisely.

As for your comment that "The bettors are the most important part of the sport" You are wrong! The bettors are an important part of the sport the same as Drivers, Trainers, Owners, and racetrack owners. My other suggestion is for you to go buy 5 yearlings and then go and jog them 5 miles every Saturday and Sunday for the months of January and Febuary and two things will happen. You will develop a whole new respect for the people who work in this business and number two you will have no money left to bet on the races Saturday night.

P.S. Part of the last line was an attempt at a joke.

Maybe the punters should take 15 days off as well Terry. See how much money trainers and drivers would earn then. Seems impossible for some people to figure out what fuels this spot!! GAMBLERS!!

I just have one question to ask... If this was a 500K race, would Brian Sears drive the same way? I watched the replay at least 10x and nobody left for Sears to get hung 3 wide if he chose too. He looked left and decided i'm going right to the end of the line. This is not fair for people that have bet money on this horse. He never even attempted do anything even though he was dead last. in his mind, I just want to qualify for the TVG final and forget about the public that bet on me. I'm sorry to say this but this should not be acceptable.I understand people who will defend Brian are people who are trainers, owners etc. Remember without the betting public, you would not be doing what you are doing today.

If this is how it works for elimination races, there should be no betting until the final. I really like the idea when you win you get to chose your post position for the final.

I've watched the replay several times. 5 seconds after the start it was clear to see that no other horse was leaving the gate. I'm sure Sears could have decided to urge his horse on a little and would probably been released to the front easily. He could then back off & let the first horse to come, go by for at least a 2 hole trip. As the heavy favorite he has to show some attempt to be in contention. That's my thoughts as a 45 year bettor & previous owner.

There seems to be a commonality "forget me not" in all the previous comments. The trainer and driver discussed in length(by their own admission) as to how they would try to engineer that race. OK perhaps that is fine(but at least a debatable point), but what about the so called "betting public/fans", who are not as "bright" as some of the commentators and made the horse a one to two favourite. Do they and we deserve pre race information stating that fact? Now here is the real kicker. Unless you are living in a "parallel universe" virtually every trainer, driver, and owner bets on their horses(but not always), and allegedly never on another horse in a race they are entered in(but There has not been a suspension for that in decades). Now l will wager my life against a dime that the trainer and driver have bet their horses in the past, and I will also wager my life against a dime that they did not bet Bee A Magician last week!!

Let me just start by saying that I really like Brian Sears as I do most of the Meadowlands drivers because most of the time they actually give you a shot. However I find it shocking that people are actually siding with him on this and making ridiculous comments like what was he supposed to do and maybe they should fine the other drivers for going too slow. I have never agreed with that. As far as I'm concerned if a driver can slow down a race and then sprint away that's perfectly good strategy. You don't like it? Go after him. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. IN ANSWER TO WHAT sears should have done, here's your answer. R.A.C.E. That's why it's called RACING. Because you're supposed to race. He was 1-2 for a reason and yes he could've very easily gone first over or 3 wide and made a race of it. Yes he could've still lost but he could've finished 2nd or 3rd which would've benefited those who had him in exotics. I guarantee you that if the purse was much larger he wouldn't have just sat there but because it wasn't he didn't try very hard and too bad for a all the gamblers who bet on him...Why should they matter. After all if it wasn't for them racing would be no existent but hey who cares about us right? AS LONG AS THE HORSEPEOPLE ARE GETTING PAID EVERYTHING IS FINE. And why is Mr. NORMAN NOT TAKING HEAT. If your horse is not ready to actually race then DON'T RACE THE HORSE AT MY EXPENSE. He must've known that horse would be a heavy favourite and a lot of people would lose money. Anyone who reads this site knows that I have been saying this for years. I APPLAUD Mr. Gural for at least trying.

I don't think he had too many other choices. Without tearing her guts out, what was he supposed to do? Just the way the race unfolded. They should re-think this situation.

Anyone who thinks the suspension of Brian Sears or the idea of training reports will help the industry have not gone through all of the complications and inconsistancys this creates. What do we do with the trainer who reports that their horse trained horrible on Wednesday and tied up on Thursday and then goes out and wins on Saturday and pays 100 dollars. Brian Sears drive was not the problem it was the fact that we have horses with 4 million dollars on their card racing for 25k. As a handicapper it is important to figure out the intentions of the connections, and a 4 million dollar winner racing for 25 k Coming off three weeks rest bring out the possibility of, that drive and that result. What is more disturbing is the misguided ready fire aim behaviour of participants in this industry.

The Meadowlands drivers should stick together like the Flint OHL team and all take 15 days off.

Yeah, heaven forbid he actually races a mare that's 1-2 with nearly 4 million dollars on her card. Drive was an absolute joke. Watch the drive on All The Time in race 5 with a heavy favorite. "Professional drive" heaven forbid people get held accountable in this industry. The difference is at the meadowlands there are no slot money handouts and Gural depends on people betting. Time for you guys to wake up and get a dose of reality.

Years ago, drivers admitted to looking at the tote board. They knew if a horse was less than even money, they better not get caught failing to make a move. Nothing looks more like a stiff (and I said looks like, not is) than an odds-on favorite not really trying.

As for Ted's comment about not applying for a license the following year, this was not the first time the driver you have alluded to has been nailed for unsatisfactory drive. How many times do you give a driver like that another chance?

This is way out of line. I'm sure we all appreciate what Mr. Gural is doing at the Meadowlands but he just showed he doesn't understand racing. No horse should be asked to gun to the front every start, particularly from an outside post.

Rather than stick Sears with a suspension the judges and Gural should be looking at the leaders who walked to the half. Fine them for a slow half if you want but don't blame Sears for not gutting his mare from an outside post. He obviously thought about leaving but then took back and they walked up front. Too bad. Onto next week. That's racing. It doesn't happen the same way every week.

What are the judges actually watching? It took the track owner to question the drive and initiate a hearing. It's a wonder they didn't try negotiating a deal with Sears to not apply for a licence to drive in New Jersey next year.

Unreal!! Sears can't control what's happening in front of him. What was he to do move three wide up the backside because he's the favorite?