18WT #084 - 18 Wheel Talk Rewind: Episode 53 From March Of 2022

We chose this episode to listen to and enjoy once again in appreciation of our local horse racing track here in Phoenix being sold to a new owner who is keeping it open as a Horse Racing Track.

Turf Paradise has been in the Valley of the Sun since January 7, 1956. The current owner bought the 1400-acre track in 2000 and planned to sell it to an Industrial park developer as recently as April 19, 2023.

In September it appeared that the developer backed out of the deal. Now there is a new buyer who plans to keep the Horse Racing tradition here in the valley. Turf Paradise was the First Professional Sports Franchise to come to the Phoenix Metro Area.

We hope that you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed making it and putting the doping in horse racing epidemic to light.

Recording in progress. 

Welcome to the 18 wheel Talk Podcast Show. I am your host Patrick over there is the co host. Janet. Hi Janet. Hi Patrick. Whats Up we're not just a podcast for truckers. That's right. Gonna to give you a little laugh, a little giggle or humor and a little of what's going on today. Well, You know, we are two retired truck drivers and, uh, we, we, uh, we give people tall tales from our experience on the road.

And we talk, we talk dirty. Who said we talk dirty? Well, you do have a foul mouth. I'm a mind reader. I'm just saying what you're thinking. Yeah. And, uh, you know, we, we, we tend to tell, tell people tall tales from our, our experience over the road. And, uh, we, uh, We like to dabble in sports and talk about current events.

So what do you want to talk about today? Horse racing. Kind of, sort of.

Horse racing. Horse racing. With online betting being what it is. Why not talk about horse racing? That's right. Yeah, but it's kind of sad. Why? Medina Spirit died. Uh oh. Alright, so for our listeners that don't know, who is Medina Spirit? That's the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner. Well, how did Medina Spirit... End up dying.

Unexpectedly, is what they're saying. Unexpectedly. Well. Well, Medina Spirit died in December, but was officially disqualified by derby, uh, racing officials in, um, last week or the week before for failing the drug test that's given after the race. Uh oh, so the horsey, the horsey failed its drug screen. Yeah, the horse failed its drug screen.

Just like so many pro sport athletes. She forgot to study. Yeah, he, she, he, she, um, it's only the third horse in the race is 147 year history to receive the penalty after finishing first. Now is Medina Spirit a boy or girl? A boy. So he, he forgot to study for his urine test. Yeah, because a lot of the derby winners go out to stud afterwards.

Guess this one won't. Yeah, no. Um, today, the decision meant the coach men's means that the Colts owner will not collect the 1.8 million first place check, which was not paid out because pending all the investigations. Yeah. It's pending. Urine, Urine analysis. Yep. And then they did. Well, then they did.

When the urine test came up negative, you know, came up bad, then they did blood work. Um, and now it goes to Mandolin's owner. Mandolin was given the, was second place and given first place. So what they did is after, after the blood tox, then they decided to do hair follicles. I don't know. What do you mean you don't know?

I didn't look that closely. I, I, I am telling you. So Churchill Downs, which for those that don't know the tracks in Louisville, Kentucky, is the track that hosts the Derby. Uh, they said in a statement, they now recognize Mandolin as the winner in the race. So... Now Mandolin's another boy. Yes. They're all boy, they're all boy horses.

Yes. Okay. Typically, yes. Usually. Yes. Okay. The ruling erased the Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert. He's like one of the most known... Trainers in history, um, his, that erased his seventh Kentucky Derby victory, which would have been a record because of the big, yeah, it took that away doping. Um, right. Isn't that what they're calling it?

Doping? Yeah, it's a doping scandal. He was just Baffert was suspended for 90 days beginning back in March last year, and he was fined 7, 500. It should have been a lot more if you ask me. Yeah, I mean, if he's guilty. Right. You know, right. Which, which obviously he is, or was further down the road here. So the drugs found in Medina spirit system is beta methadone.

Now what is that? It's a steroid. It's a cord or steroid that's, um, injected in the joints to reduce pain and swelling. Okay. Um, Baffert said it was applied topically to, to treat a skin rash. Okay. Okay. Okay. On Medina, Medina, Medina Spirits Hindon. I am tongue tied today. Yeah, what's different today than any other day?

Nothing. Oh, okay. But it's kind of like that Russian Olympic skater, you know, she Took the wrong drug and she took grandpa's drugs. And yeah, maybe Medina Spirit took grandpa's drugs. I don't know. But the disqualification puts a new strain on a sport that's been troubled by doping problems. And it places Baffert's reputation and future in the sport in jeopardy.

Because his horses have won the Triple Crown and 2015 and 18, and he's kind of like the thoroughbred racing, most recognizable personality, right? People that don't know racing, they're like Bob Baffert. That name's familiar. You know? Hey, isn't he the doper? ? He's gonna be known as that. If he's not careful.

He's gonna have an asterisk next to his name. Like the Major League Baseball guys that shot steroids. Oh yeah. steroids. There you go. They're going to put an asterisk next to the win. Sorry, but... Too bad, so sad. Yes, you got the record, but, uh, there's an asterisk right there. But the thing is, is, okay, so...

You're found, you're found guilty of doping. I wonder how they did the payouts on the bets. Cause I didn't bet on this year, last year's Derby. I normally do. Usually you do. You're really big on, on betting the Derby, but I didn't, which is ironic. I know. I don't know why. Maybe I just had a feeling. She had a feeling, and I'm high on

believing that Medina spirit was dope. What? I think Janet was doped anyway, but I wonder how they paid out the bets because When Medina spirit dollar at a time. No, think about it. If, if I say I placed my bet and on Medina spirit and one, if they paid it out, they can't take it away. Right. They can't take it back.

But if you bet on mandolin. And you didn't win and you bet Mandolin to win. And now they say Mandolin won and you threw your ticket away. You can't prove that. Yeah, that's wow. That just stirred up a whole bowl of shit. Oh, yeah. It's like you'd have to prove that you bet on Mandolin to win and then probably sue the track or the racing association to get your money.

I bet a dollar on Mandolin to win. It's 60 to one. I want my 60 bucks. I know, right? I spell lawsuit. I can't say that I've ever just bet a dollar on a win, but anyway, so obviously you don't bet just the decision. But if you did. Oh, there goes our little pony. You would have won 60 bucks. Yes. But how would you have gotten it paid?

I know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know how that, that, that's maybe a podcast for later. I know. And I'm curious how they pay out bets like that. I shall research that. Yes, because we need to get to the bottom of it. Okay. You're up on the decision. All right. So the decision by the Kentucky racing officials, uh, comes at a time when the triple crown season is heating up and the quest for qualifying points.

To earn a spot in the Derby, starting gate is getting urgent. Mm hmm. It's urgent. It's just like anything else. You have to earn the right to be in that final. Yes. You know, it's triple crown final four type of thing. I know, right? Elimination chamber. Churchill's downs. Has already suspended Baffert from the race for two years and refused to award qualifying points to horses.

He would train for the 2022 Derby this year's Derby. So all those people that have had horses that he's been training, any points they've earned towards this year's Derby. Stopped. They took the points away. See ya. Ouch. That's a kick in the testicles right there. He has three accomplished three year old colts in his barn.

Two of them, Cornish and Newgrange, are undefeated. And if their owners want to participate in the derby this year, they have to transfer their horses to another trainer and hope to earn enough qualifying points in future prep races. Oh, yeah. Like the, yeah. In the futures, they have to earn the points in the futures to get into this year's derby.

Now, when, when is the derby normally held? May. In May. Yeah. Spring. It's in the spring. In the springtime. Before it gets too hot. Before, before the heat rises and the flowers are blooming. Yeah, because Two of the three triple crowns are in New York. I know, right? Who would have thought? New York? Horse racing?

What? I didn't know that when I was a kid. You kidding me? You gotta be kitten me, right meow? Nope. I'm like, New York and horse racing? Well, there is a famous horse track over there called the Saratoga. No, I didn't know about that. I just knew that, you know, I knew the horses, not the tracks, you know, secretariat.

Oh, I went there. Oh, my bad. Anyway. So, Baffert threatened to sue Churchill Downs if the track did not lift the ban, saying his right to due process was violated. Oh, he's been violated. He's been, he feels violated, darling. Oh no, lovey, what are we going to do? I'll violate him. He's been violated. And that he's been unlawfully excluded from Churchill Downs and the Derby.

Off with his head! All I know is if he's truly doping horses, Man, he should be violated up one side and down the other with a horse.

I'm not gonna say what I'm thinking I meant by the horse. That's, I'm not gonna say what I'm thinking. What are you saying? Something about horse's, anatomy. What are you thinking anyway? Listen, my pony. Yes. You're up. I'm up. Yeah. Batter up. Bill. Aye aye. Carstanjen. Thank you, because there's no way, I would have butchered it.

I would have. Yes, I know. It's all good. Carstanjen. Mm hmm. Oh, look at me. Look at you. Oh, big words. Let's go. Big words, no alcohol. Hey, maybe it's vodka. Okay. Vodka is fine. Vodka is fine. It's beer that does you in, darling. You can talk about vodka. You cannot talk about beer. It's vodka. Okay. Vodka. So, Bill Carstanjen.

Yes. The chief executive of Churchill Downs. Mm hmm. Uh, said the complaint was meritless. No merit. It's Puhutzpah.

Puhutzpah. He threatened to countersue if it was filed and emphasized that Baffert was a repeat offender. He's a repeat offender. He's got a record.

Let's see. In all Baffert's horses have failed 30 drug tests over four decades. Wow. Including five in the recent 13 month period. So basically five in the last year. So he's been drugging his mules. Hey, he's a drug mule. Yeah. I just caught that 30 drug tests failed in his animals, in his horses, 30 drug tests over four decades.

If I was one of the owners of yong, yong, yong, yong, yong, yong, yong, you was very young and I'm only 29. I was very very yong, but, but, uh, include five in the last 13 months. Yeah, but I was just if I was a horse owner and I found out he was drugging my animal puff puff pass, baby Wrong type of drugs. Oh, we're not talking puff puff pass We're talking drugs like hurts the animal drugs like a needle in the in the hind end Really like a needle in the arm a needle in the butt cheek Yeah.

Owie. Or, or ointment, like he said, on a, on a rash. Right. Sure it was. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. But that's ridiculous. I agree. I'm with, I'm with Churchill Downs. I am too. I stand with Churchill Downs. I could have said, I stand with Churchill Downs.

It's all in the pause, dramatic pause. Well, our pugs have paws. I haven't stepped on any today. They're grateful. Me neither, but they're getting close. I can almost step on them. Yeah, I got one on each side too. Hey, if you guys are finding, finding this video, and if you're watching us on YouTube and you like it, hit the like button.

If you're finding the information about dope and horses, hit the like button because it does help it out. Yes, it does. And if you're listening to us in your earbuds there, On your favorite podcast player of choice. Please leave us a review because we appreciate it. I don't want to beg. I really don't. I'll beg.

Please. Please. Please. Please. Five stars. Five, five, five, five stars. Five stars. Please and thank you. Any who. Any who. All right. So. So, the necro, the necropsy results, I was gonna, do the same thing, the necro. Necro. Results from Medina Spirit who died in December indicated the cult most likely died of a heart attack.

Well, if you do too many drugs you do. Well, yeah. The disqualification, along with recent guilty pleas and conviction of prominent trainers and veterinarians for doping horses, lends urgency to the implementation of the horse racing into integrity and safety act. So hold that thought a second, because so wait a minute.

So, Mederna Spirit, Medina spirit, Medina spirit, O.D.'d, basically. Yeah. Most likely died of a heart attack. But the, but, but she on drugs, the trainers and vets pled guilty to doping. Okay. So, but, but was she on drugs at the time of the heart attack? I was gonna read you the, oh, okay. So, okay. All right. So you're gonna read us the autopsy.

This was today, this was like 20 minutes ago. The postmortem review of Medina Spirit, sudden death. Does not identify any C. H. R. B. violations. No, I do not know what a I think it's a California. Oh, it's a California horse racing board rulings. There you go. See, I just hadn't answered your own question. Just got to read.

It just came out. I hadn't had a chance to read the article yet. Okay. Uh, this just in the postmortem examination review was done. A wor Medina spirit died following a workout at the Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, December 6th. Okay. Uh, did not identify any potential violations. Let say this progress takes place at every fertility fa, every FA facility for every fa fatality that occurs at every facility.

That's why I'm stumbling. Yeah. And they give the names of the vets that did the autopsy and the panels tackle those. There's too many. Oh, it's like five vets. Uh, the panel strives to learn the circumstances, resolving the fatality. It involves the necropsy report, the medical records, training records, uh, veterinarians, trainers, and other licensees deemed appropriate.

They give the whole report in another link if I really wanted to. Uh, no. Um, they talk about him running in the different, um, races after the Derby he ran in the, um, um, which one was it? The breeders. Yeah. He ran in the breeders cup in November. So I, I Medina spirit ran in the breeders cup. No, his own, his trainer, Bob, Medina spirit ran in the breeders cup in November, which I didn't know.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Um, he

had surgery in March of 21. Um, he had injections in April of 21. He had more injections in April, like four different ones. This is the same. This is the horse? Yeah, this is that Medina spirit. What was that called?

I forget the name of the drug. This is various in inject injections. Oh, various injections. Alright, so, so, oh, it was a steroid. Yeah. He had hind weakness, hind end weakness in June of 21. Cor corticosteroid. Yeah, but he received like an EPM treatment, pon ponazuril in June and July. Stuff that'll kill us.

Yeah, he received a throat spray in November. Open your mouth! How do you give a horse a throat spray? I don't know, tickle his teeth? Tickle his teeth. I don't know. You gotta tickle his tonsils at least. You gotta, you gotta stick your finger in there, get him to open his mouth, and then

On the morning of December, on the morning of December 6th, he received 150 milligrams of furosemide. I don't know what furosemide is. I don't know, but I'd have to Google it, but he received injections and sprays. Well, either way, it led to his demise, which is a shame, you know, because most horses after they win the triple crown shortly thereafter are put out to stud and their owners millions and millions of dollars and they just go out to the pasture and then go into the stables.

Well, Baffert and Medina Spirit join Maximum Security and Dancer's Image as the only horses to have their derby victories overturned.

So that's pretty, I don't remember what your dancers image was, but I do remember it happening. So it has to have been recent, uh, in 1968 dancers image victory was taken away after a drug test showed the presence of a band anti inflammatory drug. Okay. Then it's not dancers image. I'm thinking of, uh, that case, that case lingered in the courts for four years before the disqualification was finally upheld.

So it took them four years after the race that, uh, Figure it out and in 19 or 2019, maximum security was the first to cross the finish line only to be disqualified for almost knocking over a rival horse in the park. That's the one I remember and slowing the momentum of others. So basically he was, he was rubbing his race and baby, let's do it.

The next year, his trainer, Jason service was among 27 people charged by federal prosecutors in a wide ranging scheme to secretly dope horses and cheat the betting public. He's still awaiting trial. But yeah, no, maximum security was like, hell, hell no, I'm going to bump on nudge, nudging, nudging and horse racing.

It's like NASCAR rubbing. Yeah. But I, I, like I said, I remember there being another horse, but I didn't remember the name, but maximum security. Cause I remember making jokes about the name. Well, set to take effect July 1st of this year, 2022. Uh, it calls for a board overseen by the Federal Trade Commission to write rules and penalties to enforce, to be enforced by the United States Anti Doping Agency, which regulates Olympic and other elite athletes in the United States.

Okay, so like the elite. The olympic board, olympic committee that saw the doping committee, you know, on the Russian girl trade commission. Yeah. So those types of doping would be the same for the horses, which is really good because that's a really big thing. We started this, I started this research, we talked about it because of what's going on here in Arizona, right here at, uh, Turf Paradise, right here in Phoenix.

Um, Turf Paradise has a higher rate of horses dying than any place else in the US. Yeah. And it's not from the heat. Yeah. It's not from the heat. You would think it was from the heat, but it's not from the heat. No. Especially, especially now. It's, uh, it's chilly now or, or as Janet would put it, it's frozen tundra out there.

Well, I had to put on my parka and everything to go for a walk this morning with our little mini ponies. You know, it was a whole 50 degrees out there. They had to have their training blankets on. Janet had to put on her snowsuit like a Christmas story and walk out all stiff.

Anyway, but anyway, Turf Paradise has experienced a death rate of 2. 98 horses per thousand race starts. Okay, so... In English, three horses per thousand, so three out of every thousand horses have died here for 1000 races. So, so three horses out of every 1000 races. Yes. If I read, yes, three out of every 1000 races.

It's normally one and a half out of every 1000. So normally it's. One. So normally it's three out of every 2, 000 here. It's three out of every 1, 000. So they're saying it's twice the national average. That's crazy. So what are the, what's, what's, yeah, what's, what's the dealio? Well, the, um, Dr. Susan Gale, she's the Arizona state veterinarian.

She provided the information to the racing commission. And this was reported on by Natalie Voss who writes for the racing publication. Uh, the Pollack report, um, she quoted Vincent Francia, general manager of Turf Paradise. They said 11 of the 24 fatalities were racing deaths. Five happened during training and eight occurred in the barn area and were not related to racing at the time.

But it's like, even if they weren't related to racing, how are they dying in the barn? Exactly. They're not dying of old age. I'll tell you that. Not if they're in a racing barn, maybe they're a board,

get it. They're in. I got it. Boarding board. Yeah. If they're. Yeah. Just trying to bypass that one, Patrick. Bah, bah, bah. So anyway. So it's sad. It's throw some canned laughter in on that.

Ooh, a round of applause. Oh, whatever. I mean, that was some funny shit, right? It was. I liked it. But, you know, when you're a kid growing up watching racing, and I'm sure it's for kids that grew up and watched football and basketball and everything else, you don't think about doping. Now you might. I mean, when I was a kid, I didn't think of dope.

Well, not until I was a teenager anyway, then you think of marijuana. Then, then, then, wacky weed, Mary Jane, you know, I mean, then, then it's free rain doping. Yeah, free rain doping, but I'm serious. I never, I watched horse racing growing up. I never once thought about horses being doped. Me neither. You know, and it's like, and I knew about it later in life, but then it's like, yeah, but that can't be that often.

And now it's like. Wow, man, you gotta, they have to be, they have to drug test the horses. Well, it's like, just like you have to drug test the athlete. Yeah. And, and then it's like, um, after a NASCAR race, they take the car apart, make sure that everything was up on the up and up. Yeah. You know, they have to drug test the cars.

Yeah. Yeah. Basically it's. They have to make sure that they didn't do any alterations that were not allowed. Exactly. And that's why we need the Olympic committee to oversee this, especially for the horses and NASCAR NASCAR, let's make sure they're not doping their cars. Well, come on now, if, if, if the horses are going to rub during the race and, and the cars rub during, why don't we just.

Change it from horse racing to NASCAR racing, NASCAR horsing. There we go. There's it. There's some food. They can hang sponsor tags, uh, you know, uh, uh, uh, you know, but yeah, on the saddle blankets, like braided into their tails, little, little tassels, little tassels braided into their main. Yeah, there we go. Sponsored by Purina pet food, they can shave the number in.

You don't get the joke there, do you? What's that? Yeah, Purina dog food. Purina dog food. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Elmer's glue. Yeah

Today's loser was sponsored by Elmer's glue. What? Poor taste. Oh, that was bad. That was bad. Anyway

I never believed that growing up. Well, I mean, either, but I guess it's true. I have no idea. And I don't want to know because if it's true, I'll never use Elmer's glue again. I want to live in my own fantasy world. OK, so don't tell me. No, it's really Gorilla Glue. Oh, I'm kidding. I don't know. Elmer's glue is gorilla glue.

I'll believe that. No, no. No. Gorilla's glue is made out of gorillas. Everybody knows that. What? No way. They lick it. They spit. It's gorilla spit. Oh, is that what that is? Yeah, that's gorilla spit. Oh. Oh, okay. I don't want to be the person that follows gorillas around and collects their spit. Me neither.

Anyway, so anyways, hopefully you guys found value out of this episode. Not a lot of laughter, a little bit. Yeah, I make fun of the horses sometimes, especially when they rub, rub, you know, and they do illegal things because they're doped. Yeah, it's just, well, at least they could do is if they're going to dope them, let them have a party in the barn, you know.

I know. Right. Throw a few girls in there, you know, hey, if any of you got any questions, you want to ask us, drop us a line, email us at, or if you know more about this, let us

know. Patrick at 18 wheel talk. com. That's right. Questions, answers. We will, we'll read them. We'll definitely, especially if we, we screwed up on our, on any of our episodes, we will own up to it. We'll own up to it.

You know,

that's coming. What's coming? Corned beef and cabbage, baby. Yep. Corned beef, cabbage and St. Patrick's Day. I know. Right. Anything else you want to add? Happy St. Patrick's Day. It's coming. Yes, it's coming. It's coming. My month is coming. Hey, we we as always. Thank you for your support of our show. Be sure to drop a like.

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We out, people. Toodles! Okay, bye!