Dutrow loses appeal

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Chuck, What do you think about the severity of the penalty? Do you think a 10 year suspension is warranted in this case? Is Dutrow really any worse than these other trainers who are only getting 60 day suspensions?

Obviously there is some hyperbole that played into the 10 year time period. Dutrow's personality surely played a role in the severity as he has repeatedly thumbed his nose up at the authorities though I'm not sure that should matter it seems to have. He is being made the poster child for "cleaning up the game" and it isnt that much different than the bountygate cases in the NFL though there seems to be a lot more evidence against Dutrow the thought process of the authorties seems to be similar. Are his violations that much worse than some other big trainers? Not really. Do I feel bad for him? I guess I do have some sympathy but honestly most of this lies at his own feet. There is a difference between being outspoken and being stupid. He crossed this line too many times and is probably going to pay the price though I still want to know if he is being denied a license or is being suspended. If he is being denied a license he may find a state that will license him feeling that the NY penalty is too severe or will use others like jockeys who have been licensed in some states but not others. In the end this won't have much impact because there are very few trainers with a laundry list of violations that he had that were also so willing to make themselves the center of attention as well. So in effect most trainers wont give this another thought, the cheaters will still cheat, the honest guys will still be honest, Tony Dutrow and Rudy Rodriguez will pick up more horses and life will go on.