A New York Times editorial weighs on Doug O'Neill

[DaTruth]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/op...=3&ref=opinion

The New York Times obviously wants the non-racing public to use its imagination when it writes that O'Neill has "doped" his horses and was recently suspended for using an "enhancer" without explaining what was used to dope and enhance.

[Cannon Shell]

Yeah it enhanced that horses performance to an 8th place finish. It is just another in a long line of cheap shots taken by the Times.

Is the news cycle that shallow this week?

[Calzone Lord]

O'Neill has had a few alchemist moments and because he plays the claiming game aggressively...he gets more than his share of van-offs and breakdowns.

However, if I was to unveil a list of the sports 50 most likely juice artist trainers ... I certainly don't think he'd find his way on to that list.

[King Glorious]

Unfortunately, it's people like you that understand this and not the majority of people that will be watching the Belmont for the first time or a horse race for the first time. I happen to think that O'Neill winning the TC will be bad for the sport. Fair or not, perception often outpaces reality and the perception of a lot of people outside of the sport is that it's full of cheaters and degenerates. Having a trainer with the record that O'Neill has will only further that perception. Having the spotlight in your shining moment being taken by a guy that's suspect in many eyes and a downright cheater in others, a guy that just got suspended, is not good I don't think. It would be like having Ron Artest, Latrell Sprewell, and Rasheed Wallace standing up to accept the gold medal at the Olympics for the basketball team.

[goodcopy]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Unfortunately, it's people like you that understand this and not the majority of people that will be watching the Belmont for the first time or a horse race for the first time. I happen to think that O'Neill winning the TC will be bad for the sport. Fair or not, perception often outpaces reality and the perception of a lot of people outside of the sport is that it's full of cheaters and degenerates. Having a trainer with the record that O'Neill has will only further that perception. Having the spotlight in your shining moment being taken by a guy that's suspect in many eyes and a downright cheater in others, a guy that just got suspended, is not good I don't think. It would be like having Ron Artest, Latrell Sprewell, and Rasheed Wallace standing up to accept the gold medal at the Olympics for the basketball team.

What would you have him do,not run?
He was found not to have milkshaked his horse.
Never had a violation for performance enhancing drugs!

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by goodcopy

What would you have him do,not run?
He was found not to have milkshaked his horse.
Never had a violation for performance enhancing drugs!

You have to understand something. I'm not against O'Neill. I think most of the stuff against him is junk. I would not mind him winning. I wouldn't have minded Dutrow winning a few years ago. That is not the point of what I'm saying. I'm talking about how everyone is saying that a TC winner will be so great for the sport and I just don't know if I agree with that. Of course he should run and I wish him the best, although for totally different reasons, I would prefer that the horse loses.

[Gate Dancer]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Yeah it enhanced that horses performance to an 8th place finish. It is just another in a long line of cheap shots taken by the Times.

Is the news cycle that shallow this week?

Well, they certainly don't want to talk about Scott Walker kicking the unions a** in Wisconsin............

[Rudeboyelvis]

O'Neil NOT winning the TC will be worse -

Imagine the NYT headline Sunday Morning....

They will attribute the loss to the new rule about the detention barn and the fact that O'Neil was not able to juice the horse like he did in KY and MD - of course never saying that (they obviously have no proof) but will lead the non-racing, uninformed reader down that road - all done in subtle innuendo-

[Thunder Gulch]

At least the NYT is consistent with their journalism across the board. Bunch of bleeding hearts armed with fabrications and a large uninformed audience, which makes them pretty dangerous to our game.