'"The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings"
Ebook By Glenn Thompson
$9.99 Rating: 5 Stars
Published: Nov. 01, 2011
Category: Non-Fiction » Sports & Outdoor Recreation »
Horseback Riding
Category: Non-Fiction » Politics and Current Affairs »
Legal systems
Review by: All Star Press on April 03, 2012 5 stars
This is a tough story to swallow for those of us who love the game
of Thoroughbred racing. Glenn Thompson is a long time, successful
horse trainer who tells it like it is.
Review by: Erin Hurley on March 16, 2012 : 5 stars
Review by, Director of South Jersey Thoroughbred Rescue and Adoption
- -
This book is a must read for all. Glenn Thompson should be applauded
for his enlightening depiction of illegal drug use and the current
state of affairs associated with Thoroughbreds and the racing industry.
As the Director of a NJ non-profit organization that re-trains and
places Thoroughbreds into new careers post-racing (South Jersey
Thoroughbred Rescue and Adoption) I see first-hand what these horses
are often forced to endure. I hope that significant changes will
ultimately occur and believe that this book is a step in the right
direction. I believe that “The Tradition of Cheating at the
Sport of Kings” has incredible potential for creating the
awareness to bring about the changes that are so desperately needed
in the Thoroughbred Racing Industry.
Review by: Laura Freeman-Boyer on March 09, 2012 : 5 stars
Glenn's descriptive lay of the backstretch gives an accurate account
of the moral threshold some trainers are willing to cross and the
management that is willing to turn a blind eye to repeat offenders.
His idea of a Universal Racing Law for pre-race exams and medication
should not be overlooked by lawmakers who were quick to appease
animal rights groups about overuse of the whip in racing. Sadly
state jurisdictions want to make up their own rules and enforce
them on select targets and not on the trainers who are having a
high percentage of breakdowns; a point well made in this book.
Glenn Thompson took a huge risk getting black balled from the racing
industry, yet he still proves he can rise above the wrong doing.
His love of the sport in it's purest sense and for horses gives
him strong creditability as a trainer looking out for the best interest
of the horse, jockey, owner and racing fans. Having learned from
observation of his horses and being keyed in to their everyday behavior
gives him a great edge in soundness issues that a large racing outfit
would often ignore. He has rang the bell and let's hope more trainers
and owners follow in his steps to make positive changes to racing!
Retired Thoroughbred Horse Trainer, November 27, 2011
By Tommy
This review is from: The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings
(Kindle Edition)
I enjoyed reading Glenn's book. i liked his sense of humor. He brings
to light many issues that have been in the dark for years. For me
and Glenn alike its about the welfare of the horses. I got into
racing because I love horse. It wasnt about the money. The racing
community, the vets and trainers need to come to a resolution that
ensures the safety of these magnificent animals and preserves the
sport of racing. I applaud him taking the courage to let others
knows what happens behind the barn doors. Great book, easy reading,
very informative.
Review by Dogwood Stables, December 9, 2011
This review is from: The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings
(Kindle Edition)
Review by Cot Campbell. He is president of Dogwood Stables who has
had seventy six stake winners,six trips to the Kentucky Derby, one
Preakness winner, two Eclipse Awards and a Breeders Cup victory.
This is what he had to say about " The Tradition of Cheating
at the Sport of Kings" "Glenn Thompson writes knowingly--and
frustratingly--about some of the demons of medicating racehorses.
He has taken the high road, and seems to have paid a price for doing
it. A dramatic example is his hypothesis of the talented, but nervous
filly, in need of help on race day, and the ramifications of not
providing it. I know zero about the accuracy of the details of specific
horses and humans with which he deals, but as a member of a vanishing
breed of "hay, oats and water" people, I applaud his efforts
on behalf of cleaning up the sport."
Applause for Glenn Thompson, February 29, 2012
By Paddy Head (Abbotsford, B.C. Canada)
This review is from: The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings
(Kindle Edition)
Glenn Thompson, I applaud you. I wish there had been more trainers
like you back in the'70's and '80's when I was riding. I will never
forget the race I rode at Naragansett Park when 5 horses went down
because the lead horse was highly medicated and broke his leg. I
quickly learned which trainers ran their horses on drugs and which
ones ran them clean. Believe me, the 'hay, water and oats' trainers
were few and far between. I'd have a lot more pictures in my win
album if there were more trainers like you.
I hope this book makes everyone on the backstretch look into their
souls and into their medicine cabinets. Let's make this game worthy
of being called the Sport of Kings.
Jockey's Review, March 7, 2012
By jbbjock
This review is from: The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings
(Kindle Edition)
I believe Mr. Thompson has many valid points, and I have witnessed
similar experiences myself. It is extremely difficult to publicly
"out" people for poor performance and professional irresponsibility.
In the best of all possible worlds, the information in this book
would be used to investigate confusing circumstances and the offending
parties would be held accountable. As it is, and as Mr. Thompson
has pointed out, people want to keep their jobs in the industry
they love. Unfortunately, it is the horses that suffer, and the
jockeys which are on top of them in the races.
Kudos to Mr. Thompson for attempting to give the horses a voice.
Janice Blake-Baeza
Trainer Speaks his MInd, March 18, 2012
By Matthew A. Shifman (Metuchen, NJ United States)
This review is from: The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings
(Kindle Edition)
Glenn Thompson is a trainer of thoroughbred race horses who tells
about a side of racing that is seldom talked discussed. His courage
and convictions are noteworthy. Thompson is a second generation
successful trainer at Monmouth Park. I have spent time with horses
at that track and I recognize of what he speaks. If you love horse
racing then you should read this book. If I was selecting a trainer
for a race horse I would seriously consider Thompson!
This book must be read., March 10, 2012
By Bill Feingold "Bill Feingold"
This review is from: The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings
(Kindle Edition)
Mr. Thompson loves horses and wants the right thing done by them.
He explains why greed--or sometimes, a trainer's simple survival
instinct-- often leads to cheating. While the book would have benefitted
from better writing and editing, I couldn't put it down. Mr. Thompson
was willing to be blackballed from the game for revealing some dirty
secrets of New Jersey racing. While there's clearly bad blood between
Mr. Thompson and the NJ racing establishment, he does not strike
me as a liar. If his claims are true, heads should roll.
Matt Bisogno is the owner of a portfolio of websites, including
horse-racing.ie and Geegeez.co.uk. He has written numerous statistical
analyses on trainer patterns, and written a weekly feature column
for the Irish Field (Ireland’s equivalent to DRF).
Read his review of "The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport
of Kings" below'
Cheating in the Sport of Kings' by Glenn Thompson
A short time ago, I was approached by a US trainer with a story
to tell. His name is Glenn Thompson and he trains horses mostly
out of Monmouth Park, New Jersey, on the East Coast.
But Thompson has a mission. He wants to publicise the use of ‘raceday
medication’ at Monmouth and lots of other US racetracks. For
those who don’t know, administering raceday medication helps
horses to relax before a race. It is also illegal in most states,
including New Jersey where Thompson trains.
That doesn’t stop a majority of trainers allowing their vets
to perpetuate the practice, sometimes with dangerous consequences
both for horse and rider.
‘Cheating in the Sport of Kings’ looks further than
that into the problems at Thompson’s home track, including
a contentious point about whether George Washington, the great ‘Gorgeous
George’ of Ballydoyle fame, should have been allowed to run
in the Monmouth Park Breeders Cup Classic in which he broke his
front right leg.
The decision to allow him to run and the horrible accident that
led to his death may have been directly unrelated, but there is
no question that if the local rules were adhered to, the horse would
have been scratched and we would be watching his progeny race today.
Thompson comes across as an engaging man: thick-skinned enough to
take on the local authorities and not afraid to take some flack
for his troubles. He cites his religion for helping him choose the
right path, and I respect him for that, despite not being religious
myself.
He’s had good times and bad; good horses and bad; and he has
a vision for all US racing to ban raceday medication.
The book is concise and can be read in an hour or two, and it raises
some important points about the frequent and flagrant drug culture
in US racing. This is a subject that we Europeans – Irish,
British or Continental – should not imagine is only an issue
across the big pond. You can be sure there’s plenty of drug
misuse happening in stables across the EU.
My personal view is that there is definitely fire to accompany the
‘smoke’ of these pages, but the book could use more
clinical support in terms of veterinarian samples and such like.
I’m not disputing the points being made, but I think as it
stands it is too easy for others who ought to be made accountable,
to dispute those claims.
This is an interesting read as it opens the mind to the realities
of what may well be happening up and down our countries, and it
also brings it home with the all too familiar case of ‘Gorgeous
George’.
************
Reviews from the Smashmouth Site:
Review by: Michael Greenblatt on Nov. 07, 2011 :
Terrific Book Glenn! Very Interesting & Informative as well.
"GOOD LUCK" Always, Michael "GREENY"
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by: Karen Spickofsky on Nov. 06, 2011 : 5 Stars
Thanks to Glenn for writing this book. He had the courage to reveal
what is happening to Thoroughbred race horses which I hope can help
change and improve their conditions. Let the horses race and win
honestly;not jeopardize their safety and that of others involved
including the jockeys, grooms and other horses.
Humans have a choice, animals do not!
Anyone who loves horses should read this book and be enlightened
to what is going on behind the scenes in the horse racing industry.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by: David Lengel on Nov. 14, 2011 : (no rating)
Great book Glenn! Took a lot of courage to write and having owned
thoroughbreds for 22 years now I know you are just touching the
tip of the ice berg. I know you wrote this because you really do
love the sport and the stars of the show, the horses. The shame
of the whole situation is that the industry is it's own worst enemy.
As you point out, so many of our sport's problems are fixable, but
management absolutely refuses to do so. Hopefully, some within the
industry who have the power to change things and get this ship back
on the right path will do so before it's too late. It really should
be the greatest sport on earth but the reality is that due to all
the flat out crap that goes on behind the scenes....it's not!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)