High Stakes and Big Consequences

Big Brown and trainer Richard Dutrow

       This article from the NY Times is about famously successful horse trainer Richard Dutrow and his violations of racing rules that landed him a ten year suspension, $50,000 fine, and the state refuses to renew his license. His horse Big Brown won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2008; and many others just as great have come from Dutrow. However, this 52 year old trainer has been "cited for nearly 70 violations at 15 racetracks in nine states for infractions that include hiding his horses’ workouts, using powerful painkillers on horses he ultimately sent out to race, lying on his license applications and possessing marijuana."(Drape 11). He will go to court on Monday to meet his fate of a ten year suspension from racing. I know a thing or two about thoroughbred racing, and I know that you don't earn yourself a ten year suspension for mild infractions. Injecting powerful medications into horses before a race isn't the smartest thing to do because every horse that is racing gets drug tested and checked over by the vet before the start of each race. Dutrow got caught time and time again all along the circuit so personally, I think this extended suspension period is what he deserves. My question is, will he ever learn? Horse trainers can be stubborn and for all we know Dutrow could come back in 2021 and continue breaking the rules.
       The author of this article is Joe Drape. He stays unbiased for the majority of the article. He simply gives the reader the hard facts of the story with some of Richard Dutrow's previous racing success thrown in. Drape uses a lot of logos evidence. An example is in paragraph 10: "Dutrow has fallen to 27th in the 2011 national standings with nearly $3 million in earnings and he has lost many of his major-stakes horses because of his troubles in New York and Kentucky, where he has also been denied a license because of his history of rule breaking." (Drape 10). He includes quotes from the racetrack, and Dutrow's lawyer. The only quote he uses from Dutrow is at the very end when he says, “It’s a big day” over the telephone. This doesn't really give the reader an ample amount of Dutrow's "side of the story" but the facts against him are all there. I noticed Drape explains "Often, state courts have granted stays in cases involving racing commissions and revoked licenses in order to protect horsemen’s livelihoods while their appeals worked their way through the court system" close to the beginning of the article; then later he uses a quote from Dutrow's lawyer saying that “His livelihood is very much at risk.”(Drape). This indirectly states what Dutrow's lawyer is hoping for-- for the court to grant a stay for Dutrow's case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/sports/trainer-richard-dutrow-jr-awaits-court-ruling-to-stay-10-year-ban.html?_r=1&ref=sports