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PETA and NYCLASS Call on NYRA to Explain How Ties with Disgraced Coach Will Affect Decisions
For immediate release:
May 18, 2021
Contact:
David Pearl 202-483-7382
New York – PETA and NYCLASS today are calling on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to explain how it will deal with conflicts of interest that could influence its decision on whether Coach Bob Buffert will be permanently banned from NYRA-operated tracks, provided that at least four board members have or have had business ties with the disgraced coach.
On Monday, the NYRA suspended Buffert from racing on New York City tracks, pending a decision by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission regarding Medina Spirit, which tested positive for the illicit drug betamethasone after winning the Kentucky Derby.
In a letter sent to NYRA this morning, the groups point to the following ties to Buffert:
- Board member Timothy Mara is a partner at Starlight Racing, which calls Buffert a coach. Starlight co-owns a trained charlatan Buffert who was found to have lidocaine in his body last year after winning the Arkansas-Derby division. Starlight also co-owned Justify when it raced in 2018.
- Board member Giorgianna Nugent is a partner of StarLadies Racing, which is part of Starlight Racing.
- Board Member Joseph Applebaum is the co-founder of Off the Hook, a breeding, racing and sales company. Off the Hook was Du Jour’s shipper, trained by Buffert and partly owned by his wife, Jill Buffert. DuJour sold for $ 280,000.
- Board member Stephen Dunker was the breeder of Mental Giant, which sold for $ 275,000 and trained with Buffert. It is in the breeder’s best interest to preserve the horse’s reputation as a trainer, as well as the innate talent of the horse.
“We are concerned about potential conflicts of interest among some board members who appear to have or have had business ties with Baffert. … How do you ensure that these potential conflicts of interest do not jeopardize – or even appear to be compromising – your actions in this case? »Write NYCLASS and PETA in your letter to NYRA. “The rules are designed not only to maintain the integrity of the horse race, but also to protect the horses. Drug use is abuse and anyone who abuses a horse should not be allowed to race in New York. ”
NYCLASS is a non-profit animal rights and political action organization based in New York City. PETA – whose motto, among other things, is that “animals do not belong to us to be used for entertainment or abuse in other ways” – opposes arrogance, a worldview focused on human superiority. For more information please visit PETA.org…
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