Who’s the Idiot Here?
Trainer Jeff Mullins, perhaps feeling a little grumpy now that he’s been busted for cheating, tells writer T.J. Simers that the problem with racing is “all the addicts and idiots crying because they lost a $2 bet.” Ouch. Of course, if it weren’t for racing fans, there’d be no purse money for trainers. The cranky Mullins had sharp words for fellow trainers and racing officials as well:
“For a guy who has won as many Breeders’ Cup races as Mandella has, I’d like to see his tests…. I would think Bruce Headley’s horses are over [the testing limit] every time they run. How do we know? The testing results are never released. Headley’s sister-in-law, Ingrid Fermin, is on the [California Horse Racing Board], and ever since I claimed Choctaw Nation, one of Headley’s horses, Fermin has been after me.”
Mullins had been one of top trainers at Santa Anita, winning at a rate of 30%, until he was cited three weeks ago for running a horse with excess carbon dioxide levels (read: milkshaking). His win rate has since fallen to 9%. (LA Times)
More: Mullins brings up a legitimate conflict of interest question, writes Sherry Ross. It’s just a shame he lashed out at bettors when he articulated it. (New York Daily News)
Trainers and racing officials react to Mullins’ comments: “It sounded to me like he blew his top,” says trainer Bobby Frankel. “What he said about the bettors was inappropriate and not true. There wouldn’t be a track if there weren’t the gamblers. There are a lot of straight shooters in this game. [Mullins] made it sound like we’re all a bunch of crooks.” (LA Times)
