Poor Patrick Biancone, I thought to myself sarcastically.  Claiming to be the victim of a system anxious to make an example out of him.  For those that didn’t get the memo, Patrick Biancone was punished for violation of meds offenses.  Specifically, cobra venom was found in a small refrigerato in his barn.  Cobra venom is a class A medication because it has no medical purpose. 

Officially the punishment was as follows:  six month suspension starting November 1, and barred from applying for a trainer’s license for an additional six months on 12 counts of medicine violations.

For most of us racing fans, we thought the punishment was a little lame, a slap on the wrist.  It didn’t even require Biancone to give up any of the animals in his barn permanently.  Although Biancone’s assistant was the trainer of record for the duration of the suspension, Biancone can still be involved.  Perhaps that explains why he was found in the backstretch area of Monmouth Park on Breeders’ Cup day - after saying he would stay away on BC day. 

Frankly I don’t know why the KHRA didn’t make an example of Biancone.  Are they waiting for someone to do something worse, and then they can make an example of the offender? 

What’s worse than shooting up your athlete with a toxin so that they can’t feel pain? 

So for a while I laughed at the notion that Mr. Biancone felt victimized.  But then I got my copy of The Blood Horse in the mail, and Editor-in-Chief Dan Liebman took up this topic for his “What’s Going On Here” section.  Dan expressed some outrage over Mr. Biancone’s behavior on Breeders’ Cup day, skulking around the backstretch and being asked to leave.  Dan Liebman applauded Frank Zanzuccki’s actions when the New Jersey Racing Commissions executive director asked Biancone to beat it.

I applaud Dan Liebman for finally talking about this problem in horse racing.  The Blood Horse has a responsibility to report on the problem of meds cheating.  But the problem is that by failing to talk about all the other cheaters and cheating, he is validating Mr. Biancone’s claim of being singled out.  Todd Pletcher won an Eclipse Award while serving a meds suspension.  Sure, it was a lesser offense (I think it would have to be) but that really isn’t the point.  Cheating is cheating.  Eclipse Award winners should get it done clean.

Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Curlin, is trained by Steve Assmussin.  Steve also served a meds suspension this year.  I couldn’t find any mention of that in the write-up on the BC Classic.  I assume Curlin was clean, and I assume all of Steve’s horses were tested clean on Breeders’ Cup day.  But that isn’t the point either.

Maybe Biancone was singled out because he is an easy target - a multiple offender in this country and others.  And although a well known figure, I would not consider him a “top tier” trainer the likes of a Pletcher or Baffert of Frankel.  Heck, he’s not even an American.   Pick on the French guy.

I’m not feeling any sympathy yet.  But I’m starting to see Mr. Biancone’s point.  It is time to enforce the rules and it is time to enforce them on everyone.