Monmouth Park Trainer to Testify at Congressional Subcommittee

Glenn R. Thompson has been a trainer of thoroughbred racehorses for 
over 30 years and his horses have never had a positive post race drug test. Thompson has been invited to be a witness at a US Congressional Subcommittee on Health hearing to be held in Kennett Square, PA, on Monday, April 30. The hearing, "A Review of Efforts to Protect the Health of Jockeys and Horses in Horseracing” is headed by Representative Joseph Pitts and is being held in his district.
 
Thompson was raised in thoroughbred country in Aiken, SC.  His father J. Willard Thompson is a very successful east coast trainer who won four training titles at Monmouth Park and another two at the Meadowlands. His stepmother is a well-known trainer of hunter/jumpers.  Together his parents own Quiet Winter Farm in Colts Neck, NJ.
 
Glenn began training in 1980, and has won 153 races. One of his best runners was Two Notch Road who broke his maiden as a two-year-old in his first try on the turf in Monmouth Park’s Continental Mile Stakes with a win pay off of $216.40. Two Notch Road went on to win over $200,000. He also trained the speedy turf sprinter General Perfect who won over $500,000 and started in the 2011 United Nations Stakes and the Arlington Million.
 
Thompson has been invited to speak at the Subcommittee meeting because he self-published a controversial book, The Tradition of Cheating in the Sport of Kings.  He wrote the book, “In an effort to return horsemanship and sportsmanship back to the sport of racing.” 
 
Thompson has come up with a list of ways that he believes can help “to clean up the great sport of racing”.  He also emphasizes that, “I do not want the government to get involved in regulating racing unless the good ideas of horsemen are not followed”.
 
The following is a summary of the ideas that Thompson will present in greater detail to the Subcommittee on April 30th.
 
1) The elimination of Lasix beginning with two year-olds in 2012 with the goal that Lasix is completely eliminated by 2014. In the meantime the racing commission’s veterinarians should only be allowed to administer Lasix.
 
2) Horses should be subject to surveillance within 24 hours of a race.
 
3) Vets that are caught administering illegal drugs on race day should face penalties that are a true deterrent.
 
4) Money should be taken out of every race purse and put towards thoroughbred retirement programs.
 
5) Treatment of horses with shockwave machines should be closely supervised to follow the 10 day rule.
 
6) The number of times that a horse can be hit by a jockey should be limited to seven.
 
7) All trainers should have their breakdowns listed and available for review at the tracks where they run horses. All breakdowns should be carefully reviewed. The claim will be voided on any horse that has to be euthanized due to breakdown.
 
8) There needs to be universal rules for medication that are followed in all states. 

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