Horse Racing Bridles at Trainer’s Remarks

The racing community reacted angrily and with puzzlement Monday in the aftermath of inflammatory statements made Saturday by trainer Jeff Mullins, who denigrated fans for betting on horses.

“He said the entire betting public was stupid,” trainer Laura de Seroux said. “The betting money is where our purse money comes from. Without that, there’d be no game. The things [Mullins] said are so far-reaching. I wish they’d run him out of town. Take his stalls away and send him back to Arizona.”

De Seroux trained Azeri when she was voted horse of the year in 2002. Mullins, 41, moved his operation from Turf Paradise in Phoenix to Southern California in 2001, and has been one of the leading trainers locally, with a high percentage of winners. He saddled Buddy Gil to win the Santa Anita Derby in 2003.

Mullins ranks 11th nationally with purses of more than $750,000 this year, but his wins have come at a much slower pace since he ran a horse that had an excessive amount of sodium bicarbonate in his system.

The horse, Puppeteer, finished second in the $150,000 San Marcos Stakes on Jan. 22. The milkshake-like concoction found in the horse’s test has been a source of concern at California tracks since last year. All horses are being tested at Santa Anita this meet, and three trainers besides Mullins have been accused of using the solution.

Since mid-February, Mullins’ horses have been ordered to a detention barn the day before they race. Milkshakes reportedly mask other drugs and can slow the fatigue process in a horse.

”... All the addicts and idiots [are] crying because they lost a $2 bet,” Mullins said in an interview with The Times’ T.J. Simers. “It will never be a level playing field. There are a lot of things people don’t know, and won’t know. If you bet on horses, I would call you an idiot.”

There has been little conversation about anything else at Santa Anita since Mullins’ outburst.

“He was winning so many races, and no trainer’s that good,” de Seroux said. “They’ve been trying to catch him for a long time. You know, I finished second in races, behind some of those milkshake guys. Besides penalizing the trainer, they ought to suspend the horses for 90 days. Then they’d get the attention of the owners who pay the bills.”

John Harris, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, said a law that would enable the board to mete out stricter penalties could be passed by next month. Harris was unhappy with Mullins’ comments.

“I’m a gambler -- or let’s say I bet a little on horses,” Harris said. “You’re not an idiot if you play. In fact, I consider it an intellectual challenge, and there are so many variables that that’s what makes handicapping so interesting. We wouldn’t survive without betting. That’s the whole premise.”

Mullins also said that Ingrid Fermin, newly-appointed executive director of the racing board, is in conflict of interest because she’s the sister-in-law of trainer Bruce Headley.

“I was one of the people who worked to get Ingrid that job,” de Seroux said. “There aren’t going to be any problems. It might not look right to the general public, but she’s very honest. Her reputation is impeccable. She’s going to do a great job for the board.”

Trainer Bobby Frankel, like Mullins, questions whether Fermin should work for the board, and whether veterinarian Rick Arthur should be in charge of milkshake testing. Arthur works privately for several trainers, treating their horses.

But Frankel thought Mullins was off-base in other things he said.

“It sounded to me like he blew his top,” Frankel said. “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.”

De Seroux said that Headley wasn’t the only trainer who wanted Mullins investigated.

“There’s been widespread venom toward Mullins,” she said. “This isn’t just a Headley thing. Some trainers have lost clients to Mullins, and they feel he’s winning races for the wrong reasons.

“I applaud what the milkshake committee is doing, trying to clean this up.”

Ron Charles, a horse owner and an executive for Magna Entertainment, which owns Santa Anita and 12 other tracks, was stunned by Mullins’ comments.

“I’d like to think he was misquoted, but I guess he wasn’t,” Charles said. “It was mind-boggling what he said. It was so negative. You wonder what he was thinking when he said those things. It’s very troubling that someone in our game would talk like that.”

A bill has been introduced by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) that would prevent people with a financial interest in racing from serving on the governor-appointed racing board. Five of the seven members on the current board are horse owners.

“I think this bill is a power toy for the Jockeys’ Guild, which has had some disagreements with the board and pushed to get this bill introduced,” said Harris, who breeds and races horses.

“The guild seems to have a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude. Board members can always recuse themselves if there’s a conflict. It’s rare this would be necessary. Being a board member takes a tremendous amount of time, and someone not deeply interested in the sport isn’t going to dedicate that time. If the bill gets to the governor, I’d think he’d veto it. He’s not likely to approve legislation that would restrict him in his board appointments.”