Crown worthy?

Dutrow has jewel of horse, but a rap sheet, too

On the Preakness

"I know what I do," Dutrow said. "I take care of my horses the right way. I train them as good as I think that I can. I stay on it all the time. I don't get there by cheating or drugging. Look how good my horses look. Just go into the stables and look at my horses. That tells you everything. And go do it with a couple of other clowns that I can lay names on you and see what they're doing with their horses.

"I put a lot of money into our horses. They don't. They bed them on the ground, they give them the worst hay they can possibly find. I go overboard. I spend $5,000 a month on mints. I mean, come on."

Just about every trainer you meet will acknowledge drugs are a problem in the racing game - usually someone else's problem. The sport somehow has escaped serious scrutiny even though some of its top trainers have embroiled themselves in controversy.

No one has won more these past few years than Todd Pletcher. He was slapped with a 45-day suspension in 2004 for a positive test. And don't forget last year's Preakness winner. Steve Asmussen, Curlin's trainer, served a six-month suspension in 2006 after one of his horses was found with 750 times the legal limit of mepivacaine. For Asmussen, it's one of 22 drug-related offenses on his record.

These are the people charged with salvaging a sport teetering on the edge of relevance.

The best thing horse racing has going for it is the Triple Crown, and it really would be great to see the 30-year drought end. But it's a legit question to ask: If Rick Dutrow is able to win all three jewels, is he the best one to wear the crown? Is he and his long rap sheet really the best thing for this embattled sport?

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