For would-be, could-be, and should-be stewards

Some years ago I commented in these pages about "Items Not Found in the Rules of Racing." Since then, turbulence has defiled the Turf like a hanging chad. The absolute authority of stewards is history.

Many are pleased with this. They cite abuses in the past and uncertainty in the present. Yet, someone has to do the job.

California Horse Racing Board rule number 1527 states: "The stewards have general authority and supervision over all licensees and other persons attendant on horses, and also over the enclosures, of any recognized meeting. The stewards are strictly responsible to the board for the conduct of the race meeting in every particular."

Horse racing certainly has changed profoundly since it went "outside the fence." The role of the official has changed in more subtle ways. For example, current rules on the wagering menu are twice as voluminous as the entire rulebook of an earlier day. And if you don't have some idea of the burgeoning legal requirements in our business, you will not survive.

But the race still must go on with live horses and with live people furnishing their own brand of expertise. This includes stewards.

The authority of officials has been challenged, no more so than today. Challenge as you will. It's in the book. Therefore, I present my list of priorities that the next generation of stewards might live-or die-by.

• The major concern, above all others, is that every race be fairly contested and that no individual has an unfair advantage.
• There are three stewards. All are entitled to present an opinion before a decision is made. Each opinion is equal.
• Be prepared to make decisions quickly in instances when you do not have the luxury of lengthy contemplation or someone to call on for advice.
• If you're in the minority in a stewards' decision, it is not good form to declare to outsiders that you were outvoted. (Class, or the lack of it, is not confined to the horse.)
• Know your rulebook and any rules that are not printed but articulated.
• Recognize the difference between a careless violation of the rules and a calculated violation.
• Understand the subtle difference between being an arbitrator and being a mediator. (Arbitrators must not act arbitrarily.)
• You are called judges, but you are not judge and jury.
• "May" and "shall" are simple auxiliary verbs that can play the devil in your deliberations if you neglect the difference.
• Much of your work is not covered by law or rules. In those uncharted waters you will earn your salt.
• Common sense will get you farther than all the rules, written or "house."
• When on the horns of a dilemma, settle in the public interest.
• The law, the rules, and the evidence might be on your side, so guard against being overturned on a technicality.
• Everything a steward does must bear scrutiny. There will be many items that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. It goes with the territory.
• Being a steward is not a personality contest. But neither do you have to be nasty, unless it becomes you.
• Concentrate on your weaknesses: the conduct of a hearing, the investigative process, or the broad spectrum of the medication field.
• Keep up on industry changes, political changes, and the national and international scene, as well as your own changes.
• Recognize that you serve at the pleasure of the racing board, which serves the governor. Stewards get paid. Commissioners do not. They take a lot of aggravation, so they deserve your support.
• Paperwork might cut you low, but you can't function without past performances, morning line, workouts, veterinarian and other lists, overnights, official complaints from the racing board, contracts, transfers, and onerous minutes.
• Never stop learning how to effectively delegate authority.
• Don't be distressed in giving someone the benefit of the doubt. It might come back to bless you.
• Most transgressors are salvageable. Aid those who are dedicated to the rehabilitation process. They do admirable work.
• There will not be a day that goes by that you won't be asked to settle a technical question from the racing secretary's office. Study that end of it.
• Know other officials, not necessarily on a close, personal basis, but be aware of their expertise.
• Know your state investigators, clerks, and staff and their duties. Count on their expertise in a field in which you probably need considerable professional guidance.
• Stewards must be totally imbued and immersed in the game without being personally involved in gambling or investments. It ain't easy.
• Beware of Greeks (or anyone else) bearing gifts. Or course, as a matter of decency, you might not refuse something highly caloric, or that ties around your neck, or gurgles when turned upside down.
• Respect licensees but don't get too close.
• Licensees, in the great majority, count on stewards and the racing board to give them a level field to play on and a forum to get justice. Don't disappoint them.
• Accept that most licensees want you to be tough in assessing penalties.
• Be sure that every licensee, whatever his or her position, has a hearing on any complaint before you render a decision.
• When a licensee is penalized, tell him personally if possible. Don't let him read it first in the paper or be told by someone else. Reiterate that he has the right to appeal.
• We all know of trainer's responsibility. If we accept that (and racing history to date has accepted it with modifications), then we also should accept stewards' responsibility. There are many areas of authority on the racetrack, but concerning the immediate officiating process the buck stops at the stewards' door.
• Know your barn area. The stable superintendent and staff are a vital component in assuring good racing conditions. The horse deserves to be served by caring professionals, all the way down the line. Know the stable area prices-feed, platers, vanning, etc. Inspect the premises or have someone whose judgment you trust do it. Safety, cleanliness, and good housekeeping are paramount.
• Jimmy Durante said everybody wants to get into the act. On the racetrack, everybody is the act. From the morning and afternoon outriders, pony persons, price maker, assistant starters (unsung heroes), valets, farriers, veterinarians, security forces (front- and backside), mutuel clerks, catering crews, horse identifiers (vital), various clerks who keep smiling at jerks, exercise riders (so important to the training process), ambulance crews (horse and human), the stewards' secretary (who usually handles the grief before you get it), and aides who will still be at their post after you've beaten the traffic.
• Scars of honor are carried by the veterinarian at the gate, state veterinarian in the receiving barn, starter, track superintendent, clockers, and photo finish operator, while others take unwarranted abuse. This is the underside of an intense game, so your helping hand is in order.
• Reversal of form: Longshots always will be a part of the game, but upsets that cannot be explained at an educated review must be examined in depth. It would be wise to start with an analysis of the performance of the favorites.
• Claiming game: There are land mines in this morass. Strive for consistency in your decisions. Unfortunately, consistency can result in serious inequities, particularly after the race is run. Work on it.
• Medication of the horse: Encourage research, study the matter, and have an open mind.
• Owners, trainers, and jockeys: They are the high-profile licensees and in your deliberations are created equal. For them, win is the name of the game. Owners pay for much of the sport, without much of a chance of profit. Give them the best break you can.
• Jockey agents: The good ones are the sharpest persons on the track. They have to be to keep from being submarined. They furnish an important service to horsemen and the industry. Realize that their first call goes to their employer, the jockey.
• Breeders: Few can afford to breed the best to the best, but they never stop hoping for the best. They are racing's most loyal legion and deserve your serious attention.
• Mutuels department: Keeping up with its changing rules and expanding menu is an exercise in mental gymnastics. Give it your full attention.
• Horseplayers: For them, the name of the game is survival. Understand their burden as they battle machines and a confiscatory tax bite. Don't let them down.
• State and track veterinarians: They are your lifeline to the animal and his well-being. Nothing is more important.
• Media: Cooperate fully with their requests when possible. They might say or project a good word for our business.
• Marketing and public relations: The job-press agent-used to be assigned to one guy with a hat tipped back on his head, a cigarette clamped in his teeth, a bottle of whiskey in the bottom drawer, and pockets full of day passes of which distribution was his primary function. Now a full floor of offices is needed to service various functions. Support endeavors to introduce as many patrons' seats to their seats.
• Lawyers: Don't be dumb enough to think you're smart enough to beat them at their own game. You don't have to love 'em, but don't leave 'em. You'll learn more from them than they will from you.
• If a race is fairly run in all of its particulars, you can enjoy a moment of satisfaction-but only for a moment. The next race will be run in 30 minutes.
• Always leave the track with a program marked with the finishes, etc. Someone might ask you how they finished, and you'd hate for that matter on your face to be egg.
• If you must walk through a hostile crowd after an unpopular decision, show as much dignity as you can muster. Also, protect your flank.
• The perfect steward probably would be an ex-jockey who trained horses and has a degree in veterinary medicine and law. Absent that, struggle on the best you can.

Have I been preaching too much? You can disagree with me. You're not getting a maiden.

Have I religiously followed the foregoing? Don't ask foolish questions. Whether I could have, I should have.

Racing needs fresh eyes, a fresh approach, and fresh ideas to enhance this ancient sport. Its virtues are self-evident. Its future is limitless if it can be conducted and promoted by those rare persons who set no limits.

The game will be in other hands soon enough. Will they be better prepared for the next chapter? Probably. Will they be more dedicated? Possibly. Will they be more effective? Hopefully.

They, like us, should believe in this simple truism: The best book hasn't been written, and the best race hasn't been run.