Horse Embarrassment Averted, Not Squashed

Thank God the New York Racing Association took a stand.

No, not on the on-going Aqueduct slots debacle that could lead to the cancellation of this summer's Saratoga meeting. Both NYRA and the state of New York have long since proven that neither is competent in bringing in slot revenue.

I am thanking God that NYRA has prevented another debacle: the one that would have ensued if Nicky Boy were allowed to run in Saturday's Wood Memorial Stakes.

Trainer Arnulfo Ascencio attempted to enter the maiden on Wednesday for owner Solange Chadda, but was denied despite the fact that only six other horses were entered. Nicky Boy, a filly, had raced twice, both times at Sunland Park, and both times finished more than thirty lengths back in dead last.

In her last start, against males in the Borderland Derby, Nicky Boy was never even competitive, already 26 lengths behind on the far turn. She finished 81 lengths off the lead, including 56 ½ behind the second-to-last finisher, after being eased by jockey Adolfo Rodriguez.

Yet Chadda, who was once a fashion designer for Stevie Wonder and Patti Austin, thought this was the perfect stepping stone to the Wood Memorial. Heck, she even fired trainer Jeff Mullins this winter because Mullins refused to point Nicky Boy to the race at Aqueduct.

For those who don't remember, Mullins won the Wood Memorial last year with I Want Revenge, the morning-line Kentucky Derby favorite. I Want Revenge ended up scratching from the Derby.

And Aqueduct, by the grace of God, denied Chadda's request.

Over the past six years, Chadda has filed no less than five lawsuits on a variety of subjects.

She accused Senate candidate Bob Casey of stealing petitions from her to keep her from getting on the ballot, even though there was no evidence that Chadda had been running a campaign prior to her lawsuit.

Yet that appears sane compared to her other lawsuits.

In 2004, Chadda, representing herself, filed suit against Diane Young Products alleging that the cosmetic company lied to the public, lacked FDA approval, did not perform scientific tests, and was an illegal trust. Moreover, Chadda claimed she used one of the company's products and got sick because of it.

The court was quick to dismiss her complaint as “barely intelligible.” She mentioned names of various people who the court could not ascertain ever existed, such as a “Mr. Whishnoff” and a “Judge Rizzo.”

It should be noted that Chadda accused this “Mr. Whishnoff” of trying to tamper with Chadda's witnesses and giving her harassing phone calls. Impressive work for someone who might not even exist.

But I'm not going to talk anymore about Chadda's past. I'm not going to call her insane or crazy because I don't want a lawsuit against me. Because she'll file that lawsuit. Because she's attention-starved. Because no one with his or her head on straight would do any of this.

Chadda, in order to get the attention she craves, bought a horse, a beautiful living being, and used it to get her name in the news. She has tried countless times before with her frivolous lawsuits, and even succeeded for a short time with her attempt to run for the senate, but never has she gotten this much attention.

I know what you are thinking. I'm playing into her game by writing this article, giving her more face time. And you are right; don't think I'm not aware. Just go with me for a minute. Let her have her moment in the sun, if you can call it sun.

But what Chadda is doing needs to be stopped before someone gets hurt.

After failing to get her nothing horse into one of the biggest Kentucky Derby preps, Chadda has turned her focus on next week's Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, quite possibly the most prestigious Derby prep of the past 10 years. And my fear is that Oaklawn will relent.

Remember when the Breeders' Cup, because of a loophole, allowed Ricks Natural Star to enter the Breeders' Cup Turf at Woodbine in 1996? The horse hadn't raced in over a year and trainer William Livingston had to find a jockey at the track because the guy he picked up in Oklahoma wasn't licensed to ride in Ontario.

Because of souvenir tickets, the horse went off at only 56-1 and even had the lead a furlong into the race. But Ricks Natural Star was pulled up long before the half-mile pole and did not finish.

Embarrassment, but it could have been so much worse.

Ricks Natural Star had no business being in that race, and his presence with an inexperienced jockey in a field much larger than anything the horse had ever seen and no doubt infinitely better, could have caused chaos.

What if Ricks Natural Star veered out around the clubhouse turn? What if he took a horse out with him as he faded out of the race before the half-way point?

And the same question goes for Nicky Boy.

If Nicky Boy is allowed to run in the Arkansas Derby for Solange Chadda, nothing good can happen. The best-case scenario is she's beaten by some obscene amount of lengths and just causes the track a quick embarrassment; the worst case is that someone or some horse gets seriously hurt. And sure, a person or horse could get hurt in any race, but when you shouldn't be there, the odds multiply.

If you stand in the batter's box while Randy Johnson is pitching, you have a much greater chance of getting hurt by his fastball just by swinging than if Albert Pujols does the same. If you're a linebacker with Adrian Peterson running right for you, I'll bet you'll feel a whole lot worse in the morning than Brian Urlacher would in the same situation.

That is, if by some chance you can even sniff contact with either one.

And probably nothing bad will happen, because Nicky Boy will be out of the race so quickly that even the people dumb enough to waste two dollars on her would have forgotten their poor investment long before the time Terry Wallace shouts, “Here they come into the stretch of the Arkansas Derby!”

But we cannot have that risk.

In England, the Fit and Proper Person Test was created to prevent just any lunatic from off the street buying a professional soccer team. American sports have a similar technique, as most leagues require the other franchise owners to approve the sale of a team.

But what does horse racing have?

I guess we can revoke licenses after an owner is found to have starved 177 horses like Ernie Paragallo did, but why not before? It took a half-dozen years of controversy to drive Michael Gill out of the industry, and even then who knows when he'll be back.

Solange Chadda should never be allowed near a horse, much less own one, if this is what she's going to do.

Maybe she does love Nicky Boy; maybe it truly is her pet. But the way Chadda is using the filly for her own attention cravings cannot be tolerated.

Thank God NYRA put a halt to this charade, but it is not over. Now Oaklawn must finish off the deed.

If not, the best we can hope for is embarrassment.