A Confederacy of Dunces

"Direct the masses of the Three Armies as though commanding one man. Press affairs on them, do not explain the purpose to them."
-Sun-tzu

There is a joke I heard once about a struggling actor, who finally gets a break and is given a minor role in a Broadway play. His only line is 'Hark, is that a cannon I hear?' uttered, presumably, after a cannon shot is heard. He is very excited and spends the entire week rehearsing the line. He wakes up 'Hark, is that a cannon I hear?'. He takes a shower 'Hark, is that a cannon I hear?'. On the bus 'Hark, is that a cannon I hear?'. In line at the grocery store 'Hark, is that a cannon I hear?' You get it.

Finally, the evening of the play arrives and our hero is in full character mode. I mean he is in the zone. He swaggers out, alone, on the dark stage; this is his moment. The fulminating cannon noise envelops him and he yelps, 'What the f*&$ was that?'

Anyway...

What is the long view for the sport? Has anyone mapped that out or are we to be subjected to a series of spastic reactions to whatever is the hot topic of the day? I understand the industry, now, is just fighting the alligator closest to its ass but what happens when they get a break in the action? Who has that blueprint tucked away somewhere?

If the measure of a leader is the ability to articulate a cohesive, long term strategy and influence a group toward the stated objectives, then this industry is doomed to remain a marginal sport and to slowly circle the drain of irrelevance.

The NTRA has formed its Safety and Integrity Alliance but I would suggest that it too is reactionary. It is welcome, no doubt, but the true test of leadership is the ability to implement the stated vision and for all its fancy billing, there is no money for it nor any enforcement capability.

When was the last time the serious players in this game sat at the same table and had a sober discussion on the future of the sport? If the subcommittee on the integrity of racing, of the Task Force on the Future of Horse Racing, cannot be troubled to form a quorum and discuss its problems, what hope is there for the industry as a whole?

If Alex Waldrop and the NTRA insist on wearing the mantle of leadership, then it is imperative they actually do some of that, you know, leading. They can no longer run around in their homemade cape and tights looking for an aimless crowd.

I propose that the NTRA hold a summit with the big players in the sport. MEC, CDI, TOBA, Jockey Club, Horseplayer's Coalition, ADW's, NYRA, CHRB, KHRC and whoever else I am forgetting. Hold the damn thing in Dubai for all I care. Announce the damn thing and make it happen; don't ask them to attend, demand it. Excoriate any party that does not show up.

Strategy necessitates the vision of an ultimate objective and the careful laying of groundwork to achieve it. It cannot work in a vacuum. It cannot work without context. It cannot work without milestones.

In the absence of any of that, the next proverbial shoe drop, fulminating across the backstretch, will find Waldrop yelling 'What the f*&$ was that?'