Reviews of The Tradition of Cheating at the Sport of Kings

WOW! Glenn, what a fantastic book! Excellent job calling it out as you actually lived it. I admire you! You are a man with great pride, integrity and courage. Your friends that are true friends should admire you and those that have a problem with your honesty are obviously ones that are guilty and could not hold a candle to you.

Keep your head held high and continue to fight for what you believe is right (I absolutely believe in what you are doing).

You really have a gift to write and you have a sense of humor too. Your love for your wife shows through in your book and that is such a beautiful thing in this day and age.

You truly are a special person and those gorgeous animals we call "horses" are very fortunate to have you care as deeply as you do. Thank you for caring. ~Lynn Battschinger

This was a good book. It kept my attention, and helped me understand the sport of Kings, and how it has evolved to place it is today. Good Job.

Thank you Glenn for being Man enough to bring to light what is really going on in the racing world. You are not like those who choose to hide and pretend the problems of cheating do not exist as they do not want "bad publicity." Kudos to you! Great Read!!

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AS A JOCKEY and trainer of over 500 horses THIS BOOK IS VERY INFORMATIVE A MUST READ FOR OWNERS AND EVERY ONE THAT LOVES THE SPORT AND HORSES . O LETS NOT FORGET THE RIDERS SAFETY,

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Very insightful read of the politics of the backstrech and some track management. It took guts to write and I salute you Glenn! You may not like what he reports, but "don't shoot the messenger." His quest is rightious, but until there is a "Universal" Organization governing racing where the rules apply across the board, so that trainers and certain track officials are made accountable and racetrackers don't have to fear for their jobs, these changes will not be made.

Review by Gretchen Jackson
“Thank God for your huge effort in writing the book and to be willing to go to bat for what is right and good for the horse. We have hoped we could change things and your book will be a big help in accomplishing that change.”

Glenn's passion and love for the horses and the sport of racing is evident throughout the book. It is a quick read that provides insight and exposure to the seedy side of racing. I agree that it took a HUGE amount of courage and morality to go public with this information. Especially, since it will not endear him to his less ethical peers.
My suggestions in order to make the book easier for readers unfamiliar with the language of racing, such as myself, would be to include a glossary of "racing terms", a map showing the course locations, and a more in-depth description of the ailments and conditions of the horses.
As a long-time horse woman who competes in dressage and has 6 horses, I understand the pressure of having to justify the enormous expense of keeping and campaigning horses. I get it. But ultimately the welfare of the animals and the people who work with them must come ahead of profits. Racing needs an organization like the FEI to oversee and enforce rules.
If the public got behind this issue I am sure there would be changes.
Congratulations to Glenn for a job well done!

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It took courage to write this book. The information should be made more known in the general public and those connections in the business should help by coming in to verify the problems in this struggling sport, loved by many. If this doesn't happen the sport will die from the vampire behavior of the rules breakers. Attention to all connections: IF you are not a part of the solution to problems you ARE, by default, a part of the problem and thereby helping the demise of a wonderful sport. All must work together to find solutions that will strengthen. The rules must be; developed further, made clear, and strictly followed.
MOST of all there needs to be some entity that stands behind the rules, just as there is in NASCAR, GP-Formula 1, etc. ALL of these organizations transcend State and even National boundaries. Why can't the several forms of equine racing achieve this? Can The Jockey Club do this for Thoroughbred Racing?

This is a tough story to swallow for those of us who love the game of Thoroughbred racing. Glenn Thompson is a long time, successful horse trainer who tells it like it is.

I believe Mr. Thompson has many valid points, and I have witnessed similar experiences myself. It is extremely difficult to publicly "out" people for poor performance and professional irresponsibility.

In the best of all possible worlds, the information in this book would be used to investigate confusing circumstances and the offending parties would be held accountable. As it is, and as Mr. Thompson has pointed out, people want to keep their jobs in the industry they love. Unfortunately, it is the horses that suffer, and the jockeys which are on top of them in the races.

Kudos to Mr. Thompson for attempting to give the horses a voice.

Janice Blake-Baeza