The Thoroughbred industry has developed a fascinating relationship with “open discussion.”
Sometimes you just create your own echo chamber.
In the latest “Keeping Pace” column on the Paulick Report, Andrew Cohen treats us to a buffet of metaphors—tents, boats, and trains—all designed to sell a singular, manufactured image of industry “unity.” It’s a beautifully wrapped gift of self-serving nonsense, but once you peel back the ribbon of Jockey Club influence, the hypocrisy underneath is staggering.
The “Selective Inclusion” Trap
Cohen applauds the new Jockey Club Chairman’s call to “debate vigorously” and “disagree honestly.” It’s a noble sentiment that would carry weight if the Jockey Club actually practiced it.
The reality? The “vigor” disappears the moment the questions get uncomfortable.
- The No-Show: They were conspicuously absent from the Aron Wellman Zoom call, where actual stakeholders gathered to discuss the financial and emotional weight of the industry’s current crisis.
- The Ghosting: They have consistently ignored the Westlake questions on X, regarding loans and which demand answers on HISA’s shifting fee-assessment formulas—a move that has seen costs per start skyrocket by over 60% in just two years while starts themselves have plummeted.
- The Declined Invite: They declined my direct invitation to engage, essentially signaling that they only “debate” in chosen rooms where the chairs are comfortable and the questions are pre-screened.
Fact-Checking the “Propaganda” Claims
The article characterizes dissent against HISA as “propaganda” and “lawyers’ briefs wrapped up like news reports.” This is rich coming from a column that had articles sponsored by The Jockey Club or its members—the primary architect of HISA.
Cohen dismisses concerns about due process as “myths,” yet he ignores the concrete reality of the ongoing legal battles. The Fifth Circuit has already called HISA’s enforcement power a “radical delegation” of governmental power to a private corporation. To label the horsemen’s fight for constitutional rights as “propaganda” while writing a sponsored column for the Authority is the definition of a controlled narrative.
The Sincerest Form of Flattery?
Perhaps the most comical part of this “March of Metaphors” is the visual presentation. It seems the Paulick Report has decided that if they can’t silence our voice, they’ll just copy our look. Their recent graphic choices are a transparent attempt to mimic the style, well if you know you know.
It’s a bit of a “comical timing” situation: they want to pretend we don’t exist in their prose, yet they’re using our blueprint for their visuals. Imitation may be flattery, but in this case, it just looks like a lack of original ideas.
The Bottom Line
The “insurgency” Cohen refers to isn’t a group of people trying to “tear it all down.” It’s a group of people tired of being fed a controlled narrative by a media machine that refuses to show up for the actual conversation.
If you want to talk about “tents” and “boats,” Andrew, you have to be willing to let people in who don’t already agree with you. Until then, you aren’t “Keeping Pace”—you’re just falling behind.
THE REAL CONVERSATION STARTS HERE: If you’re tired of the sanitized, sponsored version of the truth, you won’t want to miss our upcoming show. We’re going where others are too afraid or not allowed to go, asking the questions they ghosted, and exposing the narrative they’re trying to protect.
Coming soon to Past the Wire TV
“They claim to want a vigorous debate, but when the real questions are asked, they run for the hills because they know… they can’t handle the truth.”
