MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
And it is time now for sports.
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BLOCK: Selection Sunday is the following day, and university basketball fanatics like BJ Leiderman, who writes our subject matter song, will discover who’s gambling whom within the mad month of March. But first, we go to Southern California and horse racing, where nearly a dozen horses have died on a race tune in current months. NPR’s Tom Goldman joins us now. Tom, appropriate morning.
TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Melissa.
BLOCK: Twenty-two horses have died at Santa Anita Park since the end of December; that is simply a surprising range. The most recent loss of life came on Thursday. What is behind this?
GOLDMAN: Investigators do not know at this factor why this many catastrophic breakdowns – in different phrases, injuries the horses suffered while strolling, forcing them to be euthanized. Sadly, this happens in racing. But certainly, what has happened at Santa Anita in less than three months is an outlier. Investigators are looking at several factors, including the tune’s situation. People there on an everyday foundation say it is in brilliant form. But there was a lot of rain and cooler temperatures, probably affecting the tune.
BLOCK: This Thursday, Santa Anita announced that it would be making a few adjustments this week. What did they say?
GOLDMAN: Yeah. The company that owns the track issued remarkable changes for American race music, banning the controversial diuretic Lasix from being given to horses on the day they run. Now, most international locations do not allow it on race days. The U.S. Does. So this puts Santa Anita in line with the maximum of the world. Other new modifications restrict the use of whips on horses and different tablets, like anti-inflammatories and joint injections, that may mask pain and allow horses to run when they should not.
Ultimately, Melissa, the LA district lawyer’s workplace, announced the day before today that it would investigate. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has been pushing for this as soon as running shoes and veterinarians were studied, and that brought on this response from a legit with the California Thoroughbred Trainers—quote, “We welcome an investigation. It’s long before these unfounded accusations have been verified incorrectly and everyone realizes that our running shoes’ first issue is constantly for their horses.”
BLOCK: OK. Let’s pass on to March Madness and…
GOLDMAN: OK.
BLOCK: …Brackets that lovers are so eagerly anticipating. What must we expect?
GOLDMAN: Hoping for insanity. There are no clear favorites in the guys’ and girls’ tournaments. Although in the guys, Duke’s Zion Williamson – the subsequent LeBron James, if you hadn’t heard, Melissa – is…
BLOCK: I suppose I’ve heard something about that man.
GOLDMAN: Yeah. He’s returned from a knee sprain due to his exploding Nike. He led the Blue Devils beyond archrival North Carolina’s final night time within the ACC event. He makes Duke excellent. Others to observe – are North Carolina, Gonzaga, Virginia, and Tennessee. UConn has gotten through a rocky season for them on the girls’ side, losing entire games. But for once, they are now not the overpowering favored getting in. Baylor, which beat the Huskies this season, is ranked first in the United States. All five pinnacle teams have lost games. So Notre Dame, Mississippi State, and Louisville are all contenders, too.
BLOCK: Well, in May, the Supreme Court legalized sports having a bet. How’s that going to play out?
GOLDMAN: Hold on in your hat, Melissa.
BLOCK: I’m maintaining on.
GOLDMAN: Human beings will bet money at the match for the first time.
BLOCK: Shocked. I’m stunned.
GOLDMAN: No, now, not simply. It simply means more people can guess legally around the country without flying to Las Vegas. It’ll imply the billions already bet have to grow and increase the general sum of money – billions surrounding the match, none of it, of direction, going to the athletes, who generate the product.
