The Thoroughbred industry is a small world indeed. Anyone involved within its' proverbial four walls will tell you that it's hard to keep secrets.
Anyone who conducts their business in this world will also tell you that deeds, good or bad, will hardly go unpunished, as it were.
Kentucky, May 7, 2013
Police arrive at a Thoroughbred farm to arrest the owner/manager after he completely loses his composure at the local utility company's arrival to turn off his power.
Instead of paying his bill in a timely manner, or simply even making payment arrangements beforehand to avoid this inconvenience, he demands from the Utility Company employee that he immediately put the power back on. When this demand is refused, he physically removes the employee from the official company vehicle, turns off the vehicle, breaks the key off within the ignition and proceeds to run away into the nether regions of his own property.
Did he think this would go unpunished?
What prevented him simply from waiting until the Utility Company employee left and simply turning the power back on (apart from this act being unlawful, obviously)?
Enter now the local police, who not only are looking for him, but have procured a search warrant for the premises. A bit of obvious overkill in retaliation of such a stupid act of idiocy. After hours of searching for the man himself unsuccessfully, a young lady who arrived at the scene in order to take one of the mares on a shed run to Spendthrift Farm for breeding, spots the owner stealthily slinking around one of the back pastures while checking to see that the 40 or so horses on the property had enough water and were fed.
Apprehended in the end, he resists arrest and is carted off to the local hospital, to not only have his shoulder looked at, but his psyche evaluated.
As an outsider, on wonders who would so overreact to such a simple, unfortunate financial crisis.
The name Michael Power rings a bell somewhere but I can't quite place it in recent memory.
Kentucky, May 8, 2013
Last night's occurrence tingles in the back of my mind and the name just won't fade. I do distantly remember a Michael Power involved in the Thoroughbred industry but not locally in Kentucky.
Lo and behold, memory did serve right.
Michael Power of California is now sitting in holding, awaiting arraignment in a local Scott County, Kentucky, Court.
What's the big deal you ask?
For one, the involvement of 40 head Thoroughbreds who are now without a proper caretaker and the fact that thus far, this breeding season, Mr. Power has had plenty of bad luck with red bag deliveries and fescue toxicity in his mares. These horses cannot be left unattended to birth for themselves.
Enter a friend of Mr. Power, who shall remained unnamed, who is willing to help the situation. The mares that are due to foal within the next few days or so are moved to a different location in order to prevent the worst during foaling.
So who do you ask is Michael Power?
Ah, but here then is the back story.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/1511/siberian-summer-to-special-t
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/4505/jockey-club-launches-ai-inquiry-sets-separate-hearing
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/5300/calif-farm-cleared-of-ai-allegations
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/11339/siberian-summer-to-be-sold-through-special-auction
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/18632/california-owner-charged-with-theft-in-sale-of-horse
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/20507/power-pleads-guilty-of-theft-gets-30-days-in-jail
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/46830/calif-horseman-found-in-contempt-fined
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/60673/true-quality-to-swifty-in-indiana
A quick read through these news links leaves more questions than answers:
Is Michael Power a shady character? Is he simply insane?
His own mother apparently won't help and support him in any way.
The question that remains:
How is it possible that a such obviously knowledgeable breeder with such a solid background in the industry can have such a melt down?
Mr. Power currently owns a half sister to the incredibly successful Wise Dan, winner of three Eclipse awards. The mare was in foal to Uncle Mo but aborted, probably due to the fescue issues found in his other mares at Mr. Power's Kentucky farm.
What Mr. Power needs is an accomplished attorney to get him out of the kettle of boiling water he landed himself in.
In the meantime, one has to wonder how he could have done things differently, or whether he gave any thought to the consequences of his actions?
He left a wake of bad taste in the mouth of California.
Apparently old habits are hard to break: Alienating the authorities in Kentucky is not the smartest way to establish oneself as a credible business man.
What will happen to Mr. Power's mares remains unclear at this point, as well.
In an ideal justice system, the charges against him would not leave him confined to the local barracks for long. But this is the Commonwealth of Kentucky, where nothing makes much sense when it comes to the serving of justice. The system has a mind of its own that has very little to do with rights, at least as far as the outdated and highly inconvenient document named the Constitution of the United States goes.
In this state, you are who you know.
It appears Mr. Power just does not know the right kind of people to help him out of this newest mess he's gotten himself into.
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7 comments:
This blog is almost a coverup for Mr Power. The man has scattered bad checks like autumn leaves in central Ky. Ask anyone who sells feed to Woodford County horsemen. Ask the people who leased land to him in 2012 (I am one), and evicted him. It 's a matter of public record. The man needs much more than a good attorney to have any chance of success in the horse business. He needs to leave Kentucky.
I'm from California and the "LOSER" even lived in the same small town that I did. I have lots of stories to tell, but enough can be found in the link below including his PHYSIC REPORT!
http://californiaracehorse.forumchitchat.com/post/michael-power-files-bankruptcy-2759671?trail=15
WHO IS MICHEAL POWER?
4/16/02 PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION Eugene P. Roeder, PH.D.
Test Results: On the basis of the test data, it may be reasonably assumed that Mike is experiencing a moderately severe mental disorder, and he meets the criteria for both Personality Disorder (Sadistic Personality Disorder), as well as
Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Individuals with this profile have disdain for the welfare of others, are prejudiced and self-centered, tend to be social intimidating, and are proud of their self-reliance and competitive nature. They are attempting to hide deep insecurities, which they project outward, resulting in frequent arguments. For individuals with this profile, the guiding principle is to outwit other people, and they have a tendency to abuse
both themselves and their family. These individuals court danger, enjoy risk and seem fearless in the face of threats or punitive action. These individuals are quite prone to alcoholism or drug difficulties, are touchy and jealous, are inclined to brew and harbor grudges, and are easily provoked. While portraying an aggressive demeanor, this is most
often posturing, and these individuals tend to act out in an aggressive manner only under the most stressful situations.
Some people have been so harassed by Mike Power that they secured court ordered restraining orders issued against him. Two protected two different women attorneys he became confrontational with and another one protected a neighbor and that neighbor’s family as a result of an altercation instigated by Mike Power. Power has also demonstrated a distain for law enforcement authorities and was charged with and pled no contest to a
crime of resisting and obstructing a peace officer and using offensive language toward a peace officer in Placer County, where he resides. In the horse industry he has had a terrible financial reputation and has incurred numerous unpaid bills with major farms and horse trainers, as well as industry publications. He has also been charged with criminal fraud in connection with some of his horse transactions. He was lucky to get the charge reduced from a felony, but still did some jail time.
In addition to fraud, Power has constantly demonstrated a lack of financial responsibility, and has numerous credit problems. Several major farms in California, Kentucky and Maryland have been victims of his failure to pay his bills. He has also failed to pay numerous horse trainers and veterinarians in California and elsewhere, which is one of the many
reasons he cannot be licensed as an owner in any state.. He has even failed to pay major thoroughbred publications such as the Blood-Horse and The Thoroughbred Times for advertising of his stallion, Siberian Summer. Despite receiving
substantial stallion awards, he has evaded paying his child support until Nevada County Child Support Services stepped in and got a lien to pay it.
Power Watch is an independent effort supported by a number of people who have been defrauded, lied to, libeled, slandered, embezzled or otherwise treated badly by Michael Power.
I met Michael Power when he was a young man and he had this incredible knowledge of thoroughbred horse breeding. I bought our ranch from his father and Mike seemed to be on his way to a brilliant career in the horse business. After that, I didn't hear much from him but did hear that he was into drugs or alcohol. Then forty years later, I sold some horses at an auction and he called me up and threatened me and my horses. I was shocked and concerned and had someone watch over my horses at night before they went into the ring. I reported him but have never heard anything after that day.
Reading all this information about a man I have "known" since he was in college, served on a School Board, married and became the father of two beautiful children (one sadly died at a young age)...is very disturbing to me. I knew he had some problems, but
reading the "back stories" makes me profoundly sad.
Sad for him and sad for those he has hurt.
M
I am the ex-wife and mother of his two children. I have plenty I could say about the pain and suffering this man has both endured as well as caused, but that is not why I am posting. I am posting because there is no excuse for posting someone's very personal and private psych evaluation. I think posting an excerpt (I have the whole thing) is unconscionable. Not to mention, how on earth did you get ahold of such personal information?
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