The Horsemen's Journal - Fall 2013 by The Horsemen's Journal

fall 13 10

NOVEMBER DATE STAKES 11.30.13 Pulpit 11.30.13 The Wait A While

2013-2014 STAKES SCHEDULE

F CONDITIONS 2yo F 2yo

DIST/SURF 1 M (T) 1 M (T)

PURSE $100K $100K

CONDITIONS 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up (FLB) 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up (F/M) 2yo 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up (F/M) (FLB)

DIST/SURF 1 1/16 M 6F 1 1/16 M 7F 7F 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/8 M 7F 6F 7 1/2 F (T) 1 M (T) 1 1/16 M 1 M (T) 6F 1M

PURSE $110K $110K $110K $110K $110K $125K $125K $200K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K

CONDITIONS 3yo F 3yo 3yo 4yo & up (F/M) F 3yo 4yo & up 4yo & up 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 3yo 3yo F 3yo F 3yo

DIST/SURF 1M 6F 6F 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/16 M (T) 1M 1 1/8 M 1 1/8 M 1 1/8 M (T) 1 1/8 M (T) 6F 6F 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/16 M 7F 1 M (T)

PURSE $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $200K $100K $400K $300K $150K $150K $150K $150K $100K $400K $200K $100K

DECEMBER DATE 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.8.13 12.14.13 12.15.13 12.21.13 12.22.13 12.28.13 12.28.13 12.29.13

STAKES The Iron Horse The Express The Iron Lady The Glass Slipper The Rapid Transit The Tiara The Emerald The Jewel The Sunshine State The Sugar Swirl (III) The South Beach The Dania Beach(III) The Harlan’s Holiday The El Prado The Mr. Prospector(III) The Ocala

JANUARY DATE 1.1.14 1.4.14 1.4.14 1.4.14 1.5.14 1.11.14 1.11.14 1.18.14 1.18.14 1.18.14 1.18.14 1.18.14 1.18.14 1.19.14 1.25.14 1.25.14 1.26.14

NOVEMBER DATE STAKES 11.30.13 Pulpit 11.30.13 The Wait A While

FEBRUARY CONDITIONS 2yo F 2yo

DIST/SURF 1 M (T) 1 M (T)

PURSE $100K $100K

CONDITIONS 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up (FLB) 3yo & up (F/M) 3yo & up (F/M) 2yo 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up 3yo & up (F/M) (FLB)

DIST/SURF 1 1/16 M 6F 1 1/16 M 7F 7F 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/8 M 7F 6F 7 1/2 F (T) 1 M (T) 1 1/16 M 1 M (T) 6F 1M

PURSE $110K $110K $110K $110K $110K $125K $125K $200K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K

CONDITIONS 3yo F 3yo 3yo 4yo & up (F/M) F 3yo 4yo & up 4yo & up 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M)

DIST/SURF 1M 6F 6F 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/16 M (T) 1 1/16 M (T) 1M 1 1/8 M 1 1/8 M

PURSE $100K $100K $100K $100K $100K $200K $100K $400K $300K

DECEMBER DATE 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.7.13 12.8.13 12.14.13 12.15.13 12.21.13 12.22.13 12.28.13 12.28.13 12.29.13

JANUARY DATE 1.1.14 1.4.14 1.4.14 1.4.14 1.5.14 1.11.14 1.11.14 1.18.14 1.18.14

STAKES The GP Derby The Old Hat(III) The Spectacular Bid The Marshua’s River(III) The Ginger Brew The Fort Lauderdale(II) The Hal’s Hope (III) Sunshine Millions Classic Sunshine Millions Distaff

STAKES The GP Derby The Old Hat(III) The Spectacular Bid The Marshua’s River(III) The Ginger Brew The Fort Lauderdale(II) The Hal’s Hope (III) Sunshine Millions Classic Sunshine Millions Distaff Sunshine Millions Turf Sunshine Millions F&M Turf Sunshine Millions Sprint Sunshine Millions F&M Sprint The Kitten’s Joy The Holy Bull(III) The Forward Gal(II) The Sweetest Chant

DATE 2.1.14 2.1.14 2.8.14 2.8.14 2.8.14 2.8.14 2.9.14 2.15.14 2.15.14 2.16.14 2.22.14 2.22.14 2.22.14 2.23.14

STAKES The Hutcheson(II) The GP Turf Sprint The Donn Handicap(I) The GP Turf Hdcp(I) The Suwannee River(III) The GP Sprint (III) The Hurricane Bertie(III) The Mac Diarmida(II) The Very One (III) The Sabin(III) The Besilu Fountain of Youth(II) The Davona Dale(II) The Canadian Turf(III) The Ladies Turf Sprint

CONDITIONS 3yo 4yo & up 4yo & up 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up (F/M) 3yo F 3yo 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M)

DIST/SURF 7F 5 F (T) 1 1/8 M 1 1/8 M (T) 1 1/8 M (T) 7F 6 1/2 F 1 3/8 M (T) 1 3/8 M (T) 1 1/16 M 1 1/16 M 1 1/16 M 1 M (T) 5 F (T)

PURSE $200K $75K $500K $300K $150K $100K $150K $200K $100K $100K $400K $200K $150K $75K

CONDITIONS 3yo 3yo F 3yo 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up (F/M) 3yo F 3yo 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up 4yo & up (F/M) 4yo & up 4yo & up

DIST/SURF 7F 1 1/8 M (T) 1 1/8 M (T) 1M 1 M (T) 7F 1 1/8 M 1 1/8 M 1 3/16 M 1 1/8 M 1 M (T) 1 1/2 M (T) 1 1/2 M (T) 6 1/2 F

PURSE $150K $150K $100K $250K $200K $200K $1M $300K $100K $150K $100K $150K $200K $100K

MARCH DATE 3.1.14 3.1.14 3.2.14 3.8.14 3.15.14 3.22.14 3.29.14 3.29.14 3.29.14 3.29.14 3.29.14 3.29.14 3.29.14 3.29.14

STAKES The Swale(III) The Palm Beach(III) The Herecomesthebride(III) The GP Handicap(II) The Honey Fox(II) The Inside Information(II) The Besilu Florida Derby(I) The GP Oaks(II) The Skip Away(III) The Rampart(III) The Appleton(III) The Orchid(III) The Pan American(II) The Sir Shackleton

DA 2.1. 2.1. 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.15 2.15 2.16 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2

DA 3.1. 3.1. 3.2 3.8 3.15 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2

volume 60/ # 3

fall

20 13 Departments

2 Message from the National HBPA

7 Industry News

12 HBPA News

14 Legislative Update

Research & Medication Update

18 Medication Committee Corner

22 2013-2014 Racing Schedule for North America

Meet Me in Minnesota

The Land of 10,000 Lakes hosts the National HBPA Summer Convention

Affiliate News

features

Treating Laminitis with Technology

Defining and Dealing with Breakover

Horsemen Helping Horses

Advanced hoof sensors could hold the key to understanding and preventing the devastating condition

The type of horseshoes and how a horse is shod can affect energy level at the finish line

HBPA affiliates are raising the stakes for aftercare programs

www.nationalhbpa.com

hj in every issue

message from

the CEO

Dear Horsewomen and Horsemen of the National HBPA:

National HBPA 870 Corporate Drive Suite 300 Lexington, KY 40503 P(859) 259-0451 F(859) 259-0452 racing@hbpa.org www.nationalhbpa.com

President/ Chairperson of the Board Robin Richards First Vice president Leroy Gessmann Secretary/ Treasurer Ron Maus Chief Executive Officer Phil Hanrahan Vice President Central Region Leroy Gessmann Vice President Eastern Region Randy Funkhouser Vice President Southern Region Rick Hiles Vice President Western Region Ron Maus

HJ FALL

First things first, I want to publicly thank Tom Metzen Sr., the Board of Directors of the Minnesota HBPA, Patrice Underwood and Susan Nichol for all of their help in putting on the National HBPA Summer Convention. I also want to thank Chaplains Ed Underwood and Craig Wiley for hosting the religious service. Thanks go to Curtis Sampson, Randy Sampson and the management and staff of Canterbury Park and the management and staff of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel for hosting us for a great day at the races and a weekend at the hotel. I also want to express my appreciation to our national sponsors: Big Dee’s Tack and Vet Supplies, equineline.com, Finish Line Horse Products Inc. and Horseman Labor Solutions and to all of our Convention sponsors for their support of the Summer Convention and the NHBPA. Last, but by no means least, I want to thank Laura Plato and Robert Scott for all of their hard work in organizing and executing all of the logistics associated with the Convention. At the Summer Convention, Dr. C. Reid McLellan received the Industry Service Award for his exceptional work with the Groom Elite program (www.groomelite.com). Reid’s dedication to this program and its students has had a positive impact on many individuals and on the industry as a whole. Also at the Summer Convention, Saginaw won the 2012 Claimer of the Year Award. On August 1 of this year, Saginaw continued his winning ways with his first-place finish in the $100,000 John Morrissey Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. It was his 21st overall victory from 40 starts. As I noted in my last column, the issue of Multiple Violator Penalties (MVP) continued to be a topic of debate during the last three months culminating on July 30 when a proposed MVP model rule was debated and voted on at the Association of Racing Commissioners International’s (RCI) Summer Meeting. In advance of the RCI meeting, the NHBPA’s Model Rules Committee had several teleconferences about the MVP model rule. The MVP model rule was also discussed at our Summer Convention. Dave Basler, in his capacity as the Chair of the NHBPA’s Model Rules Committee, and I attended the RCI’s Summer Meeting. Using the Carla Gaines situation as his example, Dave did a great job pointing out the various issues, problems and shortcomings associated with the MVP rule proposed at the last minute by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium Inc. (RMTC). As an aside, Kent Stirling, in his capacity as the Chair of the NHBPA’s Medication Committee, had earlier participated in the RMTC’s teleconference and expressed to the participants on the teleconference the concerns the NHBPA had with the RMTC’s proposed MVP model rule. At the RCI meeting, Dave’s presentation led to substantial internal debate in the RCI’s Model Rules Committee, which thereafter led to the discussion of the proposed MVP model rule being deferred to the conclusion of the RCI meeting. When the RCI’s Model Rules Committee returned to the MVP matter after the other items on the agenda had been addressed, the Committee made a number of changes to the model rule including the following: (a) the point scale was amended to address the issue of the treatment of half points; (b) the rule was amended to make it clear that the points system only applied when there were multiple violations; (c) the rule was amended clarifying that either the stewards or the commission could, in their discretion, count multiple positive tests for the same medication prior to delivery of notice by the commission as a single violation; and (d) the rule was amended to reflect that penalties are expunged at the end of the specified time periods

without regard to any subsequent medication violations. Our proposed model rule prohibiting “threats, intimidation, coercion and retaliation” and our proposed model rule regarding defending against charges of violation of restrictive time periods were not approved by the RCI. Our proposed model rule regarding communication between trainers and veterinarians was deferred pending input from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and other interested groups. We continue to be involved with the issue of “approved” therapeutic medications. As you may remember, the RCI and the RMTC adopted a list of 24 medications. Based on our ongoing survey of racetrack veterinarians, we have identified approximately 11 additional medications that many racetrack vets are using. It is our understanding that the AAEP’s Racing Committee has identified some of these 11 medications as desirable to have thresholds identified for creating withdrawal times. The NHBPA’s Medication Committee will continue to focus its efforts on medication issues that positively impact on the health of horses and the safety of racing. We received a variety of responses to the trainer continuing education survey contained in the summer issue of The Horsemen’s Journal. We are compiling the survey results and will present them in the next issue of the magazine. We are in the planning process for the Winter Convention, and we are interested in your suggestions regarding speakers and topics. Please email your suggestions to me at phanrahan@ hbpa.org. Also, if you have any other Convention suggestions, please email them to me. Trainers and owners, if you have not already set up your profile on OwnerView, please consider doing so. You can visit www.ownerview.com to register and submit your profile. There is no cost to set up your profile. For trainers, OwnerView is a tool you can use to potentially get more clients. To date, there have been more than 41,000 views to the “Find a Trainer” page on OwnerView. For owners, your profile can help other prospective owners better understand the profiles of individuals who invest in Thoroughbred racing. As always, if any of you are in Lexington, please stop by the NHBPA’s office. We welcome your comments, feedback and visits. May the Racing Gods smile on you, and may you have many visits to the winner’s circle.

Sincerely,

Phil Hanrahan Chief Executive Officer

contributors Brian W. Fitzgerald Kimberly French Shelby O’Neill Kent H. Stirling Heather Smith Thomas

The

National HBPA

photographers Ackerley Images Denis Blake Paulette Cigliana Coady Photography Adam Coglianese Fran Jurga/Hoofcare Publishing

Would Like To Thank Its Corporate

sponsors Affiliates Board of Directors - Affiliates Dr. David Harrington, Alabama J. Lloyd Yother, Arizona Linda Gaston, Arkansas David Milburn, Canada Randy Funkhouser, Charles Town Mark McGregor, Colorado Dave Brown, Finger Lakes Phil Combest, Florida Mark Buckley, Idaho Brian LaMew, Illinois Joe Davis, Indiana Leroy Gessmann, Iowa Rick Hiles, Kentucky Stanley Seelig, Louisiana George Kutlenios, Michigan Tom Metzen, Minnesota R.C. Forster, Montana John W. Baird, Mountaineer Park Todd Veerhusen, Nebraska Anthony Spadea, New England Tim Hamm, Ohio Bill Anderson, Oklahoma Sue Leslie, Ontario Steve Fisher, Oregon Tim Shea, Pennsylvania Robert Jeffries, Tampa Bay Downs Dr. Tommy Hays, Texas Horsemen’s Partnership, LLP Davis Ross, Virginia Ron Maus, Washington

The views expressed on these pages are those of the authors and/or advertisers, and they may or may not reflect the positions and/or beliefs of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, its officers, or Board of Directors. The Horsemen’s Journal, Volume 60 #3. Postal Information: The Horsemen’s Journal (ISSN 0018-5256) is published quarterly by the National Horsemen’s Administration Corporation, with publishing offices at P.O. Box 8645, Round Rock, TX 78683. Copyright 2013 all rights reserved. The Horsemen’s Journal is the official publication for members of the Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, a representative association of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse owners and trainers. HBPA is a non-profit 501(c)6 Kentucky corporation. Members receive The Horsemen’s Journal as a benefit of membership paid by the national office from affiliate dues. Annual non-member subscriptions are $14. Single-copy back issues, if available, are $7. Canadian subscribers add $6. All other

staff Denis Blake Editor 512-695-4541 E-mail: hj@hbpa.org Jennifer Vanier Allen Advertising Director 512-225-4483 509-272-1640 fax E-mail: advertising@hbpa.org Limb Design www.limbdesign.com Graphic Design The Horsemen’s Journal 870 Corporate Drive, Suite 300 Lexington, KY 40503-5419 Phone: 512-695-4541 Fax: 859-259-0452 E-mail: hj@hbpa.org HBPA Website: www.nationalhbpa.com Cover Photo: Denis Blake

subscriptions outside the U.S. add $20 payable in U. S. funds. To order reprints or subscriptions, call (866) 245-1711. The HBPA National Board of Directors has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessary in the transaction of the public business required of the association. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and/or advertisers and do not necessarily represent the opinion or policy of the publisher or HBPA board or staff. Query the editor prior to sending any manuscripts. Periodicals Postage Paid at Round Rock, Texas and additional mailing offices. CANADA POST: Publications mail agreement no. 41530527. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: P. O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Horsemen’s Journal, P.O. Box 911188, Lexington, KY 40591-1188.

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OFFICIAL SPONSOR OFFICIAL SPONSOR of NationalHBPA HBPA of the the National

WHAT BROUGHT these CHAMPIONS

TO THE SPA CITY OF THE SOUTH?

OXBOW

SMARTY JONES

SUPER SAVER

AFLEET ALEX

CURLIN

RACHEL ALEXANDRA

LOOKIN AT LUCKY

SUMMER BIRD

RECORD PURSES: Maiden Special Weights $55,000 Open Allowance $56,000 Minimum Purse $17,000 Ten times in the past 10 years, horses that have raced at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Arkansas, have gone on to win a Triple Crown event. It’s easy to see why with fifty-seven race days that draw more than half a million fans to see high quality thoroughbreds compete for steadily growing purses — thanks to the success of Instant Racing and gaming. Put your horse in the picture, call racing secretary Pat Pope at 1-800-OAKLAWN (1-800-625-5296) now. Stall applications are due October 24.

1 - 8 0 0 - OA K L AW N • OA K L AW N . C O M

industry news

hj news

The Jockey Club Projects 2014 Foal Crop at 22,000, Announces Revisions to 2012 and 2013 Foal Crops

The Jockey Club is projecting a 2014 North American registered Thoroughbred foal crop of 22,000, announced Matt Iuliano, the organization’s executive vice president and executive director. The Jockey Club also announced downward revisions for the 2012 and 2013 foal crops to 23,500 and 23,000, respectively. The original projection for both foal crops was 24,700. Additional foal crop information is available in The Jockey Club’s Online Fact Book at jockeyclub.com/factbook.asp and in the state fact books at jockeyclub. com/statefactbook.asp. The foal crop projection, traditionally announced in mid-August, is computed by using Reports of Mares Bred (RMBs) received to date for the 2013

breeding season. RMBs are to be filed by August 1 of each breeding season. “The revisions to the 2012 and 2013 foal crops are the result of receiving fewer reports after the August 1 reporting deadline of mares being bred,” Iuliano said. The 2014 foal crop projection of 22,000 represents a decline of 4.3 percent from the revised projection of 23,000 foals for 2013. Stallion owners who have not returned their RMBs for the 2013 breeding season are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Interactive Registration™, which enables registered users to perform virtually all registration-related activities via the Internet, is the most efficient means of submitting RMBs and is available at registry.jockeyclub.com.

New TV Series to Focus on Handicappers Horseplayers, a new docuseries for the Esquire Network, will feature successful handicappers on their quest to reach the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC) in January 2014 in Las Vegas. The series is being produced for Esquire Network by Go Go Luckey Entertainment, which also produced the popular reality series Jockeys. Horseplayers follows handicappers as they crisscross North America betting on Thoroughbreds at some the world’s most iconic racetracks while competing to earn a spot at the NHC in Las Vegas. Shooting took place at the three Triple Crown events with additional shooting at tournaments at Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, Del Mar, Saratoga Race Course, Woodbine, Arlington Park, Keeneland Race Course, Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park before concluding at the NHC in Las Vegas. “The horseplayer is a vital part of our industry, and we are delighted

that this new series will feature racing fans in action at some of our sport’s most beautiful racetracks,” said Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the NTRA. “Handicapping is one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding aspects of Thoroughbred racing, and tournament play leading to the National Championship in Las Vegas adds another dimension that we believe can grow the appeal of Thoroughbred racing.” The Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, presented by Sovereign Stable and Treasure Island Las Vegas, is the richest, most important and most prestigious tournament for horseplayers in the world and is the culmination of a yearlong series of sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino race books, off-track betting facilities and horse racing and handicapping websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals in Las Vegas. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards. For more information about the series and to find the Esquire Network on your cable or satellite system, go to esquiretv.com.

Today’s Racing App Now Features Additional Entries and Results Equibase Company has expanded the number of days of entries and results available, included access to Entries Plus™, and added carryovers to its Today’s Racing™ app, bringing many of the features available from the mobile site to its popular app, it was announced by Equibase Company eBusiness Operations and Development Manager Chris Dawahare. The Today’s Racing app, which can be downloaded free at itunes.com and play.google.com, now includes up to seven days of entries and results from every track in North America. Previously, only two days of entries and results were available. In addition to viewing entries and results, users can also access Entries Plus, an Equibase product that provides free information on every horse in three visual categories—bar charts, line graphs and color bars—in addition to an

overall snapshot category for each race. Users can sort columns, add and delete only the horses they want to see and touch the graphs to reveal specific data on each horse. Available carryovers from every track are now also included within the app. “The launch of Today’s Racing two years ago made it easier for fans to follow racing right from their phones,” Dawahare said, “and now with more entries and results, direct access to Entries Plus and all carryovers, it’s made the app even better. We are already working on the next set of enhancements as we see the popularity of this app continue to grow.” The Today’s Racing app was developed by The Jockey Club Technology Services Inc., which also developed the Equibase Racing Yearbook™ app and Equibase’s mobile website.

www.nationalhbpa.com

news

industry news

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Receives 27 Applications for Accreditation The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) announced it has received applications for accreditation from 27 eligible aftercare facilities. These organizations will now begin the TAA’s process of review and onsite examination to be eligible for consideration for grants in 2013 and 2014. Applications were submitted by facilities in 13 states in the United States and from two organizations in Canada. The facilities range in location from Kentucky, New York and Maryland to Arizona, Washington and California, and represent a cross-section of rescue, retirement, retraining and adoption programs. “We’re encouraged by the level of interest shown by such a diverse group of organizations in our first year of operations,” said Mike Ziegler, executive director of the TAA. “Continued support from all aspects of the industry is critical in order to support our accredited facilities and the great work they are doing to help retired Thoroughbreds.” To be considered for accreditation, organizations must complete a detailed application process and careful onsite examinations by TAA inspectors and independent veterinarians. Facilities eligible to apply for TAA accreditation

include those conforming to the following four standards: possess 501(c) (3) tax exempt status; have been operational for at least three years; care for a resident population of at least five horses, with at least half the horses being Thoroughbreds; and follow a euthanasia policy consistent with that of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The complete TAA Code of Standards for aftercare facilities and the accreditation application are available at thoroughbredaftercare.org. Earlier in the year the TAA announced that it had accredited its first three Thoroughbred aftercare facilities: Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care in Palm City, Florida; New Vocations in Marysville, Ohio; and Southern California Thoroughbred Rescue in Norco, California. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the TAA is designed to serve as both the accrediting body for aftercare facilities that care for Thoroughbreds following the conclusion of their racing careers and a fundraising body to support these approved facilities. Funded initially by seed money from Breeders’ Cup Ltd., The Jockey Club and Keeneland Association, the TAA is composed of and supported by owners, trainers, breeders, racetracks, jockeys, aftercare professionals and other industry groups.

Thoroughbred OwnerView Adds Sections on Veterinary Care and Racetracks horsemans_journal_half_vert_Layout 1 10/2/2012 11:40 AM Page 1

OwnerView, the free, informational website developed by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to assist prospective, new and current Thoroughbred owners, has added sections devoted to veterinary care and racetracks. The Veterinary section helps owners understand the role of the veterinarian in managing their Thoroughbreds; the Racetracks section provides details about virtually every Thoroughbred track in North America. “The new sections on OwnerView.com contain valuable, factual information pertaining to the care of Thoroughbreds and the venues at which to race them,” said Gary Falter, vice president of operations for The Jockey Club and project manager for OwnerView. Within the Veterinary section, visitors can research equine health topics, learn about racetrack injuries, become better educated about equine welfare and health considerations, review a list of equine hospitals, search for a veterinarian and peruse the “Ask a Vet” section for a veterinarian’s response to questions from other owners. The section was developed in partnership with the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The Racetracks section was developed with input from Thoroughbred owners and several tracks, including Keeneland Race Course, Woodbine, Del Mar, Arlington Park and the New York Racing Association tracks. The section lists most Thoroughbred tracks in the U.S. and Canada grouped by their daily average purse distribution and provides information such as the physical address, race dates, the owner hospitality contact and links to each track’s website. “By presenting information such as daily average purse distribution, we can help the owner determine venues in which their horses will be competitive,” Falter said. “It will also help owners find contact information for all the tracks in one convenient location.” OwnerView was launched in May 2012 in the wake of McKinsey & Company’s economic study of the sport that recommended a central resource that would encourage Thoroughbred ownership and provide accurate information about purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred. 8

HJ FALL

OwnerView includes information about trainers, racing syndicates, licensing, aftercare and state incentive programs. For more information, visit ownerview.com.

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FOX Sports 1 to Feature Top Thoroughbred Races in Newly Created Series FOX Sports and The Jockey Club announced a multi-year agreement to air prominent graded stakes races starting in 2014 from many of horse racing’s best-known tracks on the new sports network FOX Sports 1. The newly created package of nationally televised races consists of up to 10 telecasts per year. Each telecast includes two top stakes races featuring the leading horses in North America. The agreement also includes international and Spanish-language rights, including the ability to air races on FOX Deportes, the nation’s leading Spanish-language sports network. The announcement was made by FOX Sports Executive Vice President of Production and Executive Producer John Entz and The Jockey Club Chairman Ogden Mills Phipps. “We’re proud to partner with The Jockey Club and to place a bet on the future of Thoroughbred racing,” Entz said. “FOX Sports 1 is all about making sports more fun, and few events in sports are as much fun as a day at a great racetrack. Our partnership with The Jockey Club highlights the elements that make horse racing fun: the power and grace of the Thoroughbred, the challenging puzzle of handicapping and the social aspect of a day at the races. We look forward to showcasing the highest level of competition in one of the most storied of all sports.”

“The Jockey Club is thrilled to be joining forces with FOX Sports to showcase many of this country’s most prestigious races before a national television audience,” Phipps said. “Increasing the national television presence of Thoroughbred racing continues to be a key component of our fan retention and development efforts under the America’s Best Racing banner, and it will be gratifying to see Thoroughbred racing alongside Major League Baseball, college basketball, college football, NASCAR and UFC events on the new FOX Sports 1.” The race series features graded stakes races from some of the most historic racetracks in North America, including Del Mar, Gulfstream Park, Keeneland Race Course, Santa Anita Park and Woodbine, as well as the racetracks of the New York Racing Association. The new series premieres on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, February 9, 2014, from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Florida, and features the Grade 1 Donn Handicap and the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. The complete 2014 schedule of races will be released at a later date. FOX Sports 1 is a new national 24-hour multi-sport channel that launched in August and boasts nearly 5,000 hours of live event, news and original programming annually. The channel has seven pillar sports: college basketball and football, MLB (in 2014), NASCAR, NFL (ancillary programs), soccer and UFC. To find the channel on your cable or satellite provider, go to foxsports.com.

NEW YORK Reach for the richest state-bred program in America • • • •

800 restricted races run for NY-breds each year Highest breeders’ awards in history for NY-breds Highest owners’ awards in history for NY-breds Record-breaking auction results for NY-bred yearlings

THE FUND’S MISSION STATEMENT: “To promote by monetary incentives the responsible breeding of quality thoroughbred racehorses in keeping with the founding legislation to preserve New York's irreplaceable farmland."

www.nationalhbpa.com

ALL-TIME WINNING TRAINER GOES FROM SKEPTIC TO ENTHUSIAST Scott Lake SeeS dramatic improvement in hiS thoroughbredS // by mark hanSen

hen you’re one of the top all-time winning thoroughbred trainers, you’re not about to jeopardize the health of your horses, your winnings, or your reputation by giving them a new performance supplement without doing your research first. That is why Scott Lake, a thoroughbred trainer with more than 5,000 alltime career wins, was - at first - hesitant to try a supplement that his colleague insisted would dramatically increase his horses’ performance. Scott said, “I was skeptical about trying anything promising to boost EPO levels because I have heard too many horror stories about horses being harmed by doping. But a friend of mine in the industry kept giving me information on this new, all-natural supplement. Then I did my own research, and I realized this isn’t the synthetic EPO that damages horses. This is a 100% all-natural supplement, with data to

back up its claims.” So Scott chose 6 horses that he felt were under performing to try EPO-Equine®. “The horses had coats that weren’t where I thought they should be. They were dull, dry and wiry. Plus, their blood levels were a little messed up, and they were training just ‘OK’. I thought, let’s try it. Let’s see if this supplement will help them.” After feeding his horses EPO-Equine® for a month, Scott noticed a huge improvement. “All of my horses looked better and their coats were shinier. Then 4 of the horses on the supplement won the first time I ran them. Coincidence? I don’t think so. They looked better and performed better. They really turned it around. I liked seeing that.” Scott’s quite certain that EPO-Equine®, the natural supplement he tried, is making a huge difference in his horses’ performance. And because of the results, he plans on putting more

of his horses on this natural “blood builder”. But why is it important to “build blood,” and how does this supplement work as a blood builder? Just like in people, a horse’s muscles require oxygen. Red blood cells are the oxygen-carrying cells that deliver oxygen to muscles. A higher red blood cell count = more oxygen = more muscle energy. Elevated muscle energy helps the horse perform harder, faster and longer during endurance events. EPO-Equine® contains a natural “bloodbuilder.” Bioengineers at U.S.-based Biomedical Research Laboratories (BRL) discovered a proprietary strain of Echinacea angustifolia that’s promotes red blood cell production. Veterinarians at the Equine Research Centre in Canada ran a double-blind trial investigating the blood building properties of the active ingredient in EPO-Equine® in healthy horses. For 42 days, one group of horses was supplemented with the active ingredient in EPO-Equine® and another group of horses was given a placebo. The supplement delivered significant blood building results, increasing red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels. Optimized blood levels leads to elevated exercise physiology…for remarkable speed, strength and stamina right out of the gate. Trainers not only trust and rely on EPOEquine® because it’s effective, but also because of its strict quality control, extensive product testing and adherence to banned substance regulations that guarantee safety. EPO-Equine® does not contain any banned or harmful substances. Every batch of EPOEquine® is tested by an independent laboratory to guarantee that it’s clean for use in competition. EPO-Equine® is easy to use. Just add just 1-4 scoops (3.2 grams) of EPO-Equine® to the horse’s daily feeding routine. Within 3-4 weeks of daily use, you can expect to see increased red blood cell levels with no undesirable side effects. According to Scott Lake, “I absolutely recommend EPO-Equine® if your horse isn’t performing or competing to its potential. Give it a shot. It definitely turned my horses around.” Trainers also find that EPO-Equine® is very affordable at the low price of just $59.95 per jar. Or even more affordable by saving $180 when purchasing a 12-jar case for just $539.55 and getting FREE shipping. EPO-Equine® can be ordered at www.EPOEquine.com or 1-800-557-9055, and comes with a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.

news

hbpa news

Claiming Crown Purses to

Hit $1 Million, Event to Be Held at Gulfstream through 2015

On the heels of the richest and most successful renewal of the Claiming Crown last year at Gulfstream Park, the 15th edition of the event showcasing the hard-knocking, blue-collar horses who compete at tracks all over North America promises to be even better with the addition of another race and total purses set to hit an all-time record $1 million. The 2013 Claiming Crown, set for December 7, will again be held at the South Florida racetrack, where it will remain until at least 2015 thanks to an agreement between the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) in conjunction with Gulfstream Park and the Florida HBPA. “Thanks to Gulfstream Park and the Florida FHBPA raising the total purses to $1 million and adding the new fillies and mares race, we hope to build on the success of the 2012 edition of the Claiming Crown and attract the best current and former claiming horses to Florida in December,” said Phil Hanrahan, CEO of the National HBPA. “The three-year agreement will facilitate the further importance of this day of racing as a target for owners and trainers throughout the United States and Canada.” The 2013 Claiming Crown will feature eight races run under starter allowance conditions and include the debut of the new $110,000 Iron Lady for fillies and mares who have started for a claiming price of $7,500 or less since January 1, 2012, going 1 1⁄16 miles on the main track. Four of the Claiming Crown races with $100,000 purses last year were boosted to $110,000 this year. The eight Claiming Crown races in 2013, all for 3-year-olds and up who have started for a specified claiming price or less since January 1, 2012, are: • $200,000 Jewel, 1 1⁄8 miles, $35,000 claiming price • $125,000 Emerald, 1 1⁄16 miles (turf), $25,000 claiming price • $125,000 Tiara, 1 1⁄16 miles (turf), fillies and mares, $25,000 claiming price • $110,000 Rapid Transit, 7 furlongs, $16,000 claiming price • $110,000 Glass Slipper, 7 furlongs, fillies and mares, $16,000 claiming price • $110,000 Express, 6 furlongs, $7,500 claiming price • $110,000 Iron Horse, 1 1⁄16 miles, $7,500 claiming price • $110,000 Iron Lady, 1 1⁄16 miles, fillies and mares, $7,500 claiming price The nominating system that underwent some changes last year will remain the same this year, with the deadline for trainer nominations set for Friday, September 20. For a payment of just $100, a trainer can become eligible to nominate any number of horses through the regular nomination payment.

The deadline for horse nominations is Friday, November 15, and the deadline for supplemental nominations is Wednesday, December 4. Regular nominations are 0.2 percent of the race purse, and supplemental nominations are 5 percent of the race purse. “Gulfstream Park and The Stronach Group are proud of the Claiming Crown’s record success last winter at our facility,” said Gulfstream Park President Tim Ritvo. “Due to that success and our partnerships with the NHBPA, FHBPA and TOBA, we were able to negotiate a three-year agreement. Having the Claiming Crown is great for Gulfstream, great for horsemen, great for fans and super for the industry.” The quality of runners who competed in last year’s Claiming Crown has been on full display this summer, as Starship Truffles, a former $6,250 claimer who captured the Glass Slipper at Gulfstream in 2012, won the Grade 1, $350,000 Princess Rooney Handicap this July at Calder Race Course to stamp herself as one of the top female sprinters in the country. King Kreesa, who finished off the board with a troubled trip in last year’s Emerald, became a graded stakes winner this year and in his last start ran a game second to reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan in the Grade 2, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga Race Course. Said TOBA President Dan Metzger, “Gulfstream did a fantastic job last winter with what turned out to be a record Claiming Crown. We’re excited about returning to Gulfstream these next three years and recognizing and celebrating the claiming horses of North America.” “In the late 1990s, TOBA President Drew Couto approached NHBPA President Bill Walmsley and NHBPA Executive Director Scott Savin with an idea about creating a special day of stakes-type races just for claiming horses,” said Kent Stirling, executive director of the Florida HBPA. “This TOBA/NHBPA joint venture took place first in Minnesota at Canterbury Park in 1999 with purses of $500,000. It remained at Canterbury for many years under the nurturing and guidance of Canterbury President and CEO Randy Sampson and Minnesota HBPA President Tom Metzen Sr. The 15th renewal of the Claiming Crown is now a million-dollar event locked into a three-year deal with Gulfstream Park as one of their premier racing events. “This is a fantastic event for our one-time blue-collar claiming horses and their connections,” added Stirling, “but a great debt of gratitude is owed to those mentioned above who conceived of and brought this concept to fruition as the Claiming Crown.” For more information about the Claiming Crown, including nomination forms, go to claimingcrown.com. The trainer nomination form can be found on page 20 of this issue. Adam Coglianese

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VE T

VED RO PP

INARIAN ER VELOPED • R E DE

ND MME ED • A CO

Power Skill Potential Prove the Pedigree with the

Inside Track Super Pack

For years, Todd Pletcher has trusted his horses with the Inside Track Super Pack. Gain the competitive advantage with the winning combination of all natural LubriSynHA and Re-Borne. LubriSynHA is a once daily, orally absorbed joint supplement that helps keep your horse sound by lubricating his joints. Re-Borne whole, liquid, concentrated, bovine colostrum gives your horse the nutrional boost he needs to perform at his best with four all natural growth factors. Call today to find out how the Inside Track Super Pack is harnessing the power of science to improve superior genetics. LubriSyn.com • Re-Borne.com • 800-901-8498

www.nationalhbpa.com

news

By Brian W. Fitzgerald, American Continental Group Congress went out of session on August 2 for the beginning of its traditional August recess and did not return to session until after the Labor Day holiday on September 6. Below is a report on the current status of pending federal legislation of interest to National HBPA members.

national Hbpa

legislative

update

Federal Medication Legislation

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U.S. House of Representatives Member Joe Pitts (R-PA) and U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced new federal medication legislation, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2013, on May 16. The House bill, H.R. 2012, was co-sponsored at the time of the bill’s introduction by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL). There have been no new co-sponsors added to H.R. 2012 since its introduction. The Senate companion bill, S. 973, currently has one co-sponsor, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). H.R. 2012 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), and its Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, chaired by Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE). The Senate bill has been referred to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, chaired by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). The bill has not been referred to a Senate Commerce Committee subcommittee. In past years, federal medication bills introduced in the Senate have been held at the full Commerce Committee level and not referred to any one of its subcommittees. To date, no formal action has been taken on either H.R. 2012 or S. 973 and, as stated above, with Congress out of session for the August recess until September 6, there will be no opportunity for any formal action on either bill until after Congress returns to session.

Federal Internet Gambling Legislation On June 6, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) introduced H.R. 2282, the Internet Gambling, Enforcement and Consumer Protection Act of 2013. The bill would legalize all forms of Internet gambling, with the exception of sports betting, when offered by federally licensed and regulated operators. Under the bill, the federal government would retain overall licensing and oversight of federal Internet gambling but would rely on the states for licensing and enforcement under a common federal standard. The bill would create within the U.S. Department of Treasury an Office of Internet Gambling Oversight that, as the federal regulator, would oversee state and tribal agencies carrying out licensing activity authorized by the bill. H.R. 2282 has been referred to three House committees: House Energy and Commerce and its Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade; House Financial Services; and House Judiciary. The bill currently has one co-sponsor, Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA). Also, as anticipated following the introduction of Rep. King’s bill in June, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Chairman Emeritus of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced his own Internet gambling bill, H.R. 2666, the Internet Poker Freedom Act of 2013, on July 11. In contrast to Rep. King’s bill, Rep. Barton’s bill would allow 13

only for Internet poker similar to the bill, H.R. 2666, he introduced in the previous 112th Congress. H.R. 2666 has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. No Internet gambling legislation has yet been introduced in the Senate. However, on July 17, the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance, chaired by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Ranking Subcommittee Member Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), held a hearing on the “Expansion of Internet Gambling: Assessing Consumer Protection Concerns.” The hearing focused on concerns about the potentially negative impacts of expanded Internet gambling on consumers, the potential for corruption and other potential negative effects on the public.

Immigration Reform Legislation After several weeks of debate and consideration of amendments on the floor of the Senate, on May 21 the full Senate approved by a vote of 68-32 the comprehensive immigration reform bill, S. 744, Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act. Prior to approving the bill, the Senate approved a much anticipated border security amendment that had been brokered by Sen. John Hoeven (D-ND) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN). The amendment helped propel S. 744 closer to Senate passage by garnering some additional supporting votes. In the House of Representatives, the House Republican Leadership and the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), have stated that, at least for now, they do not intend to take up consideration of the Senate-passed bill and rather than pursue a comprehensive bill, they intend to consider a number of smaller bills. House Democrats said most recently that they would not oppose the Republican leadership’s efforts to move immigration bills incrementally, which is a change from their prior insistence that immigration reform legislation must be comprehensive. To date, the House Judiciary Committee has approved four separate immigration bills: H.R. 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement (SAFE) Act, that strengthens interior enforcement and border security; H.R. 1773, which creates a new agricultural guest worker program; H.R. 2131, which addresses high-skilled visas; and H.R. 1772, which expands the current E-Verify system. The House Homeland Security Committee has approved one additional bill, H.R. 1417, which directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop a plan for achieving operational control of security in hightraffic areas along the border within two years and along the entire southwestern border within five years. The House Judiciary Committee has not yet taken up consideration of a bill that addresses visas for unskilled workers. The House “Group of Seven,” a bipartisan group of House Members that has worked behind the scenes for the past several months drafting a comprehensive immigration reform bill, has not yet publicly released a draft of the bill but may sometime after Congress returns from recess. The Group of Seven includes Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Rep. John Carter (R-TX), Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).

The collective efforts of the NHBPA and the rest of the horse industry to address the labor needs of the horse racing industry are ongoing at this time.

Federal Legislation on Pharmaceutical Compounding On June 19, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee favorably reported a bill, S. 959, the Pharmaceutical Compounding Quality and Accountability Act, introduced by the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). The legislation is intended to help avoid tragedies, such as the fungal meningitis outbreak caused by tainted injections of a steroid used to treat back pain last fall that killed 55 people and sickened 741 others in 20 states. The bill would clarify federal oversight of pharmaceutical compounding, leaving traditional pharmacies under the supervision of states, while enabling the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to regulate compounding manufacturers (companies that make compounded sterile drugs without prescriptions and ship them across state lines). S. 959, as reported by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, provides that nothing in the bill shall be construed to permit the use of animal drugs in compounding a drug for human use and directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study and submit to Congress no later than November 1, 2016, a report on the safety of animal drug compounding and the availability of safe and effective drugs for animals. The bill’s supporters had hoped to bring the bill to the Senate floor for consideration prior to the August recess, but a sufficient number of Senators objected so the bill will not be considered until September or later. In the House, before being elected to the Senate in a June special election to fill Sen. John Kerry’s seat, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced a pharmaceutical compounding bill, H.R. 2186, the Verifying Authority and Legality in Drug Compounding Act of 2013. H.R. 2186 would provide the USFDA with sole regulatory authority over compounding pharmacies engaged in interstate commerce and high-risk sterile compounding without, or in advance of, a prescription. The bill has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health. With Markey no longer serving in the House, the outlook for H.R. 2186 is uncertain at this time. On July 16, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the “Oversight of Pharmaceutical Compounding.” During the hearing, it was revealed that Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) has drafted another proposed bill to regulate compounding pharmacies. Neither H.R. 2186 nor the draft of Rep. Griffith’s bill address animal drug compounding.

Federal Tax Legislation Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) has introduced two tax bills of interest to horsemen, the Equine Tax Parity Act and the Race Horse Cost Recovery Act. There have been no new developments on either of these two bills since their introduction. H.R. 998, the Equine Tax Parity Act, would make horses eligible for capital gains treatment after 12 months, similar to other business assets (except cattle). Under the current federal tax code, gains by individuals from the sale of property used in a trade or business, including horses, qualify for longterm capital gains and are subject to the maximum capital gains tax rate of 15 percent for taxpayers earning less than $450,000 or 20 percent for those earning more than $450,000. In light of the fact that the individual tax rate can go as high as 39.6 percent, the lower capital gains rate is quite favorable. Under current law, horses held for breeding, racing, showing or draft purposes qualify for the capital gains rates only if held for 24 months. H.R. 998 would fix that by reducing the capital gains holding period to only 12 months. H.R. 2212, the Race Horse Cost Recovery Act, would permanently put all racehorses in the three-year category for depreciation purposes. In 2008, the

Farm Bill approved by Congress included provisions that allowed all racehorses to be depreciated over three years, regardless of their age when placed in service. These provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of this year unless extended by Congress either permanently as proposed by H.R. 2212, or temporarily. Both bills have been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for consideration. It is unlikely either of these two bills will be considered as standalone measures and will need to find a legislative vehicle to be attached to along with offsetting revenue to cover the estimated costs associated with the proposed legislation.

Federal Legislation on Horse Slaughter The ban on using federal funds for the inspection of horse slaughterhouses was lifted by the Senate-passed FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill and continued into FY2013 due to the Continuing Resolution (CR). An amendment by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to the FY2013 Agriculture Appropriations bill would have reinstated the federal funding ban for the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to inspect horse slaughterhouses; however, the CR continues the policy under the FY2012 appropriations bill. Legislative efforts to address horse slaughter have been renewed in the 113th Congress, partially due to the heightened profile of the issue in the wake of news from Europe where horsemeat was found in processed foods. Sen. Landrieu and Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA) have championed S. 541, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, and H.R. 1094, which would amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to permanently prohibit the sale and transport of equines and equine parts in interstate and foreign commerce for human consumption. H.R. 1094 has been referred to both the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Agriculture. S. 541 has been referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Efforts to end horse slaughter have also been included in the pending FY2014 appropriations bills. The House FY2014 Agriculture Appropriations bill, H.R. 2410, which was approved by the House on June 26, includes a ban on the use of federal funds for FSIS inspection of horse slaughterhouses. In a “Statement of Administration Policy,” the White House said that while it opposes the House FY2014 Agriculture Appropriations bill, it welcomes the reinstated ban on using federal funds for FSIS inspection of horse slaughterhouses. The Senate FY2014 Agriculture Appropriations bill, S. 1244, which was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 27, includes a similar ban.

Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2013 On July 31, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced S. 1406, the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2013. The bill would amend the Horse Protection Act of 1970 to prohibit a Tennessee Walking Horse, a Racking horse or a spotted Saddle Horse from being shown, exhibited or auctioned with an “action device” or “a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, hoof band or other device or material” if it is constructed to artificially alter the gait of the horse and is not strictly protective or therapeutic. The bill would also increase fines and penalties for soring. S. 1406 is a companion bill to H.R. 1518, introduced earlier in the year by Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY). H.R. 1518 currently has 139 co-sponsors.

New Co-Chairmen of Congressional Horse Caucus On July 1, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) and Rep. Paul Tanko (D-NY) were named as the new Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Horse Caucus for the 113th Congress, taking over the positions from Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA). www.nationalhbpa.com

technology

research+medication update

Equine Guelph Offers Free Assessment of Colic Risk

After declaring 2013 the “Year of Colic Prevention,” Equine Guelph has announced the release of its latest online health care tool, the Colic Risk Rater. This free, customized tool is designed for the individual horseperson to rate his or her horse’s risk of colic. The Colic Risk Rater assesses and calculates colic risk while providing useful feedback on management practices through a series of questions in 10 categories, requiring less than 10 minutes to complete. The goal is to provide horse owners with a simple way to determine if their horse is at a high risk for colic, given the horse’s individual scenario. After each question, the risk rater dial will fluctuate back or forth, revealing the constantly changing risk and in the end providing an overall colic risk rating calculation for each horse. Colic became the horse’s arch nemesis thousands of years ago when humans started taking horses out of their natural environment. The use and management of modern horses is a huge departure from their ancestral wild counterparts, placing modern equines at a higher risk of colic.

According to Dr. Christine King in her book, Preventing Colic in Horses, 80 percent of colic cases are management-related. Dr. Katie Crossan, a guest speaker in Equine Guelph’s colic prevention eWorkshop, concurs with Dr. King’s staggering statistic. “Experts agree that the majority of colics are a result of management practices,” said Dr. Crossan. “Prevention through management is the best course of action when it comes to colic.” Horse owners can play a major role in reducing colic risk through management. Owners must be aware of the risk factors, especially the ones they can manage such as feeding, housing, parasite control and stress. To check out the Colic Risk Rater or to learn more about Equine Guelph’s colic prevention programs, including the fall eWorkshop scheduled for September 9-22, visit equineguelph.ca/eworkshops/ colic.php.

Veterinary Students Rewarded for Leadership, Commitment to Equine Medicine Thirty-four veterinary students pursuing a career in equine medicine have received financial support through the Winner’s Circle Scholarship Program, co-sponsored by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation, Platinum Performance and The Race for Education.

Ackerley Images

The Winner’s Circle scholarships are intended to help ease the financial burden of a veterinary education by providing fourth-year students at each of the AAEP’s 36 student chapters in North America with scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $5,000, depending on the needs of the individual student. Students are nominated from each chapter and selected for scholarships based on their leadership roles and dedication to a future in equine health care. “The financial realities of a veterinary education can impede a career in equine medicine,” said AAEP Foundation Chairman Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, Ph.D. “The Winner’s Circle Scholarship Program is an important source of assistance to some of the best and brightest students as they prepare to embark upon their equine veterinary careers.”

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“These bright young students will be on the forefront of the next generation of equine healthcare,” said Platinum Performance President Mark Herthel. “We are proud to support the future of veterinary medicine.” In addition to the $1,500 guaranteed scholarship, 22 Winner’s Circle scholarship recipients as well as 24 additional applicants were eligible for an additional $4,000 in scholarship funds from a federal matching grant that the Race for Education received from the Assets for Independence program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Since its establishment in 2008, the Winner’s Circle Scholarship Program has provided $798,500 to 194 veterinary students bound for careers in equine medicine. For more information about the program, visit aaep.org/winners_circle.htm.

The go To source for Thoroughbred owners To research and find Trainers. With over 117,000 visits, OwnerView contains detailed statistics for any active trainer Trainers: OwnerView was created by The Jockey Club & TOBA to encourage Thoroughbred ownership. Please fill in the form below and either return by fax, email or mail to OwnerView, and we will post your trainer profile on our website. If there’s any information you do not want posted in your trainer profile please indicate.

*simply fill out and send in, we will do the rest for you*

don’t get left in the gate! make sure potential new owners are able to learn about your training style and have your correct contact information

Trainer Name: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________ (optional for profile) And/or Email: ______________________________________________________________________ (optional for profile) LINKS: Website: ___________________________________ Facebook: ______________________________________ Training Location (Base): ______________________________________________________________________________ Manager (optional): __________________________________________________________________________________ Manager Phone and/or Email: _________________________________________________________________________ # of Horses in Training: ____________________ Day Rate (optional): $_____________________ Another Location? ___________________________________________________________________________________ VET USE: ___ Aggressive ($700+ mo/horse) ___ Moderate ($300 – $699 mo/horse) ___ Occasional (less than $300 mo/horse) BILLING: Other than day rate, does your billing include charges for: ___Vet ___ Blacksmith ___ Vanning COMMUNICATION: ___ Daily

___Travel ___Other

___ 2-3 Times / week ___Once a Week ___As Needed

License # _________________ State _____________________ Trainer’s BIO (create or obtain from other source) _______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Return form to The Jockey Club by: Fax: 859-224-2810 • Email: ownerview@jockeyclub.com Mail: OwnerView, 821 Corporate Dr. (4th Floor), Lexington, KY 40503 Please note: You can also visit www.ownerview.com to register and submit your trainer profile

hj medical

National

H B PA

Medication Committee Corner

Secret Science By Kent H. Stirling

Denis Blake

“Not only must justice be done, it must also be seen to be done.” This aphorism comes from a landmark case before the King’s Bench in 1923 in Great Britain. It is famous for its precedence in establishing the principle that the mere appearance of bias is sufficient to overturn a judicial decision. Apparently it doesn’t seem to apply to the science used to establish thresholds and withdrawal times for medications being used in the United States today. How else does one explain confidentiality agreements that must be signed before scientists and chemists can see research used to establish national and international thresholds and withdrawal times? Two reasons are given that the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) are accepting without question this “secret research” or “secret science” confidentiality agreement. One reason presented is that this research is often going to be published and the academic researchers, who work under a “publish or perish” credo, don’t want their research possibly released beforehand. The other reason is that some “other” countries don’t make their research public. Give me a break. Could one come up with two weaker excuses than that? First, if the research is performed with the goal of developing regulatory thresholds and withdrawal times, then its immediate review by “independent” scientists who approach the research from different viewpoints is both necessary and entirely appropriate. Such a process does not in any way interfere with academic publication. I have on numerous occasions attended the International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians where scientists submit their research which is almost always presented in the form of scientific abstracts and then as PowerPoint or poster presentations for all to see without in any way interfering with the subsequent publication of the material. I remember years ago a therapeutic threshold was set in a state based on research that was going to soon be published. It hasn’t been published yet and probably never will be as a new threshold was extrapolated from the same research based on the same science due to an error in the original research. This is why independent peer reviewing is so important, so that any mistakes in the original research can be caught and corrected before they possibly become the basis for regulatory thresholds and withdrawal times. The other reason given for confidentiality agreements is because “other” countries don’t make their research available to the public. Here we go again. Other countries don’t use anabolic steroids so, of course, nor should we. Other countries don’t use Salix/Lasix so, of course, nor should we. Other countries sign confidentiality agreements about their “secret science” and so, of course, should we.

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What if a reviewer found an error in a well-known scientist’s effort at a threshold and withdrawal time, or better yet, on science used for years to set legal limits in one of those countries that doesn’t make their research public? Does he or she take any action that might embarrass a great scientist or a country’s long established threshold? What if he or she points out the error and it falls on deaf ears? How many horsemen might have their careers adversely impacted by the use of these confidentiality agreements? Does not the accused horseman have a right to see the evidence/research that was used to set the threshold that was violated? Do we not still live in a democracy where we can explore the facts/research? What happened to the transparency we were striving for in our industry? Or is the tail going to wag the dog once again, and the RMTC and RCI are just going to ask our horsemen to “trust us”? In a recent letter to the editor of the Daily Racing Form, National HBPA CEO Phil Hanrahan stated, “Medication rules and regulations should be based on publicly available science demonstrating what is in the best interest of the horse. Otherwise, reliance on ‘secret science’ subjects its proponents to charges of being motivated by political convenience rather than reasoned decision making.” I also read recently where it was stated by a representative of the RMTC that if the National HBPA or anybody else wanted to add medications to the “Terrific 24” now permitted in the RCI Model Rules, then they could spend about $60,000 to fund legitimate, scientifically based, peer-reviewed research for the new medication. So this means that this “new” medication would have to be peer-reviewed by independent scientists, unlike some of the aforementioned 24 medications that had their threshold and withdrawal time established by “secret science” by researchers who had signed confidentiality agreements. I would think lawyers would have a field day with thresholds established by “secret science” established by researchers holding signed confidentiality agreements. Dr. Steven Barker, state chemist and laboratory director for the Louisiana State Racing Commission, said, “Confidentiality agreements are appropriate while work is still in progress, but once completed and once used to establish parameters for drug regulation, no such confidentiality should be required. Good scientists are not afraid of good data, and there should be no hesitation on their part to share information to either the prosecution or the defense.” For an industry so often plagued by transparency issues, it is mindboggling that we would now actually have our scientists sign confidentiality agreements that would prevent transparency.

CLAIMING RACE

DISTANCE

7,500

3&UP

1 1/16

7,500

3&UP F/M

1 1/16

7,500

3&UP

6 fur

16,000

3&UP F/M

7 fur

November 15, 2013

16,000

3&UP

7 fur

(0.2% of purse)

25,000

3&UP F/M

1 1/16 (T)

110,000 The Iron Lady

110,000 Express

110,000 Glass Slipper

110,000 Rapid Transit

125,000 Tiara

AGE

110,000 Iron Horse

125,000 Emerald

200,000 Jewel

DEADLINES

LEVEL

25,000

3&UP

1/16

35,000

3&UP

1/8

TRAINER NOMINATION September 20, 2013 ($100)

(T)

REGULAR NOMINATIONS (Only eligible if you made a trainers nomination)

SUPPLEMENTAL NOMINATIONS (Only eligible if you made a trainers nomination) December 4, 2013 (5% of purse at time of entry)

*Horses must have started for listed claiming levels or less since Jan 1, 2012

ENtry Day - DEcEmbEr 4th

For qualification criteria and nomination deadlines, call Jeff Noe or Kevin Meyocks at 954-457-6260, www.gulfstreampark.com or the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) at 888-606-8622. Visit our website at claimingcrown.com or e-mail claimingcrown@toba.org. The Claiming Crown is a partnership between the National Horsemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Benevolent & Protective Association & Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

2013

TRAINER NOMINATION TRAINER NOMINATION: By nominating to the 2013 Claiming Crown the trainer makes himself an Eligible Trainer able to nominate eligible horses to the Claiming Crown through Regular Nomination. Name of Trainer (please print)

*Nomination Fee Schedule:

Date

Trainer Nomination $100 On or before September 20

Regular Nomination 0.2% of race purse for Eligible Trainers On or before November 15

TRAINER INFORMATION

Nominations must be received or postmarked on or before the final date of the period.

PAYMENT METHOD

VISA [ ] MASTERCARD [ ] AMERICAN EXPRESS [ ] WIRE [ ] MONEY ORDER [ ] CHECK [ ]

Name: _________________________________________________

Amount Enclosed: $____________________________

Farm/Company: _________________________________________

Cardholder: ___________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________

Card Account #: _______________________________ Expiration Date on Card: _________________________

City: __________________________________________________ State/Prov: ________________ Zip: _________________________ Tel: _______________Email: ___________________________ â&#x20AC;&#x153;I submit this nomination of the above-listed person in order to make him/her eligible to nominate eligible horses to the 2013 Claiming Crown through Regular Nomination, and do so with the understanding that I will be bound by the terms and conditions established by Claiming Crown Ltd. I understand that said conditions are available to me online at www.claimingcrown.com and/or are printed on the backside of this document and are all incorporated herein by reference. Payment is enclosed.â&#x20AC;? Signature:_______________________ Date:__________________ [ ] Trainer or [ ] Authorized Agent

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Claiming Crown, Ltd. MAIL TO:

Claiming Crown, Ltd. P.O. Box 910668 Lexington, KY 40591-0668 (859) 277-5891 OR Jeff Noe or Kevin Meyocks Gulfstream Park 901 South Federal Highway Hallandale Beach, FL 33009 (954) 457-6260

FAX TO: Claiming Crown, Ltd. OR Gulfstream Park (859) 276-2462

(954) 457-6357

Faxed nominations must be submitted with a valid credit card number, by the cardholder, and are deemed valid only after the transaction has been processed by the authorized financial institution.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Claiming Crown Ltd. reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to: (1) postpone, discontinue, amend, or change the conditions for all or part of the Claiming Crown program; and, (2) to reject the nomination and/or entry of any horse deemed ineligible or otherwise prohibited from competing in the program. Please return this original with your payment; make copy (front and back) for your files.

See reverse side for important information regarding Claiming Crown rules and regulations which are considered part of this nomination form.

P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, Kentucky 40591-0668, (859) 277-5891 or (888) 606-8622, Fax: (859) 276-2462

HJ FALL

conditions.

All races are limited to 14 starters which have complied with and satisfied the eligibility conditions, and which have been selected in accordance with those

1. Nomination, Entry and Starting fees are accepted subject to the approval of Claiming Crown Limited (CCL). The propriety of the amount of the enclosed fee will be determined by CCL, and if any such nomination or entry fee is determined to be other than that which is required to be paid in full in a timely manner, the referenced horse(s) may be prohibited from entering and/or starting in a Claiming Crown race in the sole discretion of CCL. The guaranteed purse for Claiming Crown races will be stated prior to the time pre-entry fees are due. Nomination, entry and starting fees are applied to the guaranteed purses. Purses will be distributed in accordance with the distribution schedule set forth in the 2013 Claiming Crown Summary of Conditions, which information is incorporated herein by reference. 2. Payment of horse Nomination fees make a horse eligible for only the current running of Claiming Crown, and does not satisfy any future nomination requirements. Purses shall be distributed by Gulfstream Park (“GSP” or the “Host Track”) after certification that the purse is distributable in accord with applicable statutes or regulations. 3. Nomination and Entry to or in Claiming Crown races is valid only upon the acceptance of and compliance with the rules and regulations governing Thoroughbred horse races adopted by the state where the races are conducted, the rules and regulations of the Host Track, the rules and regulations of CCL, and/or compliance with any decision of the state racing officials, and/or officers of the Host Track, and/or CCL regarding the interpretation and application of their respective rules and regulations. At the discretion of the Stewards, the Host Track or CCL, and without notice, the entry of any horse may be refused. CCL shall have no liability for the actions of any officials or employees of the Host Track or for any matter under the control of such track, its officials or employees. Purses shall be payable to the rightful parties recognized as such by state racing officials. 4. A horse entered in a Claiming Crown race may be scratched by authorized racing officials for any reason including but not limited to if: (i) such horse's equipment malfunctions, is damaged or lost and cannot be remedied within sufficient time, in the judgment of authorized racing officials, to allow the race in which such horse is entered to start at post time for such race, (ii) the horse does not appear “sound” for racing purposes, or (iii) if any other unavoidable event occurs with respect to a horse entered in a Claiming Crown race, or to its jockey, which cannot be remedied within sufficient time, in the judgment of authorized racing officials, to allow the race in which such horse or jockey is scheduled to participate to start at post time for such race. In the event of a scratch under such circumstances, the Entry and/or Starting fees may, at the discretion of CCL, be refunded. 5. CCL reserves the right to limit the number of entries in any of the Claiming Crown races. In the event CCL determines it must limit entries they will be selected in accordance with the Claiming Crown conditions regarding field selection or by such other method as CCL may determine in its sole discretion. The Claiming Crown field selection process is set forth in the 2013 Claiming Crown Summary of Conditions and is incorporated herein by reference. CCL reserves the right to modify the distance of any race to accommodate track and/or race safety. CCL reserves the right to transfer any turf race to the main track, or to cancel any, or all, Claiming Crown races without notice prior to the actual running thereof, without any liability, other than the return of Entry and/or Starting fees. 6. In making any application for participation in Thoroughbred racing, it is understood that an investigation may be made by the appropriate authority as to the owner(s) character, reputation, mode of living and financial standing, which investigation may involve interviews with family, personal or business acquaintances. 7. Trainer hereby expressly and irrevocably grants CCL the exclusive right to use, in connection with the promotion of the Claiming Crown, the name and likeness of the Trainer, of any horse entered or nominated, and of any owners, jockeys, trainers, grooms, assistant trainers, colors, logos, silks, and any other associated or identifying characteristics, as well as any other matter relating to the participation of the horse in the Claiming Crown. Promotion by CCL may include, without limitation, televising, broadcasting (including but not limited to on-line and web broadcasting in any form, fashion or manner) and/or recording in any manner the races which are a part of the Claiming Crown and the activities incident to them, and broadcasting, exhibiting and/or exploiting the same by any means now or hereafter known, including, without limitation, licensing such rights to others for uses approved by CCL. Trainer hereby expressly, irrevocably and perpetually WAIVES on his behalf and on behalf of his owners, agents and employees (including grooms, exercise riders, assistant trainers and jockeys) any and all rights he or they may have in connection with any matter referred to in this paragraph, including without limitation, any claim to invasion of the right of privacy, right of publicity or to misappropriation, for infringement of trademark, or other intellectual property rights or for any remuneration therefor. Upon demand, Trainer shall cause any of the aforementioned persons to deliver releases to CCL permitting it to use and exhibit such material. Trainer understands and agrees that CCL reserves the right to use names, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, symbols, logos, slogans, results, still and motion pictures, videos and audio reports, trailers, promos and other identifying characteristics relating to CCL and the Claiming Crown, and that any such use by Trainer or his employees or agents is prohibited without the express written consent of CCL (which may be denied for any reason). CCL reserves all rights to advertise the Claiming Crown in any manner deemed appropriate by CCL in its sole discretion. Owners, trainers, assistant trainers, exercise riders, grooms, jockeys and horses shall not display commercial advertising or promotional material of any kind, including but not limited to, product names, logos and/or slogans on clothing or equipment, including but not limited to the jockey’s attire, before, during, or after the Claiming Crown race in which the horse is entered without prior advanced written approval of CCL which may be denied for any reason. 8. All claims, controversies and/or objections arising out of or related to the application or interpretation of any rules or conditions of CCL shall be decided solely by the CCL Appeals Board. Information regarding the Appeals Procedure for CCL shall be furnished to any person submitting a written request for such information to Claiming Crown Limited, P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, Kentucky 40591-0668, Attn: Appeals Board. Any person wishing to object to any action or decision by CCL in the application of its rules or conditions must, within thirty (30) days of being advised of such action or decision, submit to the Appeals Board a written Notice of Appeal in compliance with the Appeals Procedure and shall be entitled to an oral hearing upon making a written demand as set forth in the Appeals Procedure. The Appeals Procedure shall not be applicable to matters arising under condition 5 hereinabove from which there shall be no appeal. The appeal process noted herein is the sole appeal venue and process and Trainer WAVES THE RIGHT, IF ANY, to file a lawsuit to contest CCL’s decision or any appeal therefrom. Any appeal not postmarked or received by the CCL Appeals Board within thirty (30) days of being advised of the action or decision of CCL shall be DEEMED WAIVED AND FOREVER BARRED. 9. Trainer agrees to indemnify and hold harmless CCL and its officers, directors, employees and volunteers (or if for any reason indemnification is not available, to contribute to CCL's losses and the losses of its officers, directors, employees and volunteers), to the fullest extent permitted under the law, from and against any and all claims, damages, judgments, liabilities, losses, costs or expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees (should CCL select its own counsel which it may do at its sole and exclusive discretion), to which CCL and/or its officers, directors, employees and volunteers may become subject or liable as a result of or arising out of directly or indirectly: (i) any action or conduct of any horses trained by or under the control or direction of Trainer while on the race track premises, and (ii) any acts, or failure to act by Trainer (or any of Trainer’s employees or agents) owner, any co-owners, or any of their agents, employees or invitees while on the race track premises. 10. Trainer hereby RELEASES, WAIVES AGAINST AND DISCHARGES CCL and its officers, directors, employees and volunteers, to the fullest extent permitted under the law, from any claims, losses, obligations, costs and expenses arising from or due to personal injuries or property damages of any kind or description to the person, property or horses owned or controlled by Trainer occurring on track premises. Trainer agrees that all risk of loss, injury, damage or destruction to persons or property, including but not limited to, the horses brought onto track premises by or at the direction of Trainer, his agents or employees, arising from, due to, caused by, resulting from or in any way, directly or indirectly, related to any cause, including but not limited to accident, theft, fire or otherwise, whether or not caused by or contributed to or by or related to any fault or negligence of CCL and/or its officers, directors, employees and volunteers or the condition of the track premises, are assumed in full by Trainer, except as to acts or conditions caused by the intentional, or willful conduct of CCL. Trainer agrees that the release and waiver and discharge provisions hereof are intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted by the law. Trainer further agrees that the foregoing provisions hereof regarding such release and waiver and discharge shall not be deemed waived or affected in any way by the fact that CCL does or does not, may or may not, in the future carry insurance coverage against claims where loss is caused by or resulting from damage or injury to property, persons and/or horses while competing on the race track, using the training tracks, stables, roads or any other facilities over the race track premises or in transit thereon. . 11. Whenever the term "Trainer" is used herein, it shall include the trainer whose name appears on the reverse side of this form, and all owners and co-owners (or lessees) of horses controlled by or in partnership with the Trainer, and the jockeys, grooms, exercise riders, assistant trainers, servants, employees and invitees of the Trainer, and their heirs, representatives, successors and assigns. Trainer agrees to provide a copy of this Nomination Agreement to the owners of all horses the Trainer subsequently nominates for Claiming Crown races. 12. In consideration of CCL's agreement to pay the purses described hereinabove, Trainer hereby consents to allow CCL and/or the Host Track to contract with any domestic or foreign licensed wagering entity for the purpose of accepting wagers on Claiming Crown races pursuant to the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, 15 U.S.C. sections 3001, et seq. and warrants that no third party or organization has or will be given the right or authority to assert any claim, demand, or cause of action inconsistent with such consent. 13. Trainer acknowledges that his representation and warranty that he has authority to bind owner(s) is a material condition to this agreement. 14. By signing this form on the reverse side, I hereby certify that I have read, understand and agree to the terms and conditions of this Nomination Agreement including all release and waiver provisions.

P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, Kentucky 40591-0668, (859) 277-5891 or (888) 606-8622, Fax: (859) 276-2462

www.nationalhbpa.com

HJ FALL

Nov. 7 – Dec. 22

Sep. 5-23

Oct. 3-14

Oct. 16 – Dec. 15

Jan. 1 – Dec. 22

Sep. 20-29

Sep. 27 – Nov. 3

Hastings Racecourse

Betfair Hollywood Park

Fairplex Park

Fresno Co. Fair @ Fresno

Golden Gate Fields

Los Alamitos Race Course

San Joaquin Co. Fair @ Stockton

Santa Anita Park

British Columbia, Canada

California

Prairie Meadows

Iowa

Aug. 17 – Oct. 12

Apr. 23 – Oct. 19

Oct. 4 – Dec. 31

Hawthorne Race Course

Indiana Downs

Mar. 26 – Sep. 20

Fairmount Park

Indiana

May 3 – Sep. 29

Nov. 29, 2013 – Feb. 23, 2014

Hialeah Park

Arlington Park

Jul. 1 – Nov. 30, Dec. 7 – Dec. 31

Gulfstream Park

Illinois

Apr. 6 – Aug. 31, Sep. 1 – Dec. 29

Calder Race Course

Florida

May 18 – Oct. 7

Delaware Park

Delaware

Apr. 13 – Oct. 14

Jan. 10, 2014 – Apr. 12, 2014

Oaklawn Park

Arkansas

Oct. 5, 2013 – May 6, 2014

May 3 – Oct. 14

Northlands Park

Turf Paradise

Aug. 31 – Oct. 13

Lethbridge

Arizona

Alberta, Canada

dates>>

20 20 racing 13 14 Sep. 7-25 Dec. 1-31

Kentucky Downs Turfway Park

May 11 – Oct. 6

Meadowlands Monmouth Park

New Jersey

Ohio

New York

New Mexico

Oct. 11 – Nov. 2

Mount Pleasant Meadows

Michigan

May 19 – Sep. 23, Nov. 2 – Dec. 17 Apr. 19 – Nov. 17

Thistledown

Apr. 20 – Dec. 10

Finger Lakes Beulah

Sep. 7 – Oct. 27

Belmont Park

Sep. 7 – Dec. 3

Zia Park

Nov. 1 – Dec. 31

Dec. 6, 2013 – Apr. 15, 2014

Sunland Park

Aqueduct

Aug. 2 – Oct. 30

The Downs at Albuquerque

May 4 – Sep. 29

Jun. 1 – Nov. 2

Suffolk Downs

Massachusetts

Jun. 12 – Sep. 18, Sep. 19 – Dec. 31

May 5 – Sep. 22

May 3 – Sep. 22

Nov. 22, 2013 – Mar. 30, 2014

Oct. 2 – Dec. 19

Laurel Park

Assiniboia Downs

Harrah’s Louisiana Downs

Fair Grounds Race Course

Evangeline Downs

Oct. 11, 2013 – Mar. 15, 2014

Oct. 4-26

Keeneland

Delta Downs

Sep. 6-29, Oct. 27 – Nov. 30

Churchill Downs

Maryland

Manitoba, Canada

Louisiana

Kentucky

Hollywood Casino @ Charles Town Races

West Virginia

Mountaineer Race Track

Emerald Downs

Washington

Retama Park

Mar. 1 – Dec. 20

Jan. 2 – Dec. 28

Apr. 19 – Sep. 29

Oct. 4 – Dec. 28

Sep. 13 – Nov. 9

May 12 – Sep. 26

Presque Isle Downs Lone Star Park

Jan. 3 – Dec. 28

Penn National

Texas

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31

Parx Racing

Pennsylvania

Jul. 21, 2013 – Jan. 26, 2014

Apr. 20 – Dec. 15

May 26 – Oct. 8

Portland Meadows

Woodbine Race Track

Fort Erie Race Track

May 20 – Oct. 15

Aug. 24 – Nov. 9

Will Rogers Downs Ajax Downs

Aug. 16 – Dec. 15

Remington Park

Oregon

Ontario, Canada

Oklahoma

Schedule is based on available information at the time each issue goes to press. All racing jurisdictions have differing schedules and policies regarding the granting of future race dates that impact availability.

hj dates

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www.nationalhbpa.com

features

Meet Me in Minnesota

10,000

The Land of 10,000 Lakes hosts the National HBPA Summer Convention

By Denis Blake

Denis Blake

innesota might be known for its frigid winters and frozen lakes, but the Minneapolis-St. Paul area proved to be an ideal location for the National HBPA Summer Convention on July 11-14 at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. Hosted by the Minnesota HBPA and featuring a night at the races at nearby Canterbury Park, the biannual meeting of North America’s largest horsemen’s association offered attendees the opportunity to exchange ideas, learn about what’s working for affiliates in other states/provinces and get the latest information on medication, immigration and other issues facing the horse racing industry. Medication continues to be a hot topic in the industry, and it took center stage once again at the Summer Convention in both the Model Rules Committee meeting and the Medication Forum on Clenbuterol. The Medication Forum featured presentations and a panel discussion moderated by Kent Stirling, executive director of the Florida HBPA and Chair of the NHBPA Medication Committee. Dr. Thomas Tobin of the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center, Dr. Don Shields of Shields Equine, Dr. Robert Stenbom of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. and Dr. Steven Barker, a professor at Louisiana State University and state chemist for the Louisiana State Racing Commission, comprised the panel. The panel discussed withdrawal time, testing procedures and the bronchodilator’s possible effect on performance and how more research and information are needed. “Good scientists would not want to keep good information secret,” Barker said about confidentiality agreements that prevent peer review Dr. Steven Barker of much of the science used to regulate the medication, adding that, “We can’t get information on how they established the threshold level. “States are rushing to adopt this without asking any questions,” he said. “My question is, How much is based on science, and how much is based on something else?” For more, see Stirling’s Medication Committee Corner on page 18 of this issue.

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In the Model Rules Committee meeting, a proposed model rule regarding multiple violations penalties (MVP) was discussed in advance of a meeting of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) to be held later that month. A recap of the NHBPA’s recommendations regarding the MVP model rule and the results of the RCI Summer Meeting can be found in NHBPA CEO Phil Hanrahan’s letter to the membership on page 2. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Forum provided an overview of best practices from a panel with a history of success at providing new homes and training for retired racehorses. The panel consisted of Phil Combest, president of the Florida HBPA, speaking about the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care program; Anna Ford, fundraising and Thoroughbred program director for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program; Kristin Werner Leshney, a legal associate of The Jockey Club involved with that organization’s aftercare initiatives; and Mike Ziegler, executive director of both the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. For more about aftercare, see page 38. A trio of familiar faces—Will Velie, CEO of Horseman Labor Solutions; Julio Rubio, NHBPA Immigration Liaison; and Brian Fitzgerald, NHBPA Lobbyist with American Continental Group—covered the bases on immigration and lobbying. For the most current information on legislation and immigration, see Fitzgerald’s update to the membership on page 14. The Track Surfaces Forum examined the differences between dirt, synthetic and grass surfaces and how weather plays a role in the maintenance and condition of each. Panelists included Javier Barajas, track superintendent at Canterbury Park and Meydan Racecourse in Dubai; Tommy McLaughlin, track superintendent at Tampa Bay Downs; Dr. Michael “Mick” Peterson, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Maine who studies the biomechanics of animals and how that can be affected by racing surfaces; and Irwin Driedger, a former jockey and now director of Thoroughbred racing services and fleet for Woodbine Entertainment Group. The unique arrangement between Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community was discussed during the Canterbury Park Partnership Forum. Tom Metzen Sr., president of the Minnesota HBPA; Randy Sampson, CEO of Canterbury Park; Ed Stevenson, CEO of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel; and Jim Lane, a commissioner with the Minnesota Racing Commission, outlined how the agreement has benefited both the casino and racetrack and the state’s racing and breeding industry as a whole. The Equine Exercise Physiology Forum featured Dr. James Jones, professor of comparative physiology at the University of California, Davis, speaking about energy in the racehorse. Jones outlined how a variety of factors, including cardiovascular and respiratory function, in addition to training methods, can affect how much energy a horse has during a race.

President’s Letter Dear Horsemen and Horsewomen of the National HBPA, Kudos and many thanks to the Minnesota HBPA, who generously hosted our recent summer convention. It is so refreshing to witness a racing venue on the upswing. A 10-year partnership agreement with the nearby Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, has given Canterbury Park added purse money, new hope and additional marketing opportunities that will assure them stability into the next decade. While I have grown accustomed to the mercurial, ever-evolving nature of the racing industry, I worry like everyone about the pressures on it. While Canterbury has found a way to reinvent itself, other small tracks are struggling. In June, at the annual meeting of the American Horse Council, I participated in a panel entitled, “Women Leaders in the Horse Industry.” The panel of five of us represented the American Quarter Horse Association, Arabian Horse Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, U.S. Equestrian Federation and, of course, the National HBPA. One common theme that emerged was “put the horse first.” One of the challenges I expressed was a lessening emphasis on horsemanship. Whether it is more “suits” in management positions in racing or shortcuts in training horses due to overwhelming costs and labor problems, what I call the “art form” of training is less evident. Chrystine Tauber of the USEF spoke of countrywide “town hall meetings” to reform the horse shows. When asked to mention successes in our industry, I remarked on the numerous dollars and new programs in place for Thoroughbred aftercare that have been created in a relatively short time. The consciousness-raising is heartening. Essentially every affiliate, in response to our survey, referenced a program of some kind. In all, I felt the sharing of ideas among various horsemen’s groups of different disciplines to be useful. Surprisingly, many challenges expressed were similar. We try in our semi-annual conventions to have this interchange of ideas, but we, as an organization of owners and trainers, the keepers of the horse, need to do more throughout the year to define a vision of how best to “put the horse first” that will strengthen our industry and keep it viable for years to come.

Coady Photography

Robin Richards, President, National HBPA

McLellan, Saginaw Take Top Honors Big crowds and big fields are now common at Canterbury Park, thanks in part to a partnership between the track and nearby Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.

The Summer Convention also bestowed awards to a pair of worthy winners, one equine and one human. Dr. C. Reid McLellan, executive director of The Elite Program Inc., earned the Industry Service Award for his more than a decade of work educating grooms, trainers and other backside workers. McLellan tirelessly travels the country to coordinate and teach a range of classes, including the widely successful Groom Elite program, and he is also involved with the Second www.nationalhbpa.com

Denis Blake

features

Adam Coglianese/NYRA Photo

Robin Richards, president and chairperson of the board for the National HBPA, presents Dr. C. Reid McLellan with the Industry Service Award.

Saginaw, a former $30,000 claimer who is now a near-millionaire, earned the 2012 Claimer of the Year Award.

Thank You Sponsors! Finish Line Horse Products Inc. Horseman Labor Solutions

Convention Sponsors Canterbury Park Chestnut Cambronne Attorneys Coady Photography Daily Racing Form Elite Turf Club EquineSavings.com Florida HBPA Indiana HBPA Kentucky HBPA Lavin Insurance Services Maroevich, O’Shea & Coghlan Insurance Inc.

HJ FALL

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation to the National HBPA Foundation Help Your Fellow Horsemen! The National HBPA Foundation is a perfect place to direct your tax-deductible donations in order to help your fellow horsemen when they need it the most.

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Chances program that brings retired horses to correctional facilities to help find new homes for horses and develop new skills for inmates. “I don’t go a day without a groom or an inmate coming to me to say ‘thank you,’” McLellan said. “What they are really saying is thank you for caring.” On the equine side, Saginaw was named the 2012 Claimer of the Year. Haltered by Drawing Away Stable and trainer David Jacobson for $30,000 in March 2012 at Aqueduct, Saginaw went on to become one of the greatest claims in recent memory. He won that March race by more than 13 lengths and then quickly moved up to the stakes level for his new owners. Racing at Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct, Saginaw finished the year with 10 wins from 14 starts and more than $500,000 in earnings. His 10 victories during 2012 tied him for the most in North America, and he did it in fewer starts and earned far more money than the other two horses with which he tied. The now 7-year-old gelding by Peruvian picked up six stakes wins last year, and while most of those came against New York-breds, he capped his season with a win in the Gravesend Handicap at Aqueduct against open company to prove he could run with the best sprinters in the country. The gelding is also a perfect five-for-five this year with four more stakes victories and is closing in on $1 million in career earnings with 21 wins in 40 lifetime starts. Also at the Summer Convention, Randy Funkhouser, president of the Charles Town HBPA, was named Vice President of the Eastern Region for the National HBPA, replacing the spot vacated by Stephanie Beattie from Pennsylvania earlier in the year.

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HJ FALL

features

Treating Laminitis

with Technology Courtesy University of Pennsylvania

Advanced hoof sensors could hold the key to understanding and preventing the devastating condition By Kimberly French

Patrick Reilly, chief of farrier services at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center, applies a glue-on shoe.

When the first horses were domesticated, likely about 6,000 years ago, the earliest “horsemen” had no way of knowing that taking an animal from the wild and dramatically changing its way of life would have a profound effect on equine health. Domestication surely played a role in the prevalence of maladies such as colic and laminitis. As medical technology has advanced, veterinarians have developed new ways of treating, if not eradicating, many equine diseases that were not previously understood. Laminitis, however, remains the second-leading cause of all equine deaths worldwide. While inroads to treat this condition have been made, many veterinarians still admit there is far too much that is unknown to decrease the incidence of cases. Although the prognosis of an affected horse is often grim, equine practitioners and researchers all over the globe are determined to deduce what causes laminitis, how and why it insidiously attacks and what forms of treatment work best. Patrick Reilly, chief of farrier services at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center and possessing more than two decades of shoeing experience, is one of these researchers dedicated to creating a solution or at least a clearer picture of how this disease functions. His method is a more novel approach than many of his colleagues. “Laminitis affects one out of every 18 horses each year,” Reilly said. “It is a very common problem everyone can relate to, and in some ways we are making progress, like understanding the causes and what is happening at the cellular level with the metabolic processes. If there is going to be a cure, it will arise from these areas and from reviewing the cellular components of what causes a horse’s foot to fall apart in the first place. One area we have not made much progress in is understanding the mechanical treatments of laminitis. We seem to be recycling many of the same treatments we have been using for centuries.” Reilly was part of the team that worked with the ill-fated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who succumbed to laminitis after a horrific fracture in that year’s Preakness Stakes. That experience caused Reilly to focus on the disease and address the shortcomings in treating it. About five years ago, Reilly embarked on his mission by contacting Tekscan, a technology company based in Boston that had done work with “smart shoe” force sensors for human orthotics and had a similar equine model placed in a boot. His idea was to measure the forces placed on a horse’s hoof between the hoof and the shoe or orthotic device. “Their sensor works based on electroconductivity,” Reilly said. “The more force that is placed upon a sensor results in more electricity that flows through the sensor, and this flow of electricity can be interpreted as force. When you incorporate nails in that system, you short it out and nothing works. That was the major impediment Tekscan had in applying their shoe sensor to horses.” www.nationalhbpa.com

features

Reilly acknowledges that his position at New Bolton places him at an advantage to combine the knowledge of farriers and scientific technology, as there are only a handful of universities with farrier schools and New Bolton is the only one with a laboratory. “One of the things that make farriers unique is the lack of mechanical advances, as we are generally applying horse shoes in the same manner today as we did in the 19th century,” he said. “I think the reason for that is all these great veterinary institutions and research centers throughout the world are producing all kinds of outstanding information, yet of the 30 veterinary teaching schools in North America, there are only four or five farriers employed at these schools and most of those have interests besides research. “I think this is something horse owners are screaming for,” he continued. “There is a clear demand for this kind of technique, and now we are not limited in quantifying the changes once a horse develops laminitis.” Reilly is unsure what the future holds for the cure of laminitis or for his research work, but there are some things he is quite definitive about. “There is no shoe that is going to cure or prevent laminitis, but I think the role of the farrier or orthotic foot care is to protect the foot while it is going through the inflammatory, compromised situation so we can minimize the collapse that occurs during laminitis,” he said. “We can’t cure laminitis with a horse shoe, but we hope to be able to minimize the damage. “It’s way too early to be excited about something we have actually produced so far,” Reilly continued. “I certainly don’t want to put out the impression we have come out with some great advancement for laminitis, yet I’m very optimistic and proud of the thought process.” Reilly concedes that science can be a very slow, arduous process and promising early returns are no guarantee of future success. “It’s going to take years and years for that, but we are taking the role of the farrier, which has been largely anecdotal over the years, and trying to quantify it and become more precise in how and why we are building things,” he said. “I think that was a great hurdle or bottleneck in our industry, but it has huge ramifications for the future of hoof care. I’m hoping it all comes together well and even though I could have 20 years of research in front of me, I’m still very optimistic.”

Courtesy University of Pennsylvania

Reilly’s predecessor at the University of Pennsylvania, Rob Sigafoos, who established the Applied Polymer Research Laboratory, aided in the groundwork for Reilly’s research through the creation in the 1980s of the glue-on shoe. “Penn has the patent for one type of glue-on which has become mainstream,” Reilly said. “We can attach the sensor to the horse’s foot using this glue-on shoe, so our work dovetailed with [Tekscan’s] nicely, as we applied our technology to what Tekscan had.” Reilly’s system is composed of a thin plastic cover containing the sensor, which is connected to a small box or data logger that measures the force in roughly 1,000 locations in a horse’s hoof. Reilly then feeds the data into a laptop and views where the forces are distributed.

He has been examining horses and collecting this information for almost five years with the hope of developing shoes or other orthotic devices to aid in laminitis treatment. “I think we have come up with a unique but important step and that is being able to measure the pressures on a horse’s hoof,” Reilly said. “It’s important because it’s the only place we can tell the difference between one shoe or another. For years we have had force plates built into the floor for this purpose, but it doesn’t really tell you if you are measuring the forces between the shoe and the ground, so we don’t know where the hoof is affected by these forces. With this technique, we know exactly what forces are being delivered to the bottom of the foot.” In January, Reilly and his team applied for a patent for a new pad unrelated to the sensor system and are at work on the new apparatus. They will possibly participate in a trial for the equipment using racehorses, as one of the advantages of the sensor technology is that force measurements can be taken over any surface and at speed. “We are in the early stages of testing the mechanical features we think are protective to build these new shoes,” he said. “Some of the early results have been very positive. We also have built prototypes of splints, boots and carbon fiber springs. Laminitis affects front feet more severely than it affects hind feet. The weight distribution in horses is about 100 pounds greater in the front feet than on hind feet, so that is one possible explanation for the greater risk of laminitis. If so, we might build splints to reduce the weight bearing on the front feet and better protect them. We actually make a lot of carbon fiber Kevlar braces here at New Bolton, so we have the technology to build this and help reduce with weight in that area.”

HJ FALL

Courtesy Tekscan

A close-up look at the in-shoe force measuring device.

One of the benefits of this technology is the ability to measure force when a horse is doing more than just standing or walking.

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features

Defining and

Dealing

with Breakover The type of horseshoes and how a horse is shod can affect energy level at the finish line

Fran Jurga / Hoofcare Publishing

Paul Goodness Breakover is a term used frequently by horsemen, trainers and farriers but not always fully understood. When asked to define the term, most people say it’s the act of lifting the foot from the ground [heel coming up first] and rolling over the toe. The breakover point is the portion of the hoof that is last to leave the ground. Paul Goodness, senior member of the group farrier practice Forging Ahead based in Round Hill, Virginia, said farriers deal with breakover every time they trim or shoe a foot, but there are different opinions about breakover. “It is usually described two ways,” Goodness said. “The dynamic version is the part of the stride from the time the heels lift off the ground to whichever part of the foot is the last to leave the ground. This is not necessarily at the toe. If the horse is turning sharply, the breakover may be at the medial or lateral side of the foot. “In general discussions, however, most people refer to breakover as a specific point or area of the hoof,” he added. “During the final phase of liftoff, the leg rotates around this area or zone. This may be anywhere in a radius around the front half of the foot, depending on which direction the horse is moving.” Breakover is always important to consider, especially when trying to develop proper hoof balance. “It’s widely believed that there is a mechanically ideal hoof conformation,” Goodness said. “In that perfect conformation there would be an ideal point of breakover. This might be a little different for each horse, however, depending on length of the pastern and all the other aspects of individual conformation. Any deviation from that ideal spot would likely cause extra stress on certain parts of the hoof and leg.” Goodness added that there have only been a few scientific studies to measure various parts of the leg and look at the extra stress resulting when the

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Courtesy Farrier Product Distribution

features

Steve Norman has seen breakover make a big difference in how a horse runs. breakover point gets pushed out of whack. When a horse gets away from the ideal breakover point, the risk for lameness goes up. Steve Norman, a racehorse farrier in Kentucky, says every horse is an individual regarding foot and leg conformation, and this affects breakover. “Whether the horse has a long pastern/long toe or short pastern/short toe will make a difference, along with whether he toes in or toes out,” said Norman. “Those four conformational aspects will determine where he breaks over and how long it takes him to break over.” Even though there is a dearth of scientific data on breakover, the studies that have been done are useful to farriers. “Some years ago a veterinarian named Al Kane [an epidemiologist at Colorado State University at that time] and colleagues published one of the first papers from a study on toe grabs on racehorses,” Goodness said. “Their conclusions were that the toe grabs [possibly delaying breakover] put Thoroughbred racehorses more at risk for catastrophic breakdowns. The toe grab put more strain on the leg and took more energy for the horse at each stride to get that leg up and over the foot. The horse would tire faster, which could lead to some devastating crashes.” It takes more energy for movement any time you dramatically hinder normal breakover. “A lot of this is intuitive, but today there are studies to prove it,” Goodness added. “Dr. Hilary Clayton [from Michigan State University] and others here in the U.S. and several researchers in Europe have done studies on the biomechanics of movement, but there is still more research needed in order to understand how different shoes and trims affect these things.” Goodness said a significant amount of attention has been paid to breakover in an attempt to enhance the stride of racehorses, and for many years there was a common belief that if you let the toes get a little bit longer than normal, then the horse would have a bigger stride. The idea was that with delayed breakover and the extra effort required for push-off, the horse’s foot/ leg would travel farther in a longer stride. “Some people still believe this, even though it’s been proven that a long toe puts more stress on the leg and may lead to problems,” Goodness said,

HJ FALL

adding that it’s usually best to try for the most normal and natural breakover for each horse, to create the least strain. Norman only shoes racehorses and feels that breakover can make a big difference in how a horse runs. Norman said that on a horse traveling 40 miles per hour, breakover is a key issue when trying to save energy. “The long-pasterned horse has more pressure on the heels and it seems logical that it takes a bit longer to lift the heel,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s so much a longer period of time so much as a difference in the effort required. It takes more energy for each stride, with a longer toe to push over, than it would for a horse with a shorter pastern and toe.” The long pastern/long toe effect requires more energy for breakover, and this may result in fatigue during a long race. “Ideally, the dynamic breakover should be close to the center of the foot [which can be found by looking for ‘Duckett’s Dot,’ an indentation near the point of the frog],” said Norman. “You try to optimize it as best you can for that particular horse’s conformation and toe length. My goal is to do this on every foot, whether it’s a short pastern or long one, toed in or toed out. Duckett’s Dot gives me a clear indication about where I want that breakover. “To try to do that mechanically is sometimes tough, but it gives me something to shoot for, trying to get as close as possible,” he added. “This is where a square toe or a fast-break shoe [blunt toe] can give a better chance— especially on an elongated foot that’s not as round as it should be. I can put that breakover closer to the center of the foot with that type of shoe.” If the toe is too long, however, Norman said you won’t create the ideal comfort zone for that horse, nor reduce the energy level of each stride. Instead, the horse will labor more and tire more the farther he runs. “I often see horses laboring near the end of a race, and I look at their race record and conformation and the way they’ve been shod,” he said. “I’ve seen some that do much better after they are reshod a different way. They improve their results, and the only change is the shoeing. The farrier brought the breakover underneath the center point of the foot, which saves energy. The horse feels better and has more energy throughout the race.” Norman also feels breakover is important to the comfort of the whole foot. “Supporting the foot is why we shoe a horse, but if the breakover is not comfortable, everything else is going to make that horse labor,” he said. “The wonderful thing about a horse is that he can overcome most human mistakes, for a little while. But after a time, things fall apart. We put so much good feed into these horses and make them go out and exercise and get fit but in very artificial conditions. Thus, it’s crucial to have the breakover where it belongs.” The climate and footing can also make a difference in how the feet hold up and how easy or difficult it is to keep a sound foot with proper breakover. “Here in Kentucky, the feet are always soft and waterlogged, and we can lose that perfect breakover really quick if we don’t keep right at it, keeping the foot backed up and tightened up enough,” Norman said. There is quite a bit of truth to the proverbial saying “no foot, no horse,” and that’s why an understanding of breakover and its effect on the stride and energy of a horse is so important. Goodness believes there is still much research that needs to be done on breakover, and until that happens a little bit of trial and error often does the trick. “Changing breakover has a profound effect on horses,” Goodness said. “There have been a few in-depth studies that have tested specific parts of these effects, which still leaves a large gray area of assumption. I’ve been at this long enough, however, to keep my eyes open and if I find something isn’t working with a certain horse, I change it.” Sometimes, Goodness added, we have to go back to the drawing board and take another look.

“One of the basics that we do know about breakover in regard to affecting gait is that the effective length of toe has a big effect on many things, most likely even more than a rolled toe or rocker toe,” he said. “But there are enough questions for many years of research to try to answer.” Courtesy Farrier Product Distribution

Get all the HOT News! Subscribe to the National HBPA Blog

Go to: http://nationalhbpa.blogspot.com/ Steve Norman and Horse of the Year Wise Dan

FAST-BREAK SHOES

According to farrier Steve Norman, the so-called fast-break shoe [with blunt or square toe] can be helpful—anything that’s not a round shoe. “We can square up the toe or roll it or rock it, and this can help get maximum breakover,” Norman said. “A blunt toe with rounded edges can help. Some people might look at that kind of shoe and think the horse will break over too quick, that the speed will make them break over quicker than the body can handle. My thought on this, however, goes back to energy and how we want to optimize energy level. With the blunt toe the horse can break over more times and have more energy left to get closer to the finish line before he tires. The body will follow through and have more energy at the end of the day.” Norman pointed to reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan as a prime example of a horse who benefited from proper breakover, and a horse that with more comfort and less resistance during breakover has more energy left at the finish. “He has a big, flat foot and likes to run on grass, but to get the maximum breakover for him, the fast-break shoe is absolutely the best,” Norman said about the 6-year-old gelding who has banked more than $4.4 million for breeder/owner Morton Fink and trainer Charles LoPresti. “There are several different types of shoes on the market called blunt toe, square toe and fast-break shoes. Wise Dan has worn the Kerckhaert Fast-Break shoes his entire career. He broke a track record on the synthetic surface at Keeneland, and in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile at Santa Anita he broke a 15-year-old track record. He’s an excellent athlete. To run a mile in 1:33 is very fast, and this horse did it in 1:31.” Fast-break is both the type of shoe and the product name of the Kerckhaert shoe worn by Wise Dan, and other companies make similar shoes, such as the Silver Queen and World Racing Plate from Thoro’Bred. Of course, a change in shoe or the way a horse is shod will not transform a lowerlevel claimer into a champion, but it is an important factor for trainers and owners to consider in consultation with a farrier. “Breakover was always on my mind in shoeing this horse, trying to get it underneath the center point of his foot, to keep him as comfortable as possible,” Norman said. “Maybe Wise Dan would have done the same thing with a round shoe, but he won his races with this blunt shoe. He’s always worn this type of fast-break shoe and just keeps getting better.”

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Horsemen Helping Horses

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HBPA affiliates are raising the stakes for aftercare programs

Paulette Cigliana

By and large, everyone who works in the horse racing industry cares about the animals they work with and wants the best for those horses, even after their racing days are over. That’s why HBPA affiliates and other organizations around the country have worked to create—or are working on creating—aftercare programs for retired racehorses. Sometimes the hardest step can be the first one, which is why several people behind both old and new programs shared their strategies for getting started in aftercare.

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By Shelby O’Neill

First Steps

Florida HBPA President Phil Combest has helped shepherd the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care (TRAC) program since its launch in 2009 and even prior to that during the strenuous planning period. The Florida program has welcomed more than 400 horses since 2009 with approximately onethird of those finding adoptive homes. Florida TRAC is dedicated specifically to helping horses that competed at either Calder Race Course or Gulfstream Park and is a partnership among those two tracks, professional jockeys and the Florida HBPA. In May, Florida TRAC became one of the first three programs to be accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), an organization launched in 2012 with seed money from Breeders’ Cup Ltd., The Jockey Club and Keeneland Association. The goal of the TAA is to serve as both an accrediting and fundraising body to support aftercare facilities. With the Florida TRAC program up and running successfully for four years, Combest has learned exactly what it takes to get an aftercare program off the ground. "First, you’ve got to decide how you’re going to do it,” he said. “There are two basic models: you can do it yourself or you can fundraise an amount of money and go to independent farms around the state and form relationships with them. If you want to go that route, talk to the horsemen in California or Pennsylvania. If you do it yourself, you have to remember that it’s your very own child. That’s the time it will take. We have two farms ourselves, where we take the horses, train them ourselves and get them adopted.” After you decide on the aftercare model, Combest suggests getting a dedicated team in place. “Make sure you’ve got a core group of volunteers in for the long haul,” he said. “We started this program four years ago, and people have very good intentions but they’re still volunteers. Make sure you have the people to do it who will go that extra mile.” With the right people and the right model in place, it becomes time to find a way to pay for the program. “You need a continuous source of funding, whether it’s some sort of purse percentage, applied grants or a long-term grant,” Combest said. “Whatever it is, you’re always going to be broke. That’s just the nature of the beast. You have to figure that you’re going to have each horse for six months because they never come to you fully sound. It’s going to cost you roughly $500 a month per horse. By the time you add vet bills, costs add up quickly unless you can get the horses adopted out quickly. “What we do in Florida is take 0.7 percent off the top of the purses to go toward horse retirement,” he continued. “I would suggest that as a minimum. Get the horsemen behind you and then get the tracks behind you. The grant applications are going to want to know that you’re established, so get with the tracks about creating Denis Blake

HBPA affiliates have set up a variety of aftercare programs, including the one pictured here on 51 acres at a correctional facility in Illinois.

Florida HBPA President Phil Combest addresses the National HBPA Summer Convention during the Thoroughbred Aftercare Forum.

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good PR for them through fundraising days and charity poker tournaments benefiting horse retirement.” In addition to obtaining state 501(c)(3) certification, Combest stressed the need to get federal IRS 501(c)(3) status as well, which can be an eight- to 10-month process and should be started as early as possible. “Once you get started, you’re going to make the mistakes you’re going to make,” he said. “Know some of your volunteers are going to fall away. You have to accept that. New ones will come in. Find some people who are good at fundraising, and they don’t necessarily have to be horse people. You’re going to need a coordinator to be the clearinghouse for it all. You need to think early on about a euthanasia policy, which is one of the requirements of the TAA program.” Combest also recommends reaching out to those with established aftercare programs and picking their brains. “If you want to be really good for the horse industry, it isn’t going to be easy,” he said. “We’ve gone through 75 volunteers, and you’ve really got to be careful who you affiliate with. We made some early mistakes, but now we have TAA accreditation, which we’re very proud of.”

The Veteran

Courtesy New Vocations

One of the longest-running and best-known aftercare programs in the country is the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, founded in 1992 by Executive Director Dot Morgan in Laura, Ohio. More than two decades later, New Vocations has expanded to include rehabilitation and retraining facilities in two more Ohio locations, Laurelville and Marysville, in addition to facilities in Lexington, Kentucky; Manchester, Michigan; Hummelstown, Pennsylvania; and Monterey, Tennessee. A 501(c)(3) program, New Vocations has successfully placed nearly 5,000 retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses in qualified homes since its inception. As the name implies, New Vocations puts the focus on the retraining and adoption aspects of aftercare more so than retirement with a mission statement that emphasizes a belief “that each horse deserves to have an individual home and purpose.” To accomplish its goals, New Vocations hosts and participates in charity horse shows, offers companion horse adoptions and accepts monetary donations.

During the first year New Vocations was in operation, the program was able to take in 25 horses. Today, New Vocations takes in more than 400 retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses each year and in the process works directly with owners and trainers from more than 40 different tracks around the country. New Vocations has grown by leaps and bounds since operations first began, providing an inspiration to other aftercare programs, whether they are in the initial fledgling stages or well-established. The best person to offer advice for HBPA affiliates or other organizations looking to develop an aftercare program might be New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director Anna Ford, who quite literally wrote the book on retraining as the author of Beyond the Track: Retraining the Thoroughbred From Racehorse to Riding Horse. A graduate of Ohio State University, Ford is also a champion equestrian and serves on the TAA Board of Directors and the NTRA Aftercare Committee. “I would recommend partnering with an existing group rather than reinventing the wheel,” Ford said of groups looking for help with aftercare. “There are many worthy and successful aftercare programs throughout the country that individuals or organizations could easily work with. It takes a long time to establish a 501(c)(3), let alone build a foundation of funding and a successful business model.” Ford suggests that individual horsemen or affiliates looking for an aftercare partner should consider forging that partnership with New Vocations. “New Vocations currently has partnerships with several different HBPA and THA [Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association] affiliates,” she said. “Each partnership is set up to cater to the needs of the horsemen at their respective racetrack or region as well as the amount of resources that are available. HBPA affiliates are welcome to contact us to discuss partnership options.”

The New Kid on the Block

In Illinois, a recently launched aftercare program seeks to rehabilitate more than just its retired racehorse participants. Taking a cue from similar programs in other states, the Illinois HBPA and Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC) Office of Adult Education and Vocational Services partnered to launch Second Chances Ranch in June at the Vandalia Correctional Center in Vandalia, Illinois. Through the program, approximately 25 inmates at the minimum-security facility will spend six months learning about and working with retired racehorses that will live on the property. Every six months, a new group of inmates will participate in the program, which not only helps inmates develop new skills to widen their work opportunities following their release, but also helps rehabilitate retired racehorses so they can be offered for adoption. The program, which was established and will operate at no cost to taxpayers, will eventually be home to as many as 60 retired Thoroughbreds, half of which will likely be permanent Concorde’s Flight, an earner of more than $128,000 in 10 starts on the track, has found a second career thanks to retirees with the other half being New Vocations.

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breakfast. After they eat, they pick their feet, check for injuries during the night, give them a bath, turn them out. It’s a routine. They learned how to walk the horses, and the instructor is teaching them the physiology of the horse, what to look for if it’s getting colicky, etc.” Brooks has made several trips to Vandalia and found the experience rewarding, even lining up a job interview for one of the program participants who has been discharged. The long process was worth it, and he advises other aftercare start-ups to keep the faith. “You definitely have thoughts that it’s never going to happen,” he said. “When you’re dealing with a state that’s 50 out of 50 in its financial woes, they just don’t want to make a move even if you tell them it’s not going to cost anything. You have to get so many people on board within the system. In the DOC, every single one of them up the chain of command has to be for this thing or the party’s over.” Now Brooks is preparing for the future. “We’re taking some of the horses at Vandalia who are totally sound who just couldn’t be racehorses, and we’re taking stills and videos,” Brooks said. “We’re going to put them up on our website and as many sites as we can to adopt these horses out to make room for more in the future.” Combest, Ford and Brooks all agree that launching and running an aftercare program is no easy task, but it is a task that can and should be done for the horses who make the sport possible.

Illinois HBPA Executive Director Lanny Brooks welcomes one of the first horses to the Vandalia Correctional Center.

Corrections two or three years ago. It was one hurdle after the other, and then there would be a six-month lapse where nothing was happening. Finally, we got the call. They had a new director, and we sold them on the concept. Then we started working with the people at the capitol and started going down to Vandalia and meeting the warden. Finally, June was the official grand opening.” At Vandalia, 51 acres that formerly belonged to a dairy farm were split into three fenced areas. The program also has three run-in sheds, an 18-stall barn with hay loft and a classroom for instruction, which was renovated by Vandalia inmates. Accounts were set up with vendors to supply feed, hay, straw and lumber as needed. On April 29, the first six equine participants in the Second Chances Ranch program arrived at Vandalia. “We provide absolutely everything,” Brooks said. “There is no cost to the state of Illinois whatsoever. Even the instructor is paid through a grant. We’ve set up accounts with vendors and supplied all new water buckets, feed tubs, stall gates, lead ropes, fly spray and medicine. We completely started from scratch. We hope to continue to build paddocks and get more horses down there. Right now, there is an inmate for each horse.” R.A.C.E. (Racehorse Alternative Choice Environment), a 501(c)(3) organization started by the Illinois HBPA, has provided 100 percent of the initial funding. Vandalia offers a variety of vocational programs, including welding and carpentry, but as soon as the equine program was announced, 210 inmates signed up. “When we delivered the first batch of horses, that load of six, the eyes just lit up on the inmates,” Brooks said. “They fell in love with them. We have 16 horses now, and each inmate is assigned a horse and that’s their job in prison. They wake up in the morning, go out and bring the horses in, feed them

Paulette Cigliana

rehabilitated for adoption. The majority of the horses will come from nearby Fairmount Park. The journey to launch Second Chances Ranch at the Vandalia Correctional Center wasn’t short and it wasn’t easy. “After Suffolk Downs made their no-kill policy with trainers and owners, we thought we’d do that at Fairmount Park,” said Lanny Brooks, executive director of the Illinois HBPA. “We started working on it with the Illinois Department of

Studies conducted after the implementation of similar animal-related programs have shown a lower rate of recidivism for inmates who participated and learned new skills.

For more information about the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care Program, visit www.fltrac.org. For more information about New Vocations, visit www.newvocations.org. For more information about Second Chances Ranch at Vandalia Correctional Center, visit www.ilhbpa.com. www.nationalhbpa.com

HJ FALL

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Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion or policy of the publisher or National HBPA board or staff. Alabama HBPA At the August 7 Birmingham Racing Commission (BRC) meeting, the two Alabama-bred races, the $50,000 Magic City Classic and $25,000 Kudzu Juvenile, were confirmed by the BRC and will be run at Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in New Orleans. Both races are scheduled to be run on Saturday, December 7. Nomination checks made payable to Birmingham Racing Commission BDF are to be sent certified mail to: Birmingham Racing Commission, 1000 John Rogers Dr., Ste. 102, Birmingham, AL 35210. Nominations close November 6. Any questions or requests for nomination forms should be directed to (205) 838-7477. Nomination forms will also be available on the AL HBPA website at www.alhbpa.com. The second item on the agenda was a request for funding from an escrow account held and monitored by the BRC to conduct a feasibility study on a live meet at the Birmingham Race Course, owned and operated by the Jefferson County Racing Association (JCRA). Before committing to an amount of funding, the BRC requested that a minimum of three request for proposals be submitted with due diligence and vetting to be done by the AL HBPA, BRC and JCRA jointly. Thanks to our affiliate news in the summer issue of The Horsemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journal, we received several calls and referrals of individuals who are knowledgeable and qualified to provide a feasibility study. We currently have two prospects and are looking for a third. We were scheduled to have our general meeting August 24 in Hope Hull, Alabama, and elections in October. Please contact me or go to our website for information and updates regarding the meeting and elections. Without live racing, our court-mandated guidelines for membership still stand. Eligibility requirements are: 1) A licensed Thoroughbred owner or trainer who raced at Birmingham Race Course in 1995, 2) A licensed owner or trainer who has raced in the Alabama-bred stakes races since 1995, or 3) A ny Alabama resident who is currently licensed as a Thoroughbred owner or trainer. The National HBPA Summer Convention was once again a wealth of information. I do hope that the members at large of the HBPA affiliates understand and appreciate all that is being done on their behalf, such as the work on immigration laws, medication rulings, fines, penalties, etc. The amount of time and work that is being done by the HBPA is tremendous. Members, owners and trainers must continue to work together to keep the HBPA the strong and vital organization that it is. After all, we are all in it for the same reason: safe live horse racing! Nancy Delony, Executive Director

Arizona HBPA Turf Paradise Stall applications for the upcoming meet were due August 10, horsemen came on the grounds to start prepping barns on August 29, horses moved in on September 5 and the track opened for training on September 7. We are looking forward to a full barn area this year. Opening day will be Saturday, October 5, with first post at noon. Track owner Jerry Simms met with horsemen before the close of the meet

and promised many changes both on the backstretch and frontside. We are looking forward to the many needed changes. Horsemen exited Turf Paradise with anticipation of good things to come. In addition to the changes Mr. One of the tractors damaged by vandalism Simms promised, the Arizona HBPA and management came together with some changes we feel will help racing at Turf Paradise. The main track and the turf course have both received new surfaces for the upcoming meet. We will be racing Saturday through Wednesday with changes to the number of races we run each day. The bottom purse was increased to $6,000 with a 5 percent increase across the board on overnight races. We are looking forward to a promising meet. With the economics of horse racing, we feel that these changes will be to the benefit of all participants. In the most recent weeks, for the second time Turf Paradise experienced some extreme vandalism. Someone got into the maintenance yard and caused extensive damage to several tractors, the racetrack rail, fences and much more. Anyone who may have information is urged to contact Arizona Silent Witness. Arizona HBPA President Lloyd Yother attended the National HBPA Summer Convention in July. Dr. Filippo Santoro also was able to attend. The Minnesota HBPA, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Canterbury Park, through National HBPA coordination, hosted an excellent convention. The hospitality from all was great. The convention was very informative with lectures and panels dealing with issues facing the racing industry. We are looking forward to a good meet this season.

Arkansas HBPA Oaklawn Park begins its 57-day race meet on Friday, January 10, 2014. Stall applications are due by October 24, the backstretch opens for horses to arrive on November 11 and the track opens for training on November 18. Oaklawn has announced purse increases for 19 of the 31 events on its record-breaking $6.1 million stakes schedule. The minimum purse for all open stakes races has been boosted from $60,000 to $100,000, and the minimum purse for Arkansas-bred stakes has been increased from $60,000 to $75,000. In a change from years past, the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes, Grade 3 Azeri Stakes and Grade 3 Razorback Handicap will be run on the same day, March 15, as part of the Racing Festival of the South Preview Day. The Azeri and Razorback each received a boost of $50,000 to $200,000 apiece, while the Rebel will offer the same $600,000 purse it did this year. As always, the meet will conclude with a bang with the Racing Festival of the South highlighted by the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on closing day, April 12. The final weekend of racing will also feature the Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap and the Grade 1, $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap. We also expect our overnight purses to be a record for our track this next season. The popularity of Instant Racing and games of skill have significantly contributed to our purse structure for 2014. www.nationalhbpa.com

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The Arkansas HBPA extends sincere congratulations to jockey Calvin Borel, who at the age of 46 entered the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Calvin is a respected fan favorite at Oaklawn.

Charles Town HBPA

Chaplain’s News The Chaplain’s office organized another bus trip to Hershey Park this year. A total of 182 children and adults enjoyed good weather and lots of fun. The Chaplaincy held its first summer day camp on Saturday, August 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the children of backstretch employees. The children enjoyed snacks, lunch, singing, dancing, running and jumping. Important Notice to Our Members Our office is still in need of email addresses and mailing addresses. Please contact the office by phone at (304) 725-1535 or email at cthbpa@yahoo.com. In addition, news, updates and all forms can be found on our website at www.cthbpa.com.

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The Florida Dates War South Florida horsemen, represented by the Florida HBPA, are the only horsemen that have a Magna Entertainment/Stronach Group track and a Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) track located in the same state. For a while, such a circumstance existed in California with Magna owning several California tracks while CDI owned Hollywood Park. CDI divested themselves of Hollywood Park years ago, and so only the FHBPA was left to deal with both a Stronach Group track in Gulfstream Park and a CDI track in Calder Race Course in very close proximity. Frank Stronach spent hundreds of millions of dollars razing the old Gulfstream Park and building the new Gulfstream Park. He was heavily invested in a beautiful, but so far not very practical, shopping center attached to Gulfstream Park named the Village at Gulfstream Park. Mr. Stronach bought out his partners in the Village, which had a number of stores that seemingly weren’t going to survive although there were many upscale restaurants and home design stores that were seemingly doing well financially, particularly during the Gulfstream race meet which begins in December and ends in early April. Mr. Stronach made no bones about the fact that he needed to operate Gulfstream Park year-round in order to make the Village at Gulfstream Park more successful and to further develop it, with among other things, hotels. In order to accomplish year-round racing, one could see that Stronach would Ackerley Images

Congratulations to Charles Town HBPA President Randy Funkhouser on being named as National HBPA Vice President for the Eastern Region. Randy has served more than 25 years in many capacities both nationally and locally representing horsemen and horsewomen. On a sad note, board member Larry D. Miller passed away on August 2. Mr. Miller was a horse owner and breeder for many years who served three consecutive terms on our board. He participated as a member of several committees and volunteered for all of our HBPA events. Larry truly believed in “Horsemen Helping Horsemen,” and he will be missed. Congratulations to Russell Road’s owner Mark Russell and trainer James W. Casey for winning the Senator Robert C. Byrd Stakes on Mountaineer’s West Virginia Derby Day on August 3. CTHBPA President Funkhouser has added a new twist to our general membership meetings by having guest speakers to enlighten our horsemen and horsewomen on subjects of interest. On July 20, Beth Rehberger presented an English as a Second Language class. This fall, afternoon classes will be organized for our backstretch workers to accommodate their work schedule. Arrangements are being made through the Chaplain’s office. Revised West Virginia Medication Rules of Racing went into effect on August 14. The current WV Rules of Racing and the insert with the medication changes are available in our HBPA office. The volunteer nurses from the Eastern Panhandle Free Clinic continue to visit the track kitchen twice a month to provide sugar and blood pressure testing with an average of about 12 to 15 patients per visit. Our “Spay Today” program has been a success over the years, and we are continuing this program. It is limited to cats and kittens living on the backstretch. Some amazing statistics were given to us by one of our animal adoption agencies. Fifteen unaltered female cats would have produced approximately 180 kittens in one year. In just five years, all those kittens would have produced approximately 190,200 more kittens. The annual backstretch flu shot clinic is being planned for this fall. We anticipate 80 to 90 trainers and backstretch workers to be inoculated.

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most likely have to buy or lease Calder. Most thought there would be a year for Gulfstream and Calder to work out some sort of arrangement where Gulfstream operated many more days and Calder operated many less days. Operating less race days would seem to be just what corporate CDI was looking for, as they seem much more interested in casinos and TwinSpires, their successful advance deposit wagering system (ADW), than operating racetracks. The question though was would the horsemen flock to Gulfstream Park to stable and race and leave Calder, which for many horsemen was their year-round home for 40 years? Could Gulfstream’s track stand up to summer monsoons? Would the stable area flood again? Could the turf course withstand a summer of racing and hold up well for the Gulfstream winter meet, now referred to as the “Championship Meet”? The year to work things out evaporated when Calder suddenly charged backside help $5 a day to live in a bare bones room and share a bathroom with four to nine other people. Calder then charged horsemen stall rent of $10 per day when their meet ended the last day of November, even though their purse contract, which runs through December 31, 2013, stated in several places that there would be no stall rent during the term of the contract. The horsemen were now very upset with Calder. Gulfstream felt that Calder had created the “perfect storm” to the degree that the horsemen might now possibly flock to Gulfstream if it had summer racing and offered higher purses and other incentives, again because horsemen were so upset with their treatment by Calder. Gulfstream ingratiated itself even further with the horsemen by paying the stall rent for them. There would now be no waiting until next year. The “Dates War” was on

with the official start beginning with the new fiscal year, which commenced July 1. And there was indeed a rather large exodus of horsemen from Calder to Gulfstream. Gulfstream broke on top by racing both Monday, July 1, and Thursday, July 4, while Calder dwelt in the gate and made their opening day, Friday, July 5. Yes, in a quite stunning move, Calder eschewed racing on the major summer holiday, July 4, much as they had opted not to race on Memorial Day earlier in the year. As we go to press, we have completed one month of Calder and Gulfstream Park both running head-to-head on Saturdays and Sundays. Calder also races on Fridays while Gulfstream races just the two days. After a month, Calder has raced 12 days and Gulfstream but 10 days, and total all-source handle on the “live” product favors Gulfstream $26 million to less than $17 million for Calder. Gulfstream ran 84 races to Calder’s 103, but both had similar starters per race with numbers of 7.17 and 7.08, respectively. Gulfstream paid average overnights of $222,800 to Calder’s $130,500, but total purses paid daily were eerily similar with Gulfstream paying $249,100 to Calder’s $249,300. And what did Calder pay last year? Unbelievably, during this period in 2012, Calder paid total daily purses of $249,700. How can that be you ask? How did Calder pay higher total purses this year than Gulfstream when Gulfstream’s average overnights were almost $100,000 more than Calder’s? It is called the Summit of Speed, and Calder ran it on their opening Saturday of the Dates War and offered $1.2 million in stakes races. If one were to remove that Saturday’s handle from both tracks, then Gulfstream’s lead in wagering handle would grow to $24.2 million to Calder’s $12.7 million. So have these two tracks going head-to-head expanded the wagering or grown the market for racing? These two tracks ran simultaneously on four weekends in July and their combined live on-track handle was $1.86 million against Calder’s 2012 live on-track handle of $1.36 million for the same eight weekend days. Looks good so far, but not when you adjust these wagering handle totals for the number of races run. Calder ran 84 races last year during this four-weekend period while combined Gulfstream and Calder ran 138 races this year. When one adjusts those live on-track handle numbers for the number of races run, then the combined handles of Gulfstream and Calder should have been $2.2 million instead of $1.86 million, but it wasn’t and adjusted live ontrack handle was down 16.5 percent. Again, this study is for weekend wagering only. Did we do any better in Inter-track Wagering (ITW) Land, better known as the state of Florida? The two tracks combined handled $1.8 million on live ITW this year, and last year Calder alone had live ITW handle of $1.2 million for the four weekends. Looks good again, until one adjusts this figure for the number of races run, and we then find that this year was down 6.3 percent compared to last year’s Calder numbers. Something must have gone up, you ask, even if you adjust it for the number of races run? At last we find the only expansion of handle from this Dates War, and it’s on the Interstate Wagering (ISW) numbers, or wagers placed on the two tracks in other states and countries. The two tracks combined had ISW handle of $27.4 million against Calder’s 2012 handle of $12.8 million. When adjusted for races run, we find that the combined out-of-state handle on the two signals is still up over 30 percent over Calder’s numbers from last year. It’s great that the ISW numbers are up, but that’s mainly because Gulfstream has a well-known quality signal. One only hopes that the summer racing signal isn’t going to damage the “Championship Meet” signal, because what is being simulcast from Gulfstream this summer is not the quality of its winter meets. Thankfully, Gulfstream promotes itself better than any track I can think of, so I would expect if there is a lull in their handle numbers in the winter, it will only be temporary. www.nationalhbpa.com

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While wagering handle numbers are down within the state of Florida, purses paid to horsemen are up 21 percent for the month of July. Last year, Calder paid $4,495,000 to this year’s combined total of $5,477,000, and last year Calder offered 180 races to this year’s combined 187. All of this should make horsemen happy in the short term, but remember there is no such thing as a free lunch. Horsemen at Gulfstream are slowly building up what can become a rather significant overpayment which Gulfstream will eventually recover from future summer meets’ purses. This Dates War is really doing nobody any good, particularly with the obvious animosity between the two tracks. The horsemen can’t always race where they want to when they want to, and now they learn that CDI would like the horsemen to give up millions of dollars of their slots revenue in order to complete a deal with the Stronach Group to settle the Dates War. To describe the Florida Dates War, Ray Paulick used the analogy of two bull elephants fighting one another, because the only thing that gets hurt in such a fight is the grass. We horsemen are the grass. Summit of Speed The 2013 edition of Calder’s Summit of Speed was also the first day of headto-head racing between Calder and Gulfstream Park. Calder offered six sprint races with total purses of $1.2 million, and, as would be expected, Gulfstream Park’s wagering handle numbers were dwarfed by Calder’s. Calder ran 11 races that day and offered $1,317,150 in total purses, while Gulfstream ran eight races worth $226,000. Total handle on the live product was $4,019,000 for Calder and $2,154,000 for Gulfstream. It would be the last day Calder would out handle Gulfstream during July, but not the last day Calder would offer more in total purses as they offered $316,250 on Saturday, July 20, while Gulfstream countered with $301,700 on a card with one less race than Calder. But enough about the Dates War, which we have already covered, and on to the Summit of Speed. The first stakes was the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint for $100,000 at five furlongs on the grass. This race, named after the longtime racing secretary at Calder and Gulfstream Park, was settled in a three-horse photo among Calder horses. The winner by a head was Silver Cloud, owned and trained by Jason DaCosta, who defeated Tripski and Determinto, trained by Michael Yates and Bill White, respectively. Next up was the Grade 3, $150,000 Carry Back Stakes at six furlongs. Northern invader Mico Margarita, owned by Kirk and Judy Robison and trained by Steve Asmussen, won easily over Red Rocket Express and Sr. Quisqueyano, who were separated by a nose and trained by Chad Stewart and Luis Olivares, respectively. Mico Margarita would be the only shipper to see the winner’s circle. The Grade 3 Azalea, also at six furlongs, for 3-year-old fillies carried an identical $150,000 purse. Wildcat Lily, owned by Rontos Racing Stable and trained by Manny Azpurua, won by a neck over Dreaming of Susie and three lengths over Speedinthruthecity, who were trained by Kirk Ziadie and Steve Asmussen, respectively. The Grade 2 Smile Sprint at six furlongs offered a purse of $350,000 to 12 entrants. David Fawkes trained Bahamian Squall to an almost two-length victory for owner Don Dizney. There was a three-horse photo for second with Trinniberg besting Jackson Bend and Justin Phillip. It was a one, two, three sweep for Calder trainers with Bisnath Parboo and Stan Gold training the second- and third-place finishers. Invader Steve Asmussen was fourth. The Grade l Princess Rooney at six furlongs with its $350,000 purse was the day’s feature race. Chasing Tails Stable’s Starship Truffles, trained by Marty Wolfson, had a full field of fillies and mares chasing her tail as she romped by almost four lengths. Another Calder horse, My Pal Chrisy, trained by Padarath Lutchman, finished third sandwiched between invaders Judy the Beauty and 46

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Holiday Soiree, trained by Wesley Ward and Tevis McCauley, respectively. The Summit of Speed concluded with the $100,000 Hollywood Wildcat at 7 ½ furlongs on the turf. Greg Griffith trained RJM Stable’s Sweet Little Lion to a neck victory over Calder horses Miss Montreal and Angelica Zapata, trained by Dave Braddy and Ron Pellegrini, respectively. Anne of the Dance shipped in from Arlington Park for Marty Wolfson and finished fourth. As has been the pattern the last few years, the Calder horses continue to win more and more of the $1.2 million offered in purses at the Summit of Speed. This year the hometown horses won $966,645, while the 14 shippers garnered just $233,355. Backside Doings This summer the FHBPA sponsored many activities through the great work of Chaplain Tom LaPointe and his His Place Ministries Church…Nearly 30 backside parents and their children spent a day at the water park at C.B. Smith Park. Chaplain Tom (pictured with some of the attendees) thought the parents had more fun than the kids. This was their second trip to a water park this summer…Chaplain Tom organized another fishing trip that had more than 30 backsiders from our two tracks. Pictured are some of the red snappers that the group caught…Assistant Chaplain Alberto Grimaldi helped set up the annual basketball tournament at Calder, which was won again by the Frontside Team. Eight teams competed with the winners pictured in the Calder winner’s circle. Chaplain Tom is joined in the presentation by some of the local Hooters girls. Illinois HBPA The Second Chances Ranch at the Vandalia Correctional Facility, which was outlined in our update in the spring issue of The Horsemen’s Journal, has finally become a reality after nearly four years of hard work. The racehorse retirement and retraining program is a partnership of the Illinois HBPA and the Illinois Department of Corrections and is designed to teach inmates how to care for the horses and retrain them for new careers. R.A.C.E. (Racehorse Alternative Choice Environment), a 501(c)(3) organization started by the Illinois HBPA, has

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Indiana HBPA Horsemen Enjoying First Full Flat-Racing Season at Indiana Downs Horsemen racing in Indiana have thrived in the first full flat-racing season at Indiana Downs. Indiana Downs’ new ownership, multi-property integration and the addition of an entirely new track surface have combined to provide a smooth transition from the split season that had existed since 2002. The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved holding all Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse racing at one track, beginning this year and thereafter, following Centaur, Hoosier Park’s owner, purchasing the second Indiana track. Field sizes have been consistently good, and races have been competitive during the 2013 meet, which will end on October 19. Indiana Downs has been building two new barns, likely to be ready by the time this issue is published, with two more to be added by the beginning of the 2014 meet. When completed, the four new barns will add 304 stalls to the backside of Indiana Downs. Also new this year is the process by which horsemen will receive a portion of revenues from gaming facilities at the two tracks. Negotiations between Centaur and the three breed associations holding contracts with the tracks will determine the percentage of slot revenues shared with racing and breeding in Indiana beginning in 2014. Heretofore, the portion of slot revenues shared with horsemen had been established by statute. That left horse racing and breeding revenues vulnerable during annual legislative sessions. Consistent revenues, established by a long-term agreement in combination with Centaur’s capital investments in the physical plant at Indiana Downs, represent a potentially dynamic future for Thoroughbred racing in Indiana. Indiana Downs Post Time Changed as of September 2 On September 2, Indiana Downs changed from a 6 p.m. first post to 1:55 p.m. EST in an effort to gather market data to determine the optimal position for the track in the national horse racing market. Racing will continue on the existing Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday schedule with the earlier first post. The new schedule will remain in effect until closing day, after which results will be shared with horsemen and regulators. With the advent of an all Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, a continuous 2013 schedule and increased interest in Indiana horse racing, Indiana Downs’ officials say they are seeking to use this short window of time to gather empirical data and compare scheduling options. During the seven weeks of afternoon post times, Indiana Downs’ performance will be evaluated on levels such as competitiveness of Indiana Downs’ product, guest feedback and cohesiveness.

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provided 100 percent of the initial funding plus all supplies, medicines and horses. R.A.C.E. will continue to fund the project. In late April, the first six Thoroughbreds arrived at the facility, where inmates will care for them on 51 acres featuring an 18-stall barn, run-in sheds and a classroom for instruction. The program is not only good for former racehorses, but also for the state of Illinois. It teaches inmates a new skill set at no cost to taxpayers, and studies have shown a much lower rate of recidivism for inmates involved in similar programs. We now have nearly 20 horses at the facility and are looking forward to future success. To read more about the Illinois Second Chances Ranch, please see page 38 of this issue.

“We are committed to offering our fans, both locally and nationally, the best and most competitive racing experience possible,” said Jon Schuster, Indiana Downs’ general manager of racing, in a release. “In order to accomplish this now and in the future, we need to explore various options concerning the times of day and days of the week we race.” Claiming Tax Amnesty Program Begins in Indiana In 2012, the Indiana Department of Revenue began sending out tax notices for past claiming transactions to in- and out-of-state horsemen. Prior to 2013, horsemen had no direct means of paying a tax on claiming. Neither the state revenue department nor the Indiana Horse Racing Commission had informed horsemen of the requirement. Tracks did not collect the tax at the time of the claim. Nevertheless, the Indiana Department of Revenue started meting out use tax assessments for claiming transactions since 2010, plus penalties and interest. At the urging of the horse industry, the 2013 Indiana General Assembly passed a bill that required the Indiana Department of Revenue to set up an amnesty program for horsemen who have been assessed taxes for claiming transactions since 2010. The amnesty program began on August 1, 2013, and lasts until December 31, 2013. Under the program, you are required to sign an amnesty agreement with the Department and agree to pay taxes owed by December 31, 2013. Once you have filed the agreement, any penalties and interest for a transaction covered by the agreement will be waived. Contact the Indiana Department of Revenue Racehorse Amnesty Program at 100 North Senate Ave., Rm. N-241, Mail Stop 104, Indianapolis, IN 46204 to file an agreement. So far, we have not had any success in securing refunds for any penalties and interest already paid, but we’re working on it.

Iowa HBPA IA-MN Challenge Races Offered at Canterbury Park The newly created restricted races for Iowa- and Minnesota-breds, called IA-MN Challenge Races, will continue at Canterbury Park after the conclusion of the Prairie Meadows meet on August 10. This program was created as a result of the HBPAs at both Prairie Meadows and Canterbury Park working with their respective tracks and breed organizations. The goal of the discussions was to create a way to help foster the breeds in both states by offering more racing opportunities in restricted company outside of the individual states, thus resulting in the creation of the Challenge Races. The Challenge Races will be run at Prairie Meadows only when Canterbury Park is not running, and then at Canterbury Park once Prairie Meadows is done for the year. The IA-MN Challenge Races offered at Canterbury Park began the week of August 11. The races offered are at a claiming price of $7,500 (non-winners of three lifetime and four lifetime), short or long, and for boys or girls. After the conclusion of the 2013 race meet at Canterbury Park, the Iowa HBPA will review the success of the program during this first year of implementation. After the review, potential augmentations will be made for the continued success of the Challenge program. The Iowa HBPA thanks both Prairie Meadows and Canterbury Park management, along with the Minnesota HBPA, and the respective state breed organizations for their support in this first year for the program.

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Sixth Annual Iowa Classic Parade The Iowa HBPA participated in Prairie Meadows’ annual Iowa Classic Parade. The parade theme this year was “At the Races.” The float for the Iowa HBPA was brought together From left, Cody, Amalie, Alex, Kholle and Colby with the help of many people. Among them were tack shop owner Bart Edmundson, owner Ted Griffeon, Lynn Adams and trainer Suzanne Evens. Many thanks also to parade participants this year including jockey Alex Birzer and son Colby Birzer, trainer Kelly Von Hemel’s daughter Kelsie and granddaughter Kholle, and Iowa HBPA Executive Director Jon Moss’ wife Liz and children Cody and Amalie. Prairie Meadows’ 2013 Meet Ends The racing meet at Prairie Meadows ended on August 10 this year for a total of 67 days of racing and 606 races. The meet was highlighted by the running of the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap on June 29. The Cornhusker was won by Prayer for Relief, who is owned by Zayat Stables and trained by Steve Asmussen. Two other Grade 3 stakes were held on June 29, the Iowa Derby and Iowa Oaks. The Derby this year was won by Looking Cool, owned by Jim Tafel and trained by Carl Nafzger. The Oaks was won by Fiftyshadesofhay, who is owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trained by Bob Baffert. Next year’s race meet is still under discussion, and guarantees about the dates for the following year have not been put into place. Once the dates have been set, an email will be sent out to all the individuals in our email database letting everyone know of the dates for the upcoming meets. If you haven’t already, please send us your email address by contacting us at info@iowahbpa.org.

2013 Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame Inductees (Press release from Prairie Meadows on July 15 with content edits by the Iowa HBPA) On Friday, August 2, Prairie Meadows inducted three outstanding individuals and one horse into their Hall of Fame. They were retired racing athlete Miss Macy Sue; Kurt and Lynette Rasmussen, the husband and wife team that has been instrumental in business and legislative efforts on behalf of Prairie Meadows; and veteran Thoroughbred trainer Kelly Von Hemel. Scoring nearly half of his 1,277 career wins at Prairie Meadows, Von Hemel comes from the family of Thoroughbred trainers headed by his father, Don Von Hemel, and brother Donnie K. Von Hemel. Kelly took out his first training license in 1985 and assisted his father with their training operation. He went out on his own in 1990 and moved from Nebraska to Iowa in 2002. He reached his 1,000th career victory milestone at Prairie Meadows in 2007 with Bones Light, owned by legendary American country music singer-songwriter Toby Keith. Kelly campaigned Iowa superstar Sure Shot Biscuit, whose career earnings topped $1 million prior to entering the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame in 2004. Among Kelly’s 114 career stakes winners is Miss Macy Sue, who also entered this year’s Hall of Fame. In addition, Semaphore Man, Camela Carson and Seekingtherainbow are included among his other training standouts. With career purse earnings totaling more than $24 million since he became a trainer, Kelly is credited with $435,108 in purse earnings this year at Prairie Meadows with an 18 percent win rate and 45 percent in the top three. Kelly also served on the Iowa HBPA Board of Directors from 2002 to 2011 and continues to help the HBPA to this day. Miss Macy Sue is a dark bay mare by Trippi bred in Florida by Bryan J. Howlett and trained by Kelly Von Hemel. During her eight races at Prairie Meadows from 2005 to 2008, she competed for the Roll Reroll Stable of Iowa HBPA President Leroy Gessmann, Dennis Albaugh and Jason Loutsch. On five of those occasions she had her photo taken in the winner’s circle. She won the Prairie Rose Stakes in 2007 and became a two-time winner of the Saylorville Sprint (2007, 2008). She bankrolled $880,915 in her career, scored six black-type wins and seven black-type finishes in third-place or better while recording 11 wins from 25 starts. Ackerley Images

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more and more plentiful, the percentage of source market fees has continued to decline. Now horsemen are experiencing less people coming to the live races to view and wager on racing. Instead, they are betting and viewing racing via the computer. Horsemen are losing purse revenue without a reasonable source market fee. The KHBPA is currently studying the figures to determine the best approach to address dwindling purse revenue. In an effort to arrive at an equitable solution, we plan to share our concerns with the racetracks and the various ADW companies currently licensed and operating in Kentucky. We will keep you informed on what develops from our discussions. During the summer, a hearing officer representing the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) overturned a ruling from the previous fall race meeting at Churchill Downs. The ruling involved the horse named Sign, who was owned by a partnership including Claiborne Farm. It was determined by the testing lab that the horse was above the allowable limit of a therapeutic medication while running in the Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs. Subsequently, the stewards ruled that the horse should be disqualified with a loss of the purse. The stewards’ ruling was appealed and the hearing officer reinstated Sign as the winner of the Pocahontas Stakes. Ackerley Images

She captured national attention in 2007 when she took home the victory in the Grade 3 Winning Colors Stakes at Churchill Downs and placed third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. That year, she also won the now Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes and the Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. As a broodmare, Miss Macy Sue has produced three foals from acclaimed Thoroughbred sires: a 3-year-old by A.P. Indy that is racing at Prairie Meadows, a 2-year-old by Unbridled’s Song in training at Belmont Park with Todd Pletcher and a yearling sired by Medaglia d’Oro. Also on August 2, Prairie Meadows inducted area business leaders Kurt and Lynette Rasmussen. As president of The Rasmussen Group, doing business in core bridge building and heavy construction, Kurt worked tirelessly toward the passage of Iowa legislation that paved the way for advance deposit wagering, mandated race days and the elimination of eight-year gaming referendums, the latter greatly benefiting each of Iowa’s state-regulated gaming casinos. Lynette, The Rasmussen Group’s general counsel, joined her husband as she also dedicated many hours to business leadership and philanthropic efforts in central Iowa in their mutual efforts to carry on the well-established Rasmussen family legacy shaped by Kurt’s father, the late James E. Rasmussen, and Kurt’s mother, Sandra Rasmussen. Lynette followed her late father-in-law in service to the Prairie Meadows Board of Directors for six years from November 2006 through November 2012. In 2011, she earned the distinction as the first woman elected to serve as board chair of Prairie Meadows. Both Jim and Sandra Rasmussen were inducted into the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame in August 2000; Jim for service to the Prairie Meadows Board and Sandra as the state’s leading Thoroughbred breeder and owner. Sandra continues to serve on the Iowa HBPA Board of Directors and is always ready with advice and to lend a helping hand with issues that face the organization. IOWA HBPA Winter Hours With racing now complete at Prairie Meadows, the office off-season hours will go into effect. The hours will be Monday through Friday from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. You can contact the Iowa HBPA at (515) 967-4804 or via email at info@iowahbpa.org.

Kentucky HBPA President’s Message Several years ago, with the development of advance deposit wagering (ADW) systems, the KHBPA viewed the prospect with a certain amount of trepidation. The concept of having people wager by telephone and computer, with previously established accounts, and then to watch the races via their television or computer was indeed innovative. Yet, it appears, just as in the case of simulcast wagering, ADWs have succeeded in attracting betting patrons away from attending racetracks running live races, where horsemen receive an appreciably larger share of the wagering revenue for purses. Initially, TVG, the first ADW company to come on the scene via television, addressed the concerns by developing a “bettor poaching fee,” the original terminology, to assure horsemen and racetracks that any downturn in on-track business was resolved by providing an added percentage to be divided between horsemen and racetracks. Now the “bettor poaching fee” is referred to as a “source market fee,” but the concept is just the same. As the ADWs became www.nationalhbpa.com

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The concern of the KHBPA is that previously horsemen with similar violations were disqualified and the purse was taken away. We have written a letter to the attorney general of Kentucky requesting his interpretation of the rule. (A copy of the letter appears below.) Racing dates for 2014 will be addressed by the KHRC racing dates committee in the next few weeks. Several horsemen have expressed their concerns regarding the commitment of various racetracks. They have discussed with the KHBPA deteriorating conditions on both the backside and frontside. The KHBPA wants to determine what the plans are for each racetrack for their continued viability. While the effort to secure slots at Kentucky’s racetracks continues with the general assembly, in the interim, horsemen and racetracks must work together and continue to strive to present the best racing at racetracks that are attractive and presentable to the betting patrons. Congratulations to Frank Jones, vice president of the KHBPA, who was recently reappointed by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Frank and Tom Conway, KHBPA director, both currently serve on this prestigious board. Good luck in your racing endeavors. Rick Hiles, KHBPA President Letter to the Attorney General The following is a letter recently submitted to Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway regarding medication violations: Dear Attorney General Conway: On behalf of the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (KHBPA), a trade association representing the interests of 6,000 owners and trainers of Thoroughbred racehorses, we respectfully request your interpretation of 810 KAR 1:028, specifically as it relates to Section 4, Penalties for Class A, B, C and D violations, Subsection (3) 1(b), 2, 3. 810 KAR 1:028 relates to disciplinary measures and penalties that are assessed against the various participants and associated persons in Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky. During the latter part of 2012, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) promulgated a revised administrative regulation establishing disciplinary measures and penalties for medication violations of racehorses. One of the changes involved changing the options available to the Board of Stewards pertaining to Class “C” medication violations. Previously, the stewards, after conducting a hearing, decided on a course of action which may or may not include the suspension of licensing privileges, payment of a fine or the forfeiture of purse money won. However, the revised regulations changed or to and. Therefore, as a penalty, for a first offense, the horseman now receives a suspension or revocation of licensing privileges from zero to ten (10) days, payment of a fine of $250 to $500 and a forfeiture of purse money earned. Following the enactment of the revised regulation, the Board of Stewards, if it was determined a horseman had a positive test for a Class C medication, issued rulings requiring a forfeiture of purse money earned. When horsemen objected, the stewards explained that the revised regulation required a mandatory forfeiture of purse. Following two recent appeals to the KHRC for Class C medication violations, a hearing officer representing the KHRC decided to overturn the earlier rulings of the stewards regarding the two appeals and to reinstate the purse money to the horsemen. The KHBPA has been contacted by horsemen requesting a clarification. Some of them have lost purse money due to Class C violations and subsequently were informed by the stewards that the rule was specific regarding the mandatory loss of purse.

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After reviewing the administrative regulation, the KHBPA respectfully requests your opinion on whether or not the regulation requires an automatic purse forfeiture. We have enclosed, for your perusal, both the original and revised administration regulation. Thanking you in advance, for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Rick Hiles, KHBPA President Buff Bradley Appears before Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) Board Buff Bradley, KHBPA director, appeared before the KTDF Advisory Board to explain a concern shared by many horsemen racing in Kentucky. In optional claiming races, where a horse can either run for the allowance conditions or run as a claimer, the claiming horse, even if he is a Kentucky-bred, does not receive any portion of the KTDF supplement. For instance, where there is a $33,500 purse, of which $14,500 is the KTDF supplement, the allowance horses in the race run for the full amount. A claiming horse in the race is only running for a purse of $19,000. “I understand if a horse wins the race and is a non-Kentucky-bred that he should not share in the KTDF supplement,” Buff explained to the board, “but if the horse is a Kentucky-bred then I feel it should share the supplement. After all, in most instances, if it were not for claiming horses entering into the race, most likely, the race would not fill for the allowance horses. In addition, racing secretaries are inclined to run less higher claiming races so that the horsemen with that type of horse will choose to run in the allowance race.” Pete Salmen Jr., KHBPA board member and a member of the KTDF Advisory Board, echoed Buff’s sentiments. “To me, the rule serves as an incentive for horsemen to run their horses in other states where they can run for the entire purse and not just a portion of it,” he said. The Advisory Board agreed to take the matter under advisement and directed Jamie Eades, KHRC Director of Incentives and Development, to gather data from the racetracks in order to determine the impact on the KTDF. Mike Bruder, Chairman of the Ellis Park Horsemen’s Committee, Expresses Concern with Track’s Level of Commitment Mike Bruder, KHBPA director and chairman of the Ellis Park Horsemen’s Committee, expressed concern and frustration with Ellis Park’s level of commitment during a recent Horsemen’s Committee meeting. He explained that it appears, unlike years past, Ellis Park does not have the same enthusiasm for racing. Bob Jackson, director of operations at Ellis Park, and Joe Rudisill, general manager, disagreed with Mike’s assessment. Mike cited various backside and frontside maintenance issues. “We were assured that the horsemen’s parking lot would be lined and resurfaced,” he said. “It was not done; potholes were not repaired. The concrete on the frontside in the terrace area is severely in need of reconditioning. In addition, after the tornado we lost a large restroom facility. It has been replaced, we thought temporarily, with portable toilets. “We have made a commitment to Ellis Park,” he continued. “For instance, the KHBPA’s funding of dollar Sundays and computer giveaway day.” In addition, the KHBPA agreed to send a portion of Instant Racing machines revenue from Kentucky Downs to help supplement the purses at Ellis Park. We just want to know that Ellis Park has the same level of commitment to the future.

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The HBPA is You The HBPA, established in 1940, is an organization of owners and trainers numbering approximately 30,000 nationally in 23 states and Canada and more than 6,000 in Kentucky. The association is governed by a board of directors consisting of owners and trainers volunteering their time and elected by the membership every three years. The HBPA is committed to working for the betterment of racing on all levels. The HBPA represents owners and trainers on several fronts: • The HBPA is present in negotiating sessions with each racetrack regarding purse structure, equitable share of simulcast revenues, overall track safety, sanitation and security. • The HBPA provides benevolence to horsemen in need, education and recreation programs to the backstretch, various insurance packages that include—free of charge to members—fire and disaster insurance and claiming coverage. Visit one of the fully staffed HBPA offices at the currently running racetrack in Kentucky for details. • The HBPA works in conjunction with the chaplaincy program and the Kentucky Racing Health and Welfare Fund to provide support and benefits for horsemen. • The HBPA supports scientific research and marketing initiatives on a regional and national level to help promote interest in Thoroughbred racing. • The HBPA is at the forefront in litigation and legislation on issues involving horsemen’s rights in regard to interstate simulcasting, proprietary rights, casino gambling, therapeutic medication, sports betting and many other areas of concern to horsemen. How can I join? You are invited to drop into the HBPA office to meet the staff and learn more about current projects and how you can get involved in helping to improve the industry. There are no membership fees. Remember, this is your organization. Become an active participant and one of the horsemen helping horsemen. To join, all you need to do is fill out our membership card and fax, mail or email it back to us. For more information, please visit our website at www.kyhbpa.org and click on “How to Join.”

Louisiana HBPA Updates and Reminders Beginning October 6, the Fair Grounds will open its backside for stabling and training for $8/day per stall. If you wish to take advantage of this early entry, please contact Jason Boulet of the Fair Grounds at (504) 948-1246. Any trainer who has not renewed his or her workers’ compensation insurance or wishes to apply for a new policy may do so at the HBPA field offices or main office. Applications are available at these locations or online at www.lahbpa.org. Should you have any questions, please contact Mike Fenasci at (504) 945-1555. The Louisiana Horsemen’s Medical Trust has finalized an agreement with Southern Scripts to provide pharmacy benefits to qualified owners, trainers and employees. For more information, please call the Medical Trust at (504) 945-1555. Please take time to enroll in our Louisiana Digital Network to keep updated on HBPA news. You may visit our website at www.lahbpa.org to enroll.

A Message from the Louisiana HBPA Medical Trust Over the last two years, the Medical Trust has worked diligently to protect the Medical Trust’s funds while providing the best services possible for our members. Many improvements have been established for our members including our latest being changing the prescription provider to Southern Scripts. This has taken a little more time than we expected, but it was very important that the contract with Southern Scripts was clarified so that the Medical Trust’s funds would be protected and that Southern Scripts would provide the services best suited for our members. I apologize for any inconveniences to our members, but we now have the plan in place to best serve you. Sincerely, Marcia LaMarche Chairperson, Louisiana Horsemen’s Medical Benefit Trust

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Dispute with MN Harness Track Continues We are still defending ourselves in the lawsuit against us by Running Aces. The Minnesota HBPA is currently in the process of arbitration to recover more than $600,000 owed to our purse fund. In May 2005, Running Aces Harness Park entered into an agreement with the MN HBPA agreeing to pay 3 percent of their card club rake to our purse fund to offset any losses it was deemed we would incur as their card club would create a “competitive situation,” thus violating Minnesota statutes. With this agreement, the Minnesota Racing Commission granted them a license to operate a racetrack. Running Aces claims that, because Canterbury’s purse fund is now enhanced by the cooperative marketing agreement between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Canterbury Park, their obligations under this agreement should be dispensed with. MN HBPA President Tom Metzen and other members of our board are working to defend our contract and get this resolved on behalf of our horsemen’s purse account. HBPA Brunch Horsemen’s Appreciation Day on June 22 provided an opportunity for horsemen to get together and enjoy a relaxed morning, a delicious brunch and our general meeting. More than 120 members listened as HBPA President Tom Metzen introduced Randy Sampson, president and GM of Canterbury Park. Sampson told the audience how the track and card club have been growing, both in attendance and handle. Our out-of-state simulcast handle is up 44 percent and on-site is up 6.8 percent. Thanks to the very positive relationship with Mystic Lake, field size is up and we can accommodate larger fields now with a toteboard that handles up to 16 horses. The 2012 end of year awards were presented to leading trainer Mac Robertson (53 wins, Cindy Robertson accepting the trophy) and leading jockey Tanner Riggs (74 wins). Leading owner Ruben Martinez (20 wins) was not there to accept his trophy.

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We were happy to host the National HBPA Summer Convention on July 11-14. Mystic Lake Casino Hotel offered great accommodations and there were some very good meetings and forums. Thank you all for visiting our track. Come back again!

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Back-to-Back Groom and Trainer Courses We’ve completed our 12th consecutive year of professional development through the Groom Elite program. Through an educational grant from the Minnesota Racing Commission and contributions from Canterbury Park and the MN RTCA, we were able to offer the advanced 201 course free of charge. The Groom Elite 201 class was made up of 19 students. The five class sessions started July 15. The students had both lecture elements and practical hands-on workshops. We are confident that the skills the grooms acquired in this course improves the quality of the help on the backside, benefits both employers and the horses in their care, and helps the racing industry as a whole. For the second time in five years, the Trainer Elite was offered following the 201. Nine assistant trainers and successful GE graduates got information necessary to work toward and pass a future trainer exam. Subjects such as barn tests, medication, terminology, entering horses, racing office routines, track diagrams and important distances, as well as trainer responsibilities and the absolute insurer rule were covered. Dr. C. Reid McLellan, the executive director of The Elite Program Inc., said that the Groom Elite website will soon include an employment area for trainers looking for Elite grooms. This part of the website is “under construction,” and we look forward to seeing that link soon. We extend a big thank you to our sponsors, volunteers and all who helped make this program such a hit! Golf Outing

Fireworks Extravaganza A crowd of 15,200 people packed the stands on July 3 to watch the races and await nightfall to view the fireworks display. The crowd reappeared July 4 with 14,700 people waiting in line for free hotdogs and wiener dog races. Thanks to Kwik Trip for the fireworks and Hormel for the free hot dogs! National HBPA Summer Convention

The annual golf outing on July 22 attracted 85 golfers competing for cash prizes. The number one team consisted of trainer Mike Chambers, agent Chad Anderson, Todd Rarick and Mark Anderson. Secondplace went to Nick Metzen, Mitch Gibbs, Dave Sorum and Ryan Lazerbeam. Good weather, a challenging course, prizes for everyone and an excellent dinner made for a great day! HBPA Elections Each year there are three positions that open on our nine-member board. Two owner positions and one trainer position are open for election for a threeyear term. Trainer David VanWinkle is running unopposed, and Jack Walsh, Rodney Miller and Cameron Mahlam are contesting the two owner positions available. The new directors assumed their positions on the board on September 6.

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Mountaineer Park HBPA

Extreme Day Just Gets More Extreme

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44th Running of the West Virginia Derby Departing drew off for an 8 3⁄4-length victory in the 44th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort on Saturday, August 3, under jockey Robby Departing Albarado. The 1 1 ⁄8-mile event was the feature race in a nine-race card composed entirely of unrestricted stakes.

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Mountaineer HBPA By-Laws A committee composed of several board members worked throughout the past year to update the existing by-laws. They reviewed by-laws from other HBPAs and worked with an attorney to ensure they met the requirements for nonprofit associations in the state. Members were sent a packet including a ballot. Ballots should be returned in the addressed envelope enclosed. The ballots will be counted 45 days from the day they were postmarked. Copies of the changes are available by contacting the HBPA office.

July 20 was an exciting day for all! A record 20,291 spectators packed the stands to watch races as short as 110 yards for the American Quarter Horses and for the Thoroughbreds from 3 1⁄2 furlongs to 1 3⁄8 miles. In between the races, guests got what they came for: very extreme races of sprinters of a different sort! This year three zebras and a zonkey were added to the entertainment of camel and ostrich races.

Annual HBPA Picnic On August 14, the Mountaineer Park HBPA hosted their annual picnic at Tomlinson Run State Park. A wonderful lunch, drinks and desserts were provided by Donna’s Kitchen. Members enjoyed swimming, children’s games and a corn hole tournament. Look for the names of the winners in the next edition!

Montana HBPA Mountaineer Park Chaplaincy Coady Photography

After a three-year hiatus, live racing returned to Great Falls at ExpoPark for two weekends, beginning on July 20. The Great Falls Turf Club conducted the race meet in partnership with the Cascade County Commission. The Club has been working for two years to again make live racing a viable part of the community. Through countless hours of volunteer labor, the track, backside and frontside were ready for action! The state fair race meet for Thoroughbreds, American Quarter Horses and Paints began the weekend before the state fair and concluded the opening weekend of the fair with purses of $2,000 and up. More than 13,000 people watched and wagered close to $375,000 during the four days. James D. Christianson, Larry Dumas and Efrain Prado garnered the leading owner, trainer and jockey awards, respectively. The Montana Board of Horse Racing will meet in November to decide the 2014 race dates. The Great Falls Turf Club has talked about increasing the days but will have to await the Board’s decision. For additional information, contact the Club at www.greatfallsturfclub.org. Montana HBPA President R.C. Forster stated: “The Montana HBPA supported this meet and will continue to support and fight for additional live racing in the state of Montana.”

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The Mountaineer Chaplaincy recently completed their English as a Second Language and Beginner Spanish classes. The classes were provided through a donation The winners of the Groom and Barn of the Month Awards from Midwest Thoroughbreds. More than 25 horsemen and women attended these classes. Special thanks to Señora Diana Yocina for teaching both classes. Students look forward to continuing these classes. The classes have helped to improve communication among members of the horse racing community. The Chaplaincy recently implemented a Groom of the Month and a Barn of the Month Award. On July 19, Guadalupe Ramirez was awarded the Groom of the Month Award and trainer Nino Pizzuro was awarded the Barn of the Month Award.

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Mountaineer Horseman Participates in Makeover Challenge Mountaineer Park trainer, farrier and polo player Mark Powers was one of 26 trainers selected to participate in the Retired Racehorse Training Project on October 5-6 at Pimlico Race Course. Powers was selected from 142 applications from 29 states and Canada. The applicants were professionals, amateurs and juniors and specialized in 10 different equestrian disciplines. Each trainer will chronicle online the training of a Thoroughbred that has raced but had no training for a second career. All will appear at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on the first weekend of October to show what the horses have learned. The event is called the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium and will include seminars, demonstrations, entertainment and vendors. Follow Mark’s progress online at www.retiredhorsetraining.org. Mountaineer Park Real-Money Handicapping Challenge Mountaineer Park will host a real-money handicapping challenge, a DRF/NTRA Handicapping Championship qualifier, on Sunday, September 15. Contestants must be at least 21 years of age and entry fees will be $50 per person. First-place prize will be 10 percent of entry fee money, entry into the DRF/NTRA Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas in January 2014, a $500 travel voucher and a hotel room.

Nebraska HBPA Lincoln Facility to Open in September The new simulcast facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, will soon be open in the southwest part of the city. The new Lincoln Race Course will be open for business in late September and will feature a new menu along with hundreds of new television screens for enjoying live racing from around the country. Information will go out to all Nebraska HBPA members with further details about the grand opening of the facility, along with auction information for items at the old State Fair Park facility. The auction will be scheduled in October. Lincoln Race Course will be located at Highway 77 and West Denton Road and will provide simulcasting year-round along with convenient parking, a family-friendly menu and a smoking room.

New England HBPA The Suffolk Downs 2013 race meet is well underway and the horsemen remain committed to Thoroughbred racing in Massachusetts. As the Massachusetts Gaming Commission continues the process to determine awarding of casino and slot parlor licenses, the New England HBPA and the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association continue to promote the benefits of the racing and breeding industry to the Massachusetts economy.

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Former Racehorses from Mountaineer Find Second Careers in Barrel Racing On August 2, the Simmons Equestrian Center in nearby Negley, Ohio, hosted the Dreaming of Three’s Extreme Retired Racehorse Makeover Barrel Race. Two of the horses formerly raced at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort. Kiss An Angel, trained by Celene Jedrzejewski, and Bayside Sassy, owned by the Ruberto Family and trained by Lacey Tomasik, competed in this event that raised money for CANTER and Bright Future Farms.

The horsemen have been very diligent in managing their horses to fill the race cards as our horse population is down this meet. Our horsemen deserve “a well done”! Another “well done” is in order to NEHBPA Vice-President Bernie Bramante for his proposal to the NEHBPA Board and his work to get the necessary votes to pass a motion to pay all starters. This has been well received by all horsemen. As a point of reference, for many years only the first five finishers were paid with the remaining dollars dedicated to the insurance for jockeys. The money for this insurance is now taken off the top of the purses. This attention to “our” money is most important at this time. Assuming our Thoroughbred industry survives and prospers from the casino and slot parlor revenue, a new horizon for our horsemen will be the distribution of dedicated money from our expanded purse account to provide benefits to our horsemen. By statute, the Gaming Commission’s Race Horse Development Fund Committee is charged with approving a program by which approximately three-plus percent of all purse money is distributed to horsemen who race at Suffolk Downs for “benefits.” The important question becomes what do we mean by the term benefits and who will be eligible to participate? Currently, a well-intended plan introduced 20 years ago when racing in New England was year-round and insurance was affordable has turned into a financial disaster with all horsemen having to pay for quality health insurance for 15-plus eligible trainers who opt for the insurance and can afford the monthly co-pay. The $10 paddock fee paid by all starters (about $55,000 per meet) and $180,000 taken annually from the purse account funds the current plan. Everybody pays, but only a few benefit. Another option being suggested would be to estimate the “benefit” amount of each starting horse (i.e., the number of expected starters in a meet based on eight or nine starters per race times the number of contracted races divided into the three-plus percent of expected purses being set aside for benefits) and credit each trainer with that cash amount which could be collected at the end of the meet. The trainer would have the option to apply this money to whatever benefit that fits his or her needs (buy insurance, set aside for retirement/IRA, etc.). Horsemen who start many horses will naturally have a larger amount of money at the end of the meet, however, all horsemen who participate will be provided “benefit” money and will be free to determine what benefits suit their needs. This allows everyone to benefit as they participate. Another issue that comes into focus with the deliberation of the Race Horse Development Fund Committee is the jockeys’ insurance for which we, the horsemen, give up 2 percent of our purses ($170,000) this year for a policy no one else in the country provides. Is it only needed here? Is there another option? This information is for your consideration and opinions. If you have questions, please raise them with an HBPA Board member. This opportunity to have a voice in the distribution of your money that will benefit all horsemen is NOW. Prudent people will understand that there will not be money for everything, and a good sound business plan is in order. Everyone enjoyed the BBQ Chaplain Lee hosted, and as always there was good food and good fun. Another BBQ was planned for later in August. Kim and Bobby Kelly and the NEHBPA sponsored their first of the season karaoke and pizza night at the track kitchen on August 3. Everyone on the backside came and had a really good time. The annual charity golf tournament sponsored by the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the NEHBPA at the Glen Ellen Country Club was set to be held on August 15. For those who don’t play golf, there was to be softball, a horseshoe tournament and much more to entertain including an outstanding buffet and raffle. Proceeds are for the retirement of our Thoroughbred racehorses. www.nationalhbpa.com

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Two Massachusetts-bred stakes have been run to date. The Rise Jim Stakes was won by Silk Spinner, owned, bred and trained by Adel Salim. The Isadorable Stakes was won by Navy Nurse, owned by Patricia Mosley and trained by George Saccardo. We welcome several new stables that are here for the first time and welcome back some who have not been here in a long while. We thank all our horsemen for their loyal support. As this is written in early August, the battle for leading trainer is very close. William (Billy) Sienkewicz is first with 46 starts and 18 wins. John Rigattieri and Jay Bernardini both have 17 wins, and Bobby Raymond is a close third with 14 wins. This makes for a competitive summer. Another reminder that on October 6 the NETSA Thoroughbred Horse Show will be held at Saddle Rowe in Midway, Massachusetts. All Thoroughbred classes are sponsored by The Jockey Club.

Ohio HBPA Ohio’s state budget bill signed into law by Governor John Kasich in late June contained language clarifying how the horsemen’s percentage of video lottery terminal (VLT) revenue at Ohio’s racetracks will be determined. The budget bill contained language that establishes that the Ohio State Racing Commission shall set the percentage of VLT revenue to be received by the horsemen between 9 and 11 percent based upon a sliding scale that is determined by how much each track spends in capital expenditures in improving their racetrack facilities for video lottery terminals. The Ohio HBPA had sought this legislative change that simply codifies the position that the governor’s office and the state’s paid gaming consultant, Moelis & Company, had told all interested parties in October 2011 would be put in place. A late amendment to the budget bill language makes the new VLT revenue sharing language effective on January 1, 2014, for tracks that already have VLTs (Thistledown and harness track Scioto Downs) and six months after VLT sales begin at the other tracks in the state. Since the passage of the budget bill, the Ohio HBPA has had a number of conversations with officials of Rock Ohio, owner of Thistledown, seeking to

negotiate a long-term VLT revenue sharing agreement between the parties. The Ohio HBPA’s goal, stated on numerous occasions, is to sign long-term VLT revenue sharing deals with each of our track partners to ensure the longterm stability of Thoroughbred racing in the state. We will keep everyone posted in future editions of The Horsemen’s Journal as well as on our website, www.ohio-hbpa.com, on any future developments regarding this issue. River Downs Construction Progress Construction of new facilities at River Downs is well under way. The track is undergoing a complete makeover in preparation for the addition of VLTs in the spring of 2014. The entire grandstand at the track was torn down last fall and a new structure is being built. Many new editions in the racing sections of the now under construction facility will benefit Cincinnati-area racing fans who attend the races at River. The VLT facility will be connected to the racing sections of the track and will be located on the first turn of the track. River Downs will feature a new one-mile dirt track along with a 6 ½-furlong chute and a new seven-furlong turf course. The barn area will feature 16 new open-air barns, which were designed after a series of meetings between Pinnacle Entertainment, owner of River Downs, and members of the Ohio HBPA Board of Directors. Discussions between the parties are in progress to determine 2014 racing dates at the track. The 2014 racing season at River Downs is expected to be approximately 100 racing days and begin in early May.

Oklahoma HBPA (Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma) Thank You for the Tornado Donations The TRAO would like to send a big thank you out to everyone who has donated to our tornado relief fund. Donations are coming in daily to help the horsemen affected. There is no way to fully express our gratitude for your loyalty to and support of the Thoroughbred industry. We at the TRAO are continually inspired by the dedication and generosity of all of the donors. Ackerley Images

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Tracks request 2014 race dates The three Oklahoma tracks have requested race dates for 2014 through the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission (OHRC). Remington Park in Oklahoma City has requested 67 days of Thoroughbred racing from August 15 to December 14 and an American Quarter Horse and mixed breed meet from March 7 to June 1. Fair Meadows in Tulsa requested 34 days of Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and mixed breed racing from June 7 to August 1. Will Rogers Downs in Claremore is seeking a 32-day Thoroughbred meet from March 3 to May 17 and a 28-day Quarter Horse meet from September 6 to November 8. The requests were to be considered at the OHRC’s August meeting. Clenbuterol update Effective August 1, the new threshold level for Clenbuterol for Thoroughbreds in Oklahoma will be 0.025 ng/ml (25 pg/ml). This will result in all breeds having the same threshold level for Clenbuterol. For more information, visit the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission website at www.ohrc.org. New TRAO website The TRAO has launched a new website that includes easier navigation and more information. We invite you to check it out at www.traoracing.com and welcome your feedback. You can also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/traoracing.

HBPA of Ontario Trying Times in Ontario Just when horse people were coming to terms with the termination of the slots-at-racetracks program by the Ontario government effective March 31, two more significant events took place. The first commencing on June 11 at Woodbine Race Track was the announcement there was a confirmed outbreak of the Equine Herpes Virus necessitating the quarantine of several barns. The rapid implementation of disease containment protocols by Woodbine officials, veterinarians and horse people resulted in the all-clear being given by the Ontario Racing Commission’s Manager of Veterinary Services on June 26. With the 154th running of the Queen’s Plate set for July 7, this was indeed a welcome announcement for horse people. The joy of watching Tucci Stable’s Midnight Aria win the Queen’s Plate was short-lived however, as the second event, a freak storm, unleashed record rainfalls in Toronto. The rain started in the late afternoon on July 8 and by 10 p.m., 123 mm of rain had fallen at Toronto Pearson Airport. The previous record set during Hurricane Hazel in October 1954 was 121.4 mm. As a result of major flooding, Woodbine Race Track was closed for training on July 9 but once most of the water receded was able to re-open the following day. Fortunately there were no injuries and horse people were relieved they could return to training their horses so quickly considering the amount of water on the grounds and surrounding areas. Transitioning to a Sustainable Future The Ontario government is committed to supporting a sustainable racing industry that is fair to industry partners and the people of the province. The Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel has been directed to develop a plan that sets a clear path forward on: • growing the fan base and enhancing wagering revenues, • improving the governance and regulation of the horse racing industry, • developing a sustainable funding model, and • promoting excellence in racehorse management and breeding. Ackerley Images

Congratulations to the 2012 Oklahoma-Bred Champions The TRAO would like to congratulate all the 2012 Oklahoma-bred Champions who were honored at the awards banquet on August 9 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City: 2-Year-Old Filly: Motivare, Owned by Phil Hoedbeck Jr. and Pat Sheetz 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Jump and Go, Owned by Beverly Lewis 3-Year-Old Filly: Lady Jensen, Owned by Kelly Thiesing 3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Z Rockstar, Owned by Robert H. Zoellner Thoroughbred Racing Stock: Lady Jensen, Owned by Kelly Thiesing Thoroughbred Mare: She’s All In, Owned by Robert H. Zoellner Thoroughbred Stallion/Gelding: Fifth Date, Owned by Danny Caldwell Oklahoma-bred (Mixed Meet): Line Piper, Owned by P.D. Whittenburg Female Sprinter: Miss Natalie, Owned by Gar Oil Corp. Male Sprinter: Okie Ride, Owned by Richter Family Trust Female Turf Runner: Skedee, Owned by Poteet & Lowder Male Turf Runner: Ridge Road, Owned by Boyd Caster Leading Sire of Thoroughbred Racing Stock: Evansville Slew Leading Owner of Thoroughbred Racing Stock: Richter Family Trust Leading Dam of Thoroughbred Racing Stock: Miss Owl’s Affair Leading Breeder of Thoroughbred Racing Stock: Robert H. Zoellner Leading Owner of Sires of Thoroughbred Racing Stock: Stallions LLC Claimer of the Year: Fifth Date, Owned by Danny Caldwell The Tenacious Award: Steven Foster

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Remington Sets Stakes Schedule Remington Park has announced a stakes schedule with 32 events worth nearly $3.4 million for the Thoroughbred meet that runs August 16 to December 15. Among the highlights are the $1 million Oklahoma Classics for Oklahoma-breds on October 18 and the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, which has been returned to Grade 3 status, on September 29.

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The panel will also work with industry partners, the Ministry of Finance and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to integrate horse racing into the broader Ontario gaming strategy. In early July, the panel held public meetings open to all interested parties to discuss their draft plan for a sustainable Ontario horse racing industry. The panel will incorporate stakeholder and public input into their final plan, which will be released October 2013 to allow for phased implementation beginning April 1, 2014. Service Canada Implements a Processing Fee for Temporary Foreign Worker Applications Effective July 31, Service Canada has implemented changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) geared toward reform to ensure Canadians are given first chance at available jobs. Employers applying to hire TFWs at the racetrack (grooms, exercise riders and jockeys) must now pay a processing fee of $275 for each position requested to cover the cost of the Labour Market Opinion (LMO). Employers must now advertise the position for a minimum of four weeks, however, the job must remain posted until a positive LMO is received which could take as long as three months to obtain. Please note that these changes are only applicable to TFWs at racetracks. For additional information, including the new Service Canada applications, please visit www.hbpa.on.ca. Woodbine Mile and the Canadian International to be televised on Rogers Sportsnet The HBPA of Ontario has agreed to sponsor two premier features on Woodbine’s stakes calendar in 2013: the Grade 1, $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile set for Sunday, September 15, and the Grade 1, $1 million Pattison Canadian International scheduled for October 27. Both races will be televised on Rogers Sportsnet. Owners’ Awards Program Changes The Board of the HBPA of Ontario made some changes to the distribution of owners’ awards commencing with the 2013 racing season. At Woodbine Race Track, owners of Ontario-foaled Thoroughbreds placing first receive $1,000, second receive $500 and third receive $300 in races other than stakes. Owners whose Ontario-foaled Thoroughbreds win at Fort Erie Race Track will continue to receive $400 per race in races other than stakes. Annual General Meeting Set for Sunday, September 22 The HBPA of Ontario’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been scheduled for Sunday, September 22, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon and will be held in the Munnings Room at Woodbine Race Track on the 4th floor. Meeting materials were to be mailed to owners and trainers the week of August 19. Owners’ Appreciation Day will once again follow the AGM directly in the Trackside Tent at Woodbine Race Track. Fort Erie Race Track Horse Shortage Fort Erie Race Track continues to experience a horse shortage that has caused Mondays to be cancelled from the schedule with additional days being added to the end of the race meet in 2013. The HBPA encourages horse people to send horses to the border oval to compete and keep Fort Erie “Alive and Kicking” for the remainder of the race meet. Further information, as well as a new calendar, is available at www.ontarioracingcommission.com.

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No Canadian Triple Crown in 2013 Two legs of Canada’s Triple Crown have been contested and won by two different horses, which means that there will not be a Triple Crown winner in Canada in 2013. Tucci Stables’ Midnight Aria, with Jesse Campbell up, went right to the front in the field 12 in the 154th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate and proceeded to wire his rivals, desperately hanging on to defeat favoured Up With the Birds by a half-length for trainer Nick Gonzalez. The final time for the 1 ¼ miles during an afternoon of pelting rain was 2:04.72. Uncaptured captured the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track in a running time of 1:55.49 for 1 3/16 miles. It was the first win of 2013 for Canada’s Horse of the Year from 2012, who was guided to the one-length victory by Miguel Mena for trainer Mark Casse and owner John Oxley. Uncaptured took the lead in mid-stretch and never looked back to take the 78th edition of the race in front of a jam-packed, loud and enthusiastic crowd at Fort Erie Race Track. The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Stakes, was scheduled to run on August 18 at Woodbine and carries a purse of $500,000. Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame annual induction ceremony and dinner took place on August 15. World class racing greats Secretariat and Niatross headlined the field of 13 new inductees under new rules that allow international competitors into Canada’s Hall. The Standardbred inductees are: Niatross – Veteran Horse Category Admirals Express – Male Horse Category Eternal Camnation – Female Horse Category Carl Jamieson – Trainer/Driver Category William Rowe – Builder Category Doug Harkness – Communicator Category The Thoroughbred inductees are: Secretariat – Veteran Horse Category Soaring Free – Male Horse Category Sealy Hill – Female Horse Category Sid Attard – Jockey/Trainer Category Phil England – Jockey/Trainer Category John Sikura Jr. – Builder Category Bruce Walker – Communicator Category Tune into HBPA podcasts at www.hbpa.on.ca to listen to two of this year’s inductees, Phil England and Sid Attard, speak about their long careers and induction into the hall. Friday Night Fever, September 20 at Woodbine Race Track Join the LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society in celebrating the best of the 1970s by participating in our fall fundraiser “Friday Night Fever” on Friday, September 20. Tickets are $150 inclusive of HST and can be ordered through the LongRun office at www.longrunretirement.com or (416) 675-3993, ext. 1-3440. This great event will once again be hosted in the Trackside Tent located at Woodbine Race Track. So get out your bell bottoms and go-go boots and come dancing to support this worthwhile cause.

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Portland Meadows opening day on July 21 was absolutely FANTASTIC!!! The crowd was stupendous. I pulled into the parking lot around 1:30 p.m. and thought am I really at Portland Meadows racetrack? Yes, I was. I have been told it was like that back in the 1970s, so yahoo for all the advertising and promoting. Thanks go out to everyone who might have told someone who had never been here to come and check us out and enjoy themselves. The race meet continued on July 28 and August 4, which were Sundays, and then starting Wednesday, August 14, we began racing Sundays and Wednesdays with post time at 1:45 p.m. The meet goes through January 26, 2014. There are lots of exciting events going on during the race days. If all goes well, starting in January 2014 the racetrack will have Instant Racing machines up and running. This should give our industry a wonderful boost. The barns are not real full at this time but are expected to fill up after the Boise meet, which closed August 10, and after Emerald Downs finishes September 29. Emerald trainers are bringing horses down to compete, so that helps us fill our race card. Our Portland trainers have been campaigning in other states and countries. Jonathan Nance went back to Phoenix along with Steve Fisher, president of the OHBPA, and they both did well. Jonathan moved his stable to Arapahoe Park for the first time; it takes a long time to acclimatize to the altitude around Denver but after they did, boy he is doing great. Steve traveled to the California fairs so you can watch him on the monitors every once in a while. Rolland Fergason went up to Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Canada. The horses have run real well and he has a 2-year-old for longtime Oregon owners George and Rose Hurliman that won his first out and has got all of the backside there excited, let alone all the connections here! Trainers also got on the freeway and went up to Emerald Downs and raced, keeping their horses fit. Other trainers hit all the summer fair circuit race meets here in Oregon and hopefully had a great time and good luck. If I forgot someone that traveled somewhere, I’m sorry and I hope you had success and you had fun. So I wish everyone here at Portland Meadows good luck this meet but most of all have fun!

Pennsylvania HBPA The best-kept little secret in racing is not a secret anymore. Presque Isle Downs, which showed marked improvement in off-track wagering in 2012, is exhibiting a major breakthrough in 2013. Changes made to the racing schedule, coupled with a substantial lowering of the takeout on exotic bets, have attracted the attention of a national audience. In addition, the repeat success of horses that have won our premier stakes, the Presque Isle Mile and Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes, with recent Breeders’ Cup victories has elevated Presque Isle racing to the national stage. Handle soared to new heights on the wings of a record-setting opening week. Sunday, May 12, opened the 2013 race meet at Presque Isle Downs with a respectable handle of $485,219 but was followed by a single-day record of $1,176,268 wagered on Monday, May 13. Those totals are significant, considering Sundays replaced last year’s Saturdays, which averaged only $239,000. As of July 18, Presque Isle Downs had a mid-year total of $31 million on 50 days of racing, a whopping 48 percent increase from the $21 million handle for the same period last year. This comes on the tail end of a 12 percent increase overall in 2012 over the previous year.

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This meteoric eclipsing of the handle by Presque Isle Downs comes at a time when other tracks have exhibited a downward trend. It is remarkable that it also comes on the heels of a considerable decline in overall casino totals at Presque Isle Downs. Most encouraging of all is that the new “Model for Racing” implemented at the end of the 2011 season by then-President and General Manager Fred Buro is not yet complete. Buro and Jose Martinez, executive director of the Pennsylvania HBPA, discussed in-depth the state of Thoroughbred horse racing at Presque Isle. The numbers were dismal. The track operated at a loss and was a burden to the casino. With this need for serious change, Buro and his senior management team forged a new collaboration with the horsemen—a collaboration later joined by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission. Buro encouraged his senior management team, led by Racing Director Debbie Howells, to think outside the box. Tradition, he said, no longer worked for Presque Isle Downs. “The model is broken,” Buro said during a planning meeting in February 2012. “We need a new model to turn things around.” His words proved prophetic with the record-setting opener. Today, senior management has continued to restructure the racing program. Together the new partnership of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, Presque Isle management and the horsemen have found new life for the little racetrack on the shores of Lake Erie.

Virginia HBPA Colonial Downs’ Statistical Wrap-Up Colonial Downs ended its 16th season of Thoroughbred racing on a mixed statistical note. On the one hand, reducing this summer’s meet to five weeks with 24 race days from last year’s eight weeks with 31 days did achieve the goal of increasing purses to compete with neighboring jurisdictions that have purses supplemented by alternative gaming. On the other hand, overall attendance and total handle declined, as did daily attendance and handle. Overall attendance for the meet, shortened by seven days, dropped 25 percent, though the daily average (1,942) dropped by only 3 percent. This year’s attendance was no doubt affected by the unusually rainy weather at the New Kent, Virginia, track, which resulted in race cancellations on four different days. Wagering statistics were somewhat mixed. Because of the shorter meet, all-sources handle decreased 23 percent though average daily handle ($623,465) dropped only 1 percent. Daily average on-track handle ($118,086), on the other hand, increased slightly over last season. Daily purses averaged $218,767, up nearly 12 percent over last year. More important for the average horsemen, and in part because of the Virginia HBPA’s insistence that stakes purses be reduced, average overnight purses jumped 28 percent from $14,506 to $18,638 per race. The Virginia breeders’ fund helped boost purses by paying a 100 percent owners’ bonus for Virginia-breds finishing first through fifth in all non-stakes open races. Virginia-bred horses made 16 percent of all starts and won 17 percent of all races. Average field size increased to 8.8 from last year’s 8.4 runners per race. This summer’s daily card averaged 8.7 races while last year’s average was 9.6 per day. As usual, more than 90 percent of all races were on Colonial Downs’ huge turf course. Overall, the horsemen seemed pleased with higher purses but were not happy with the shortened meet because it limited their opportunity to compete for those purses. This year, average starts per horse stabled at the www.nationalhbpa.com

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track dropped to 2 starts from last year’s 2.5 starts during the longer eight-week meet. Training Would-Be Trainers This summer, in a departure from its usual practice of sponsoring a groom training program during Colonial’s meet, the Virginia HBPA offered an intensive threeday program for individuals interested in qualifying for a The winners of the Groom and Barn of the Month Awards Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) Dr. C. Reid McLellan instructs some future trainers trainer’s license. To help prepare individuals to take the practical and written tests administered by the VRC, Dr. C. Reid McLellan, executive director of The Elite Program Inc., designed and taught a trainer preparatory program covering, among other things, horse anatomy, grooming, tacking, race terminology, rules of racing, training procedures, veterinary practices, drug testing, entry procedures, race day practices and claiming rules. Dr. McLellan combined classroom sessions in the Virginia HBPA’s building on the backside with track visits during training hours. Twenty-eight people took part in the free program, which included lunch from the track kitchen. At the end of the course a handful of graduates felt confident enough to take the VRC examinations. As a result, a number were newly licensed as trainers in time to run their first horse before the end of the meet. Benefit Golf Tournament for Disabled Jockeys The Virginia HBPA, Virginia Thoroughbred Association and Colonial Downs sponsored their ninth annual golf tournament to benefit Shannon Campbell and the national Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund. Each year owners, trainers and friends of Virginia racing come out during the Colonial Downs meet for a round of golf to raise Winners of the tournament’s women’s division: money for permanently Colonial Downs Executive Director Mary Calabrese, disabled jockeys. This Kathreen Fisher, Mary Lou Domres and VHBPA Board summer’s tournament member Donna Dennehy was at the Brickshire golf course next to the racetrack. Forty players competed for prizes and bragging rights in weather conditions that varied from unseasonably mild to monsoon-like. Almost $6,000 was raised, all of which goes for living and medical expenses of disabled jockeys throughout the United States. Virginia native Shannon Campbell rode at Colonial Downs and was paralyzed from the waist down in a race mishap at Charles Town. She is one of more than 50 jockeys in the country who are permanently disabled. 60

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Visitors to the Colonial Downs Backside The Virginia HBPA hosted a number of groups visiting the Colonial Downs stable area. One group came from the state’s James River correctional facility in Goochland, just west of Richmond. Ten inmates participating in a training program for grooms at the minimum security prison were given a firsthand look at caring for racehorses at the track. All the men are taking part in a program at the James River facility modeled after the Groom James River visitors with VHBPA Vice President Elite program. The Stephanie Nixon in front of the VHBPA office watching horses at James horses work in the morning River are retired Thoroughbreds provided by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. A portion of the correctional facility is a former dairy farm that has been Visitors watching horses school from the starting gate converted to barns and paddocks, which now serve as both a home for a band of pensioned horses and a classroom for aspiring horsemen. Other groups of visitors came for an early morning breakfast on the backside courtesy of Kim and John Griffin, owners of the Corner Tack Shop in Williamsburg, Virginia. On various Saturday mornings during the meet, the Griffins hosted groups of 25 or so, some already race fans, others youngsters not yet so, to breakfast on the VHBPA’s patio.

Washington HBPA Washington Racing Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2013 On August 17, the eve of the 78th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile, the 2013 inductees into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame were honored at a dinner held at Emerald Downs. The honorees were selected from an outstanding group of nominees by representatives of the industry and media. Military Hawk, winner of 12 stakes races and the second-leading earner in state history with $686,128, was elected in the male horse category. Military Hawk is without question one of the most durable stakes winners in Washington history. He won or placed in stakes 37 times in an 86-race career for trainers Larry and Sharon Ross and owners George and Norma Sedlock. A 1987 foal by Colonel Stevens out of S.S. Hawk, Military Hawk won stakes at four Washington tracks—Longacres, Playfair, Yakima Meadows and Emerald Downs—and was the 1992 Washington Handicap Horse of the Year. Military Hawk also won five stakes in Northern California and one in British Columbia. Table Hands, the 1979 Washington Horse of the Year, was inducted in the filly and mare division. Bred by Wilbur Stadelman, Table Hands was one of the most explosive juveniles in state history. In 1979, Table Hands was five-for-five that summer/fall while earning a then single-season record $219,895. A 1977 foal by

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Thoroughbreds Can Do What? By Sophia McKee The Prodigious Fund’s 2013 inaugural 100-Day Trainer Challenge is an event that was designed to promote Emerald Downs’ off-track thoroughbreds (OTTBs). Five trainers were given just 100 days to retrain an off-track Thoroughbred. The five were selected from 28 applicants, and horses were selected via draft by the trainers. This report comes after the horses have been in training for just 30 days. The Challenge culminates on October 5. Dakota Demon steps confidently onto the 18-inch-wide balance beam.

Her legs are wrapped in polos, and bell boots sit around her front hooves. The lead rope hangs slack from her rope halter as she walks down the beam. A moment’s distraction and a hind leg falls off the beam and the rest of her

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Table Run out of Hold Hands, Table Hands won five stakes including the Grade 2 Del Mar Debutante, Grade 2 Hollywood Lassie Stakes and Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes. Retired Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association General Manager Ralph Vacca, who served Washington breeders for nearly five decades, was saluted for lifetime achievement, becoming only the seventh recipient of one of the state’s highest awards in Thoroughbred racing. Gallyn Mitchell became the first jockey to make the Hall of Fame based mainly on accomplishments at Emerald Downs. The 50-year-old Mitchell, affectionately known as “Booger,” is the only jockey to ride all 18 seasons at Emerald Downs and ranks first in virtually every major category with 1,347 wins, 76 stakes wins and $13,847,580 in earnings. Although he has not won a training title at Emerald Downs, in nearly a halfcentury as a trainer Howard Belvoir has won 1,902 races and more than $17 million in purses and ranks near the top in all major training categories at the Auburn, Washington, oval. He’s ranked third with 610 wins, fifth with 29 stakes wins and also fifth with $6,252,603 in earnings. Belvoir, 69, also is the only trainer to win the Longacres Mile two straight years at Emerald Downs in 2008 and 2009. Czech-Mate Farm, located in Enumclaw, Washington, has produced an assembly line of Washington champions and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in the breeders division. The farm is the breeder of eight different state champions.

follows. Startled, slightly embarrassed, she follows trainer Mark Bolender back to the beginning of the beam and does it again. This time focused on the task at hand, she steps up, walks confidently to the end and heads to the swinging suspension bridge. Dakota Demon is just 30 days into the 100-Day Trainer Challenge with Mark Bolender. Two months ago, she was racing at Emerald Downs. Now, she is one of five horses with professional trainers learning a new career. Hers is anything but typical. Mark Bolender does extreme trail, and Dakota is learning to walk on balance beams, do 360-degree turns on suspension bridges and go up and down embankments into water. She’s excelling. Her competitors are also progressing fabulously through the first weeks of the challenge. Summer Snow’s nickname is Rainier, which is appropriate for the 9-yearold grey gelding who raced in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. Now in Oregon with eventing trainer Devin Robel of Blue Rider Farm, he’s already schooled crosscountry and is showing confidence over fences. Solar, bred and raced by Oak Crest Farms, is with dressage trainer Chesna Klimek and already has had three show outings in just one month. His calm demeanor has made him a fan favorite as he’s negotiated all his shows with ease. He most recently placed fifth in the hopeful division at his most recent eventing show. He shows great promise as a hunter or low-level eventer. The Last Say, a.k.a. Ellie, is with eventing trainer Meika Decher of Polestar Farm. The bay mare raced only once and is already rounding into the bridle and starting over jumps. The uphill built mare shows great promise as an eventer with a bold way of going. Underfunded Fun, a.k.a. Sweet Pea, has proven to be a bit more salty than sweet. Taking a while to settle into her new surroundings at Blue Heron Farm, the chestnut mare is being trained by a team effort. Trainers Ruel Johnson and Tara Devlin are training the mare with their hunter/jumper students. She’s relaxed in recent weeks and is now learning to jump. The five horses will show at the October 5 Thoroughbred and HalfThoroughbred Horse Show at Donida Farm in Auburn, Washington. The horses will compete against each other in in-hand, flat and freestyle classes. The trainer and horse with the highest cumulative point total (including fan voting) will be declared the winner. All the horses are for sale and will go to new homes at the conclusion of the challenge. You can follow the Challenge at www.facebook.com/prodigiousfund. The 100-Day Trainer Challenge is run by the Emerald Downs Prodigious Fund. The Prodigious Fund mission is to recognize and support positive efforts made within the Thoroughbred aftercare community for the re-homing, promotion and care of retired racehorses. The Fund is supported through industry contributions, per starter contributions and matching funds from Emerald Downs.

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