The Horsemen's Journal - Spring 2020 by The Horsemen's Journal

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THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL CONTENTS | SPRING 2020 | VOLUME 67/#1

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

02 Message from the National HBPA

Racing Education 101

Breakdown Injuries: What We Know and What We Don’t

Three outstanding programs offer equine studies degrees and career path options

An examination of the many factors that can contribute to breakdowns

Lady’s Secret: Racing’s Iron Lady A look back at the incredible career of Secretariat’s greatest runner

Industry News

18 14

HBPA News

Research & Medication Update

Affiliate News

Face in the Crowd Social media phenomenon Southern Phantom is helping spread a positive message about horse racing

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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MESSAGE FROM

THE CEO NATIONAL HBPA 3380 Paris Pike Lexington, KY 40511 P (859) 259-0451 F (859) 259-0452 racing@hbpa.org www.hbpa.org

THE DECISION TO CANCEL THE 2020 NATIONAL HBPA CONFERENCE DUE TO THE ALARMING SPREAD OF COVID-19 WAS A DIFFICULT ONE.

understand the impact this pandemic has had on the member affiliates of the NHBPA throughout the country, as well as on our sponsors and other industry attendees. Representing the horsemen and women of the HBPA is the most important aspect of my job, and

having to cancel the conference is not a decision that was taken lightly. I share in PRESIDENT/ CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD Leroy Gessmann

the disappointment and frustration of our membership. As we drew closer to the conference date, we all knew the decision made on March 17 was a necessary act to effectively mitigate the risk of spreading this deadly virus. Since that date, we have watched the speed at which this pandemic

SECRETARY/ TREASURER Lynne Schuller

has continued to spread, and I am confident this difficult decision was the correct one. This is a global health crisis, and we acted responsibly. We know tough times are ahead of us as an industry, a nation and a world while

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Eric J. Hamelback

we deal with the spread of the virus. However, we as an industry are resilient and we will get through this together. While our affiliates continue protecting against the spread of this virus at their racetracks, I will continue looking to the future in hope of aiding in restoring stability to our industry, which is suffering both economically

VICE PRESIDENT EASTERN REGION Stephen Screnci

and personally in barns throughout the country. As we work through such an unprecedented time in our industry, I urge each affiliate to continue working with its racing commission and track management to explore possibilities for establishing future race days to make up for those that have been lost. When the time is right and our officials have declared it safe to return to normalcy, we should all quickly get

VICE PRESIDENT SOUTHERN REGION Rick Hiles VICE PRESIDENT CENTRAL REGION Joe Davis

back to racing with the full participation from horsemen, horseplayers, stakeholders and our fans. As we move into the summer and fall, it is imperative for all of us to use these months to reestablish our great industry and work to improve things moving forward after we emerge from this trying time in which we find ourselves. While many of us may not be racing right now or are facing a delayed race meet, I assure you that you can trust that I will continue working tirelessly for our membership and our industry. I hope to be an integral part of restoring regularity for our horsemen and the participants of this great industry. Our industry depends on us, and we must deliver

VICE PRESIDENT WESTERN REGION J. Lloyd Yother

stability through leadership and example.

SINCERELY, ERIC J. HAMELBACK

As we move into the summer and fall, it is imperative for all of us to use these months to reestablish our great industry and work to improve things moving forward after we emerge from this trying time in which we find ourselves.

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CONTRIBUTORS

THE

NATIONAL HBPA

AFFILIATES

WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS CORPORATE

DENIS BLAKE

SPONSORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - AFFILIATES Dr. David Harrington, Alabama Norm Castiglione, Alberta Robert Hutton, Arizona Bill Walmsley, Arkansas David Milburn, British Columbia and Canadian National James Miller, Charles Town Kent Bamford, Colorado Chris Vaccaro, Finger Lakes Stephen Screnci, Florida Marta Loveland, Idaho Jim Watkins, Illinois Joe Davis, Indiana David McShane, Iowa Rick Hiles, Kentucky Benard Chatters, Louisiana Blaine McLaren, Manitoba George Kutlenios, Michigan Dr. Scott Rake, Minnesota Jami Poole, Mountaineer Park Robert Moser, Nebraska Anthony Spadea, New England Joe Poole, Ohio David Faulkner, Oklahoma Sue Leslie, Ontario Ron Sutton, Oregon Sandee Martin, Pennsylvania Eddie Esquirol, Saskatchewan Robert Jeffries, Tampa Bay Downs David Ross, Virginia Pat LePley, Washington

Dave Basler Dr. Kimberly Brewer Dr. Clara Fenger Judy L. Marchman Patricia McQueen Dr. Thomas Tobin

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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STAFF Denis Blake Editor P (512) 695-4541 hj@hbpa.org Jennifer Vanier Allen Advertising Director P (716) 650-4011 F (509) 272-1640 jallen@hbpa.org Limb Design www.limbdesign.com Graphic Design THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL 3380 Paris Pike Lexington, KY 40511 P (512) 695-4541 F (859) 259-0452 hj@hbpa.org HBPA WEBSITE: www.hbpa.org COVER PHOTO: Photo by Mark – stock.adobe.com

The opinions, representations and viewpoints expressed by the authors in the articles contained in The Horsemen’s Journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions, representations and viewpoints or the official policies or positions of The Horsemen’s Journal, National Horsemen’s Administration Corporation or National Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association Inc. and its affiliates (collectively “HJ”). HJ is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to or reliance on any information contained within this issue. Information in this issue may become outdated due to the rapidly changing nature of the horse industry. The publication of any advertisements or articles should not be construed as an endorsement of any product, service or position unless specifically stated. The Horsemen’s Journal, Volume 67 #1. 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 2020 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 owners and

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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 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, 3380 Paris Pike, Lexington, KY 40511.

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THE HORSEMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JOURNAL

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NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS

COVID-19

UPDATE Important Update Regarding COVID-19 As you are undoubtably aware, COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact around the world, including, of course, within the horse racing industry. Because it is not possible to provide timely and accurate updates in a print magazine, please refer to the National HBPA website at hbpa.org, individual affiliate websites and social media channels for the latest information about how this pandemic is affecting racing. Below are some COVID-19 guidelines compiled by the National HBPA from various sources, including The Jockey Club, National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

he public health threat presented by COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus, is affecting the entire United States. The equine industry is not immune, and we all need to take proactive steps to ensure our own health and that of our industry. Protecting the health of families, friends, employees and one another is of paramount importance. As horsemen and horsewomen, we are knowledgeable and familiar with biosecurity. We have all worked through disease outbreaks and quarantines, and we understand the basic principles to mitigate disease transmission in horses. The environment we are in currently, however, should require all of us to apply and expand these principles. The standards defined below should be considered, adopted, implemented and practiced by all horsemen working together in our industry. According to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Office of State Veterinarian, the following guidance is encouraged and may be applied: General Guidance • Familiarize yourself and your employees about the Coronavirus Guidelines for America that have been widely published online. • If you feel sick, stay home. Do not work. Contact your medical provider. • If your children are sick, keep them at home. Do not send them to school. Contact your medical provider. • If someone in your household has tested positive for the virus, keep the entire household at home. Do not go to work. Do not go to school. Contact your medical provider. • If you are an older person, stay home and away from other people. • If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition that can put you at increased risk (for example, a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system), stay home and away from other people. • Limit unnecessary congregation and maintain a responsible social distance between individuals. Social distancing is the phrase of the moment and is defined as a six-foot perimeter/space between individuals. • Please keep up to date with the Centers for Disease Control guidance, which includes best practices during this time. Caring for Our Horses and Industry The following are best practices for those in the equine industry: • Barns should be open to allow as much exchange of fresh air as possible. THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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• Equipment (leads, shanks, twitches, grooming, etc.) should be assigned to a barn and not passed to different individuals. This equipment should be cleaned and disinfected daily. • Surfaces (desk, rails, gates, etc.) having contact with individuals or equipment should be cleaned and disinfected frequently. • Paperwork should be completed and submitted electronically, if possible. • Communication should be via phone call, email or text when possible. • Veterinarians and other individuals who visit multiple facilities daily must understand and accept the additional steps they must take to avoid becoming contaminated and potentially transferring the contagion to other environments. Guidance for Stable Employees • There should be no physical contact between individuals, and they should practice social distancing. • All stable employees should check their temperatures twice daily, and if an elevated fever is detected, they should report the fever to their supervisor. • Where possible, employees should be “consistently compartmentalized,” meaning individuals’ day-to-day routines should be organized so that they work with the same people daily and do not work different shifts to avoid interacting with new or different individuals. • Ideally, there would be one employee per barn working with the veterinarian or other individuals who are working in the stable. This individual should be at or near the head of the horse and away from the attending professional. Additionally, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture has released the following guidelines regarding breeding shed activity: • Submission of documentation for mares booked to be bred would best be done electronically. We’ve seen numerous reports in which handled paper can be contaminated. • Eliminate outside individuals (van drivers and mare attendants) from coming into the prep area and shed. To accomplish this, the van would arrive, and the mare would be offloaded and handed off to a shed employee (using the shed’s shank), who would handle the mare through the process. The van driver and anyone accompanying the mare to the shed should remain outside in the parking area while maintaining social distance with other individuals.

FEATURE • After cover, the mare would be returned to the loading area and handed off to the attendant for loading onto the van. If there is need for a mare’s attendant to witness the cover, this should be accomplished from outside looking in, video or virtually. • The shank should be cleaned before returning to the shed for reuse, and the attendant should wash their hands. (Additional recommendation by The Jockey Club: Preferably, attendants should disinfect their hands with acceptable products efficacious in preventing the spread of viral or bacterial agents; attendants should wear disposable gloves where practicable.) • Breeding equipment (leg straps, collars, boots, etc.) should be cleaned before reuse. (Additional recommendation by The Jockey Club: Preferably, equipment should be disinfected with acceptable products efficacious

in preventing the spread of viral or bacterial agents; attendants should wear disposable gloves where practicable.) • Additionally, maintaining enhanced biosecurity in our daily activity is essential to all of these mitigations. Implementing these practices and any other action you can take to eliminate people from congregating in common areas will be beneficial and could be critical in our ability to continue business in as normal a manner as possible. The National HBPA will continue to provide further updates through its website and with emails and social media posts. We encourage you to share this information with other horsemen and encourage them to sign up for updates from the National HBPA.

The Jockey Club Releases Data Showing Decrease in Equine Injuries Statistical Summary from 2009 to 2019 (Thoroughbred Flat Racing Only) Calendar Year

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Rate

2.00

1.88

1.92

1.90

1.89

1.62

1.54

1.61

1.68

1.53

n analysis of the Equine Injury Database (EID) data for 2019 shows a decrease in the rate of fatal injury (1.53 per 1,000 starts) compared to 2018 (1.68 per 1,000 starts), The Jockey Club announced. The 2019 rate is the lowest number since the EID started collecting data in 2009. The overall drop in the risk of fatal injury from 2009 to 2019 was 23.5 percent. Based on the 2019 data, 99.8 percent of flat racing starts at the racetracks participating in the EID were completed without a fatality. Although many factors are associated with racing fatalities, traditionally the annual summaries have been prepared by surface type. The incidence of fatality per 1,000 starts by racing surface for 2019 is as follows: • Dirt, 1.60: Dirt surfaces experienced a 14.2 percent decrease in risk of fatal injury from 2018 to 2019 (statistically significant P=0.04). Since 2009, there has been a 24.1 percent drop on dirt in the risk of fatal injury (statistically significant P<0.001). • Turf, 1.56: Turf surfaces had a 30 percent increase in risk of fatal injury from 2018 to 2019 (not statistically significant). Since 2009, there has been a 19.6 percent drop on turf in the risk of fatal injury (not statistically significant). • Synthetic, 0.93: Synthetic surfaces saw a 24 percent decrease in the risk of fatal injury from 2018 to 2019 (not statistically significant), with the rate dropping below 1.0 for the first time since annual summaries were first reported in 2009. Since 2009, there has been a 37 percent drop on synthetic surfaces in the risk of fatal injury (statistically significant P=0.04). “Although the incidence of racing fatalities on dirt surfaces reached an all-time low in 2019 of 1.60, the results on turf increased from 1.20 in 2018 to 1.56 in 2019,” said Dr. Tim Parkin, professor of Veterinary Epidemiology at the University of Glasgow. “The number of starts on turf has been trending upward, and this increase in fatalities likely indicates a set of risk factors unique to turf racing may be driving the results. Understanding the factors that contribute to increased risk of fatality is a continuous pursuit, one that would benefit tremendously from reporting data on injuries to horses that occur during morning training hours.” 8

“The 23.5 percent reduction in fatal injuries since 2009 indicates that the Thoroughbred industry’s commitment to equine safety is paying dividends,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel of The Jockey Club, the organization that maintains the EID. “Capturing injury data from morning training hours at racetracks

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as well as data related to treatments and procedures would greatly improve the precision of our risk models, increasing the ability of racetrack Jockey club personnel to identify horses at risk even before logo they hit the entry box.” Since March 2012, racetracks have been able to voluntarily publish their statistics from the EID on The Jockey Club website. The 27 tracks that self-reported in 2019 had a slightly higher incidence of fatality (1.53) than non-self-reported (1.52) across all surfaces. Racetracks accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance had a lower incidence of fatality per 1,000 starts versus non-accredited tracks across all surfaces (1.46 vs. 1.59). This difference was not statistically significant. Races of less than six furlongs have consistently been associated with the greatest incidence of racing fatality. In addition, 2-year-olds again had the lowest rate of catastrophic injuries compared to 3-year-olds and older horses.

The Jockey Club thanks all participating racetracks for supplying this critical data and continues to encourage the reporting of all injuries and fatalities occurring during morning training hours. Currently, only a few tracks consistently supply training data. The EID statistics are based on injuries that resulted in fatalities within 72 hours from the date of the race. The statistics are for official Thoroughbred races only and exclude steeplechase races. Summary statistics for the EID are subject to change due to a number of considerations, including reporting timeliness. The list of racetracks participating in the EID and detailed statistics from those tracks that voluntarily publish their results can be found at jockeyclub. com/default.asp?section=Advocacy&area=11. The Equine Injury Database, conceived at the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation’s first Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, was launched by The Jockey Club in July 2008 and seeks to identify the frequencies, types and outcomes of racing injuries using a standardized format that generates valid statistics, identifies markers for horses at increased risk of injury and serves as a data source for research directed at improving safety and preventing injuries.

The Jockey Club Provides Video and FAQs to Facilitate Digital Certificate Management

he Jockey Club Registry has made available a video tutorial and FAQs to assist industry stakeholders with managing digital certificates. Introduced in 2018, digital certificates streamline management of the official certificate of registration throughout the life of a Thoroughbred. “A digital certificate follows a Thoroughbred from the farm to the sales to the racetrack to the breeding shed and even into retirement,” said Rick Bailey, registrar at The Jockey Club. “The foals of 2018 are now 2 years old, and they are the first Thoroughbreds to arrive at the racetrack with digital certificates. We want to help racing office personnel, trainers and other interested parties learn how to manage digital certificates to ensure the process is smooth and efficient for everyone. For Thoroughbreds 3 years old and older, the paper certificate process stays the same.” For those who do not have an interactive registration account, the first step in managing digital certificates is to create an account at registry.jockeyclub. com. Interactive registration has been used by breeders, owners and agents for more than two decades to submit names, registration applications and other materials to the registry office. Sign-up is free, and anyone with a valid email

address can sign up for an account. When a horse is registered, the person performing the registration is prompted to designate the first certificate manager. The certificate manager has control of the digital certificate, similar to having possession of a paper certificate. If a horse is consigned to a sale before registration is complete, the certificate is automatically assigned to the sales company. A certificate manager can assign a certificate to an individual/entity, sales company, racetrack or The Jockey Club Registry. During the assignment process, current ownership information can be updated, and if certificate management is assigned to a racetrack, a trainer must be selected. Digital certificates also show logos that indicate Breeders’ Cup nomination, Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau digital tattoo status, many state breeders’ programs and other important designations. Documents such as Coggins tests or a bill of sale can be uploaded to a digital certificate and are indicated by a paperclip icon. For more information about Thoroughbred registry-related processes, visit the registry website at registry.jockeyclub.com.

Churchill Downs Reschedules the Kentucky Derby

hurchill Downs Incorporated has announced its decision to reschedule the 146th Longines Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve from their regular May dates. The Derby has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 5, and the Oaks for Friday, September 4. Churchill CEO Bill Carstanjen stated: “Throughout the rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic, our first priority has been how to best protect the safety and health of our guests, team members and community. As the situation evolved, we reached the difficult conclusion that we needed to reschedule. At no point did we ever consider canceling the Kentucky Derby.”

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As of press time for this issue, plans for the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course and Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park had not been announced. For the latest information on Derby Week, Churchill’s spring meet and details on ticketing as well as other relevant information regarding this change, visit kentuckyderby.com/updates.

Presentations and Videos from Fourth IFAR Conference Now Available

owerPoint presentations and videos from the fourth International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) are now available online. The presentations and videos can be found at internationalracehorseaftercare.com under the “IFAR Conference 2020” tab on the News & Events page. The conference was held February 20 as part of the Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Cape Town, South Africa. The events were hosted by the Asian Racing Federation and the ARC local organizing committee, consisting of Phumelela Gaming and Leisure, the Racing Association, Gold Circle Racing and Gaming Group, Kenilworth Racing and The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa. This year’s IFAR featured presentations from representatives of South Africa, Japan, South Korea and Australia on their advancements in aftercare practices, as well as discussions pertaining to the importance of developing effective

aftercare programs, equine welfare and improving traceability. “I was thrilled with the strong attendance at this year’s forum in Cape Town, for it demonstrates that aftercare is becoming a key focus in racing administration,” said Di Arbuthnot, chair of IFAR. “Posting the presentations and videos from the conference will enable industry stakeholders from around the world as well as the public to educate themselves on aftercare practices, strategies and global progress.” IFAR has previously been held in conjunction with the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation’s General Assembly in Oslo, Norway, in May 2019; the Asian Racing Conference in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2018; and the Pan American Conference in Washington, D.C., in May 2017. IFAR is an independent forum that recognizes geographical and industry differences among racing countries and is designed to enhance Thoroughbred aftercare worldwide. Working with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, IFAR raises awareness of the importance of welfare for Thoroughbreds, improves education on lifetime care and helps increase demand for former racehorses in other equestrian sports. For more information on IFAR, visit internationalracehorseaftercare.com.

Breeders’ Cup Adds $4 Million to Purses, Increases Safety Measures

he Breeders’ Cup board of directors met during a regularly scheduled meeting to discuss future business plans, including next steps in advancing safety measures and purse levels for the two-day World Championships. The board continued its commitment to using the organization’s leadership position within the industry to encourage the adoption of increased safety requirements within and beyond the World Championships. Beginning at the 2020 World Championships, the Breeders’ Cup will adopt all six recommendations from Dr. Larry Bramlage’s report on the 2019 World Championships. These process improvements are aimed at refining safety and veterinary evaluation protocols for future events. The report was the first of its kind as the Breeders’ Cup leads by example in promoting transparency and accountability in Thoroughbred racing. The Breeders’ Cup also remains heavily involved in the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition’s advocacy for the implementation of safety and integrity reforms, including those announced in November and December, at the state and track level. To this end, in order to host a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge race, U.S.-based tracks that are not members of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition will be required to agree to adopt all of the safety and integrity reforms that make up the coalition’s platform and must demonstrate a good faith effort in implementing those reforms.

“The implementation of the increased safety measures outlined in the Bramlage report for our World Championships, along with the required adoption of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition safety and integrity reforms by racetrack partners hosting Breeders’ Cup Challenge races, are the latest steps the Breeders’ Cup has taken to strengthen its longstanding commitment to instituting the highest standards in the overall conduct of our racing programs,” said Drew Fleming, Breeders’ Cup president and CEO. The board also approved a $4 million increase in purses, bringing total purses and awards for the two-day World Championships to $35 million. Purse payouts also will be modified to pay down to the 10th position from the current eighth position. The purse increases begin with this year’s event at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on November 6-7 and will be allocated as follows: • $1 million to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic for a total purse of $7 million • $2 million to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf for a total purse of $6 million • $1 million to the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for a total purse of $2 million With the increase, the Turf is now tied for the richest Group 1 turf race in the world and the Dirt Mile becomes the richest dirt mile race worldwide. The Classic remains the richest race in North America and the third richest Group 1 in the world. “These purse increases reflect the Breeders’ Cup’s mission to conduct the World Championships at the highest levels of quality and to keep our races competitive on the international stage,” Fleming said. “Our decision to increase purse payouts to 10th place in all our races is a tribute to the loyal participation of our owners and trainers who support the World Championships each year.” HJ

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HBPA NEWS

NATIONAL HBPA CANCELS CONFERENCE DUE TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK The National HBPA canceled its annual conference scheduled for March 24-28 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, another casualty of the COVID-19 outbreak and the need to eliminate crowds of any size. “We are saddened to have to call off our conference,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the NHBPA. “We were hoping there was a way to preserve it in order to engage in important discussions about the issues we face and ways to work toward improving our industry. But nothing is more important than the health

and safety of Americans. Drastic measures are being taken across the country, and canceling our conference is the responsible thing to do. “We are so disappointed for Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and our Arkansas HBPA affiliate, which went out of their way to assist us in putting the conference together,” he added. “We thank them for their efforts and hope down the road the National HBPA Convention can return to Hot Springs.”

NATIONAL HBPA’S CORPORATE PARTNER STABLE REMAINS STRONG The National HBPA is proud to announce that nine corporate partners have renewed their relationships with North America’s largest horsemen’s association. “The support of our corporate partners is more important than ever, and we truly appreciate each and every one of them,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the NHBPA. “By partnering with the National HBPA, these companies have made a statement about how important horsemen are to them, so I ask all our members to make that same statement and patronize our corporate partners whenever possible.” Following is an overview of each corporate partner. Daily Racing Form, “America’s Turf Authority since 1894” for Thoroughbred racing horseplayers and professionals, is the industry’s dominant multichannel media company. Daily Racing Form is the only daily newspaper in the United States dedicated solely to the coverage of a single sport. Its companion website, drf.com, is the most heavily trafficked horse racing destination, providing players with extensive racing news coverage, interactive past performances, exclusive handicapping tools and access to the online and mobile wagering platform DRF Bets. Since making their published debut in 1991, Beyer Speed Figures have become an industry standard for the comparison of one horse’s performance to another. One of the company’s newest offerings, Beyer Sire Performance Standings, examines stallion performance beyond wins and 14

earnings by measuring a sire’s ability to produce high-quality horses, not necessarily the most winners or highest earners. For more information, go to drf.com. Equine Equipment, which helps members of the horse industry get discounts on farm equipment, mowers and more, joined the list of NHBPA corporate partners two years ago through a marketing partnership with Tenda Horse Products. Tenda is approaching five decades of serving the performance horse industry with products that promote and improve the overall health, soundness, performance and well-being of equine athletes. Visit tendahorse.com or call (888) 836-3213 for more information. Equine Equipment also can help horsemen save up to 26 percent off MSRP on equipment from Toro and Exmark, along with discounts on FarmPaint. The company also recently announced a partnership with New Holland that provides horsemen with discounts on both agricultural and construction equipment. Find out more at equineequipment.com or by calling (877) 905-0004. Equineline.com provides a variety of services and reports for horsemen. Among the reports offered are pedigrees, race records and an assortment of breeding, racing and sales information for individual horses (Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse), including free five-cross pedigrees for Thoroughbreds, free auction results search for Thoroughbreds and a free racing recap for Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races. Many of the Thoroughbred reports include video replay capabilities. Equineline.com, a service of The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc., also offers products that can help save THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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operations liability at an affordable cost to horsemen. The policy includes up to $1 million in coverage for each occurrence and $2 million general aggregate. For more information, visit lavininsurance.com or call (502) 228-1600. NTRA Advantage offers National HBPA members significant savings on nationally known products used for equine farm, business or personal use. Since the inception of NTRA Advantage in 2002, industry participants have made $900 million in purchases, resulting in $180 million in savings. Partners in the NTRA Advantage program include John Deere, Sherwin Williams, Office Depot, Big Ass Fans, Suncast Commercial, UPS and Red Brand. For more information, call (866) 678-4289 or visit ntraadvantage.com. Red Brand has been a leading manufacturer of American-made premium agricultural fencing products for well over a century. The company was founded in 1889 as Keystone Steel & Wire Company and began in a humble shed on a rented farm in Dillon, Illinois. It was there that Peter Sommer invented a machine that wove steel wire fence to replace traditional wooden timber fences. The first “Red Brand” fence appeared around 1925, with, in a display of modern marketing savvy, Keystone wire and fence posts dipped in red paint, making the new Red Brand products instantly recognizable on farms all over America. For more information about Red Brand products and to find a dealer near you, go to redbrand.com or call (800) 447-6444. Xpressbet provides legal and secure online wagering services to horseplayers in the United States. It is the industry’s most comprehensive and user-friendly wagering site, allowing customers to wager on more than 300 of the world’s best racetracks from their computer, phone or mobile device. Xpressbet operates XB SELECT, the industry’s premier destination for high-volume wagering, and XB Net, which connects bet shops and wagering sites from around the world to North American racing. For more information, go to xpressbet.com. HJ

DENIS BLAKE

horsemen both time and money, including the Trainer Program, Farm Program, Owner Program, Sales Catalog App and Portfolio Service. To find out more, visit equineline.com. Finish Line Horse Products Inc. manufactures products for racing and other performance horses and strives to provide the right products at the right price. The company also offers a free hotline for customers to ask trained staff about Finish Line products or general equine-related questions. Although Finish Line has grown to serve many other equine disciplines over the years, Thoroughbred racing was the first and is still a core business for the company. Finish Line products are made in the United States and are 100 percent guaranteed to horsemen every time with the goal to “produce products that will show you a noticeable improvement in your horse.” That makes Finish Line’s products a necessary part of many trainers’ barn programs and a factor in racing barns throughout the country. For more information, visit finishlinehorse.com. Horseman Labor Solutions provides immigration services to the industry and assists trainers in maintaining their staff of skilled guest workers. Whether it is a 10-month temporary visa for a skilled groom or hot walker or a five-year visa for exercise riders and jockeys, Horseman Labor Solutions and its immigration services are considered second to none by many horsemen. CEO William Velie is a frequent speaker at National HBPA conferences and is hands-on in meeting with both trainers and guest workers to cover all details in the visa process. For more information, call (800) 678-RACE (7223). Lavin Insurance Group LLC administers the NHBPA-endorsed Owners’ and Trainers’ Liability Program, which provides coverage for assets in cases of injury or property damage as the result of equine activities, such as racing, sales, training and breeding. The policy covers liability claims, contractual liability and premises and

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FEATURE NEWS

RESEARCH AND MEDICATION UPDATE

More Than $1.3 Million in Funding Approved for Equine Research by Grayson-Jockey Club Board The board of directors of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced that it authorized expenditure of $1,389,637 to fund 17 new projects at 13 universities, four continuing projects and the Storm Cat Career Development Award. The 2020 research slate brings the foundation’s totals since 1983 to more than $28.8 million to underwrite 383 projects at 45 universities. A project to fund sample collection, storage and cataloging of tissue related to nocardioform placentitis for future submitted research was accepted because the disease is directly affecting the 2020 Kentucky foal crop. “All of our projects are important and designed to help the most horses with the most relevant and critical research, and I’d like to thank all of our many donors and supporters,” said the foundation’s chair, Dell Hancock. “However, some projects are extremely time-sensitive, such as the one for nocardioform placentitis, which is affecting our foals in Central Kentucky right now. Nocardioform placentitis cannot be replicated, so we urge farms to provide tissue samples to the University of Kentucky to help solve this terrible problem.” “Given that we see nocardioform placentits only on a sporadic basis, it is essential we are able to act quickly and acquire samples during an outbreak,” said David Horohov, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Veterinary Science and director of Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky. “We are extremely grateful to Grayson for their support of this effort. It is only through the collection of samples for further analysis and continued screening of the identified bacteria for antibiotic sensitivity and resistance that we will be able to improve our understanding of this disease.” The University of Kentucky has made arrangements with local veterinarians who have been supplied with the proper testing kits. Veterinarians who would like additional information should contact gluck@l.uky.edu. All of the testing for this research will be done at no cost to enrolled mares on participating farms. The following is an alphabetical list by school of the new projects:

Novel Treatment for Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis Stephanie Valberg, Michigan State University • Determining if a potent antioxidant Coenzyme Q10, not subject to withdrawal times, can benefit horses with tying up by replenishing diminished muscle CoQ10 levels and decreasing oxidative stress. Enhancing the Efficacy of MSCs for Tendon Healing Lauren Schnabel, North Carolina State University • This proposal examines the tendon inflammatory environment following acute injury and the effect of such an environment on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with the goal of improving MSC treatment efficacy. AMPK Agonist Combination Therapy and ID in Horses Teresa Burns, Ohio State University • By completing this work, we hope to characterize a combination therapy to improve equine insulin resistance that is administered orally and well tolerated. SDFT Adaptation in Thoroughbred Racehorses Sushmitha Durgam, Ohio State University • The impact of training and racing on (mal)adaptations in superficial digital flexor tendon hierarchical structure will be evaluated to delineate the pathophysiology of this common injury in racehorses. Dynamics of Vitamin D in Hospital Foals Ramiro Toribio, Ohio State University • Critically ill foals often have low blood levels of vitamin D; our goal is to investigate if their levels over time are associated with the severity of their disease and mortality.

Passive Immunization of Foals With RNA-AB Against R. Equi Jeroen Pollet, Baylor College of Medicine • By inhalation therapy, we intend to deliver the genetic code for a protective antibody against Rhodococcus equi into the lung cells of newborn foals to rapidly protect them against infection.

Asthma, Performance and Omega-3s in Racing Thoroughbreds Laurent Couetil, Purdue University • Investigating the variability of asthma severity in horses racing across the U.S., its effect on performance and determining if omega-3 PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) supplementation is beneficial.

Improving Fungal Diagnosis in Horses Soon Hon Cheong, Cornell University • Developing a diagnostic test that can rapidly detect, identify and determine the antifungal susceptibility profile of clinical equine samples to improve treatment outcomes of fungal infection in horses.

Anti-PNAG Plasma for Preventing R. Equi Foal Pneumonia Noah Cohen, Texas A&M University • Transfusion of plasma is the only licensed product for preventing Rhodococcus equi pneumonia, and we intend to demonstrate that we have developed a plasma product superior to that available currently.

Bisphosphonates and Fatal Musculoskeletal Injury Heidi Reesink, Cornell University • Determining the prevalence of bisphosphonate use in racehorses and whether bisphosphonates are associated with fatal musculoskeletal injury is essential to equine welfare and the future of racing.

Effect of Nebulized Lidocaine in Treating Equine Asthma Melissa Mazan, Tufts University • Evaluating the efficacy of inhaled lidocaine in equine asthma in reducing airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness by promoting an anti-inflammatory lung environment.

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Effect of NSAIDs on Anion Transport in the Equine Colon David Freeman, University of Florida • This proposal is designed to improve management of horses with right dorsal colitis, an insidious life-threatening form of colic for which all horses on phenylbutazone are at risk. Nocardioform Placentitis University of Kentucky • Sample collection and storage of tissue for future research and testing for nocardioform placentitis. Protein-Based In Vivo Diagnostic for Endometrial Biofilm Mats Troedsson, University of Kentucky • Successful management of bacterial biofilms in the uterus requires an accurate diagnostic in vivo assay that we propose to develop. Novel Delivery of Antimicrobials into Equine Joint Simon Bailey, University of Melbourne • The development and testing of a novel (gel) carrier formulation for the antibiotic Cefuroxime and injection into horses’ joints for application as a treatment of joint infections. Diagnostic Assay for Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis Molly McCue, University of Minnesota • Identify a comprehensive set of genetic markers that allow RER risk prediction before horses tie-up, and preemptive management to decrease the frequency and severity of clinical disease.

The Storm Cat Career Development Award, inaugurated in 2006, grants $15,000 to an individual considering a career in equine research. This year’s recipient is Sherry A. Johnson, DVM, of Colorado State University. Johnson completed her sports medicine and rehabilitation residency in conjunction with her master’s program and now is in the second year of her Ph.D. program. Her project, “Validation of Blood Flow Restriction Training in Horses,” represents her passion for researching soft tissue injury and rehabilitation. Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is traditionally the nation’s leading source of equine research funding. The projects it supports enhance the health and safety of horses of all breeds. Additional information about the foundation and these research projects is available at grayson-jockeyclub.org. HJ

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DENIS BLAKE

Inhibiting EHV-1 With Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Arthur Frampton, University of North Carolina Wilmington • Using a tissue culture model system to test the ability of specific drugs to reduce the damaging hyper-inflammatory response that is observed in EHV-1 infected horses suffering from equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy.

FEATURE

KONRAD WEEBER, SARATOGA SCENES PHOTOGRAPHY

THE HORSEMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JOURNAL

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KEVIN COSGRIFF

T Face in the Crowd Social media phenomenon SOUTHERN PHANTOM is helping spread a positive message about horse racing By Denis Blake

A Horse of a Different Color

Any horseman will tell you that Thoroughbreds are individuals who can exhibit human-like traits, but as different as some horses act, the majority of them look pretty much the same. Sure, trainers should have no problem identifying runners in their barn, but to the casual fan, a horse is a horse (of course, of course, for those old enough to remember the TV show Mister Ed).

That is, except for Southern Phantom.

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

he exquisitely colored 4-year-old has developed a loyal following on social media and inspires a paparazzi-like atmosphere every time he steps on the track. And while he has yet to have his picture taken in the winner’s circle, he’s proven to be a great ambassador for the sport with a little help from his new owners, Danny and Allison Caldwell. The son of Bodemeister grabbed the attention of social media almost immediately after he was foaled on June 5, 2016. Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm and Southern Equine Stable LLC, the colt got his moniker through an online naming contest in which Mike Moreno of Southern Equine partnered with BloodHorse. The winning entry came from Mary Beth Woods of Louisiana, who said she came up with it because the horse reminded her of the titular character in The Phantom of the Opera. The naming contest was so popular that the entry period was cut short in order to go through the submissions in a reasonable timeframe. While Southern Phantom’s white face is his most noticeable trait, there’s even more that makes him unique. His eyes are different colors—one blue and one brown—and his white socks, with some black at the top, rise high on his legs like someone at the gym without any fashion sense. Even his tail is different, as if he’s a rebellious teenager who decided to dye the ends of their hair.

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Where did his unique coloration come from? Southern Phantom’s sire Bodemeister, winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1) and runner-up in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1), has a large white blaze on his face, but dam Out for Revenge (by Bernardini) is your typical bay horse. “The short answer to why is his coat like that, there is likely a mutation in one or more of the genes involved in pigmentation,” said Rebecca Bellone, professor and director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, in an article on CNN.com. The fact that Southern Phantom was profiled by CNN highlights his wide-reaching fame. Those splashes of color have made him a darling on social media, where a photo is certainly worth more than a thousand words, especially when it’s hard to get more than a couple of sentences in a tweet. While Southern Phantom is registered as a bay, his markings make him look like a Paint more than a Thoroughbred. There have been a handful of pure white Thoroughbreds in recent years that have attracted similar attention, and a Paint-like horse smartly named Koda Chrome got some headlines running at Belterra Park and Turfway Park a few years ago, but the unforgettable white face of Southern Phantom seems to set him apart. 19

KEVIN COSGRIFF

KEENELAND

FEATURE

Hitting the Track

Besides the question of how he got his unique colors, perhaps the second mostasked query is “Can he run?” In his racing debut in July 2018 as a 2-year-old at Saratoga Race Course in New York, Southern Phantom answered with “maybe.” Trained by Eric Guillot and ridden by Joel Rosario, the colt finished fifth in a field of 10 for an $85,000 maiden special weight purse. Running for Calumet and Southern Equine, Southern Phantom improved in his second start to finish third, beaten just 2 ½ lengths in another top-tier Saratoga maiden contest. The winner of that race, Unionizer, went on to capture the $75,000 Sapling Stakes next time out at Monmouth Park, proving that Southern Phantom certainly had some talent under his unique exterior. But after that effort, Southern Phantom hit a bit of a slump and finished off the board in four straight maiden races in New York before taking third in his 3-year-old debut in a $68,000 maiden affair at Aqueduct. With seven starts, two thirds and earnings of $29,260, he was certainly not on his way to the Kentucky Derby, but he had proven to be a solid runner who perhaps just needed a change of scenery.

Finding New Owners

Southern Phantom got that chance to jumpstart his racing career when he was consigned to the Keeneland November breeding stock sale as hip 3111. His opportunity will now come in the colors of Oklahoman Danny Caldwell, a perennial leading owner at Remington Park, Prairie Meadows and Oaklawn who every year since 2014 has ranked among the top eight owners nationally in wins. While Caldwell and his wife, Allison, have campaigned hundreds of horses over the years, this one truly stands out. “It was very spur of the moment,” Allison said about the auction purchase. The Caldwells were in Oklahoma City while their agent, Don Waits, was in Lexington at the sale. 20

“Allison said that pretty horse is selling today,” Danny recalled. “I said, ‘Oh really, pretty horses probably don’t run.’ I’m in the racehorse business, and I figured I couldn’t afford him. “Don called and said look at hip 3111,” he continued. “I pulled him up on Equibase, and I didn’t even look at the name. I saw he ran third at Saratoga and third at Aqueduct, so I said I’ll give $20,000 or $25,000 for him because I need horses for Oaklawn.” The couple was watching the sale from home, and when Southern Phantom walked into the ring, Danny immediately figured out who the horse was. “I thought we can’t afford him; he’ll go for $50,000 or $100,000, so I don’t know how we got him for $20,000,” he said. For a short period of time, the Caldwells weren’t sure that they actually got the horse, as Waits didn’t text or call like he normally does to confirm a purchase. “Our hearts kind of sunk, and we thought maybe it was too good to be true,” Allison recalled. “Don finally called and we asked why he didn’t call or text, and he said as soon as he signed the ticket he was doing interviews.” It’s not uncommon for horses to sell for seven figures at Keeneland, so that might have been the first interview ever for a $20,000 purchase.

Spreading the Word on Social Media

From Kentucky, it was on to Remington Park in Oklahoma City for Southern Phantom, where his new owners got to meet him for the first time before sending him to Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Arkansas. “He’s got a huge personality,” Allison said. “The first day we saw him he was hugging and loving all over Danny.” Southern Phantom was popular on social media well before the Caldwells bought him, but the couple took things to the next level by setting up his own accounts on Twitter (@PhantomSouthern), Facebook (facebook.com/ SouthernPhantom) and Instagram (@southern_phantom). Doing that served THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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KONRAD WEEBER, SARATOGA SCENES PHOTOGRAPHY

two purposes: keeping his many fans updated on his activities and assuring those fans that he was in good hands with the Caldwells and trainer Federico Villafranco. While most of the social media comments after the Keeneland sale were positive, there was some negativity, as is the case with nearly everything on social media. Some questioned why the horse was going to Oklahoma, despite the state boasting one of the nation’s top racing programs, or why he was still going to race at all, despite that he was competitive at Saratoga, one of the nation’s toughest tracks. “People wanted to make sure that he was going to be taken care of,” Allison said. “It seemed like people were vetting us a little too to make sure he was going to a good place and we had a plan for him.” While some might have taken offense to any negativity on social media, the Caldwells instead embraced the opportunity to promote the industry. “Anything that’s a positive for horse racing, I think we need to do it,” said Danny, who serves on the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma. “Allison does a great job sharing info and pictures.” Southern Phantom’s social media feeds feature a mixture of candid barn photos, videos of him working on the track and updates on when he gets his favorite treat, peppermints. “We want people to get behind something positive,” Allison added. “We want to let people know when he’s racing so they can follow him. There’s so much negativity in racing; we love this industry and want to do anything we can do to support racing and move in a positive direction. We’ve been blessed to have this opportunity kind of fall into our laps.” Allison said the popularity of Southern Phantom has stretched well beyond the racing world, as she’s heard from people involved with show horses and those who have Paints and American Quarter Horses. The colt has embraced his celebrity as much as a horse can, with Danny saying, “He knows what the camera is, and he likes it.” Allison describes him a “goofball” and a bit of a show-off. “Even going to the track, he looks around to see if everyone is watching him,” she said. Of course, first and foremost Southern Phantom is a racehorse, which sometimes means limiting his visitors at the barn so he and his stablemates can get about their business. Southern Phantom made his first start for the Caldwells at Oaklawn on March 20 but didn’t show much, finishing last of 10. Depending on how he comes out of this race, he could make another start there before the meet ends May 2. And if all goes well, he’ll be at Remington Park when Thoroughbred racing returns in August. If a career on the track doesn’t work out, there are other options, including as a stallion.

“People wanted to make sure that he was taken care of. It seemed like people were vetting us a little too to make sure he was going to a good place and we had a plan for him.” 21

FEATURE PYROIS MEDIA/MELISSA BAUER-HERZOG

“I bought him to be a racehorse until he tells us he doesn’t want to be a racehorse and he doesn’t have a passion for it, then we’ll do something else,” Danny said. “He’s definitely got a second and third career.” While the Caldwells concentrate primarily on racing, they do some breeding and stand Da Stoops, a multiple stakes-winning son of Distorted Humor, in Oklahoma. With a racing operation as large as the Caldwells’—last year the stable had nearly 500 starts—horses move in and out of the barn with regularity. But Southern Phantom has earned a special place in their hearts. “We can assure everyone he will be very well taken care of,” Allison said. “I’d let him live in the house if I could. “We absolutely adore him,” she added. “We weren’t planning on any of this but it happened and we are so excited to share him with everyone and just keep things positive in racing. Maybe it’s an opportunity to get new racing fans. He’s a horse for everybody.” HJ DANNY CALDWELL (CENTER) WITH HIS WIFE, ALLISON, AND ASSISTANT TRAINER OSCAR FLORES SHORTLY AFTER SOUTHERN PHANTOM ARRIVED AT REMINGTON PARK.

“I bought him to be a racehorse until he tells us he doesn’t want to be a racehorse and he doesn’t have a passion for it, then we’ll do something else. He’s definitely got a second and third career.”

KONRAD WEEBER, SARATOGA SCENES PHOTOGRAPHY

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FEATURE

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA RACE TRACK INDUSTRY PROGRAM

OUTSTANDING PROGRAMS OFFER EQUINE STUDIES DEGREES AND CAREER PATH OPTIONS By Judy L. Marchman

he sport of horse racing is a powerful draw for many people. Whether born from a love of horses, a fascination with handicapping or both, horse racing has a way of taking hold of you and refusing to let go. But beyond being a fan, how can someone become part of the racing industry? It depends, of course, on want you want to do. Work directly with horses in some way at the track or on a farm? Or work in the administrative or management side of things? Fortunately, no matter which area of the racing industry you’re interested in, there’s a quality educational program for it. From the granddaddy of racing education programs at the University of Arizona to the newer but no less impressive equine business program at the University of Louisville and the much-needed workforce training program at the North American Racing Academy, those seeking a career in horse racing can find the best path for them.

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The University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) in Tucson perhaps holds pride of place among racing education programs and for good reason. It has served the industry well since it debuted in 1974. For many years, it remained the only game in town for those wanting to get a college degree that focused on horse racing. As a result, the program’s alumni can be found in all areas of the industry, from racetrack executives to farm managers to top trainers, including New York Racing Association Senior VP of Racing Operations Martin Panza, Churchill Downs Senior Director of Betting Information Jim Mulvihill and Eclipse Award-winning trainers Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher. In the early 1970s, a group spearheaded by the late Frank Vessels Jr. of Los Alamitos Race Course developed RTIP as a way to train future industry leaders, and the University of Arizona agreed to give the program a five-year trial run. Forty-six years later, the program is still going strong. For program director Wendy Davis, herself an RTIP grad, it’s gratifying to see the number of graduates who have been so successful over the years. “We open the door, and they walk through and then run with it,” she said. “And they are so excited to come back as guest speakers and mentors to help the next generation.” A Tucson native, Davis is a lifelong horsewoman who grew up showing horses and even briefly flirted with the idea of being a veterinarian before realizing that dream wasn’t for her. But her father, a racing fan, encouraged her to apply to the RTIP. “It was a perfect fit,” she said. The program allowed her to continue her association with horses, and she eventually found her way back to the university, where she served as the program’s associate coordinator for many years before taking on the director spot in 2017. Part of the College of Agriculture, the RTIP averages 30 students each year; any student accepted to the university can participate in the program, which offers an animal science major. The degree is a bachelor of science with a business-oriented master’s degree available. Students can focus on one of two paths of study: racetrack management and regulation/pari-mutuel operations or the racing and breeding of horses. The racetrack management and related curriculum is a major draw for many students who want to work in track management or operations. But all students do take at least one hands-on equine class. “It gives them a better appreciation for the animal that our industry is centered around,” Davis said. And as the sport has evolved, so has the curriculum. “We see people every day who can’t wait to jump into this industry,” she added. “We continue to think about what we can do to make this program better and adapt it to wherever the racing industry goes. We have more tech-oriented coursework now, such as modules that look at casino gaming. We have students who go on to work at racetracks owned by casinos, so having an understanding and appreciation of how they operate is important.” While RTIP does get students right out high school, a number of its students are non-traditional or older students or those who already have a college degree but are looking to make a career change. The program also provides various ways to assist students with financing their degree. Scholarships are available, but “students may spend the first year or so in their home state to get the basic

FEATURE

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COURTESY ARI SHREEVE

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

COURTESY RTIP/DENISE PHARRIS

classes out of the way under their in-state tuition and then spend three or four semesters here to finish their degree,” Davis said. “That makes it financially more doable.” Recent RTIP graduate Zach Taylor is one of those who was looking to change careers. The Arkansas native already had a nice career in commercial and industrial electrical supply sales, but after falling in love with racing at Oaklawn on a customer appreciation trip there, he followed his new dream to Arizona. “It was a huge pivot in my life,” he said. “I was initially drawn to the mutuels side of things, but the regulatory classes interested me as well.” He spent about two and a half years in the program, working full-time at the university to qualify for reduced tuition for employees. He also took advantage of the required internships, such as working at nearby Rillito Park during its short meet last year as assistant RTIP STUDENTS SPEND SOME TIME AT THE BARN OF RON MOQUETT AT CHURCHILL DOWNS WHILE HE SHARES THE INS-AND-OUTS OF LIFE AS A TRAINER. general manager and in 2018 in the mutuels department. “It’s a good complement to the racetrack program because it’s live racing, and as students, we get to help,” he said. “For example, I got to do simulcasting contracts, which was something I wanted experience with.” And last summer, Taylor worked at the newly opened Arizona Downs as a special project manager, which meant he got to put his hands on a lot of different areas of racetrack management, even stewarding. Through the connections he made while at RTIP, Taylor is now back at Oaklawn as an integrity coordinator. “It’s the place I’ve always wanted to be,” he said. “I have family there, and it’s only three hours from my home. I’m thrilled to death!” For students wanting to pursue the bloodstock side of things, RTIP offers its Bloodstock Project, headed by Kathy Berkey, a local LONGTIME TRACK OFFICIAL RICK HAMMERLE, CURRENTLY RACING bloodstock agent and RTIP graduate. Students work with Berkey on COORDINATOR AT OAKLAWN, DISCUSSES THE FINER POINTS OF THE purchasing mares and then deciding how to breed them, where the CONDITION BOOK WITH STUDENTS. mares should foal and so on. “At least half of our students want to go into the horse side of things,” Davis said. With this program, they have the opportunity to learn how to manage bloodstock and see the results of their decisions. “It’s not theoretical; it’s real,” she added. “They see all the bills on these mares, all the expenses. We had a donor provide us with seed money to get the program going, but its success depends on the students making it work.” And holding pride of place among RTIP’s offerings is the Global Symposium on Racing, which started the same year as the program itself. The symposium brings in a who’s who of leaders in the racing industry each year and provides students with a key networking opportunity via the mentor lunch. Each student can invite a symposium attendee to the lunch and have the chance to talk one-on-one. Like Taylor, recent graduate Jade Eisenzimmer also found the internships and networking opportunities to be invaluable. RTIP STUDENT JACOB SHEPARD WORKS ON THE PERFECT STANCE WITH HIS SALES “You have the ability to meet so many people that have an HORSE AT THE 2019 ARIZONA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ ASSOCIATION SALE. impact on the industry,” she said. A North Dakota native and lifelong horse lover, Eisenzimmer Eisenzimmer wants to give back to the program that has helped her take her first already had an information technology degree when she came to RTIP strides in the industry she loves. and was able to transfer credits, shortening her time in the program “The last mentor I had was Jim Mulvihill, and he has been such a huge help,” she said. to two and a half years. After interning at Canterbury Park in 2017 “I hope to be that person to someone else.” and then at the Breeders’ Cup twice (as did Taylor), she is now in Lexington, Kentucky, where she is the coordinator for the Racing FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT UA-RTIP.ORG. Officials Accreditation Program, of which both RTIP and the University of Louisville Equine Industry Program are partners.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE EQUINE INDUSTRY PROGRAM

THE LOUISVILLE PROGRAM’S PROXIMITY TO CHURCHILL DOWNS MAKES IT EASY FOR STUDENTS TO GET HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AT THE TRACK.

THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE EQUINE INDUSTRY PROGRAM

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE EQUINE INDUSTRY PROGRAM

As director of the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program, Sean Beirne has true passion of purpose. “My goal is to try to help as many students as possible become part of the equine industry and contribute to it,” he said. Like Wendy Davis at RTIP, Beirne returned to the program he graduated from to lead it. One of its first graduates back in 1990, Beirne went out into the racing industry and worked at various tracks in a number of roles, including vice president of racing and simulcasting at River Downs and vice president of racing at Arapahoe Park. He also served for eight years on Colorado’s state racing commission, including as chair from 2015 to 2017. Then in the fall of 2018, Beirne returned to his alma mater as program director. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without this program, so it was a great opportunity for me to come back,” he said.

THE LOUISVILLE PROGRAM INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL TRIPS FOR STUDENTS; PICTURED IS A GROUP VISITING ARGENTINA.

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Beirne was recruited to the position by equine program coordinator Terri Burch, who has been with the program since its beginnings in 1987. She plays a major role in recruiting students as well. “I like to interact with the students and their parents,” she said. Recent graduate Aaron Kinsey was quick to mention Burch as being instrumental in why he chose the program. “I knew after meeting Terri; I talked with her for about a half hour to an hour,” he said. “[And at the end,] I said, ‘Where can I sign up?’ I was ready.” A Kentucky native, Kinsey didn’t grow up around horses but did go to Churchill Downs with his grandfather, and the gambling aspect intrigued him. He is currently the simulcast operations manager for United Tote, a business unit of Churchill Downs, where he and his team handle all simulcast contracts on behalf of the track. But he got his start at United Tote as a hub operator while still a UofL student. “If you’d told me when I was a kid that when I graduated from college, that I’d be working at Churchill Downs, I’d have thought you were crazy,” he said with a laugh. But it’s connections like these, through networking and internships, that are invaluable to the students. “I would definitely recommend that students find an internship, whether during the school year or the summer,” Kinsey said. “It’s a great experience, and you can learn from some great people and see the process and issues.” UofL’s program focuses on equine business management, and students can earn a four-year bachelor of science in business administration in equine business. There is also a minor in equine business or, for those who already have a degree and want to study equine business, a one-year certificate. The program offers several scholarships benefiting incoming freshmen to graduating seniors. Proximity to Churchill Downs and the Bluegrass is, of course, a major benefit. For example, the program partnered two years ago with Taylor Made Farm near Lexington to provide students the opportunity to work the Keeneland September yearling sale. Or students can participate in internships at racetracks like Oaklawn, Hoosier Park, Monmouth Park and, of course, Churchill. With more than 340 graduates in the industry, Beirne and Burch have plenty of resources when lining up internships or bringing in classroom speakers. Last fall, Beirne reintroduced the program’s speaker series centered around current topics in racing, bringing in industry leaders to speak. One panel focused on sports wagering and horse racing and was moderated by Horse Racing Nation CEO Mark Midland, a program graduate. Another featured legendary track announcer Tom Durkin recounting his storied career, and the third event brought in a panel of track superintendents to discuss the business of track surfaces. More than 2,500 people attended the events, viewed the livestream or watched the recording within the first 24 hours. “It’s important for our program to be a leader in bringing stakeholders together for open dialogue addressing the matters that affect our industry,” Beirne said when the series was announced. Another key feature of UofL’s program is its international trip. Every other summer since 2009, students have had the opportunity to spend 10 to 14 days abroad to learn about the horse racing industry in different countries. Last summer, students led by Burch and UofL adjunct professor and equine program graduate Michele Fischer visited Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. “The trips really broaden our students’ horizons,” Burch said. “They have the opportunity to see how the rest of the racing world operates and how they connect to the horses.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT BUSINESS.LOUISVILLE.EDU/ACADEMICS-PROGRAMS/EQUINE 29

COURTESY NORTH AMERICAN RACING ACADEMY

FEATURE

STUDENTS AT THE NORTH AMERICAN RACING ACADEMY DON’T EXACTLY HAVE A TYPICAL “CLASSROOM” EXPERIENCE.

NORTH AMERICAN RACING ACADEMY/BLUEGRASS COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE

COURTESY NORTH AMERICAN RACING ACADEMY

from employers is that our students are the closest to job-ready when they start of the workers they hire.” While NARA has shifted course from the riding school specifically, the Started as a jockey school in 2006 by Hall of Fame rider Chris McCarron, program does offer a riding component each spring/summer for students who the North American Racing Academy (NARA) has evolved somewhat since then. want to become a jockey or exercise rider. The number of riding slots corresponds Partnered with the Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) in to the number of horses the program has, and students who are interested try Lexington, the equine studies program is now geared primarily toward training a out, which includes completing a fitness test to show they are physically able to knowledgeable and competent workforce for racetracks and farms. handle the requirements. Students start riding in the shedrow and then move to “We try to build the foundation by providing the skills and tools to help our the gallop fields at the training center. Once deemed ready for the track, they move students succeed in the industry,” said Remi Bellocq, NARA executive director to doing drills on the training track after regular training hours. and former National HBPA executive director. “The work is essentially the same “By the end of summer, they’re able to gallop in regular company in whether on the track, at a Thoroughbred farm or in a sport horse barn.” training hours,” Bellocq said. To date, former students who have gone on to ride professionally have won As students near the end of their degree or certificate requirements, they more than 3,000 races and more than $35 million in purses. But alumni also typically participate in an internship, which can include sales prep and working are working throughout the industry as licensed trainers, assistant trainers, during sales, breeding farms for foaling, on track with trainers or at a veterinary grooms, farm managers, exercise riders and more. facility. There’s also an international exchange “While the industry had the four-year equine program with the International Federation of Horse studies programs around the country, we didn’t Racing Academies, something alumnus Aaron West have the one- or two-year career and technical took advantage of. college-type program to fill that need,” Bellocq During a two-month internship in Ireland, West, said. “Our program has filled that niche thanks who now serves as racing operations manager at to the Kentucky Community and Technical College Bradley Thoroughbreds in Lexington, worked at system [of which BCTC is part].” Kildangan Stud, the Irish National Stud and BBA Through BCTC, students can earn a two-year Ireland. He started at NARA in August 2014 with associate in applied science degree, a diploma or no background in horses (“I found out about NARA a one-year certificate. And this fall, according through Google”) and graduated in May 2016 with to Bellocq, the program will offer a new onethe associate’s degree. Being from Little Rock, semester equine industry certificate for about Arkansas, West would go to Oaklawn—“I hit my 15 to 18 academic credits as a fast track option first bet, and I was hooked”—and started following for students. the sport. “Regardless of their path, all students start “Eventually I said, ‘I think I’d have more with foundational classes, the skills they’ll need to NARA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REMI BELLOCQ fun working if I was doing something with the WALKING A HORSE WITH A STUDENT ABOARD. start in the industry,” he said. Thoroughbred industry,’ so I looked at the options,” Based at the Thoroughbred Training Center he said. on Paris Pike in Lexington (where the National Because West already had a four-year degree, the two-year NARA program HBPA office also is located), NARA has a herd of 12 to 15 donated off-track was a good fit, even if there was a steep equine learning curve to get over Thoroughbreds that students care for and learn from for the hands-on portion of at first. the curriculum. The barn work counts as class time as students learn how to muck “Where I started [at NARA],” he said, “it was definitely challenging at times, stalls, distribute feed, check their horses’ vitals and feet and so on. And students especially getting comfortable around horses and learning to understand them, are often timed on how quickly they finish certain tasks such as bedding down but the school gave me the controlled environment I needed to learn in.” HJ stalls to make sure they understand the pace required in the real world. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT “We try to replicate as much as possible the environment they will be BLUEGRASS.KCTCS.EDU/ABOUT/CAMPUSES/NARA.ASPX. working in on the track,” Bellocq said. “One of the best compliments we get 30

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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n the early years, the sport of horse racing seemed simple. There was no simulcasting, discussion of appropriate marketing strategies, super testing or betting via direct computer links. There was no NTRA, THA, TOC, TOBA, UTTA, AQHA or other organizations representing horsemen’s interests.

Horsemen have a habit of taking care of their own. If someone was sick or down on his luck, they “passed the hat,” taking up collections, which is a time-honored tradition among racetrackers. It was in 1940 in New England that a group of committed horsemen brought into existence what is now known as the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. From this meager beginning the National HBPA has developed into an organization representing the horsemen’s interests on a myriad of issues. Today, there are approximately 30,000 owner and trainer members throughout the United States and Canada focused on a common goal—the betterment of racing on all levels. With this purpose in mind, we welcome and encourage all horsemen to join the National HBPA, and we urge our members to take an active role in the direction and policies of our organization. It is our members who make a difference. We horsemen are the National HBPA.

We are Leading into the Future and we are…… Horsemen Helping Horsemen

The National HBPA Inc. Eric Hamelback, CEO Phone: 859-259-0451 • Toll Free: 866-245-1711 • Email: ehamelback@hbpa.org 3380 Paris Pike Lexington, KY 40511 Website: www.hbpa.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/NationalHBPA • Twitter: @nationalhbpa

RON – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

FEATURE

What We Know and What We Don’t 32

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An examination of the many factors that can contribute to breakdowns BY CLARA FENGER, DVM, PHD, DACVIM; DAVE BASLER; THOMAS TOBIN, MRCVS, PHD, DABT; AND KIMBERLY BREWER, DVM, MSC

EVERYONE INVOLVED IN HORSE RACING HELD THEIR

COLLECTIVE BREATH AS THE EQUINE DEATH TOLL CONTINUED TO RISE AT SANTA ANITA PARK, WHILE THE RACETRACK OPERATED UNDER THREAT OF A REFERENDUM TO OUTLAW THE SPORT IN ONE OF THE LARGEST RACING JURISDICTIONS IN THE COUNTRY. AS OF PRESS TIME, SANTA ANITA REMAINED ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IN BREAKDOWN RATES AT ITS CURRENT MEETING, AND THAT WAS DESPITE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS ON THOSE NUMBERS OVER THE PAST YEAR.

MANY KNEE-JERK REGULATIONS, SUCH AS THE 14-DAY

RESTRICTION ON JOINT INJECTIONS, 48-HOUR NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND EVEN THE ELIMINATION OF LASIX, HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED OR IMPLEMENTED IN RESPONSE TO THE BREAKDOWNS AT SANTA ANITA, WITH MINIMAL SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR THESE RESTRICTIONS ON THERAPEUTIC MEDICATIONS. WHILE ALL MEMBERS OF THE RACING INDUSTRY MUST RALLY BEHIND EFFORTS TO DECREASE BREAKDOWNS IN OUR ATHLETES, THE DIVERSION OF PRECIOUS RESOURCES TOWARD SOLUTIONS THAT ARE UNLIKELY TO AFFECT THESE TRAGEDIES WITHOUT SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF HOW THEY OCCUR IS A TRAGEDY IN ITSELF. IT IS A COURSE DOOMED TO FAIL. THE HORSEMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JOURNAL

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FEATURE

INTRINSIC FACTORS 1. HORSE FACTORS a. Age b. Sex c. Genetics c. Preexisting Pathology

EXTRINSIC FACTORS 2 . R AC E T R AC K M A N AG E M E NT 3 . R AC E T R AC K S U R FAC E S 4. TRAINERS 5 . JO C K E YS 6 . OWN E R S 7. V E T E R I N A R I A N S

Factors That Contribute to Breakdowns

More than 99 percent of horse races are conducted without incident, so it is important to remember as we review the scientific data that where risk is deemed to be higher or lower, the overall risk is still quite low at 1.53 per 1,000 starts. Nonetheless, it is paramount that this number be reduced as much as possible. To achieve such a goal, we need to review everything that may contribute to these injuries. As described at least as far back as the 1990s, predisposing factors to breakdowns include intrinsic (relating to the horse) and extrinsic (relating to all other contributors, including racing surface, management, etc.) ones (Mohammed et al. 1991). Interactions between these factors may be synergistic or antagonistic, with the latter ultimately resulting in the failure of the skeletal system and a breakdown injury. There are seven contributing entities to breakdown injuries: (1) the horse, (2) racetrack management practices, (3) racetrack surface maintenance, (4) the trainer, (5) the jockey, (6) the owner and (7) the veterinarian. Most of the reactionary response to the breakdowns has been focused on the veterinarian’s role, perhaps because as the gatekeeper for the health of the athlete, it seems like the most direct route to the solution. However, the role of each entity must be weighed, investigated and included in the solution, or there will be no solution.

Horse Factors

Many horse factors have been studied across many scientific papers, and the results are mixed. Regional differences in risk likely contribute to these differences between studies. For example, in the United States, claiming horses are at greater risk than stakes horses (Georgopoulos et al. 2010), whereas in 34

other jurisdictions, stakes horses are at the highest risk. Some factors are common among all studies, including sex and age. Two-year-old racehorses are at the lowest risk of injury, as are female horses when compared to intact male horses. Turf competitors enjoy a lower risk than those contesting on the dirt, and any speedcompetitive events over jumps are associated with the highest risk of injury. Studies of catastrophic racing injuries have concluded that the majority of such injuries occur as a failure of bone at a site of preexisting bone pathology. In a study of such fractures of the humerus (upper front limb) in racehorses, one of the rarest of injuries, the majority had evidence of incomplete stress fractures with bony reactions that likely occurred over the preceding weeks to months (Stover et al. 1992). In other anatomical structures, such as the distal cannon bone, microfractures or microcracks are common. These injuries are occurring in horses with no evidence of fetlock joint pathology, even upon gross examination of the joint (Turley et al. 2014). The prevailing view is that breakdown injuries are the ultimate outcome of fatigue failure of the bone owing to remodeling with incomplete repair in the face of the high strain of race training (Whitton et al. 2010). When horses—and particularly young horses—begin to work at speed, the increased mechanical load on the foreleg causes the appearance of microfractures at points of high stress in the leg bones. Such microfractures are the first response of bone to mechanical overload and are a necessary step in the process of remodeling bone in response to training (Burr 2002). This microdamage of bone results in the loss of osteocytes, the cells that create bone. Osteocytes recruit the “clean-up crew” cells, known as osteoclasts, to clean out the damage, making way for stronger bone to be laid down in its place. If the overloading and microfracturing events continue without sufficient recovery time, the bone will run out of microfracture space, at which point the microfracture structure begins to coalesce. This coalescence ultimately can result in the development of a complete fracture line, which appears clinically THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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as a fracture event (Harrison et al. 2010; Janes et al. 2017). If, however, the horse is permitted to recover without high-speed workouts during this microfracture process, this rest period allows the bone to initiate remodeling, during which the microfractured bone is reorganized into a more functionally appropriate or stronger configuration to cope with the higher mechanical load. This mechanism is likely a key feature of at least some of the breakdown injuries that occur. The problem with these bone remodeling events is that they involve removal of bone as part of the restructuring process, so during actual remodeling, the bone is at a significantly higher risk of fracturing. This means that to model a horse’s bone into the optimal high-speed racing configuration and structure, the horse must first train at speed and experience microfracturing of its forelegs at high bone-stress points. Then, before the microfracture events reach the point of coalescence into a complete fracture line, the horse must recover, at which point the microfractured bone can remodel the microfractured areas into the new bone structure and configuration that are more appropriate for full racing speed. What is uncertain are the optimal time periods for both events—first, the optimal time for the microfracture events, and second, the critical remodeling events themselves. It is clear, however, that the remodeling events take an undefined period of weeks. Given this sequence of events and the emphasis in Thoroughbred racing on having the animal in optimal physical form as it approaches three years of age, it is clear that optimizing the racing-adapted bone structure of the young Thoroughbred horse is a critically important event in the animal’s early race training. While microdamage from high-intensity training is ubiquitous in the racehorse, so is the presence of preexisting developmental pathology. In a study by Firth et al. (2009), 17-month-old Thoroughbreds that had not been subjected to race training had focal lucencies (defined indications in radiographs) in their distal cannon bones in exactly the location where the typical racing injury begins, the back of the cannon bone in the ankle. These focal lucencies, rather than the result of microtrauma, are likely a manifestation of osteochondritis dessecans, a commonly occurring developmental disease of Thoroughbreds. Another horse factor may well be the individual pain tolerance of the horse. Many Thoroughbreds are simply not going to show lameness. A typical Thoroughbred with a stress fracture may be lame after breezing but completely

sound on simple inspection or clinical examination within a few days. This is obviously not a reflection of resolution of the underlying stress fracture condition and is a factor that must be taken into consideration when trying to prevent catastrophic injury. The presence of preexisting pathology, microfractures and stress fractures in horses that ultimately suffer a catastrophic injury suggests that some gait deficit or lameness should have been present in those horses prior to the catastrophic event. Lameness in and of itself is a clinical sign, not a disease (Adair et al. 2018; Adair et al. 2019). Lameness is produced when an animal experiences pain from injury to or disease of the neuromusculoskeletal systems, and some horses may travel in an asymmetrical pattern without underlying bone injury (Keegan et al. 2000; Keegan 2007). However, injury or disease of a subtle nature may cause subclinical lameness that is difficult to detect (Keegan et al. 1998; Keegan et al. 2010). This has been observed in humans, with as many as 40 percent of stress fractures being subclinical (Stover et al. 1992), meaning there is no identifiable outward sign of lameness associated with the underlying stress fracture. Further, cumulative bone injury from repetitive stresses with gradually worsening lameness may be difficult to appreciate in a single examination. All of these factors may combine to contribute to a genetic predisposition for injury in Thoroughbreds. The heritability of distal limb fractures, which would include cannon bone and sesamoid fractures, is between 21 percent and 37 percent (Welsh et al. 2014). That study did not investigate the underlying reasons for the genetic predisposition to fractures. Rather than indicating that the horses have been bred to be “weak-boned,” this genetic predisposition may simply be horses that have a high pain threshold for lameness, thereby giving their trainers and caretakers no warning of impending injury.

Racetrack Factors

At Santa Anita from December 28, 2019, to March 4, 2020, there were 267 races with 2,011 total starters and four catastrophic injuries. For comparison, the Golden Gate Fields, Mahoning Valley Race Course and Turfway Park race meets running concurrently with the Santa Anita meet are shown in Table 1. Clearly, racetrack-specific factors are associated with these breakdown injury rates.

Table 1.

Racetrack

Surface

Races

Starters

Field Size

Breakdowns

Rate per 1000

Santa Anita

Dirt and Turf

267

2,011

7.50

2.00

Golden Gate

Synthetic and Turf

317

2,133

6.73

0.47

Dirt

282

2,328

8.25

0.43

Synthetic

248

2,396

9.66

0.83

Mahoning Valley Turfway Park

Management

Handle generated by gambling on horse racing is directly related to the number of betting interests in the race. To produce the most entertaining and profitable racing product, racetracks must have full fields of well-matched horses. Active race meets often require that each trainer must field at least one THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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starter per stall per month or risk losing their stall allocation for the following meet. The pressure placed on trainers to meet those requirements may result in horses, particularly lower-level horses, being put in the entry box sooner than is ideal for those horses. Some horsemen may protect their better horses to the detriment of the rank-and-file competitors. If true, this would contribute to the unique finding in the United States that horses in lower classes of races 35

CLARENCE ALFORD – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

FEATURE

are at greater risk of injury (Georgopoulos et al. 2010), as compared to other jurisdictions in which the greater risk is in stakes races. Racing secretaries have a difficult job. They must predict how many horses in each type and class of race are available and ready to start at the beginning of the race meet in order to publish a condition book. The condition book lists all of the available races for the pool of horses that may race in a given meet. Races in the condition book are increasingly “suggestions” of when a horse might race. This administrative feature of horse racing supplies a littleconsidered risk factor for breakdown injuries. The equine athlete is a fine-tuned biological specimen whose mental acuity, bones, muscles and every system in the body must be trained toward peak performance for an event. Much like a coach trains their team toward optimal performance on the day of a competition, the horse conditioner points the horse toward an event. As previously discussed, training stress causes damage that stimulates the body to repair itself to better withstand the stress in the next outing. Like other athletes, horses are trained up to an event, then they must be allowed sufficient time to recover and repair after the event. These factors combine for a key contributor to serious injury in the racehorse. When a race in the condition book does not fill because not enough healthy horses are eligible for that condition, those horses that would have raced are left in a difficult position. The trainer is unable to predict when the next race will be. If an extra race is offered by the racing secretary in the following day or two, the horse may be able to race on schedule, receive an appropriate recovery time and be fit to come back for the next opportunity. However, if that race is not brought back or the trainer must start looking for a race that does not quite fit the horse’s running style or surface, that horse remains in an indefinite holding pattern. This holding pattern in which a horse does not have a maximal exertion followed by a recovery period likely contributes to ongoing microtrauma that is unable to properly remodel simply because the trainer must try to maintain peak fitness while trying to find a race.

Racing Surface

The racing surface has long been considered a major contributor to musculoskeletal injury in racehorses. Synthetic surfaces have been demonstrated to cause fewer bone injuries, with turf surfaces a close second and both off and fast dirt tracks carrying similar risk (Georgopoulos et al. 2016). Off tracks may play a role at some racetracks and not others, because when all types of off tracks are considered together across all of North America, there is no added risk of an off track, but at some specific locations, canceling racing for excessive rain has proven to be a successful approach to the injury problem. Further, weather patterns associated with global warming, such as the soaking rains of Southern California in 2019 and the drought across the Midwest during the same timeframe, have contributed to spikes of breakdown injuries at racetracks.

Trainers

There is no question that some trainers experience higher rates of injuries than others. This may simply be related to the types of horses under their care. Trainers who focus on the development of young stock are likely to have fewer breakdown injuries, because 2-year-olds experience these injuries at a lower rate than older horses. On the other hand, trainers specializing in claiming horses may experience higher rates of injury because of the risk associated with the horses under their care. In the United Kingdom, trainers with horses that race at a higher class have a higher rate of catastrophic injuries, related to the risk associated with that class of horse in that jurisdiction (Rosanowski et al. 2018). Therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate an individual trainer effect from other horse-related risk factors for breakdowns. Trainer effects unrelated to these intrinsic horse factors include the time the horse has been under the care of a given trainer and the number of days between races with a new trainer. Clearly, these effects are related to the trainer developing a relationship with the horse and understanding how it trains and what is normal and optimal for that specific animal. THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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Jockeys

Those of us who were racing fans in 1999 cannot forget the vivid memory of jockey Chris Antley cradling the fractured forelimb of Charismatic in that year’s Belmont Stakes after his failed bid to win the Triple Crown. Charismatic went on to a full recovery and retirement to the breeding shed. Antley’s heroics are not alone. Many a jockey, through quick thinking, has saved the life of a racehorse by preventing missteps in the first place and then further injury once an injury occurs. The vast majority of horses that fracture a cannon bone or sesamoid do not go on to require euthanasia. Surgery facilities are located in close proximity to racetracks because most injured horses are locally diagnosed and injuries surgically repaired. However, the first step in preventing a more serious injury once the fracture is initiated is the jockey pulling that horse up. A loose horse is more likely to exacerbate an injury than a horse pulled up by an experienced jockey. Logically, apprentice jockeys are at higher risk of breakdown injuries than journeymen. Clearly, experience tells the rider when pulling up is the best course of action. Further, a horse’s first race with a new jockey (Georgopoulos et al. 2016) also has been identified as a risk factor.

Owners

Any effect of owners on breakdown injuries has never been investigated. However, it is likely that owners new to the business may not understand the intricacies of horse racing and might place undue pressure on trainers to run horses. Trainers often complain that when they send horses to the farm for a rest, those same horses end up back on the track with a different trainer because the horse appeared to be fine once it got to the farm. Communication and understanding of the repair and recovery process may not be understood fully by the owner. As discussed above, horses with stress fractures can appear to be sound after only a few days and may appear to be happy and sound at the farm, but the actual fracture requires months to heal.

Racetrack Veterinarians

The Solution?

The solution to the problem will not be found so long as regulations are put in place without careful investigation. There is no evidence that tighter therapeutic medication restrictions have yet to, or will ever, save a single horse. To solve the problem of injured horses, the industry must examine and address every factor contributing to the cause of breakdowns. Trainers, owners and veterinarians must be better educated to understand the mechanisms of injury and remodeling. Racetracks must adapt to the challenges brought on by climate change and weather patterns that are becoming less predictable. Finally, racetracks have to look inward and carefully review procedures to try to make races available at appropriate times so horses can train to an event and then have appropriate post-race recovery time. Every contributor to the health and safety of the horses needs to take responsibility for their own role, and only by working together can we develop a solution. HJ

QUENTINJLANG – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

The primary role of the racetrack practitioner is to serve as the gatekeeper to the health of the racehorse. These athletes experience tremendous stresses on their bodies, and problems often manifest as subtle changes in way of going, behavior or simply failure to perform. The racetrack practitioner is

tasked with the diagnosis of problems that are difficult to identify. Therapeutic medications are necessary tools in a veterinarian’s arsenal, sometimes after a clear-cut diagnosis but other times for prevention of illness or injury or as a tool in the diagnosis of illness or injury. This sometimes shotgun approach to the treatment of horses that are “not quite right” has historically resulted in inappropriate application of therapeutic medications. The original National Uniform Medication Policy, which has been adopted to some degree in most jurisdictions, was developed to address this problem. By setting restrictions on therapeutic medications, the overmedication of horses with these substances has been limited. But implementing severe/further restrictions on therapeutic medications results in hindering veterinarians from proper care of the racehorse. Possibly the worst course of action that could be taken in the pursuit of horse safety is to restrict access by the person most able to identify preexisting injuries. In response to the breakdowns at Santa Anita, the most restrictive therapeutic medication regulations ever imposed on racehorses in any jurisdiction were put in place. The data from Table 1 are with those restrictions in place. The regulations on the books at Golden Gate are identical to those at Santa Anita, but the regulations at Mahoning Valley and Turfway are similar to the regulations in place before the problems at Santa Anita began. Clearly, the problem at Santa Anita is unrelated to therapeutic medications.

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FEATURE

LADY’S SECRET: RACING’S IRON LADY A LOOK BACK AT THE INCREDIBLE CAREER OF SECRETARIAT’S GREATEST RUNNER Story and photos by Patricia McQueen

FEW NICKNAMES HAVE BEEN MORE DESERVED THAN THE ONE BESTOWED UPON LADY’S SECRET. THE DIMINUTIVE OKLAHOMA-BRED FILLY BY SECRETARIAT DEFIED HER PHYSICAL STATURE WITH RACETRACK ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNMATCHED BY ANY HORSE IN THE MODERN ERA. THE “IRON LADY” MADE 17 STARTS AT AGE 3 IN 1985, WITH AN EIGHT-RACE WINNING STREAK FROM MAY TO OCTOBER THAT INCLUDED THREE GRADE 1 RACES AS SHE BECAME THE FIRST AND ONLY HORSE TO SWEEP BELMONT PARK’S FALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FOR FILLIES AND MARES. 40

A DOMINATING VICTORY BY LADY’S SECRET IN THE 1986 BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF CONCLUDED ONE OF THE MORE REMARKABLE SEASONS FOR A RACEHORSE OF ANY ERA.

et she was just getting started. The next year, she won 10 of 15 starts and racked up an unprecedented eight Grade 1 wins, including one against the boys. She took the Belmont fall races for a second time and then crowned her season with an easy victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff in front of a crowd of nearly 70,000 at Santa Anita Park. For that remarkable campaign she was awarded the Horse of the Year title, the only horse bred in the Sooner State to ever receive that honor. In the three decades since that memorable year, there have been other outstanding female racehorses, but Lady’s Secret’s performances, including 13 Grade 1 races in a single season, stand the test of time.

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LADY’S SECRET, A MEMBER OF BOTH THE NATIONAL AND OKLAHOMA RACING HALLS OF FAME, WON 25 OF 45 CAREER STARTS AND EARNED MORE THAN $3 MILLION.

ROOTS OF A CHAMPION

Lady’s Secret was the product of trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ philosophy of breeding a certain type of mare to Secretariat. “I thought if he was bred to very fast mares, really good six-furlong to a mile mares, those that had precocious speed, he would get better offspring,” Lukas said. Great Lady M. certainly fit that description. In the summer of 1978, the daughter of Icecapade (a half brother to the great Ruffian) was purchased privately for Robert Spreen by Lukas, who thought the 3-year-old filly would make a nice allowance horse. Spreen and Lukas had been involved in American Quarter Horse racing for years, but both were fairly new to Thoroughbreds. The filly developed beyond their expectations, becoming Spreen’s first Thoroughbred stakes winner and a fast one at that. Great Lady M. won 14 of 58 starts, including seven sprint stakes, and was equally at home on dirt and turf. When she retired at the end of 1980, Lukas recommended she be bred to Secretariat. After her date with the Triple Crown winner, Great Lady M. was sent to a farm in Lexington, Oklahoma, which Lukas owned with Mel Hatley. A longtime Oklahoma resident, Hatley was a driving force in bringing pari-mutuel racing to the state in 1983 and also helped develop the Heritage Place sales facility in Oklahoma City. Lukas and Hatley got to know each other in the early 1970s while racing Quarter Horses and became partners and lifelong friends. After THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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Lukas completed his transition to Thoroughbreds in 1978, many a well-bred yearling passed through their Oklahoma farms from the Kentucky sales until the trainer moved his base of operations to California in 1991. Great Lady M. delivered a small gray filly on April 8, 1982, with Spreen the breeder of record. The owner, however, was getting out of the business, so Lukas and Hatley ended up with the mare and her daughter along with other horses Spreen owned. Around the same time, Eugene Klein was gearing up as a major new player in Thoroughbred racing. Finding racehorses more to his liking than football players, he sold his NFL team, the San Diego Chargers, in 1984. Klein had already purchased a farm in California, and in 1982 he was looking for horses. He bought Lady’s Secret as a weanling from Lukas and Hatley; she was part of a $600,000 three-horse package that included the yearling Gene’s Lady (who ultimately earned almost $1 million) and a colt that later died of pneumonia. Lady’s Secret received her early lessons at the training center Lukas leased from Klein in California. She began her racing career in New York under the watchful eye of Lukas’ son Jeff, winning her debut at Belmont Park on May 21, 1984, in a dead heat. The rest of her year was useful if unremarkable; she secured her first stakes win in the Wavy Waves Stakes at Hollywood Park in July and also won the Moccasin Stakes at the same track on November 9, the eve of the inaugural Breeders’ Cup. Her resume indicated she’d be a nice sprinting filly heading into 1985.

FEATURE

PICTURED BEFORE A THIRD-PLACE FINISH IN THE GRADE 1 PHILIP H. ISELIN HANDICAP AT MONMOUTH PARK, LADY’S SECRET TOOK ON, AND DEFEATED, MALE HORSES SEVERAL TIMES IN HER CAREER, INCLUDING A VICTORY IN THE GRADE 1 WHITNEY HANDICAP AT SARATOGA.

RAPID DEVELOPMENT

The year certainly started that way, with two victories in seven sprint stakes through mid-May. She then launched an eight-race win streak in the Bowl of Flowers Stakes at Belmont on May 26. After two more minor stakes wins at six furlongs, she was ready for the big time. That meant taking on the leading 3-year-old filly in the country, Mom’s Command, who since their first meeting in early May in the Comely Stakes (G3) had swept the New York Filly Triple Crown: the Acorn, Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks. In Saratoga’s Grade 2 Test Stakes on August 1, Lady’s Secret let Mom’s Command duel with Majestic Folly early, and she blew past those two to win by two lengths in 1:21 3/5 for seven furlongs. Next was the Grade 2 Ballerina on August 9 against older fillies and mares, in which she pressed a fast pace and held on to win by a nose over Mrs. Revere. She followed that with the one-mile, Grade 1 Maskette on September 7, the first of Belmont Park’s three signature fall races for fillies and mares. With Jorge Velasquez up (aboard for most of her Eastern starts that year), she led wire to wire, pressured early to set fractions of :22 2/5, :44 4/5 and 1:09 1/5, with enough left to win by 5 ½ lengths in 1:34 4/5. 42

“A little short of spectacular,” wrote Joe Hirsch in Daily Racing Form. Lady’s Secret upped her game again in the Grade 1 Ruffian Stakes at nine furlongs on September 22. An entry with Life’s Magic, Klein’s champion 3-yearold filly of 1984, Lady’s Secret led from start to finish and won by four lengths over Isayso in 1:47 2/5. A showdown with Mom’s Command for the 3-year-old filly championship failed to materialize when that filly was retired with a wrenched ankle. Instead, Lady’s Secret won the Grade 1 Beldame at 10 furlongs on October 13, winning by two lengths after yet another early speed duel. It was that easy. She had blossomed into that most elusive Thoroughbred—a speed freak who could carry that speed a distance of ground. They couldn’t let her loose on the lead, but if they tried to challenge her, she’d run them into the ground. Although strongly considered for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, she ended up in the Distaff. She led early, but this time her stablemate Life’s Magic swept by her at the top of the stretch and pulled away to win by 6 ¼ lengths. At year’s end, Lady’s Secret was ranked equal with Mom’s Command on The Blood-Horse Free Handicap at 125 pounds, but the other filly got the nod for the championship.

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DURING HER 1986 CAMPAIGN, WHEN THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN AT HOLLYWOOD PARK, LADY’S SECRET COMPETED IN 13 GRADE 1 RACES, WINNING EIGHT AND PLACING IN THE OTHER FIVE.

THE MIRACLE YEAR BEGINS

Lady’s Secret was sent back to California for a winter campaign. After a second in the Grade 3 La Brea on December 27, she regained her winning ways in the Grade 3 El Encino on January 18, 1986, beginning one of the most ambitious years any racehorse has ever attempted. Her talent came at a price—she won the nine-furlong, Grade 1 La Canada on February 9 carrying 126 pounds, giving away seven to 11 pounds to the other runners. At barely 15.1 hands and 950 pounds, 126 pounds was a significant weight for her to carry. Lady’s Secret won again in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita on February 23, another wire to wire tour de force in 1:47 for 1 1/8 miles. Quoted in the Thoroughbred Record, Lukas said, “A couple of things stand out about her. First of all there is her stride, almost deer-like, very efficient. It gives her the ability to be a natural distance horse. Then there is her attitude. We have a hard time keeping her from training too hard. She just enjoys her work too much. We put a heavy boy on her to keep her from galloping too fast, but she’ll still give you a mile in 1:40 every morning.” After a neck loss in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn in April—carrying 127 pounds and giving the winner eight pounds—Lady’s Secret was back in New York. She won the Grade 1 Shuvee on May 17, nine days before taking on some of the best males in the country in the Grade 1 Metropolitan. In that race were favored Turkoman, on his way to being named champion older male; the previous year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Proud Truth; and eventual champion sprinter Smile. She finished in front of all three. The filly jumped out to an early lead in the race, lost it briefly on the turn, but battled back to lead through most of the stretch, only succumbing late to THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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winner Garthorn and second-place Love That Mac. She was beaten barely 1 1/4 lengths for all the money in 1:33 3/5. Next came the Grade 1 Hempstead on June 8, in which she carried 128 pounds on a muddy track. Pressured throughout, she couldn’t hold off Endear, who won by six lengths under 115 pounds. She found easy company in the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park on July 5. Carrying 126 pounds, she won by 6 1/4 lengths in 1:41 1/5, equaling the stakes record and just one tick off the track record for 1 1/16 miles. It was time for another try against the boys in the historic Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on August 2. The track was a sea of slop, and she won easily in another gate to wire performance—her male foes couldn’t even get close enough to engage her. Wrote Russ Harris in The Blood-Horse, “The gray Secretariat filly was a picture of composure in the paddock, and she was lightning on four legs once starter Frank Calvarese sent the field of seven on its way. …” Then came two races against Precisionist—the classy champion was one of the best horses she would ever face. Both were upset by the Lukas-trained Roo Art on a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth, and the filly couldn’t hold off Precisionist in the Grade 1 Woodward at Belmont. He had to run the nine furlongs in 1:46 to beat her—just three-fifths of a second slower than Secretariat’s track record.

A SECOND HISTORIC SWEEP

Despite the fact that she had run three times against males in four weeks, Lady’s Secret was primed for a second run at Belmont’s fall races. Just a week after the Woodward, she carried 125 pounds in the Maskette 43

FEATURE

THIS 1998 PHOTO SHOWS THE THEN 16-YEAR-OLD MARE AT KEENELAND, WHERE SHE SOLD FOR $750,000 AFTER PREVIOUSLY FETCHING $3.8 MILLION IN 1989.

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and proceeded to run the fastest mile ever by a filly or mare at Belmont Park to that time: 1:33 2/5, just two-fifths off the track record. She won by seven lengths, leading wire to wire while again under pressure early. The Form’s Hirsch heaped even more praise on her than he did the previous year: “Lady’s Secret was simply sensational.” Two weeks later came the Ruffian, and the weight was piled on—129 pounds for her fifth Grade 1 race in just seven weeks. At odds of 1-2, she faced a stiff challenge in Shocker T., a winner of 13 of 17 starts coming off big wins in the John A. Morris and Delaware handicaps. It would be no walk in the park, or would it? When Lady’s Secret stumbled slightly after the start, Shocker T. took the early lead, but by the half the gray filly, with Pat Day aboard, was in front. It was all over—like the Energizer bunny, she just kept going and going—winning by eight lengths in stakes-record time of 1:46 4/5 for the nine furlongs. It was the most weight any filly had carried to victory in the Ruffian and one of the top weight-carrying efforts by any filly or mare in history. “They should bronze her and put her right next to her daddy,” Lukas told the media after the race, referring to Secretariat’s statue gracing the Belmont paddock. “She just takes your breath away.” By that time other trainers were giving her accolades as well—among them legendary conditioner Woody Stephens: “She is the greatest filly I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around for a while…she is the best of the best.” In the weight-for-age Beldame, the Lady got a break, carrying only 123 pounds against just three other horses. When she eked out a victory by a halflength over Coup de Fusil in a stakes-record 2:01 3/5, the margin and her final quarter in :26 1/5 left some observers wondering if the demanding schedule was catching up to her. Others knew better. That was “the most conclusive halflength you’ll ever see,” wrote Hirsch. “Truly impressive.” It was on to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita. There would be no denying her again in the race, as she went gate to wire, winning by 2 1/2 lengths over Fran’s Valentine and Outstandingly. After leading by a length at the quarter, she then bounded away to lead by four lengths, holding that margin to the mile before coasting home in 2:01 1/5 for 1 1/4 miles. “If the sudden burst of speed on the clubhouse turn had discouraged the others, the acceleration around the turn for home broke their spirits,” wrote Robert Henwood in The Blood-Horse. Some 30 years later, the Distaff was perhaps Lukas’ most precious memory of her: “She clinched Horse of the Year—she was so dominant that day in the Distaff.” Indeed, talk of Horse of the Year began in earnest after the Breeders’ Cup. Many thought the Lady deserved it, and it helped that leading males Turkoman and Precisionist were upset by longshot Skywalker in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Her team campaigned enthusiastically for her. “She’s the best that ever ran,” Klein said at the time. “There is no other Horse of the Year.” Added Lukas, “Horse of the Year is Horse of the Year, from January to January. It’s not horse of the day or horse of one race. …” It was also obvious to her jockey, Pat Day, who rode her in most of her 1986 races: “She’s a great individual, the best horse I’ve ever ridden.” In the end, she received the gold Eclipse for Horse of the Year to go along with the champion older filly or mare title.

TROUBLE AHEAD

After two grueling years without a break, the Iron Lady could be forgiven for finally developing a chink in her armor when brought back for a 1987 campaign. She started with a disastrous effort in the Grade 2 Donn Handicap against male horses at Gulfstream Park in March, beaten 32 lengths after showing early

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speed. The Lukas camp regrouped, and she resurfaced at Monmouth Park in June, winning an allowance race, remarkably the first one of her career. A second in the Molly Pitcher followed, with another allowance victory at the New Jersey track on July 21 pushing her earnings past All Along to become racing’s then all-time leading female money earner. Lukas predicted another big fall campaign from his stable star, but then the unthinkable happened. In a Saratoga allowance race on August 10, Lady’s Secret bolted on the first turn and was eased after three furlongs. “Physically, she’s absolutely perfect,” said Lukas afterwards. “But if she was human, we’d take her to a psychiatrist in the morning.” If she didn’t want to race anymore, she got her wish—she was officially retired in October after failing to train to satisfaction. Her record stood at 25 wins in 45 starts, with nine seconds and three thirds. With $3,021,325 in earnings, Lady’s Secret was far and away the leading Oklahoma-bred money earner of all time for more than two decades. She was finally surpassed in that regard in 2008 by multiple Grade 1 winner Kip Deville, who earned $3,325,489 including a first and second in consecutive Breeders’ Cup Miles. Lady’s Secret was offered at Fasig-Tipton’s Night of the Stars auction in November 1987 and reached a bid of $5.4 million. But it was not enough to buy her. Klein sent her back to Oklahoma, to a farm in Norman that Lukas had purchased from Hatley not long before. She was bred the following spring to Alydar and again offered for sale in November. When the bidding stalled at $4 million, Klein retained ownership, and she foaled an Alydar filly at the Lukas farm in May 1989. That filly would top the Saratoga yearling sale the next year at $1.5 million. Bred back to Alydar, Lady’s Secret finally sold in November 1989 for $3.8 million to Issam Fares of Fares Farm. She went through the auction ring one more time, in November 1998 at Keeneland, and sold for $750,000 to Kentucky breeders John and Kim Glenney, who eventually sent her to California for the warm climate. Lady’s Secret failed to make an impact as a producer, without a single stakes-class foal among her offspring. She produced 12 foals, 10 starters and five winners. Her 1995 filly by Seattle Slew, the unraced Sleepinginseattle, produced Japanese Group 2 winner Sound Barrier. Another daughter, the 1992 Mr. Prospector filly Good Looks, produced a minor stakes winner in Japan. In addition, her second foal, the Alydar filly Secrets Told, produced stakes-placed Castelli Secrets, an earner of more than $300,000. The champion mare died suddenly on March 4, 2003, from foaling complications just hours after producing a colt by General Meeting. She was buried at Valley Creek Farm in Valley Center, California. For her accomplishments, Lady’s Secret was inducted into Thoroughbred racing’s Hall of Fame in 1992. When Oklahoma created its own Horse Racing Hall of Fame at Remington Park, she was one of the members of the inaugural class in 2011. “She’s as good as any of them, because she never missed a dance,” Lukas said about comparisons to other great mares. “I don’t know if any of the modern-day mares would try what she tried—13 Grade 1 races in one year. It was unbelievable.” HJ

“SHE’S AS GOOD AS ANY OF THEM, BECAUSE SHE NEVER MISSED A DANCE.”

— TRAINER D. WAYNE LUKAS 45

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AFFILIATE NEWS IMPORTANT UPDATE: As you are undoubtably aware, COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact around the world, including, of course, within the horse racing industry. Because it is not possible to provide timely and accurate updates in a print magazine, please refer to the National HBPA website at hbpa.org, individual affiliate websites and social media channels for the latest information about how this pandemic is affecting racing. Also, please keep in mind that these affiliate updates were provided before or in the early stages of the widespread outbreak in North America, so there may be significant changes to the events and notices contained in this section. Please contact your affiliate or racetrack to confirm any specific information.

ARIZONA HBPA

CHARLES TOWN HBPA

How to Get Arizona Updates

ADW Bill Passes WV Legislature

As we sit here today, we have so many different things on the docket that will change substantially within the coming weeks, so that it makes it impossible to write an update that would have any meaning by the time you read this magazine. So the Arizona HBPA office will be updating the membership through emails and its Facebook page. If you want to be on our email list, send your email to azhbpa@outlook.com or follow the Arizona HBPA Facebook page. We currently have four different bills in the Arizona Legislature, and we are in negotiations with the tracks, the tribes and Monarch on different possibilities that could affect Arizona racing into the future.

The 2020 West Virginia Legislature passed H.B. 4438 authorizing advance deposit wagering in the state. The bill ensures that all providers of ADW in West Virginia are properly regulated and that the West Virginia racing industry, the West Virginia Racing Commission and the state itself receive the appropriate remuneration for such wagers. The bill now goes to Gov. Jim Justice for his signature.

ARKANSAS HBPA Oaklawn Announces Purse Increase

ACKERLEY IMAGES

Keeping with the trend that has become the norm over the past 14 years, Oaklawn’s purses are on the rise again. Beginning with the March 1 race card, Oaklawn increased purses for all overnight races by as much as $4,000. First-level allowance races will be worth at least $90,000 after receiving a $4,000 increase, and maiden special weight races will be boosted to $87,000, with a $2,000 increase. Purses for all claiming races with a claiming price of $20,000 or more also will receive a $2,000 bump, and all other overnight purses are increasing by $1,000 per race. The purse increase was welcome news to the horsemen. “I think it’s great,” said trainer Mike Puhich, who is among several new trainers wintering at Oaklawn this year. “Most tracks are kind of hoarding the money, and these guys are throwing it back to the horsemen, which is always good. You love to see that.” Added trainer Brad Cox, perennially among Oaklawn’s leading trainers, “We’re supporting the program already, but it’s great. These are the best purses in the country. It’s rewarding to show up and have a barn here. It makes it worth your while. It’s great for wintertime racing.” “I try to run more horses where the money’s at,” owner Mike Waters said. “Every time Oaklawn announces a purse increase, the California and the East Coast guys all take notice. It’s a nice place to run for these purses, that’s for sure.”

MATCH Series and Charles Town Classic Status As of press time, the status of the MATCH Series races at Charles Town and the $1 million Charles Town Classic (G2) on April 18 were in flux due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Charles Town is pleased to be a part of the MATCH Series, a regional championship series being run at eight different racetracks throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Through a series of point accumulations, bonus money is awarded to the owners and trainers of the top three points earners in each of the five MATCH Series divisions. Additionally, bonus money will be awarded to the owner and trainer of the top overall points earner, and bonuses will be distributed to the breeder of each of the top point-earning Maryland-bred, Pennsylvania-bred, New Jersey-bred, Virginia-bred, West Virginia-bred and Delaware-certified horses. For the latest information on the MATCH Series and the Charles Town Classic, please visit the Charles Town HBPA website and Facebook page.

West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Awards

SECRETARY OF STATE MAC WARNER (LEFT) AND CTHBPA PRESIDENT JAMES MILLER ON A FARM TOUR

The West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Awards took place on March 1. West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner toured area farms before joining some of the state’s top horsemen in honoring the 2019 award winners, which include the following: 49

NEWS Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Boundtobebad • Breeder: Taylor Mountain Farm • Owner/Trainer: James W. Casey Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Hypothesis • Breeder: Francis Daniel III • Owner: Jill Daniel • Trainer: Crystal Pickett

West Virginia Breeder of the Year James W. Casey, Taylor Mountain Farm Special Recognition Jeff Gilleas

Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Parisian Diva • Breeder/Owner: Melinda Golden • Trainer: Stacey Viands Co-Champion 3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Hero’s Man • Breeder/Owner: Taylor Mountain Farm • Trainer: James W. Casey Loving Touch • Breeder: Leslie Cromer • Owner: Grams Racing Stable • Trainer: Tim Grams Co-Champion Older Filly/Mare Anna’s Bandit • Breeder: John Robb • Owner: No Guts No Glory Farm • Trainer: John Robb Late Night Pow Wow • Breeder: John McKee • Owner: Breeze Easy LLC • Trainer: Javier Contreras Champion Older Colt/Gelding Runnin’toluvya • Breeder: Leslie Cromer • Owner: Grams Racing Stable • Trainer: Tim Grams Champion Sprinter Penguin Power • Breeder: John McKee • Owner: David Raim • Trainer: Jeff Runco Co-Champion Horse of the Year Anna’s Bandit • Breeder: John Robb • Owner: No Guts No Glory Farm • Trainer: John Robb Runnin’toluvya • Breeder: Leslie Cromer • Owner: Grams Racing Stable • Trainer: Tim Grams West Virginia Broodmare of the Year Lov’emnrun • Owner: Leslie Cromer West Virginia Stallion of the Year Fiber Sonde • Owner: John McKee

JAMES CASEY ACCEPTING THE AWARD FOR BREEDER OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM KRISTY PETTY

CYNTHIA O’BANNON ACCEPTING THE AWARD FOR STALLION OF THE YEAR FROM JOHN FUNKHOUSER

FLORIDA HBPA FHBPA Represented at NHC Championship Andy Hennosy, an Ohio native and resident of Plant City, Florida, represented the Florida HBPA at the recent NHC Championships in Las Vegas. Hennosy earned his seat at the 21st edition of the NTRA event by besting the top handicappers at Gulfstream Park. The event, which featured a total prize pot of $2,997,500, was contested over three days at Bally’s on February 7-9. There were 694 entrants in the NHC field, and Hennosy finished a creditable 104th, falling less than $10 short of qualifying for the final day. “It was so close,” Hennosy said. “It came down to going 0-4 in photo finishes—just didn’t get the head bob I needed.” Hanging in the top 70 early on after posting a 24-1 shot, he went through a long drought of close calls and second-place finishes. He took a shot at a capped (20-1 limit) horse late on day two and popped a big win that took him to the edge of day three qualification. “Overall, it was a very good experience,” Hennosy said. “The large ballroom was well equipped with a huge basketball-type scoreboard hanging in the middle and plenty of TVs to follow the action. It’s tough handicapping 36 races over two days.” Like many first-timers at the event, Hennosy did not know anyone and was fortunate to end up at a table of good guys. “We were a mellow group, while some were loud and banging tables as they cheered on their picks,” he said. “One guy at our table finished high on the board and eventually cashed $60,000. It was a fun group to be a part of.” Hennosy first got into the horse game as a youngster up north with his father, Bill, who was the state fire marshal for Ohio and raced horses at old Beulah Park (now relocated and renamed as Mahoning Valley Race Course). He is a partner in Pinnacle Racing Stable, owning a number of runners being managed by FHBPA board member Adam Lazarus. He has a 3-year-old named for his father, Fire Marshall Bill, who is currently prepping for a debut. Congrats to Andy Hennosy for winning the local event and for representing us well out in the desert. See everyone next year.

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

2020 LIVE

AFFILIATE NEWS

RACING FRIDAY & SATURDAY ♦ 6PM POST TIME SUNDAY & MONDAY ♦ 4PM POST TIME

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Thoroughbred Only Meet May 1 – June 8

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SPECIAL RACE DAYS & EVENTS

TRIPLE CROWN RACE DAYS

May 25 ♦ Memorial Day ♦ Post Time 4pm June 21 ♦ Wiener Dog Races ♦ Post Time 4pm July 3 ♦ Fireworks ♦ Post Time 4pm July 4 & 5 ♦ Festival of Racing ♦ Post Time 4pm TBD ♦ Camel, Zebra, & Ostrich Races Post Time 4pm August 15 ♦ Regional Challenge Finals ♦ Post Time 6pm September 7 ♦ Labor Day Post Time 4pm September 25 ♦ Quarter Horse Championships ♦ Post Time 6pm September 26 ♦ Iowa Classic Post Time 6pm

May 2 ♦ Kentucky Derby ♦ Post Time 6pm May 16 ♦ Preakness ♦ Post Time 6pm June 6 ♦ Belmont ♦ Post Time 6pm

prairiemeadows.com // Altoona, Iowa THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

NEWS

IOWA HBPA

Horsemen Information

(Editor’s Note: As of press time, no changes have been announced for the Prairie Meadows meet. Please confirm with the track and check with the Iowa HBPA for any changes that might have occurred after press time.)

The first condition book, Thoroughbred meet stall application, Thoroughbred meet training and live racing schedules and hours, and other racing-related documents can be found on Prairie Meadows’ website under the Horsemen’s Info tab and in print at Prairie Meadows’ racing office. We also have some information posted on our Iowa HBPA Facebook page.

Prairie Meadows’ 2020 Racing Season As can be seen with the schedule on page 51, the Prairie Meadows racing season has changed for the first time in about 10 years. This was done to help with some of the issues facing racing here in Iowa, including a decrease in the number of Iowa foals and overall starters per race. To address these issues, Prairie Meadows has reduced the number of races on a weekly basis and, instead, is spreading them out over the entire meet. This should reduce the need to fill races on a weekly basis while still providing the overall number, and even increasing, the total number of racing opportunities. Roughly 603 races were offered in previous years, while for 2020, an estimated 616 races are expected to be offered. While there is an increase in races, the overall purse structure will stay the same as there is now some additional monies available from sports wagering. The Iowa HBPA looks forward to having as many people return to Prairie Meadows this year as have been coming in the past, as well as some new faces, as we begin a new era and decade in racing here in Iowa.

Racing Rules Update For the upcoming Prairie Meadows meet, there have been some updates to the racing rules. The changes are related to how often a horse may run, the claiming rules, the ability to appeal the stewards’ decision during the running of a race and clarification on the use of silks, as well as multiple changes to allow for the new Jockey Club digital certificates. For practical purposes, four of the major changes are outlined below. First, the rule on how often a horse may run has been changed to the following: “No horse shall be run twice within five consecutive calendar days.” On claiming, the new rule reads as follows: “A horse claimed may not start in a race in which the claiming price is less than the amount for which it was claimed. After 30 days, a horse may start for any claiming price. This provision shall not apply to starter handicaps in which the weight to be carried is assigned by the handicapper or for starter allowances.” Regarding stewards’ decisions on fouls, interference or riding infractions, a line saying those decisions could not be appealed has been removed, thus going back to the original rule design. Finally, on silks, the following has been adopted: “Racing silks. Racing silks shall be turned into the racing office or jockey room custodian upon arrival to the facility. (1) All horses running in a race are required to race in the owner’s silk or trainer’s silk. (2) In the case of a partnership, the horse shall run with the managing partner’s silk or trainer’s silk, if no partnership silk is available. (3) Under special circumstances, a horse may be permitted by the stewards to run in a house silk.” For more information, please contact the Iowa HBPA office or look on the Iowa HBPA Facebook page for a copy of the recently adopted Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission rules for specific information on all the changes mentioned above.

2020 Iowa HBPA Schedule of Events April 30—Iowa HBPA General Membership Meeting May 1—Opening Day of the Prairie Meadows Race Meet May 16—Annual Iowa HBPA Awards presentation held in conjunction with ITBOA Awards July 3—H.A.R.T. (Hope After Racing Thoroughbred) Silent Auction July 4-5—Iowa Festival of Racing showcasing graded races September 26—Iowa Classics Night featuring Iowa-bred stakes races

Iowa HBPA Office Hours and Information Until the opening of the meet, our normal office hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Once the meet begins, we will have the office available six or seven days a week, with normal hours beginning at 8 a.m. and going until 3 p.m. We can be reached at (515) 967-4804. To keep up to date on news and issues occurring in Iowa, you can find us on our Facebook page at Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Inc., follow us on Twitter @IowaHBPA and sign up to receive our emails at info@iowahbpa.org. We look forward to seeing the return of our horsemen, including familiar and new faces!

DENIS BLAKE

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

AFFILIATE NEWS

President’s Message This past March, Churchill Downs and Keeneland announced safety initiatives to address perceived concerns regarding the health and welfare of our equine athletes. They felt it was imperative to show the public their commitment to safety. While horsemen understand that racing is under siege, some of the protocols left many questions. For instance: A trainer is not permitted to enter a horse in any race unless the horse has been found fit to race by the attending veterinarian during the three days immediately prior to entry. And … A trainer is not permitted to work a horse unless the horse has been found fit to work by the attending veterinarian during the five days immediately before the work. The logistics and added expense involved in accomplishing the new requirements of a veterinarian’s exam prior to entering or working a horse may outweigh the supposed benefits. The California Horse Racing Board issued its report on the findings regarding horse deaths in California. It indicated that no illegal medications or procedures were uncovered. It did find that several of the horses had some preexisting pathology at the site of their fatal injury. I talked with a veterinarian/exercise physiologist regarding whether having a veterinarian watch a horse jog prior to entering or working will necessarily be able to determine preexisting pathology as mentioned in the California study. The veterinarian/exercise physiologist indicated that would be highly unlikely. As far as the tracks prohibiting furosemide (Lasix) in 2-year-old horses, horsemen question how this is considered a safety issue when research indicates that Lasix prevents horses from bleeding and potentially placing the jockey and horse in harm’s way. While I appreciate the racetracks felt it was imperative to show that they are being proactive in addressing safety concerns, I feel it was incumbent on them to include horsemen in the discussions that directly affect both them and the horses under their care. As you are aware, Churchill Downs has purchased Turfway Park. Horsemen are enthusiastic about the prospect of racing year-round in Kentucky. Purses, supplemented with historical horse racing machines, appear poised to regain the competitive stature of years ago. Churchill Downs has announced dramatic improvements to both the Turfway backside and frontside. Included will be a new Tapeta racing surface. Congratulations to Frank Jones, longtime vice president of the Kentucky HBPA, who has been appointed vice chairman of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission by Gov. Andy Beshear. Frank has served on the KHRC on numerous occasions, bringing his vast experience in racing and tremendous business acumen to the position. Good luck in your racing endeavors, Rick Hiles, President, KHBPA

[racetracks] its authority to determine which regulations for the administration of drugs to horses apply to a particular race, as setting regulations or the administration of drugs to horses is a discretionary function committed by statute to KHRC. In explaining the decision, the attorney general stated in his opinion: As applied to KHRC’s international medical protocol regulations, the regulations vest discretionary power in the individual racetracks. The racetracks are given the option to determine whether to apply the international medical protocol or not, and KHRC has surrendered its final reviewing authority over that decision. As such, the regulations are an unconstitutional delegation to private actors of KHRC’s administrative authority to promulgate regulations governing the administration of drugs to horses. Accordingly, we advise that the international medical protocol regulations promulgated by KHRC, which allow individual racetracks the option to determine which furosemide administration rules apply, are an invalid delegation of administrative rulemaking authority to private actors.

Update From Julio Rubio on Immigration Issues Winter in South Florida during mid-January was so nice when we visited some of our member trainers and their employees at Payson Park, Palm Meadows and Gulfstream Park. Payson Park was an interesting trip. It’s a two-hour drive north of Gulfstream Park and is surrounded by sugarcane fields. Its location is remote and tranquil, perfect for training horses. It was our first time visiting the facility, and we walked barns and spoke with trainers and their employees to see what their needs and concerns were. Trainers are in need of good reliable workers, so a couple of them signed up for H-2B and H-2A visas. At Payson Park, we currently have trainers who we have been assisting in the H-2B visa process for quite some years now and who also now have sponsored H-2B workers for permanent residence. While at Palm Meadows, on a cool Friday morning, we kept pretty busy while walking barns answering workers’ questions while they performed their morning routine. We assisted a great number of trainers with the immigration process (e.g., work visas, permanent residence, P-1 visas). At Gulfstream Park, Pegasus Day was quite exciting. While there, we had one-on-one conversations with some owners regarding the shortage of workers and the work visa process on a national level, where again H-2B visas for the spring have reached the quota and Congress has added an additional 35,000 for returning workers. However, we don’t have a specific date as to when they will be released. We will keep our members up to date on any changes in immigration that might concern them.

DENIS BLAKE

KENTUCKY HBPA

Kentucky HBPA Disputes Regulation Allowing Racetracks to Run Lasix-Free Races The intention by Keeneland and Churchill Downs to run Lasix-free races has brought the 2015 state attorney general’s opinion that was requested by the KHBPA to the forefront. Requested by KHBPA Executive Director Marty Maline at the behest of the KHBPA president and board, the Opinion of the Attorney General 15-017 states: In summary, we advise that KHRC may not delegate to private actors THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

NEWS

KHBPA Aims to Attract the Younger Generation The Kentucky HBPA took another step in its initiatives to attract a younger generation to horse racing, partnering with the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program in the College of Business. Overseen by executive assistant Sara Toomey and communications specialist Jennie Rees, the Kentucky HBPA is hiring UofL students on a per-project basis to assist with an array of marketing ventures, including: • Social media (including creation of a TikTok account) • Producing written and video content about retired racehorses enjoying second careers • Planning and staging events at which college students can learn more about horse racing in a fun, social atmosphere • Creating and executing strategies to promote HBPA College Days at Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs, where the Kentucky HBPA gives out a laptop via drawing to a full-time student (including two-year, vocational, trade and graduate programs) after every race • A Derby Week micro-internship in which one or possibly two students will work with Rees throughout Kentucky Derby Week (possibly starting earlier) producing social media content, videos of Derby horses and interviews with Derby connections to post on the Kentucky HBPA YouTube channel and relaunching the #KyDerbyKids Twitter initiative through which millennial and Gen Z relatives of Derby horsemen tweet about their experience. A combination of these projects could be combined into a flexible internship for one or more students. In addition, the Kentucky HBPA will work with any interested Equine Industry Program student (or others) to find a seasonal job walking horses at nearby Churchill Downs. The HBPA also is committed to making its representatives and members available whenever the Equine Industry Program needs a speaker for a class. “Our motivation is multifold,” said KHBPA Executive Director Marty Maline. “We want to raise awareness among equine students of the many things that the Kentucky HBPA does. We want those who might be from different equine disciplines to consider careers in horse racing. This is just another step in our longtime pursuit of attracting 20-somethings to horse racing as a form of entertainment and further involvement, including horse ownership or employment. We want to tap into these bright young students to find ways and strategies to not only get them to the races, but to attract their friends for whom racing might not be on the radar. They are going to be a valuable resource in how we

can most effectively get out our message about the quality of care for racehorses and the bond between horse and human. We want them to be a conduit in telling our story and showing up close how cool racehorses are and what a tremendous sport and industry horse racing is.”

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, and 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 by 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 kyhbpa.org and click on “How to Join.”

JENNIE REES

LOUISIANA HBPA (Editor’s Note: As of press time, no changes have been announced for the upcoming meets in Louisiana. Please confirm with the specific tracks and check with the Louisiana HBPA for any changes that might have occurred after press time.)

Delta Downs The American Quarter Horse meet at Delta Downs begins April 17 and ends July 4, featuring the Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) on closing day. The futurity has an estimated purse of $1 million. The July 4 card will have eight stakes totaling more than $1.3 million in purses, including the Delta Derby and other Louisiana-bred races. For additional information, contact the Delta Downs racing office at (888) 589-7223. A VARIETY OF INITIATIVES HAS HELPED BRING YOUNG PEOPLE OUT TO KENTUCKY’S TRACKS.

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

AFFILIATE NEWS

Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino 2020 Race Meet

Fair Grounds Race Course 2019-2020 Race Meets

2235 Creswell Lane Extension, Opelousas, LA 70570 Toll Free: 866-4-Racing * www.evangelinedowns.com

1751 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70119 Sun

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Harrah’s Louisiana Downs 2020 Race Meets

Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino 2020 Race Meet

8000 Hwy 80 East, PO Box 5519, Bossier City, LA 71171 318-742-5555 * www.ladowns.com

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THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

46 Quarter Horse Days

SPRING 2020

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NEWS

Evangeline Downs The Thoroughbred meet at Evangeline Downs begins April 8 and ends August 29. The Evangeline Mile will be conducted June 27 for a $100,000-guaranteed purse. Louisiana Legends Night will be May 30 with eight Louisiana-bred stakes for more than $600,000 in purses. For additional information, contact the Evangeline Downs racing office at (337) 594-3022.

Louisiana Downs The Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred meet begins May 2 and concludes September 23. The Louisiana Super Derby will be the marquee event on September 12 with a guaranteed purse of $300,000. The September 12 card will have a total of seven stakes races for $660,000 in purses. The meet also will feature the annual Louisiana Cup Day on August 1 for Louisiana-bred horses with more than $300,000 in purses. For additional information, contact the Louisiana Downs racing office at (318) 741-2511.

MINNESOTA HBPA (Editor’s Note: As of press time, no changes have been announced for the upcoming meet at Canterbury Park. Please confirm with the track and check with the Minnesota HBPA for any changes that might have occurred after press time.)

Canterbury Park Meet Preview Canterbury Park’s meet is scheduled to begin Friday, May 15, and features 65 days of racing, offering an estimated total of $14 million in purse money ($225,000 per day). New this year will be guaranteed purse earnings, plus an additional $250 participation bonus for starters in all overnight races through May 25. The chart below shows the guaranteed earnings by purse level: Purse up to $14,999 $250 $15,000–$29,999 $375 $30,000–$49,999 $600 $50,000–$99,999 $1,000 $100,000–$199,999 $2,000 $200,000 and up $4,000

Also new this year will be a Saturday post time of 5:00 p.m., as post time for Thursday and Friday will remain the same at 6:00 p.m., with Sunday and holiday Mondays at 12:45 p.m. Meanwhile, it has been a busy off-season at Canterbury Park, as the first stage in its expansive development project nears completion. The Triple Crown Residences at Canterbury will offer luxury living just steps from the racetrack and are slated to open June 1. For more information, go to thetriplecrownapts.com. As always, the Minnesota HBPA will offer an array of benevolence for all those who work on the backstretch. The dental clinic, under the direction of Dr. Scott Rake, an oral surgeon and president of the Minnesota HBPA, will be open and welcome back dentists and dental hygienists who have tirelessly given their time throughout the years. There also will be summer camp for the kids, periodic visits by the Scott County ReadMobile and English as a Second Language classes. All in all, we’re looking forward to a great meet as a new era begins at Canterbury Park.

MOUNTAINEER PARK HBPA (Editor’s Note: As of press time, no changes have been announced for the upcoming meet at Mountaineer Park. Please confirm with the track and check with the Mountaineer Park HBPA for any changes that might have occurred after press time.)

Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort 2020 Live Race Meet In early December, Century Casinos Inc. completed the acquisition of the operations of Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort from Eldorado Resorts Inc. Century Casinos operates Century Mile Racetrack and Casino and Century Downs Racetrack and Casino in Canada. Mountaineer’s live race meet will kick off April 26 and run through December 2, with the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby on August 1. In preparation, the track has committed the resources to resurface the dirt track. In addition, a track supervisor has been hired to ensure the track is properly maintained. “We welcome Century Casinos and their management team to West Virginia,” said Jami Poole, president of the Mountaineer Park HBPA. “Their initiative in addressing the track conditions is an example of their commitment to our racing program. We look forward to working with them to promote Thoroughbred racing at Mountaineer.”

West Virginia Legislature Passes ADW Bill During the 2020 West Virginia legislative session, a bill to legalize advance deposit wagering passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate and is waiting the signature of Gov. Jim Justice. This bill was supported by the entire racing industry in the state, including the Charles Town and Mountaineer HBPAs, the greyhound industry, the West Virginia Racing Commission and the four racetrack casinos. This unified support enabled passage of this bill that provides additional revenue for all stakeholders.

THIS FEBRUARY PHOTO SHOWS THE PROGRESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT AROUND CANTERBURY PARK.

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

AFFILIATE NEWS

MOUNTAINEER PARK April 26 - December 2, 2020

LIVE RACING CALENDAR - 130 DAYS Feburary 2020

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Post Time - 7:00 pm Post Time - 2:00pm THE HORSEMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

West Virginia Derby 57

NEWS

West Virginia Racing Commission Retirement Plan for Backstretch Workers The enrollment period for the West Virginia Racing Commission Retirement Plan for Backstretch Workers for the 2019 plan year will take place April 15 through May 15. Visit the HBPA office for more information and applications. Participants must complete the applications each program year to be eligible.

Luis M. Quinones Named George Woolf Award Winner Mountaineer’s leading rider Luis M. Quinones is the winner of the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award for 2020. The award is given to a rider by his peers in recognition of his career in the saddle and his personal character. Quinones, 41, beat out a strong group that included Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, Tyler Baze, Chris Emigh and James Graham. “It’s a great honor just to be on the ballot for this award,” Quinones said in a Santa Anita press release. “Winning the Woolf Award is incredible. I’m looking forward to coming out there, and I know this is something I will never forget.” Quinones, a native of Puerto Rico, was the second-winningest jockey in North America last year, behind only Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr., with 314 victories after being the third-winningest rider in North America in both 2017 and 2018. Last year marked a single-season record for Quinones for both victories and purse earnings, with his mounts earning more than $3.65 million. The Woolf Award can be won only once. It is named for the Hall of Fame jockey who is best known for riding Seabiscuit to victory in the 1938 Pimlico Special match race against War Admiral, as well as for winning the inaugural Santa Anita Handicap in 1935 on Azucar. Woolf lost his life in an accident at Santa Anita in 1946 at age 35.

NEBRASKA HBPA Nebraska Hall of Fame Inductees The Nebraska HBPA held its Racing Hall of Fame dinner on March 7 at Fonner Park in Grand Island. The Hall of Fame Committee nominated six people to be inducted this year: Larry Donlin Sr.—Larry is a longtime Nebraska trainer who has raced on the Midwest circuit his entire career and has almost 8,000 starts and 956 wins. He is a current Nebraska HBPA board member. He commented that he is the “luckiest man in the world. I have been able to do something for a profession that I love—training horses.” Ken Shino—Ken is a jockey who raced on the Midwest circuit for almost 30 years before retiring in 2016. He amassed 18,954 starts with 2,542 wins and earnings of more than $22 million. Ann Shea—Ann was a longtime employee of the Nebraska Racing Commission. For more than 30 years, she was a beloved fixture in the racing office at the track. She was friendly and took care of every member of the racing community. Ann worked well into her 80s including right up until the time she passed away in 2019. Carolyn Legenza—Carolyn was a longtime horsemen’s bookkeeper and worked the entire Nebraska circuit for more than 20 years. She started working at Ag Park in Columbus and eventually picked up every track in Nebraska. Carolyn is friends with almost every person on the racetrack and was the infor58

mal organizer of backside events for the horsemen and backstretch workers. She and her husband, Bob, also boarded racehorses and broodmares at their farm. Tim Doocy—Tim is a jockey who started his career in 1974. He began in Pennsylvania but eventually moved to the Midwest to ride. Tim had more than 33,000 career starts and 5,061 wins. At the time of his retirement in 2009, he was the 23rd winningest jockey in North America. Tim often says his biggest win at the track was in 1977 when he met his wife, Terry, in the paddock at Fonner Park. Larry “Butch” Staroscik—Butch was a longtime owner and trainer in Nebraska racing. In the 50-plus years of his career, he had more than 9,000 starts and more than 1,000 wins. His favorite racetrack was his home track in Columbus, and his children were often present with him there. He passed away January 30, 2019.

NEW ENGLAND HBPA Still Hope in Massachusetts By Lynne Snierson There may be no live racing dates on the 2020 calendar in Massachusetts, but there is hope that the sport will be revitalized in the state in the near future as three potential developers of three different state-of-the-art racing facilities have stepped forward and are working with New England HBPA officials. A well-known Massachusetts developer with a track record of success has assembled a team of investors to pursue building a $300-million racing complex with casino gambling in the town of Wareham, which is near the tourist mecca of Cape Cod. A different successful entity is proposing to build a track north of Boston in the town of Rowley, and a third bid from another party is coming together to construct a stand-alone one-mile track in the western part of the state near the Connecticut border, and that facility could add other amenities after it is up and running. Nevertheless, an overhaul of the state racing statutes that have been on the books for decades is necessary for the success of any of these projects. To that end, the NEHBPA has met with representatives of all three proposals, and they are working diligently to secure the support of the Massachusetts Legislature and the state gaming commission. The Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act of 2011 also would need to be revisited and rewritten for the Wareham project to be allowed to include a casino in its development that would feature a one-mile track. Meanwhile, the NEHBPA continues to battle on another crucial front. The Racehorse Development Fund, which was established as part of the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act, is fueled by percentages of the state’s full casinos and one slots parlor. The money, which is in the tens of millions of dollars now that two destination resort casinos and the sole slots facility are operational, is allocated 80 percent to purses, 16 percent to breeders and 4 percent to backstretch welfare, which includes health benefits to retired trainers. By law, the RHDF is divided between the Thoroughbred and Standardbred industries, and the split is decided by the Horse Racing Committee of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. In 2014 the HRC split the fund 75/25, Thoroughbred to Standardbred, but over time, the percentages have been regressively changed to favor the harness industry. By February 2020, the split had changed so dramatically that the percentages were almost completely reversed so that it was 65/35, Standardbred to Thoroughbred. Each of the potential developers has maintained that a favorable share of the RHDF is a requirement for any to move forward with the multimillion-dollar investment in building a racetrack.

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AFFILIATE NEWS “How do we attract quality horses and racing fans, support our breeding program and the benefits for our retirees if that funding is not in place?” asked Anthony Spadea Jr., president of the NEHBPA. “We need to leave the table set for when we have restored full-time racing, and we now have a path to that reality.” Not all horsemen are on board for the revival of Thoroughbred racing apparently. The state’s Standardbred horsemen saw their struggling racing and breeding programs given new life when the MGC granted the state’s sole slots facility license to Penn National Gaming Inc., which is the owner of the former Plainridge Park harness track that became Plainridge Park Casino. Even so, the harness horsemen have waged an inside campaign at the HRC in an attempt to secure 100 percent of the RHDF that was established to also support the Massachusetts Thoroughbred industry. All three development groups have joined the NEHBPA in urging the HRC to maintain the current split for Thoroughbred racing and breeding as they pursue a new track and full-time racing. “You could not pick a worse time to undercut the Thoroughbred racing industry, and we are confident that the MGC and the legislature will not support the Standardbred campaign,” Spadea said. The HRC was set to revisit the issue in March, after press time.

Thistledown’s meet wraps up Saturday, October 17, when racing in northern Ohio shifts back to Mahoning Valley, with the fall meeting at the Youngstown-area track set to begin October 24.

THOROUGHBRED RACING ASSOCIATION OF OKLAHOMA (OKLAHOMA HBPA) Welder Becomes First Thoroughbred to Win Back-to-Back Horse of the Meeting Titles at Remington Plenty of incredible horses have raced at Remington Park over the past 31 years, but none have ever been voted Horse of the Meeting twice until now. In earning the 2019 title, Welder became the first horse to repeat as the track’s Horse of the Meeting, something that a litany of other legendary horses in Oklahoma could not do. Clever Trevor, Silver Goblin, Highland Ice, Slide Show, No More Hard Times, Silver Icon, Peaked, Brother Brown, Zeeruler, Marked Tree and Evansville Slew all were Remington Horse of the Meeting just the one time. Owned by Clayton Rash’s Ra-Max Farms and trained by Teri Luneack,

(Editor’s Note: Please check with the tracks and Ohio HBPA for any schedule changes.)

Belterra Park Meet Preview Belterra Park kicks off its 93-day live Thoroughbred meeting Friday, April 24, with a 12:35 p.m. post time. The Best of Ohio Program, set for Saturday, May 9, highlights the meet and features five stakes races for registered Ohiobreds. It has traditionally rotated among Ohio’s three Thoroughbred tracks on a yearly basis. This year, the Best of Ohio has been changed to a series with each track hosting a Best of Ohio Day featuring five $100,000 stakes for Ohio-breds in various divisions. The Belterra Park Best of Ohio card will feature the 6 ½-furlong Tall Stack Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters, the Norm Barron/Queen City Oaks at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-old fillies, the Babst/Palacious Memorial for older sprinters going six furlongs, the Diana Stakes for older female sprinters going six furlongs and the 1 1/16-mile Sydney Gendelman Memorial for 3-year-olds and up over the turf course. Racing will be conducted on a Thursday through Sunday schedule with closing day scheduled for Friday, September 25. Special live racing cards will be held on Memorial Day, May 25, and Labor Day, September 7.

Thistledown Meet Preview Thistledown is set to begin its 100-day live Thoroughbred meet with opening day scheduled for Monday, April 27. Thistledown will race on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday schedule throughout the meet with a 12:50 p.m. post time Monday through Wednesday and a 12:20 p.m. post time each Saturday. The Grade 3 Ohio Derby, Ohio’s only graded stakes event, will highlight the meet on Saturday, June 20. Thistledown takes its turn hosting the Best of Ohio series on Saturday, September 8, with five $100,000 stakes events for Ohio-breds. THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

DUSTIN ORONA PHOTOGRAPHY

OHIO HBPA

OKLAHOMA-BRED WELDER CONTINUES TO IMPRESS.

Welder, who won four races for the second meet in a row, also was named champion in three other categories: Sprinter, Older Male and Oklahoma-bred. “I’m so thrilled for Welder, Clayton and Toni [Rash’s wife] and the whole Ra-Max team for this accomplishment,” Luneack said. “It’s no easy feat to have all the stars align to make this all happen. He is a superstar. Always will be. I’m just the lucky one that gets to share this life with him. I also want to thank all the Welder fans. I think they love this horse almost as much as I do.” Remington’s two-time leading rider David Cabrera was aboard for all four of Welder’s wins at Remington Park this year, as he was last year. Welder also is the first horse in track history to win four stakes races in one season, achieving that in 2018. Now 7, Welder, a gelded gray son of The Visualiser, broke the track record last year for six furlongs while winning the David M. Vance Sprint in a time of 1:08.13. It was the first of three stakes Welder won at Remington during the meet. He ended 2019 with 21 wins in 32 career starts and nearly $1 million in earnings. 59

NEWS Here’s a look at the other 2019 champions from Remington Park: Champion 2-Year-Old Male: Shoplifted Champion 2-Year-Old Female: Princesinha Julia Champion 3-Year-Old Male: Owendale Champion 3-Year-Old Female: Lady Apple Champion Older Female: Three Chords Champion Turf Performer: Alternative Slew Champion Claimer: Moonlight Train Among the human leaders at the meet, Steve Asmussen, a member of the National Racing Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame, won his 15th seasonal training title in Oklahoma City with 83 victories. It was also his fourth consecutive Chuck Taliaferro Memorial Award, named in honor of one of Remington Park’s leading trainers in its formative years. Asmussen passed Donnie Von Hemel during the meet for most wins in the track’s history with 1,051. He also topped all trainers in 2019 with stable earnings of $2,541,479. End Zone Athletics, the Mansfield, Texas, partnership of trainer Karl Broberg and Matt Johanson, ascended to the top of the Remington Park owner standings for the first time. In doing so, they unseated Danny Caldwell, who had led the owner standings for nine consecutive years. End Zone Athletics won 32 races from 158 total starts. The leading owner by earnings was C.R. Trout, a member of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Trout’s runners compiled $597,671 with Shotgun Kowboy posting the biggest win for the operation. A millionaire Oklahoma-bred, Shotgun Kowboy won his fourth career Oklahoma Classics Cup in 2019. The leading owner is presented with the Ran Ricks Jr. Award, named in honor of the track’s all-time leading owner at the time of his passing in late 1996. David Cabrera won his second consecutive riding title with 83 victories. The top jockey at Remington Park earns the Pat Steinberg Award, named for the track’s all-time leading jockey at the time of his passing in 1993. Cabrera also led all jockeys in earnings with $2,159,916. The Remington Park divisional champions were determined by voting from track officials and media who covered the 2019 season.

Remington Park Total Handle Continues Upward Trend The 2019 Remington Park Thoroughbred season concluded on December 15 and once again experienced increases in total pari-mutuel handle for the 67date schedule. Total handle on Remington Park racing was $76,885,108, up 7.1 percent compared to the 2018 Thoroughbred season total of $71,798,190. This was the third consecutive Thoroughbred season that total handle on Remington Park racing increased over the prior year. The increase was driven by export handle going up over the previous year for the third year in a row. In 2019, other jurisdictions wagered $73,472,573, an 8 percent jump over the $68,021,279 bet from export sources in 2018. The Oklahoma Derby Day card set an all-time handle record on Remington Park racing of $3,086,572. The record lasted until the Springboard Mile Day program, when $3,365,368 was played. Both record dates this season featured 13-race programs. Remington Park’s daily average handle was $1,147,539, up from the 2018 daily average of $1,071,615. “Horseplayers everywhere continue to recognize the value of the Remington Park Thoroughbred racing product and have helped us maintain our upward trajectory,” said Scott Wells, Remington Park president and general manager. “We are extremely appreciative of our horsemen and our racing department for their collaboration in making this one of our most successful seasons ever, capping it off with an all-time record day.”

Remington conducted 604 races last year, compared to the 609 contested in 2018. The average field size for 2019 moved 3.3 percent lower to 8.71 per race with 5,259 total starters. The 2018 average field size was 9.01 per race from 5,490 total starters. Total horsemen’s purses continue to grow as well with $16,971,799 paid in 2019. The daily average was $253,310, up 2.2 percent from the 2018 daily average of $247,791, from an overall total that year of $16,602,025 for the same number of days. After enjoying an increase in 2018, on-track live handle slid in 2019 with $3,216,874 wagered, down 11 percent from the total of $3,615,779.

Will Rogers Downs Meet The Thoroughbred meet at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Claremore kicked off March 16 and runs through May 23 with 29 days of racing. “The highlight of this season figures to be Welder,” said John Lies, the track’s racing secretary, announcer and oddsmaker. The three-time Horse of the Meet at Will Rogers is approaching the $1 million mark in career earnings. The gelding is being pointed to the Highland Ice Stakes on April 7. “We are encouraged by more stall applications for this meet than any other since I’ve been here, and response to the condition book has been positive,” Lies added. “We hope to proceed in the direction we headed last spring by increasing our exposure and handle through nurturing our relationship with TVG. This looks to be an exciting meet.” For more information, including the track’s stakes schedule, visit cherokeecasino.com/will-rogers-downs.

Board Election Results The TRAO counted ballots on January 6 for the 2020 OKHBPA/TRAO trainer or owner/trainer directors. The results were counted by the election committee, which consisted of Bill Anderson, Joe Alexander and Kris Richter and was overseen by election director Ric Hedges. The results of the trainer or owner/trainer elections are Mike Biehler, Kenny Nolen, Joe Offolter, Scott Young and Theresa Luneack. The new directors will take their seats at the first TRAO board meeting. On behalf of the TRAO, we would like to express our gratitude to all candidates for their decision to participate in the election process and to represent the Thoroughbred horsemen of Oklahoma.

Equine Equipment Savings TRAO members are reminded that they are eligible for significant discounts through Equine Equipment, including Toro and Exmark mowers at up to 26 percent off MSRP and discounts on construction equipment, hay equipment and tractors from New Holland, along with Farm Paint and Tenda Horse Products. For details, go to equineequipment.com.

Track Supers Event Set for September at Remington Park Remington Park is set to host this year’s Track Superintendents Field Day on September 14-16. The event brings track supers and their staffs together to discuss ways to improve track maintenance and safety. For more information, go to tracksupers.com.

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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AFFILIATE NEWS WestWin Farms Launches in Oklahoma with Three Stallions on Roster Prominent Southwest horse owner Bryan Hawk recently acquired a breeding farm in Purcell, Oklahoma, and is now doing business as WestWin Farms. The farm was owned at one time by American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Frank Merrill, and a long list of champions was bred and raised at the facility. Hawk said he would love to continue the legacy that Merrill built and will breed both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. Hawk currently has 30 mares there that he has acquired from both racing and sales. Hawk raced stakes winners Code West and Pass the Buck and is standing them at the farm. The two horses are from the successful program of Gary and Mary West, who have campaigned such stellar horses as Game Winner, West Coast, Dollar Bill, Family Tree and Eclipse Award winner Maximum Security. Code West, a son of Lemon Drop Kid, earned more than $800,000 in a career that included a victory in the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs and a runner-up finish in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds. His first foals arrive in 2020. Pass the Buck, by Pulpit, earned three wins and two seconds in seven career starts, highlighted by a score in the Zia Park Derby. Code West stands for $1,500 and Pass the Buck for $1,000. The farm also is offering Mister Lucky Cat, a winning son of Storm Cat, for a fee of $1,000. From a limited number of starters, Mister Lucky Cat is the sire of Starling, winner of the 2018 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile, and Criminal, a three-time winner and stakes-placed earner of $66,734. For more information, go to westwinfarms.com.

65-Year-Old Jockey B.L. Goff Goes 17 Years Between Thoroughbred Wins at Remington Park

DUSTIN ORONA PHOTOGRAPHY

Sexagenarian jockey B.L. Goff hadn’t won a Thoroughbred race at Remington Park in 17 years, but the long dry spell came to an end on December 5, 2019. Goff, now 65, was 48 when he last had his picture taken in the winner’s circle in Oklahoma City in 2002 aboard Eggs Galaxy for trainer Michael Gass Sr. Seventeen years later, Goff went straight to the lead aboard second-time starter Salvo, who had bolted in his first try and dropped jockey Jason Eads just out of the gate. The horse that Goff won on was 63 years younger than him. The 2-yearold Salvo, a gelded JOCKEY B.L. GOFF IS 63 YEARS OLDER THAN son of Chitoz, had a THE HORSE HE WAS RIDING. wide lead as the field of nine turned for home in the six-furlong sprint for maiden claimers and was trying to hang on coming to the wire. Trainer Tim Martin replaced the injured Eads with Goff, and it was a sync-up truly for the ages. THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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Since beginning his career in 1989, Goff has ridden 971 horses and won 36 times. Only three of those wins were on Thoroughbreds in Oklahoma City. Before 2002, Goff’s last win aboard a Thoroughbred came in 1995. His biggest year for Thoroughbreds was 1993, when he won 10 times in 142 mounts, marking the only year he earned double-digit victories. Goff said he runs 5K races and has set records for his age group in those events. It’s not uncommon for him to drop to the ground and do 30 or more pushups in the barn area during morning training. Salvo is owned by Big Sugar Racing and was bred in Oklahoma by Circle Bar H.

OREGON HBPA Grants Pass Downs News The big news in Oregon is the expansion taking place at Grants Pass Downs. With Portland Meadows gone, racing in Oregon was in jeopardy. Thankfully, Travis Boersma had a vision for the future of racing in Oregon and the willingness to make that vision a reality. Since then, work has been ongoing to get Grants Pass Downs ready to host a commercial race meet. The track has been widened to accept a 10-horse gate. A new state-of-the-art video tote board adorns the infield, and new fencing surrounds the facility to help provide 24/7 security during racing. Plans call for an equestrian center with two training tracks and an entertainment center that will house numerous types of food and entertainment options. Grants Pass Downs is also taking on the task of rebuilding the off-track betting network and the reemergence of historical horse racing for the betterment of the entire industry. The Oregon HBPA, along with all other industry partners, is very excited and grateful for this opportunity to keep racing alive in Oregon. Below are the 2020 racing dates here in Oregon: Grants Pass Spring Meet: May 10-June 8, June 20-July 12 Eastern Oregon Livestock Show: June 12-14 Crooked River Roundup: July 15-18 Harney County Race Meet: July 25-26 Tillamook County Fair: August 5-8 Grants Pass Fall Meet: September 20-November 9

TAMPA BAY DOWNS HBPA Spring Has Arrived at Tampa Bay Downs We kicked off the holiday season with our annual Tampa Bay Downs HBPA Christmas Party on December 17. In addition to all of the yummy food, catered by Tampa Bay Downs, we were fortunate to have Will Velie from Horseman Labor Solutions and Julio Rubio in attendance to offer assistance and answer any questions regarding immigration issues. Santa even showed up on horseback! Our heartfelt thanks to all who made it a memorable day. The HBPA Owner/Trainer Dinner was held January 14 at the Countryside Country Club in Clearwater and had a great turnout. Congratulations to Team Turbo on winning the TBD HBPA Derby. Ronnie Allen, Brian Thomas and Gavin Thornberry bounced gamely to the wire beating out the Ward team by a head. Upcoming events include the HBPA Backside Barbecue with a date to be announced and the Summer Festival of Racing on June 30 and July 1. 61

NEWS

WASHINGTON HBPA Washington Celebrates Its 2019 Champions More than 200 horsemen and racing enthusiasts were dressed in their “Run for the Roses” finest for the 2019 Washington Annual Awards Dinner and Horsemen Stimulus Auctions on Saturday, February 22, at Emerald Downs in Auburn. John and Janene Maryanski and Gerald and Gail Schneider’s Baja Sur brought home titles as horse of the year, champion sprinter and champion 3-year-old to add to his 2018 state champion juvenile title. Trained by Blaine Wright, the gelded son of Smiling Tiger won three stakes and placed in another in 2019. In addition, the Maryanski/Schneider partnership was named the leading owner of Washington-bred earners in 2019, and Wright received one of two special training achievement awards handed out during the festive celebration. Among Wright’s 2019 accomplishments were his close seconds in two graded races with juvenile Anneau d’Or, nine stakes wins at Emerald Downs and having his first Preakness Stakes starter. Sophomore filly honors went to Alittlelesstalk, by Demon Warlock, who is trained by Roddina Barrett and raced by Warlock Stables (Tim Floyd), Kelly Dougan and Ya Killing Me LLC (Stephani Loffredo). Alittlelesstalk won two Emerald Downs stakes and was runner-up in two others, including in her challenge against males in the Muckleshoot Derby. The top older filly or mare award went to One Horse Will Do Corporation (Jody Petz) and Steve Shimizu’s No Talking Back. The now 6-year-old daughter 62

of Flatter, who hails from Chris Stenslie’s barn, won a trio of Emerald Downs stakes last year. In taking the title, No Talking Back amazingly became a fourth-generation Washington champion for her female line. The 2019 older horse or gelding champion Grinder Sparksaglo, by Grindstone, races for Richard Sena, who bred the seven-time stakes winner in partnership with the late Marvin Lynd. Through his 8-year-old season, Grinder Sparksaglo, who is trained by Robbie Baze, had placed in eight other stakes, including last year’s Governor’s Stakes at Emerald Downs. Tawnja Elison’s Unmachable, by Macho Uno, took 2-year-old colt or gelding honors thanks to a victory in the WA Cup Juvenile Colts and Geldings Stakes. Trained by Jack McCartney, he was stakes-placed in his other two starts on the year. Juvenile filly champion Windy Point, by Coast Guard, races for her breeders Clemans View Farm (Jean Harris and her son Jeff Harris) and veterinarian Michelle Beaunaux. The Jose Navarro trainee won the WA Cup Juvenile Filly Stakes and was runner-up in two other Emerald Downs stakes last season. Probably the most emotional tribute of the evening came with the presentation of the WHBPA Willing Heart Award to longtime racetrack veterinarian Gerald Bergsma for his “unabating compassion for horses and horsemen and steadfast dedication to the Washington horse racing industry.” Other awards went to the following: Mahlum Thoroughbreds Plater of the Year—Lode the Gold, by Harbor the Gold • Owner: Maria T. Gonzalez-Delgadillo • Trainers: Dayson LaVanway and Salas Eliazar K-V Racing Stables Most Improved Plater—Brilliant Bird, by Einstein (Brz) Owners: Jenny Fernandez, Alvaro Fernandez, Ron Crockett Inc. • Trainers: Cynthia Winschell, Pablo A. De Jesus, Terry Gillihan El Dorado Farms Leading Sire—Atta Boy Roy (2005, Tribunal—Irish Toast, by Synastry) • Property of Atta Boy Roy Syndicate Griffin Place Broodmare of the Year—Trainingat the Bar • Owned by Tim Floyd, Estate of Allen Floyd, Kelly Dougan and Melvin Hudson One Horse Will Do Corporation Top Washington-bred OTTB—Back to Wine Owner/Rider: Christina Klein • 3,589 points recorded through The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program Performance Awards S.J. Agnew Special Achievement Award—David Thorner, for leadership and service to the Washington Thoroughbred industry, including his tenure as WTBOA president and on the board of directors; serving on the Washington HBPA board; his legal representation that has benefited horsemen and racing; and his contagious love and enthusiasm for all things Thoroughbred. Daily Racing Form Leading Breeder—Nina and Ron Hagen (El Dorado Farms) • Awarded on the basis of 2019 Washington-bred earnings of $330,964 WAYNE NAGAI

We would like to recognize our Grooms of the Week to date: Mateo Galicia, trainer Eoin Harty; Juan Rivera, trainer Graham Motion; Steven Ruggireo, trainer Robert Bordis; Maribel Garcia, trainer Roy Lerman; Esteban Ramerez, trainer Graham Motion; Mauricio Madrid, trainer Roy Lerman; Limber Magdaleno, trainer Kathleen O’Connell; Francisco SANTA MADE A SPECIAL APPEARANCE AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY. Sida, trainer Michele Boyce; Evencio Vargas, trainer J. Thomas; Luis Sanchez, trainer Joan Scott; Juan Garcia, trainer Michele Boyce; Marcelo Cordosa, trainer David Hinsley; and Javier Martinez, trainer A. Delacour. Winners receive $50, an embroidered jacket and a certificate with their photo on the Wall of Fame in the TBD HBPA office. Each month, AAA Feed and Tack sponsors the Barn of the Month and awards the winner a $200 gift certificate redeemable at their store. The lucky winners: November, Joe Mazza; December, John Pimental; January, Benny Feliciano; February, Gary Johnson; and March, Rob O’Connor. Many thanks to Nancy and Jerry of AAA for their generosity.

BAJA SUR ADDED TO HIS TROPHY HAUL. THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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AFFILIATE NEWS WHBPA’s LePley Participates in Legislative Work Session

In a night that primarily recognizes four-legged champions, the only recipient to receive an enthusiastic standing ovation from the WTBOA Annual Awards packed house was Dr. Gerald Bergsma, a veterinarian who began his career at Longacres in 1970 and has been dedicated to Washington’s racing industry and its horses ever since. Several years ago, the Washington HBPA created the Willing Heart Award as a way of recognizing volunteers who helped with various benevolent programs. Since then, the award has brought attention to those who go unnoticed but quietly do a lot behind the scenes to aid the industry and its participants. “Unsung heroes,” said WHBPA Executive Director MaryAnn O’Connell. “Those who have a huge impact but receive little recognition. Most of them are OK with that. In fact, they prefer it.” DR. GARY BERGSMA (LEFT) GIVING Trainer Howard BelCHAPLAIN GILBERT AGUILAR A TOUR voir had the privilege of OF THE EMERALD DOWNS VET CLINIC. announcing his long-time veterinarian and friend as this year’s WHBPA award winner. The words “kind, compassionate, humble” and not surprisingly “willing” were all used to describe the man affectionately known in the barn area as Dr. B. Besides his deep caring for his horse patients, Bergsma has treated many backstretch family pets often for little or no compensation. He is among the first to donate goods or services to fundraising activities and to get involved with critical issues affecting the Washington horse racing industry. Bergsma has been instrumental in working with the WHBPA and WHRC to develop rules that ensure the health and welfare of the horses and protect the integrity of the sport and its participants. Although partially retired from his 50-year veterinary practice, Bergsma continues his ongoing service to Washington’s horsemen, truly exemplifying the motto of “horsemen helping horsemen.” HJ

DENIS BLAKE

March 4 was a historical day for Washington horse racing. The Washington Horse Racing Commission, WHBPA and WTBOA all participated in a work session at the state Capitol. Surprisingly, as far as anyone recalls, it was a first for the Washington horse racing industry. WHBPA President Pat LePley requested the work session earlier this year when he spoke at a legislative hearing concerning sports wagering. WHRC Executive Secretary Doug Moore helped to facilitate the presentation before the House Commerce and Gaming Committee. Representatives in attendance were Strom Peterson (D-Chair), Shelly Kloba (D-Vice Chair), Bill Jenkin (R), Alex Ramel (D), Drew MacEwen (R-Ranking Minority Member), Kelly Chambers (R-Assistant Ranking Minority Member), Brian Blake (D) and Steve Kirby (D). During the 60-minute session, racing stakeholders’ objective was to educate the committee members and broader public (the session was televised on TVW) regarding the importance of Washington horse racing to the state, both historically and economically. It was also a chance to convey what legislators could do to help an industry that has survived so much adversity over the years. In addition to Moore and LePley, presenters included Debbie Pabst (owner/ breeder, Blue Ribbon Farm), Francis “Shorty” Martin (East Washington nonprofit fair circuit racing) and Mike Lydon (Northern Racing Quarter Horse Association). Stakeholders reported on the current status of racing across America, identifying states with healthy or declining industries. Next came a synopsis of the economic impact of horse racing to Washington state, including employment and agricultural impact. The next segment was titled, “What We Are Doing Right in Washington State.” Bullet points included horse racing’s unique worker’s compensation program, safety protocols, the WHRC medication program, racing surface protocols and improvements, the cooperative working relationship between stakeholders and a focus on Thoroughbred aftercare. The work session then shifted to what the legislators could do to aid the industry, with attention to why horse racing is a good investment for the state. The session concluded with Moore and LePley giving several examples of what other state governments have done for their industries—in particular, the sales tax legislation in Texas and historical racing machines in Kentucky, Wyoming, Virginia and Arkansas. Although no definitive answers or promises were given, the WHBPA, WHRC and WTBOA initiated the start of a long overdue conversation with key persons in the Washington Legislature. The success of the workshop will be measured during the follow-up and next legislative session.

Bergsma Awarded WHBPA Willing Heart

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

SPRING 2020

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