The Horsemen's Journal - Summer 2012 by The Horsemen's Journal

summer fall 1012

Access to mare produce records when you need it.

volume 59/ # 2

summer 20 12

deParTMenTS

2 MeSSage froM The naTional hBPa

7 indUSTry newS

14 hBPa newS

16 legiSlaTive UPdaTe

18 reSearch & MedicaTion UPdaTe

22 MedicaTion coMMiTTee corner

24 2012 racing SchedUle for norTh aMerica

dynaMic video endoScoPy

affiliaTe newS feaTUreS

The UncerTain and Unknown road ahead: race–day MedicaTion in The USa – a look at a number

a review of efforTS To ProTecT The healTh of JockeyS and horSeS in horSe racing – a

dynaMic video endoScoPy – an examination of dynamic

SUMMer Skin ProBleMS in horSeS – a look at

of events over the past year that appear to be leading to changes in race-day medication regulations in the U.S.

statement of the national hbpa written for and distributed at the U.S. house Energy and commerce health Subcommittee hearing on april 30, 2012.

chaMPionS of The PeoPle: how Jerry crawford and dale roManS STePPed in To Save The h-2B viSa PrograM for horSeMen –

video endoscopy, which could replace the high-speed treadmill as the one of the main options to diagnose upper airway issues over the coming months.

equine skin issues that are particular problems during the summer months.

the story of how an owner and a trainer stepped up and did what was necessary to protect the industry from detrimental changes to the h-2b Visa program.

www.nationalhbpa.com

hj in every iSSUE

message from

the Ceo

dear horSewoMen and horSeMen of The naTional hBPa:

naTional hBPa 870 corporate Drive Suite 300 lexington, KY 40503 p(859) 259-0451 F(859) 259-0452 racing@hbpa.org www.nationalhbpa.com

PreSidenT/ chairMan of The Board Joe Santanna firST regional vice PreSidenT Robin Richards SecreTary/ TreaSUrer bill walmsley chief execUTive officer phil hanrahan chairMan eMeriTUS Dr. Ed hagan vice PreSidenT cenTral region leroy Gessmann vice PreSidenT eaSTern region Robin Richards vice PreSidenT SoUThern region Rick hiles vice PreSidenT weSTern region Ron maus

hJ summer

aS Many of yoU realize, dUring The PaST 90 dayS, we aT The naTional hBPa have Been PriMarily focUSed on MedicaTion iSSUeS in general, and Salix in ParTicUlar. The new york TiMeS arTicle on March 25, 2012 caUSed qUiTe a STir ThroUghoUT The indUSTry. oUr legiSlaTive affairS coMMiTTee and oUr loBBying firM ProMPTly Began an analySiS of The arTicle, exPecTing ThaT The arTicle MighT reSUlT in congreSSional hearingS and efforTS in congreSS To Move The 2011 inTerSTaTe horSeracing iMProveMenT acT forward. ThiS ProPoSed acT haS SoMe SerioUS ShorTcoMingS, and The acT iS noT in The BeST inTereSTS of The indUSTry in general, and ownerS and TrainerS, in ParTicUlar. Our Legislative Affairs Committee, led by Robin Richards and Frank Petramalo, Jr., with input from a number of other committee members, prepared a response to The New York Times March article. A copy of this response is included in this issue of The Horsemen’s Journal, beginning on page 30. This response concludes with the National HBPA’s overall view on medication. On April 30, 2012, the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee of the U. S. House of Representatives held a field hearing in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania on “A Review of Efforts to Protect the Health of Jockeys and Horses in Horse Racing.” Robin, Frank, and Brian Fitzgerald, one of our lobbyists from the American Continental Group, attended the hearing on behalf of the National HBPA. The National HBPA was not invited to be a witness at the hearing. However, Robin and Frank did submit the National HBPA’s response into the hearing record, and they also distributed our response to the media. Shortly after the publication of The New York Times article, The Jockey Club released its “Reformed Racing Medication Rules,” dated March 30, 2012, which among other things, envisions the elimination of race-day Salix and reductions in other medication levels. Various members of the National HBPA, including but not limited to Ohio HBPA Executive Director Dave Basler, Florida HBPA Executive Director and National HBPA Medication Committee Chairman Kent Stirling, National HBPA Scientific Advisor Dr. Tom Tobin, National HBPA President Joe Santanna, and I began our analysis of this document. The National HBPA was asked by the RCI’s Drug Testing Standards and Practices Committee to comment on The Jockey Club’s proposal. We presented our comments at the RCI Meeting in Oklahoma City on April 26, 2012. In general and subject to various caveats, we generally accepted – at least conceptually – the proposals regarding: (1) accredited laboratories and release of results (after the conclusion of the steward’s ruling); (2) a penalty system based on points and stronger sanctions for repeat violators; and (3) administration and withdrawal guidelines for therapeutic medication (provided such guidelines were scientifically determined). For the reasons we set forth at the RCI Meeting, we generally found unacceptable those portions of The Jockey Club’s proposal regarding: (1) a ban on performance altering medication (performance altering medication must be better defined and scientifically determined); (2) stricter medication regulatory thresholds and increased withdrawal times (all such thresholds and withdrawal times must be scientifically determined and confirmed); (3) the ban of Furosemide (states should adopt the RCI model rule); (4) the review of medication histories for all horses (unless and until this area is further explained and refined by the Jockey Club); (5) the proposed security regulations (Note: we do support security regulations, but such regulations need to be refined via the RCI rule-making process); (6) uniform mandatory rest periods (in excess of the currently approved AAEP standards); and (7) the expansion of regulatory authority to include all jurisdictions where official workouts are conducted (unless and until this area is further explained and refined by The Jockey Club).

In April, the Kentucky HBPA and others successfully opposed the efforts of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to ban the raceday use of Salix. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has the matter back on its agenda for discussion in May of 2012, with the initial proposed ban limited to graded and listed stakes starting on January 1, 2013 for foals of 2011, followed by expanding the ban in subsequent years. New York State is also exploring a race-day ban on Salix. So, as you can see, the Salix war is being fought on many fronts. Battles are currently being waged in New York, Kentucky, and Washington. Your National HBPA and its army of talented people and experts are fighting these battles on all fronts. The National HBPA recently formed a Thoroughbred After-Care Committee. The committee members are: Illinois HBPA Executive Director Lanny Brooks, Florida HBPA President Phil Combest, Iowa HBPA Executive Director Jon Moss, Pennsylvania HBPA Executive Director Todd Mostoller, Washington HBPA Executive Director MaryAnn O’Connell, and Finger Lakes HBPA Executive Director Austin Reed. If you are a board member at an HBPA affiliate and interested in serving on this committee, please let me know. As owners and trainers, we are uniquely situated to provide new opportunities to our horses when they have completed their careers at the racetrack. I look forward to seeing many of you at our summer convention at Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Altoona, Iowa from June 28 to July 1. I appreciate the Iowa HBPA’s hosting of this convention. Prairie Meadows’s Festival of Racing is scheduled for Saturday evening, and the racetrack is hosting a dinner buffet that night. Among other events at the convention, we will be electing a new president/chairman and new regional vice presidents. This will also be Dr. Ed Hagan’s last convention serving as Chairman Emeritus (at least according to Ed). Please thank Ed for his many years of service to the National HBPA. I want to end my column this month by expressing the deep and sincere appreciation of the National HBPA for the service Joe Santanna has provided to the National HBPA and its affiliates during the last 12-plus years. Joe has served as chairman and president for more than the last six years. Prior to that, Joe served for more than six years as the secretary/treasurer. Thanks also go to Joe’s wife, Beth, for allowing Joe to serve in these leadership positions. Her support of Joe and his leadership of the National HBPA contributed in untold ways to his success and the success of the National HBPA. Joe’s dedication to the National HBPA and its members has been exceptional, and he has set the standard for others to emulate. No one cares more about this organization and its success than Joe Santanna. Very few people are more passionate about the Thoroughbred racing industry than Joe Santanna. As a direct result of Joe’s hard work, the National HBPA has come to be recognized as one of the foremost national Thoroughbred racing organizations. May the Racing Gods smile on you, and may you have many visits to the winner’s circle.

Sincerely,

phil hanrahan chief Executive officer

conTriBUTorS Kimberly Brewer Brian W. Fitzgerald Kimberly French Richard E. Glover, Jr. Kent H. Stirling Heather Smith Thomas Thomas Tobin William Velie

The

NaTioNal hBPa

woUlD liKE to thanK itS coRpoRatE

sponsors affiliaTeS Board of Directors - Affiliates Dr. David Harrington, Alabama Gary Miller, Arizona Bill Walmsley, Arkansas Jim McFadyen, Canada Ken Lowe, Charles Town Mark McGregor, Colorado Dave Brown, Finger Lakes Phil Combest, Florida Mark Buckley, Idaho John Wainwright, Illinois Randy Klopp, Indiana Leroy Gessmann, Iowa Rick Hiles, Kentucky Stanley Seelig, Louisiana Bobbie Barron, Michigan Tom Metzen, Minnesota R.C. Forster, Montana John W. Baird, Mountaineer Park Todd Veerhusen, Nebraska Anthony Spadea, New England Gary Clements, New Mexico Mark Doering, Ohio Donnie K. Von Hemel, Oklahoma Sue Leslie, Ontario Jim Fergason, Oregon Stephanie Beattie, Pennsylvania Robert Jeffries, Tampa Bay Downs Dr. Tommy Hays, Texas Horsemen’s Partnership, LLP Robin Richards, Virginia Ron Maus, Washington

The views expressed on these pages are those of the authors, and they may or may not reflect the positions and/or beliefs of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, its officers, or Board of Directors. The Horsemen’s Journal, Volume 59 #2. Postal Information: The Horsemen’s Journal (ISSN 0018-5256) is published quarterly by the National Horsemen’s Administration Corporation, with publishing offices at 8609 Glen Canyon Drive, Round Rock, Texas 78681-3455. Copyright 2012 all rights reserved. The Horsemen’s Journal is the official publication for members of the Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, a representative association of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse owners and trainers. HBPA is a non-profit 501(c)6 Kentucky corporation. Members receive The Horsemen’s Journal as a benefit of membership paid by the national office from affiliate dues. Annual non-member subscriptions are $14. Single-copy back issues, if available, are $7. Canadian subscribers add $6. All other

PhoTograPherS Rose Erato Richard E. Glover, Jr. Duane Hamamura Barbara Livingston

STaff Richard E. Glover, Jr. Editor 512-246-9100 E-mail: hj@hbpa.org Jennifer Vanier Allen Advertising Director 512-225-4483 509-272-1640 fax E-mail: advertising@hbpa.org Limb Design www.limbdesign.com Graphic Design The horSeMen’S JoUrnal P.O. Box 2384 Round Rock, Texas 78680-2384 Phone: 512-246-9100 Fax: 512-246-0131 E-mail: hj@hbpa.org HBPA Website: www.nationalhbpa.com Cover Photo: Barbara Livingston

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

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hJ summer

hj nEwS

industry news waGERinG anD RacE DaYS Down, PUrSeS UP SlighTly in aPril

On May 4, Equibase Company, LLC released its “Thoroughbred Racing Economic Indicators” for April. Wagering (-7.02 percent) and race days (-6.48 percent) were down and purses (+0.02) were up slightly compared to April of 2011. However, thanks to a strong first quarter, overall wagering

for the year-to-date is still up (+2.11 percent) over the first four months of 2011. Overall for January through April, purses have increased 6.96 percent over the same period last year, and race days have declined 0.98 percent.

thE JocKEY clUb anD nTra laUnch aMerica’S BeST racing weBSiTe On April 16, The Jockey Club and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced the launch of a new fan-oriented website: America’s Best Racing. The web address is www.followhorseracing.com. The new site, jointly managed by The Jockey Club and NTRA Communications, includes information about horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, and races; various tools to explore and learn about wagering; and the latest news, videos, and photographs surrounding the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup seasons. There are profiles of the top 50 Triple Crown contenders and their connections, features provided by The Blood-Horse, and contributions from more than a dozen of the sport’s leading bloggers and reporters. “America’s Best Racing is a key component in The Jockey Club’s multipronged marketing and fan development campaign, which includes the ‘Road

to the Kentucky Derby’ television series and the development of other digital content,” said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. “Following its initial launch, America’s Best Racing will grow and unfold through a series of phased roll-outs as Thoroughbred racing transitions from the Triple Crown season to the Road to the Breeders’ Cup,” Gagliano added. “Additional content relating to the older horses will be added and new features will include behind-the-scenes access, exclusive videos, interactive functionalities, and social media games.” “We are pleased to collaborate with The Jockey Club to expand the sport’s digital platform,” said Alex Waldrop, president and chief executive officer of the NTRA. “At a future date, many of the fan-centric components of www.NTRA.com will be transitioned to America’s Best Racing.”

pURSE FoR 14th annUal DailY RacinG FoRm /nTra naTional handicaPPing chaMPionShiP gUaranTeed aT MiniMUM $1.5 Million The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced on April 20 that the purse for next January’s 14th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC) at Treasure Island Las Vegas has been guaranteed at a minimum of $1.5 million. The first place prize at NHC 14 will be approximately 50 percent of the total purse, but no lower than $750,000. Should sales of NHC 14 seats to qualifying sites exceed current projections, the NTRA will revise the total and first-place prize amounts upward. As previously announced, the total purse for the 2012 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour has been raised to $250,000—double the total value of the 2011 NHC Tour. Therefore, cash prizes paid out via NHC 14 and the 2012 NHC Tour

will total at least $1.75 million—an increase of $117,997, or 7.2 percent, over last season’s combined total of $1,632,003. Combined with approximately $160,000 in travel and hotel accommodations provided to NHC qualifiers, the current overall cash and prizes outlay for the upcoming contest season totals $1,910,000. Membership in the 2012 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour is open to adults 21 years of age or older and requires a one-time membership fee of $50. Membership in the 2012 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour is mandatory in order for top finishers of sanctioned NHC qualifying events to be eligible to compete in the January 2013 NHC Finals in Las Vegas. The NHC Tour membership must be in place prior to the start of any given qualifying tournament in order for one to qualify for the NHC Finals at that qualifying tournament.

nEw hoRSE RacinG mobilE application “horSe raceS now!” laUnched On April 2, Kenny and Sue McPeek, past winners of the Big Sport of Turfdom Award, announced the launch of their iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch application created to provide the most comprehensive horse racing video and data for new fans and veteran horseplayers alike. Horse Races NOW! The Coolest Horse Racing App EVER!®, is a mobile app being offered free at iTunes for a limited time. “Sue and I felt there was a strong need for a unique app designed to deliver live video and replays of horse races in order to get all the data into the hands

of new audiences and experienced horseplayers alike,” said Kenny McPeek, trainer of over 120 stakes-winning Thoroughbreds. “It’s like having the program to every racetrack in the palm of your hand. It alerts the user before, during, and after each race with unique sounds via push notifications. I believe fans will love it. ” Horse Races NOW! is not a wagering device. It can be downloaded by anyone, any age, living anywhere. Currently it’s only available as an Apple product, with long-term hopes to bring the application to Android users, as well. Features of the new iPhone and iPad application include: overnight entries for upcoming races, streaming live video from participating racetracks, results and payoffs delivered quickly, race replays from participating racetracks, select your favorites (racetracks, horses, trainers, and jockeys), push notifications for www.nationalhbpa.com

nEwS

industry news each favorite so you never miss a race again, and search engine to find race replays from participating racetracks. Horse Races NOW! is working to add new racetracks every day. The goal is to expand the fan base and to bring racing into mainstream like other sports. The app, developed and engineered by The Jockey Club Technology Services, has benefitted from the full cooperation of Keeneland and the National HBPA, among others. Giving back to the industry and the fans means a lot to both Kenny and Sue McPeek. Their passion for horse racing sparked the idea, and every effort

will be made to give back to the industry. None of this would be possible without the horses, horsemen, and racetracks. If Horse Races NOW! becomes successful financially, each of them will be rewarded. The goal would be a profit sharing approach in the form of a purse supplement. The amount will be determined by the number of fans that watch each racetrack, of which the application has records. For more information about Horse Races NOW!, please visit www. HorseRacesNow.com. Horse Races NOW! can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

2012 onlinE Fact booK aVailablE on The Jockey clUB weBSiTe The Jockey Club announced on March 6 that the 2012 edition of the Online Fact Book is available within the Publications & Resources section of its website at www. jockeyclub.com. The Online Fact Book is a statistical and informational guide to Thoroughbred breeding, racing, and auction sales in North America and includes some state and provincial analysis. Also available are state fact books, which feature detailed breeding, racing, and auction sales information specific to numerous states and Canadian provinces. The state fact books are updated monthly.

“We produce these fact books as a service to the industry and as a way to benchmark trends in the Thoroughbred industry,” said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. “They provide valuable, educational insight into Thoroughbred breeding and racing, and we believe they will be helpful to industry stakeholders and newcomers to our sport as we launch many of the fan development initiatives recommended last summer by McKinsey & Company to grow our sport.” The print edition of the 2012 Fact Book was published in April.

EqUinElinE maRE pRoDUcE REcoRDS aPP inTrodUced for iPad On February 24, The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. (TJCIS) unveiled the Equineline Mare Produce Records app for the iPad, which provides customers with unlimited access to continuously updated Thoroughbred mare produce records, including global pedigree and race and sale information, with a quarterly or annual subscription. The Equineline Mare Produce Records app, which can be downloaded free from the iTunes Store, is the company’s second product customized for the Apple tablet. The Equineline Sales Catalog app, which was launched last June, enables customers to download sales catalog books to iPads. Each mare produce record request accesses the extensive international pedigree and racing database used by The Jockey Club Information Systems in real time for mares and their offspring. Continuously updated information includes the name of each foal and its sire, foaling date, and sex; non-

productive information (barren, not bred, etc.) for the mare; and racing information and sales information for both the mare and her foals. “Having access to updated information in a timely and convenient manner is critical for anyone involved with Thoroughbred breeding and sales,” said Carl Hamilton, chairman and president of The Jockey Club Information Systems. “This app is another example of using innovative technology to benefit the Thoroughbred industry.” As an added convenience, customers using the new app can print and email mare produce record reports from their iPads. Upon downloading the free app, customers are provided access to the produce records of 10 sample mares, in real time, so they can try the app before subscribing. In addition to developing the Equineline Sales Catalog app and the Equineline Mare Produce Records app, The Jockey Club Information Systems also recently unveiled a “touch friendly” version of equineline.com.

nEw wEbSitE EnablES tRacKS to PUBliSh daTa froM eqUine inJUry daTaBaSe The Jockey Club has created a website to enable racetracks to publish their statistics from the Equine Injury Database. “The Equine Injury Database recently completed the collection of a third year of data from participating racetracks, representing approximately 93 percent of the racing days in North America and more than 30,000 records,” said The Jockey Club President and Chief Operating Officer James L. Gagliano. “Keeneland, Woodbine, and the California racetracks have made a practice of publishing their injury and/or fatality data. This new website is designed to encourage other racetracks to follow their lead and make public their data in a standard, summary fashion.” The website (www.jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp?section=2) will be maintained by The Jockey Club. Summaries of fatality statistics for a particular track will include the month, year, number of race days, number of starts, age and sex of the horse, distance of the race, and the surface on which the incident occurred. 8

hJ summer

More than a dozen racetracks have committed to publishing their respective statistics. They are Aqueduct, Belmont Park, Del Mar, Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Keeneland, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park, Pimlico, Portland Meadows, Remington Park, Santa Anita, Saratoga, Turfway Park, and Woodbine. 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 as the Thoroughbred industry’s first national database of racing injuries in July of 2008. It was created to identify the frequency, types, and outcome of racing injuries through a system of standardized reporting by regulatory and association veterinarians, and it assists veterinarians and track management in identifying markers for horses at increased risk of injury and serves as a data source for research directed at improving safety and preventing injuries. A complete list of tracks participating in the Equine Injury Database can be found in the “Safety Initiatives” section of The Jockey Club website.

mcERlEan RE-ElEctED aS Tra PreSidenT

Christopher McErlean, corporate vice president of racing for Penn National Gaming, Inc. (PNG), was re-elected for the second year of his two-year term as president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA) at its annual board of directors’ meeting on February 21 at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. McErlean has been on the TRA Board since 1998. The TRA Board also re-elected Randall D. Sampson as vice president, Scott Wells as secretary, William I. Fasy as treasurer, and Christopher N. Scherf as executive vice president. McErlean directs the operations of the growing PNG family of racetracks, including Hollywood Casino at Penn National, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Beulah Park, Zia Park Casino, Rosecroft Raceway, Raceway Park, Hollywood Slots Hotel at Bangor Raceway, and Sanford Orlando Kennel Club. Additionally, PNG is a partner in Freehold Raceway, Valley Race Park, and Sam Houston Race Park. Sampson, president and general manager of Canterbury Park since the company’s formation in 1994, has been on the TRA Board of Directors since 1998 and is past president of the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association. Wells is president and general manager of Remington Park in Oklahoma City. He has been on the TRA board since joining Remington Park in 2005. He was previously instrumental in the rebuilding of the historic Maronas Racetrack in Uruguay. Fasy is president of Delaware Park and has more than 20 years experience in the hospitality and entertainment business. He has served as TRA treasurer since 2001. Scherf has been the TRA’s executive vice president since 1988. Prior to joining the TRA in 1982, he was director of press relations for the New York Racing Association. Newly elected to the TRA Board as Directors as alternates were Bill Knauf for Monmouth Park, Ellen McClain for NYRA, and Happy Broadbent for Churchill Downs, Inc.

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On February 21, The Jockey Club launched a new mobile application, The Jockey Club Naming App, and announced an update to The Jockey Club Identification App. Both apps are targeted to Thoroughbred owners and are available free of charge in the iTunes store. The Jockey Club Naming App enables Thoroughbred owners to submit name claims, name changes, and reserve names with The Jockey Club registry from a mobile device. A name-generating feature is among the components of the app. “The Jockey Club receives more than 45,000 name requests each year, and we know that owners spend a lot of time coming up with just the right name,” said Rick Bailey, registrar of The Jockey Club. “The name generator provides potential horse names from a database of hundreds of thousands of previously used but now likely available names.” “In addition, we’ve included filters on the naming app that will make it much easier to find names that meet an owner’s respective criteria,” Bailey added. “For example, they can request the naming app to return only single-word names or use filters such as ‘contains’ or ‘starts with.’” The Jockey Club Identification App, which was unveiled in February of 2011 as The Jockey Club Registry App, enables owners and breeders to use the camera within their iOS devices to take and submit identification photos for foal registration. Registry customers can now record and transmit markings descriptions for registration by entering text from their keypads or selecting from a list of commonly used phrases pertaining to markings. Both apps are for iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) and were developed by The Jockey Club Technology Services Inc.

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Gulfstream Park to

Host 2012 ClaiminG Crown on DeCember 1

Gulfstream Park in Hallandale beach, florida will host the 14th running of the Claiming Crown on the opening day of its 2012-2013 meet, saturday, December 1, 2012. the 2012 event will see a significant increase in purses to $850,000 for seven races, with the individual race purses ranging from $100,000 to $200,000. in addition to the six Claiming Crown races conducted at the 2011 event, the tiara for fillies and mares on the turf will return this year. “we’re ecstatic to play host to the 14th running of the Claiming Crown on opening day, December 1,” said Gulfstream Park President and General manager timothy ritvo. “Horses competing in the claiming ranks are many of the toughest in the world. they’re game and they build loyal followings within the thoroughbred community, whether with fans, owners, or trainers. “this is an important event to our chairman, mr. frank stronach, and we’re very excited about kicking off our 2012-2013 season with the Claiming Crown. the management and staff at Gulfstream look forward working with the national Horsemen’s benevolent and Protective association and the thoroughbred owners and breeders association.” “the florida HbPa board of Directors thought that the purses for the Claiming Crown had become quite outdated and stale over its 13-year history, and thus, chose to significantly increase them. the board felt that if the Claiming Crown were to come to Gulfstream Park, it needed to be the best Claiming Crown ever,” said florida HbPa executive Director kent stirling. “we are proud to join with Gulfstream Park, the national HbPa, and toba to revitalize this great day for our claiming horses. Claiming horses are

the backbone of our industry and deserve to be celebrated on their day with higher purses and what we expect to be record setting live handle and simulcasting numbers.” “we are excited and honored that Gulfstream Park has agreed to host the 2012 Claiming Crown,” said toba President Dan metzger, who also serves as chairman of Claiming Crown limited. “the enthusiasm and purse commitment from both Gulfstream Park and the florida HbPa has been extraordinary, and we believe that this year’s event promises to be our best yet.” “the national HbPa is extremely pleased that this year the Claiming Crown will be hosted by Gulfstream Park and the florida HbPa. their commitment to purses and a quality day of racing certainly elevates the Claiming Crown to a new level and will position it among the premier racing days of the year anywhere in the united states,” said Joe santanna, president and chairman of the national HbPa, one of the co-partners of the Claiming Crown. “the Gulfstream Park Claiming Crown races provide horsewomen and horsemen across the country with an exceptional opportunity.” Patterned after the breeders’ Cup, the Claiming Crown was designed to reward thoroughbred racing’s “blue-collar” horses and will offer races at varying distances on both dirt and turf. this will mark the first time Gulfstream Park has hosted the event, which debuted at Canterbury Park in shakopee, minnesota in 1999. Canterbury has hosted 10 of the first 13 renewals of the event. the Claiming Crown was held at Philadelphia Park (now Parx racing) in bensalem, Pennsylvania in 2002, at ellis Park in Henderson, kentucky in 2007, and at fair Grounds race Course and slots in new orleans, louisiana in 2011. further details on the event’s race lineup, purse structure, nomination and entry deadline schedule, and eligibility dates will be released soon.

CMY

HJ summer

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By Brian W. Fitzgerald, American Continental Group

nAtionAl hBpA

legislAtive

upDAte

nEwS

MeDicAtion

internet gAMing

On April 30, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives Health Subcommittee, chaired by Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA), held a field hearing in the Chairman’s congressional district on “A Review of Efforts to Protect the Health of Jockeys and Horses in Horseracing.” Representative Joe Pitts is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 1733, the “Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act,” which was introduced in May of last year by fellow Health Subcommittee Member, Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KY), who also participated in the April 30 hearing. H.R. 1733 would ban the use of all performance-enhancing drugs in horse racing. The term “performance-enhancing” is very broadly defined in the bill. Chairman Pitts and Rep. Whitfield decided to convene the hearing to revitalize interest in H.R. 1733 after the publication of a highly critical and deeply flawed March 25 article in The New York Times on the alleged abuse of drugs and lax oversight in the horse racing industry. It was an unlikely coincidence The New York Times published a second article critical of the industry the same day as the field hearing. Not surprisingly, the April 30 hearing was carefully preorchestrated such that it provided a deeply biased and onesided view of the industry. Moreover, there was quite a bit of misinformation that came out during the hearing that went unchallenged because of the lack of balance in those participating in and presiding over the hearing. The National HBPA, while not invited to testify at the April 30 field hearing, attended the hearing and submitted a written statement for the Health Subcommittee’s hearing record that both challenged the accuracy of the March 25 The New York Times article and provided a dissenting view to those who testified at the hearing (see page 30). The National HBPA will continue to be proactively engaged as Rep. Whitfield and the other members of Congress that support the enactment of the Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act, including Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), the sponsor of the Senate companion bill, S. 886, plan their next steps.

The proponents of federal legislation to legalize Internet poker continue to work behind the scenes to seek to build support for the legislation on Capitol Hill. At this time, it appears the proponents’ most likely opportunity for moving an Internet poker bill will come after the November elections during the lame duck session when there is a high probability that a potentially large, “catch-all” legislative package will be put together to wrap-up the unfinished business of the 112th Congress. The National HBPA will continue to closely monitor any new developments on this legislation in order to fully ensure the protection of the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 and the interests of horsemen and the horse racing industry.

iMMigrAtion The multi-industry coalition, which includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that is working together to head off the implementation of the new Department of Labor (DOL) H-2B rules, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida (Bayou Lawn & Landscape Services et. al. v. Solis) in mid-April seeking to block the implementation of the new DOL H-2B rules that were scheduled to go into effect before the end of April. On April 26, the federal judge in the Florida court case issued a preliminary injunction nationwide blocking the implementation of the new proposed rules until the court can consider the merits of the plaintiff’s case. Also, as an important follow-up to the meeting Will Velie, Dale Romans, and others in the industry had with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas at the end of March on the USCIS’ “temporary need” interpretation, the USCIS Office of Public Engagement has called for a nationwide H-2B stakeholder’s meeting to discuss the temporary need requirements of the H-2B rules. Originally scheduled for May 2, the stakeholder’s meeting with the USCIS Director was postponed by the agency to a new date yet to be announced. The nationwide stakeholder’s meeting is a direct result of National HBPA’s and its allies’ continuing efforts to fix the USCIS’ flawed interpretation of the H-2B temporary need requirements.

hJ summer

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+ RESEARCH MEDICATION UPDATE THE JOCKEY CLUB RELEASES UPDATE FROM EQUINE INJURY DATABASE

on march 22, the Jockey club released an updated north american fatality rate for thoroughbreds that includes three years’ worth of data collected in the Equine injury Databasetm, the north american database for racing injuries. Based on an analysis of 1,160,045 starts collected during the three-year period January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2011, the prevalence of race-related fatal injury was 1.91 per 1,000 starts. For individual years, the prevalence of fatal injury per 1,000 starts was 1.98 for 2009, 1.88 for 2010 and 1.88 for 2011. Matt Iuliano, executive vice president and executive director of The Jockey Club, noted two changes in the reporting of these and future national benchmark statistics: • Statistical updates now reflect data collected during the calendar year (January 1 through December 31) • Only injuries that result in fatality within 72 hours or less from the date of race are included in the national figures “Originally, Equine Injury Database reports were generated from November 1 through October 31 of the following year to coincide with the first full year of data from a significant number of participating tracks,” Iuliano said. “The Equine Injury Database has grown large enough that, with 93 percent of race days represented in the statistics, reporting was changed to a calendar-year basis to match other statistical reporting by The Jockey Club.” In an effort to provide more uniformity in the national benchmarks, only race-related injuries that result in fatality within 72 hours or less from the date of race are included in the national figures. Previous statistical summaries included race-related injuries that resulted in fatality regardless of when the fatality occurred after the date of the race. Under reporting parameters used in previous years, which included injuries that resulted in fatality more than 72 hours from the date of race, the prevalence of fatality per 1,000 starts would have been 2.05 in 2011. “Continued growth of the database has shown variations among jurisdictions in follow-up reporting during the days and weeks after an injury was sustained, creating variation in the results,” Iuliano said. “We realize there

are situations in which the outcome is not determined until much later than 72 hours after an incident, but our confidence level in reporting an accurate benchmark statistic is greatest when we utilize information available within 72 hours.” The statistical analysis was once again performed by Dr. Tim Parkin, a veterinarian and epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow, who serves as a consultant on the Equine Injury Database. “The addition of more than 379,000 starts to the database in year three enabled us to statistically validate certain trends seen in the data,” said Parkin. “The prevalence of fatality is not the result of a single variable in isolation, but rather the simultaneous interaction of myriad variables contributing in concert to injury,” Parkin added. “The Equine Injury Database continues to be a work in progress,” explained James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. “To fully recognize the enormous potential of the EID, we urge full participation of all racetracks in reporting injuries during racing and training hours. Currently, 93 percent of race days are represented in the race-related fatality statistics. Approximately half of the participating racetracks are also reporting injuries sustained during training hours.” The Equine Injury Database contains a suite of reports for racetracks to analyze data collected at their respective facilities. In early March, The Jockey Club unveiled a new website that enables racetracks to make public their data in a standard, summary fashion. The website (www.jockeyclub.com/initiatives. asp?section=2) will be maintained by The Jockey Club. Summaries of fatality statistics for a participating track include the year, number of race days, number of starts, age and sex of the horse, distance of the race, and the surface on which the incident occurred. A list of racetracks that have signed up to participate in the Equine Injury Database, including those who are now reporting their statistics publicly, can be found at www.jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp.

GRAYSON-JOCKEY CLUB RESEARCH FOUNDATION APPROVES FUNDING FOR 16 VETERINARY RESEARCH PROJECTS Grayson-Jockey club Research Foundation’s board of directors has approved funding for 16 research projects in 2012 for a total of $845,646. the board selected eight new projects to be launched in 2012, and funding will cover the second year of eight projects begun in 2011. The new research projects cover a wide range of problems that can affect horses of any breed or discipline. They include foal pneumonia, laminitis, vitamin D’s role in immunity, and stem cell therapy. Universities receiving funding for new projects are the University of Georgia (2), The Ohio State University, Michigan State University, University of Florida, Cornell University, University of Kentucky, and University of Pennsylvania. Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is traditionally the nation’s leading source of private funding for equine medical research, and the new slate of projects brings the foundation’s total since 1983 to 287 projects funded for $19 million at 40 universities. Descriptions of each project are available at www.grayson-jockeyclub.org. One of the researchers is the recipient of the Elastikon™ Equine Research Award. This is funded in part through a contribution by Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Products Company, manufacturer of Elastikon tape and other equine products. 18

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Selected to receive the Elastikon award for 2012 is James K. Belknap’s project, “Laminar Signaling in Supporting-Limb Laminitis.” Supporting-limb laminitis refers to the phenomenon that a horse with an injured leg runs the risk of developing laminitis in the opposing leg because of the extra weight bearing the non-injured leg endures. Dr. Belknap’s work will seek additional understanding of what medications or treatments might prevent this phenomenon. Another special award presented by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is the Storm Cat Career Development Award. This award of $15,000 goes annually to a promising young individual potentially headed on a career path of equine research. The award is named for the stallion Storm Cat and is personally underwritten by foundation board member Lucy Young Hamilton, whose family stood Storm Cat at Overbrook Farm. The 2012 Storm Cat award winner is Dr. Alice Stack, who is researching exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage with Dr. Fred Derken at Michigan State University. The Storm Cat award is in addition to the eight other projects being launched.

TExAS A&M AND CORNELL COLLEGES OF VETERINARY MEDICINE JOIN FORCES WITH PFIZER ANIMAL HEALTH IN A FIRST-IN-KIND PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO CREATE A STATE-OF-TH E-ART LEARNING ExPERIENCE FOR VETERINARIANS cornell University college of Veterinary medicine and texas a&m college of Veterinary medicine & biomedical Sciences recently announced a groundbreaking partnership with pfizer animal health. this unique partnership between academia and industry will deliver the Universities’ expertise in medicine and teaching, supported by pfizer animal health’s information delivery and customer service know-how. together, the partnership will offer veterinarians convenient web-based educational products utilizing the latest advances in educational technologies. Practicing veterinarians need access to high quality educational opportunities throughout their career since the knowledge base that drives veterinary medicine continues to evolve after professionals have earned their degree. The partnership between Cornell, Texas A&M, and Pfizer Animal Health will seek to transform the learning process, providing practitioners with unique opportunities to stay current with the latest discoveries in veterinary medicine, hone in their clinical skills, incorporate current medical advances into decisions that affect patient care, and build more profitable practices. This collaboration will leverage technology to ensure convenient, round-the-clock access to these educational opportunities. This partnership will utilize advanced technology to make high quality, lifelong learning more accessible to veterinarians. The educational platform will allow practitioners and students to learn in an online environment that is interactive, experiential, and flexes to accommodate different styles of learning. “It is not very often in one’s academic lifetime that an opportunity arises which, if pursued, allows substantial change in our profession. I believe this partnership is just one of those opportunities. In the truest sense of

collaboration, two colleges of veterinary medicine and Pfizer Animal Health are developing a unique public-private partnership that will revolutionize education and learning. A distinguishing factor that will set this educational content apart is that the academic partners are providing not only subject matter expertise and peer review, but also pedagogical expertise, which will result in transformative learning experiences. The excitement in the air on the Texas A&M campus is palpable, and we are looking forward not only to working with Cornell University, but also to including content experts from other veterinary institutions,” said Eleanor M. Green, DVM, DACVIM, DABVP, Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “Ultimately, the goal is to support and bolster veterinarians in their pursuit of excellence and improve the quality of animal care,” said Dr. Michael I. Kotlikoff, Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. “This state-of-the-art learning environment will encourage innovation and flexibility in the profession, while meeting the needs of all those involved by aligning the abilities of the veterinarian with their clients’ and patients’ needs and responding to an identified need among practice owners to maintain their skills, improve their approach to practice management, and continually develop their professional knowledge.”

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Think stomach ulcers don’t affect performance?

Get real. Real world. Real medicine. In the real world, most horses* will develop painful, damaging stomach ulcers, which can lead to Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) that may significantly impact performance — or even leave you stuck in the stall. Your veterinarian can diagnose stomach ulcers and respond with real medication, GASTROGARD® (omeprazole). GASTROGARD is the only product approved by the FDA to treat and heal stomach ulcers in horses. No wonder 71% of veterinarians surveyed recommend GASTROGARD for treating stomach ulcers.1 Ask your veterinarian for an EGUS screening today before equine stomach ulcers sideline you.

*Research has detected stomach ulcers in 93 percent of racehorses,2 63 percent of nonracing competition horses and even 51 percent of foals.4

CAUTION: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. GASTROGARD is indicated for the treatment and prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers in horses and foals 4 weeks and older. In efficacy trials, no adverse reactions were observed. Safety in pregnant or lactating mares has not been determined. DO NOT USE IN HORSES INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. KEEP THIS AND ALL DRUGS OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. Market research data on file at Merial. Murray MJ, Schusser GF, Pipers FS, Gross SJ. Factors associated with gastric lesions in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Vet J; 1996;28:368-374. Mitchell RD. Prevalence of gastric ulcers in hunter/jumper and dressage horses evaluated for poor performance. Association for Equine Sports Medicine, September 2001. 4 Murray MJ. Endoscopic appearance of gastric lesions in foals: 94 cases (1987-1988). JAVMA; 1989;195(8):1135-1141.

2 3

MELAUGRD9061

Oral Paste for Horses and Foals NADA 141-123, Approved by FDA Caution Federal (USA) law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Description Chemical name: 5-Methoxy-2-[[(4-methoxy-3,5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl) methyl]sulfinyl]-1H-benzimidazole. Empirical formula: C17H19N3O3S. Molecular weight: 345.42. Structural formula: OCH3 How Supplied H3C CH3 OCH3 O N GastroGard® (omeprazole) Paste for horses contains 37% w/w omeprazole N S and is available in an adjustable-dose syringe. Each syringe contains 2.28 g of N omeprazole. Syringes are calibrated according to body weight and are available H in boxes of 7 units or 72 units. Storage Conditions Store at 68°F – 77°F (20-25°C). Excursions between 59°F – 86°F (15-30°C) are permitted. Indications For treatment and prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers in horses and foals 4 weeks of age and older. Dosage Regimen For treatment of gastric ulcers, GastroGard Paste should be administered orally once-a-day for 4 weeks at the recommended dosage of 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (4 mg/kg). For the prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers, continue treatment for at least an additional 4 weeks by administering GastroGard Paste at the recommended daily maintenance dose of 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg). Directions For Use • GastroGard Paste for horses is recommended for use in horses and foals 4 weeks of age and older. The contents of one syringe will dose a 1250 lb (568 kg) horse at the rate of 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (4 mg/kg). For treatment of gastric ulcers, each weight marking on the syringe plunger will deliver sufficient omeprazole to treat 250 lb (114 kg) body weight. For prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers, each weight marking will deliver sufficient omeprazole to dose 500 lb (227 kg) body weight. • To deliver GastroGard Paste at the treatment dose rate of 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (4 mg/kg), set the syringe plunger to the appropriate weight marking according to the horse’s weight in pounds. • To deliver GastroGard Paste at the dose rate of 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg) to prevent recurrence of ulcers, set the syringe plunger to the weight marking corresponding to half of the horse’s weight in pounds. • To set the syringe plunger, unlock the knurled ring by rotating it 1/4 turn. Slide the knurled ring along the plunger shaft so that the side nearest the barrel is at the appropriate notch. Rotate the plunger ring 1/4 turn to lock it in place and ensure it is locked. Make sure the horse’s mouth contains no feed. Remove the cover from the tip of the syringe, and insert the syringe into the horse’s mouth at the interdental space. Depress the plunger until stopped by the knurled ring. The dose should be deposited on the back of the tongue or deep into the cheek pouch. Care should be taken to ensure that the horse consumes the complete dose. Treated animals should be observed briefly after administration to ensure that part of the dose is not lost or rejected. If any of the dose is lost, redosing is recommended. • If, after dosing, the syringe is not completely empty, it may be reused on following days until emptied. Replace the cap after each use. Warning Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. In case of ingestion, contact a physician. Physicians may contact a poison control center for advice concerning accidental ingestion. Adverse Reactions In efficacy trials, when the drug was administered at 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb (4 mg/kg) body weight daily for 28 days and 0.9 mg omeprazole/lb (2 mg/kg)body weight daily for 30 additional days, no adverse reactions were observed. Precautions The safety of GastroGard Paste has not been determined in pregnant or lactating mares. Clinical Pharmacology Mechanism of Action: Omeprazole is a gastric acid pump inhibitor that regulates the final step in hydrogen ion production and blocks gastric acid secretion regardless of the stimulus. Omeprazole irreversibly binds to the gastric parietal cell’s H+, K+ ATPase enzyme which pumps hydrogen ions into the lumen of the stomach in exchange for potassium ions. Since omeprazole accumulates in the cell canaliculi and is irreversibly bound to the effect site, the plasma concentration at steady state is not directly related to the amount that is bound to the enzyme. The relationship between omeprazole action and plasma concentration is a function of the rate-limiting process of H+, K+ ATPase activity/turnover. Once all of the enzyme becomes bound, acid secretion resumes only after new H+, K+ ATPase is synthesized in the parietal cell (i.e., the rate of new enzyme synthesis exceeds the rate of inhibition). Pharmacodynamics: In a study of pharmacodynamic effects using horses with gastric cannulae, secretion of gastric acid was inhibited in horses given 4 mg omeprazole/kg/day. After the expected maximum suppression of gastric acid secretion was reached (5 days), the actual secretion of gastric acid was reduced by 99%, 95% and 90% at 8, 16, and 24 hours, respectively. Pharmacokinetics: In a pharmacokinetic study involving thirteen healthy, mixed breed horses (8 female, 5 male) receiving multiple doses of omeprazole paste (1.8 mg/lb once daily for fifteen days) in either a fed or fasted state, there was no evidence of drug accumulation in the plasma when comparing the extent of systemic exposure (AUC0-∞). When comparing the individual bioavailability data (AUC0-∞, Cmax, and Tmax measuremen ts) across the study days, there was great inter- and intrasubject variability in the rate and extent of product absorption. Also, the extent of omeprazole absorption in horses was reduced by approximately 67% in the presence of food. This is evidenced by the observation that the mean AUC0-∞ values measured during the fifth day of omeprazole therapy when the animals were fasted for 24 hours was approximately three times greater than the AUC estimated after the first and fifteenth doses when the horses were fed hay ad libitum and sweet feed (grain) twice daily. Prandial status did not affect the rate of drug elimination. The terminal half-life estimates (N=38) ranged from approximately one-half to eight hours. Efficacy Dose Confirmation: GastroGard® (omeprazole) Paste, administered to provide omeprazole at 1.8 mg/lb (4 mg/kg) daily for 28 days, effectively healed or reduced the severity of gastric ulcers in 92% of omeprazole-treated horses. In comparison, 32% of controls exhibited healed or less severe ulcers. Horses enrolled in this study were healthy animals confirmed to have gastric ulcers by gastroscopy. Subsequent daily administration of GastroGard Paste to provide omeprazole at 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg) for 30 days prevented recurrence of gastric ulcers in 84% of treated horses, whereas ulcers recurred or became more severe in horses removed from omeprazole treatment. Clinical Field Trials: GastroGard Paste administered at 1.8 mg/lb (4 mg/kg) daily for 28 days healed or reduced the severity of gastric ulcers in 99% of omeprazoletreated horses. In comparison, 32.4% of control horses had healed ulcers or ulcers which were reduced in severity. These trials included horses of various breeds and under different management conditions, and included horses in race or show training, pleasure horses, and foals as young as one month. Horses enrolled in the efficacy trials were healthy animals confirmed to have gastric ulcers by gastroscopy. In these field trials, horses readily accepted GastroGard Paste. There were no drug related adverse reactions. In the clinical trials, GastroGard Paste was used concomitantly with other therapies, which included: anthelmintics, antibiotics, non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, diuretics, tranquilizers and vaccines. Diagnostic and Management Considerations: The following clinical signs may be associated with gastric ulceration in adult horses: inappetence or decreased appetite, recurrent colic, intermittent loose stools or chronic diarrhea, poor hair coat, poor body condition, or poor performance. Clinical signs in foals may include: bruxism (grinding of teeth), excessive salivation, colic, cranial abdominal tenderness, anorexia, diarrhea, sternal recumbency or weakness. A more accurate diagnosis of gastric ulceration in horses and foals may be made if ulcers are visualized directly by endoscopic examination of the gastric mucosa. Gastric ulcers may recur in horses if therapy to prevent recurrence is not administered after the initial treatment is completed. Use GastroGard Paste at 0.9 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (2 mg/kg) for control of gastric ulcers following treatment. The safety of administration of GastroGard Paste for longer than 91 days has not been determined. Maximal acid suppression occurs after three to five days of treatment with omeprazole. Safety • GastroGard Paste was well tolerated in the following controlled efficacy and safety studies. • In field trials involving 139 horses, including foals as young as one month of age, no adverse reactions attributable to omeprazole treatment were noted. • In a placebo controlled adult horse safety study, horses received 20 mg/kg/day omeprazole (5x the recommended dose) for 90 days. No treatment related adverse effects were observed. • In a placebo controlled tolerance study, adult horses were treated with GastroGard Paste at a dosage of 40 mg/kg/day (10x the recommended dose) for 21 days. No treatment related adverse effects were observed. • A placebo controlled foal safety study evaluated the safety of omeprazole at doses of 4, 12 or 20 mg/kg (1, 3 or 5x) once daily for 91 days. Foals ranged in age from 66 to 110 days at study initiation. Gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels were significantly elevated in horses treated at exaggerated doses of 20 mg/kg (5x the recommended dose). Mean stomach to body weight ratio was higher for foals in the 3x and 5x groups than for controls; however, no abnormalities of the stomach were evident on histological examination. Reproductive Safety In a male reproductive safety study, 10 stallions received GastroGard Paste at 12 mg/kg/day (3x the recommended dose) for 70 days. No treatment related adverse effects on semen quality or breeding behavior were observed. A safety study in breeding mares has not been conducted. For More Information Please call 1-888-637-4251 and please visit our web site at www.gastrogard.com. Marketed by: Merial Limited Duluth, GA 30096-4640 Merial Limited, a company limited by shares registered in England and Wales (registered number 3332751) with a registered office at PO Box 327, Sandringham House, Sandringham Avenue, Harlow Business Park, Harlow, Essex CM19 5QA, England, and domesticated in Delaware, USA as Merial LLC. US Patent: 4255431 and 5708017 Copyright © 2005 Merial Limited. All rights reserved. Rev. 08-2005

®GASTROGARD is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca Group of Companies.

www.nationalhbpa.com

hj medical

national

H B Pa

Medication Committee Corner FUroSemiDe, eqUine DeAtHS From ACUte eiPH, AnD relAteD etHiCAl ConCernS By Thomas Tobin, Kimberly Brewer, and Kent H. Stirling

courtesy Dr. richard H. Galley

Furosemide is currently approved for administration to racing horses for the prevention of exercise induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (eiPH) throughout the United States, Canada, and much of the Americas. more recently, however, its use as a preventative of eiPH has come under vigorous scrutiny from several horse breeding organizations pressing for a ban on its pre-race administration.

courtesy Dr. richard H. Galley

Fig. 1a

Fig. 1b 22

HJ summer

in the ongoing debate, little attention has been paid to the direct effect that this proposed ban will have on the health and welfare of racehorses and, equally importantly, the health and welfare of the riders of these horses. these eiPH-related risks to life and limb for the riders of racing horses were brought home to one author (Dr. thomas tobin) in the mid 1990s when the University of Kentucky began to routinely necropsy horses dying on Kentucky racetracks. Soon after this program commenced, a horse presented for necropsy that had abruptly stopped running and hit the ground about 300 yards out of the starting gate at a Kentucky racetrack showed two fractured vertebrae, i.e., a broken neck, but what had actually caused this horse to abruptly cease running and hit the ground hard was the fact that his lungs were full of blood. this horse died suddenly because he had suffered a classic attack of acute exercise induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage early in the race. He then drowned in his own blood and went down abruptly, breaking his neck when he hit the ground. Pathologically, the immediate cause of death was acute eiPH, and identification of this then novel diagnosis led us to carefully review the scientific literature on eiPH as a cause of acute sudden deaths in racing horses. the literature review showed us that Gunson and her colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania had been there long before us. reviewing non-musculoskeletal causes of acute sudden death in racing horses in 1988, Gunson et al concluded that approximately 80 percent of non-musculoskeletal acute deaths in racing thoroughbred horses are due to acute eiPH. Furthermore, Gunson and her colleagues pointed out that in acute eiPH, the bleeding into the lungs may not be apparent as the cause of death since death may occur without the hemorrhage being visible at the nostrils. Summarizing their research, Gunson et al stated that â&#x20AC;&#x153;because our study indicated that eiPH was the apparent cause of death in the majority [82 percent] of exercising thoroughbred racehorses, complete necropsy was necessary to rule out a traumatic cause of death.â&#x20AC;? in sum, it is clear that among horses dying on the racetrack from a nontraumatic (i.e., non-musculoskeletal) cause of death, approximately 82 percent of these horses may

DON’T GET SHUT OUT OF have died from acute EIPH, the same syndrome that we diagnosed in our Kentucky necropsy horse described above. This now well-identified syndrome becomes a very interesting ethical issue when one considers withdrawing regulatory approval for furosemide in racing horses. Furosemide is now scientifically and clinically well established as being highly effective in the prevention of EIPH. For example, data developed when Lasix was first approved for use in New York racing in 1995 clearly shows that pretreatment with furosemide reduced the incidence of epistaxis (acute hemorrhage from the nostril) close to 80 percent. This data is very compelling and fully supports the 40-plus year position of American horsemen that Lasix is a highly effective preventative for EIPH. The next question that arises is: what is the likely incidence of these acute sudden deaths associated with EIPH? With regard to the University of Pennsylvania data, Gunson et al estimated that the incidence of acute EIPHrelated deaths in their horses at approximately one incident per 1,500 races, or about one per 13,500 starts. However, this figure almost certainly underestimates the likely true incidence of acute EIPH related deaths in non-furosemide pretreated racing horses because the Gunson study was carried out after the use of furosemide had long been approved in Pennsylvania. If we back-calculate from the apparent 80 percent effectiveness of furosemide in reducing EIPH in horses racing in New York, we can estimate that the likely rate of acute EIPH related deaths in horses racing without furosemide will be in the order of one per 300 races, or approximately one acute EIPH related death per 3,000 starts. In the final analysis, we estimate about 120 more or less acute EIPH-related deaths would occur per year in American racing, a clear-cut health and welfare risk for the horses involved. Furthermore, because the riders involved are thrown suddenly to the ground in a field of racing horses, there is a very clear risk for the riders involved, although it is not at this time possible to accurately determine the risk for the riders beyond the fact that it is significant and adverse. This message is emphasized in figures 1a and 1b, presenting rare photographic images of an incident of acute sudden death due to EIPH in a racing horse. In this image, the horses were approaching the finish line and, therefore, moving at a speed in the order of about 40 mph. The far horse is crashing to the track with an acute/sudden EIPH event, and the jockey is in the process of being thrown onto the track in front of the horse. The close-up, figure 1b, highlights the blood in the horse’s exhalation, consistent with these events being driven by an acute/sudden EIPH episode. This photograph comes courtesy of Dr. Richard H. Galley, Willow Park, Texas, the treating veterinarian, and the photograph records a not atypical EIPH-related acute/sudden death event that resulted in one equine death and, in this particular case, with no long-term injuries to the jockey. The ethical concerns raised by these circumstances are interesting. If the only objection to the use of furosemide is that horses that have raced on furosemide are considered financially less valuable as breeding stock, then the trade off is dollars for breeders versus human and equine lives – a difficult position to ethically justify. In closing, EIPH is part and parcel of horse racing worldwide, and furosemide is the only scientifically established preventative against this condition. Furosemide is a safe and highly effective preventative, and as such very effectively protects the health and welfare of both horse and rider. Removal of regulatory approval for furosemide will therefore inevitably and predictability increases the risk of injury and death for the racing horse and its rider, a seemingly ethically unsupportable position.

Nominations close on June 23, 2012 $400,000 GUARANTEED PRINCESS ROONEY HANDICAP (GI) fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward 6 furlongs/nomination fee: $300 $400,000 GUARANTEED SMILE SPRINT HANDICAP (GII) “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup 3-year-olds and upward 6 furlongs/nomination fee: $300 $150,000 GUARANTEED AZALEA STAKES (GIII) fillies, 3-year-olds 6 furlongs/nomination fee: $150 $150,000 GUARANTEED CARRY BACK STAKES (GIII) 3-year-olds 6 furlongs/nomination fee: $150 $100,000 GUARANTEED BOB UMPHREY TURF SPRINT HANDICAP 3-year-olds and upward 5 furlongs - turf/nomination fee: $100 $100,000 GUARANTEED HOLLYWOOD WILDCAT HANDICAP fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward 7½ furlongs/nomination fee: $100

Contact Michael A. Anifantis for info: Director of Racing/Racing Secretary

(800) 333-3227, ext. 3216 mike.anifantis@CalderRaceCourse.com

SUMMIT OF SPEED AT

CALDER CASINO & RACE COURSE

Saturday, July 7, 2012 www.nationalhbpa.com

hJ summer

Jun. 21 – Jul. 8

Jul. 11 – 22

Jul. 18 – Sep. 5

Oct. 3 – 15

Dec. 26, 2011 – Jun. 17, Aug. 17 – Sep. 16, Oct. 18 – Dec. 16

Apr. 25 – Jul. 17, Nov. 5 – Dec. 24

Aug. 15 – 26

Dec. 30, 2011 – Dec. 23

Sep. 6 – 25

Sep. 19 – 30

Sep. 26 – Nov. 4

Hastings Racecourse

Alameda Co. Fair @ Pleasanton

Cal Expo/California State Fair @ Sacramento

Del Mar Race Course

Fresno Co. Fair @ Fresno

Golden Gate Fields

Hollywood Park

Humboldt Co. Fair @ Ferndale

Los Alamitos Race Course

Pomona Co. Fair @ Fairplex

San Joaquin Co. Fair @ Stockton

Santa Anita

British columbia, canada

california

Apr. 14 – Oct. 14

Jan. 11 – Apr. 13, 2013

Oaklawn Park

May 5 – Jun. 30, Sep. 1 – Oct. 21

Whoop Up Downs/Rocky Mountain Turf Club @ Lethbridge

Arkansas

May 4 – Oct. 13

Northlands Park

Jul. 4, 6, 7, 8

Jul. 1

Millarville

Coconino Co. Fair @ Flagstaff

Jul. 6 – Aug. 26

Evergreen Park

new Mexico

new Jersey

nevada

nebraska

Jul. 13 – 22

Horsemen’s Park

The Downs at Albuquerque

Monmouth Park

Aug. 11 – 31, Sep. 30 – Nov. 11

May 12 – Sep. 3

Sep. 6 – Nov. 25

Aug. 18, 19

White Pine Racing @ Ely The Meadowlands @ Monmouth

Aug. 24 – Sep. 3

Elko Co. Fair @ Elko

May 11 – Jul. 8

Aug. 21

Horsemen’s Atokad Downs

Lincoln Race Course

Jul. 26 – Sep. 9

Agricultural Park @ Columbus

*Pending approval

Wyoming

Sweetwater Downs @ Rock Springs

Mountaineer Race Track

Hollywood Casino @ Charles Town Races Aug. 25 – Sep. 16

West virginia

Yellowstone Downs

Emerald Downs

Washington

Aug. 10, 11*

Laurel Brown Racetrack

utah

Western Montana Fair @ Missoula

Jul. 4 – 29

Retama Park

Colonial Downs

Charlie Russell Downs @ Great Falls

Montana

May 18 – Sep. 3

Aug. 18, 19, Sep. 1, 2

Mar. 2 – Dec. 21

Jan. 3 – Dec. 29

Apr. 13 – Sep. 23

Jun. 2 – Jul. 28

Apr. 28, May 19, Jun. 9, 30

Jun. 8 – Aug. 11, Oct. 5 – Dec. 29

Apr. 12 – Jul. 8, Sep. 14 – Nov. 10

Lone Star Park

virginia

Canterbury Park

Minnesota

May 5 – Oct. 11

Jul. 7, 8, 21, 22, Aug. 11, 12, 25, 26

May 25 – Sep. 8

May 14 – Sep. 28

Jan. 5 – Dec. 29

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31

Jul. 15 – Dec. 8

Gillespie County Fairgrounds

Marquis Downs

Presque Isle Downs

Penn National

Parx Racing

Aug. 18, 19*

Mount Pleasant Meadows

Michigan

Jun. 2 – Oct. 29

texas

saskatchewan, canada

pennsylvania

Portland Meadows

Kalispell

Suffolk Downs

Aug. 24 – Sep. 3

Timonium Fair Grounds Massachusetts

Sep. 7 – Dec. 31

Laurel Race Course

Maryland

May 6 – Sep. 23

Assiniboia Downs

May 4 – Sep. 23

Aug. 15 – Sep. 1

Apr. 18 – Sep. 8

Manitoba, canada

Harrah’s Louisiana Downs

Fair Grounds

Evangeline Downs

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

Arizona

Alberta, canada

dates>>

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Sep. 2, 3, 7, 8

Jun. 9, 10, 17

May 2 – Aug. 11

Jun. 30, Jul. 1, 4, 7, 8

Aug. 4, 5, 11, 12

Jun. 15 – Jul. 28

Cassia Co. Fair @ Burley

Eastern Idaho Co. Fair @ Blackfoot

Jerome Co. Fair @ Jerome

Les Bois Park

Minidoka Co. Fair @ Rupert Downs

Oneida Co. Fair @ Malad City

Sandy Downs @ Rigby

idaho

Sep. 8 – 18

Sep. 6 – 30, Nov. 29 – Dec. 31

Kentucky Downs

Turfway Park

Apr. 27 – Jul. 14

Oct. 5 – 27

Keeneland Racecourse

Delta Downs

Jul. 4 – Sep. 3

Ellis Park

louisiana

Apr. 28 – Jul. 1, Oct. 28 – Nov. 25

Churchill Downs

Kentucky

Apr. 20 – Aug. 11, Aug. 18 – Oct. 27

Prairie Meadows

Apr. 16 – Jul. 11

Indiana Downs

Oct. 3 – Dec. 30

Hawthorne Racecourse

Aug. 1 – Oct. 27

Apr. 3 – Sep. 21

Fairmount Park

Hoosier Park

May 4 – Sep. 30

Arlington Park

Apr. 9 – Jun. 30

iowa

indiana

illinois

Aug. 17, 18

Calder Race Course

Florida

May 12 – Nov. 3

Delaware Park

Delaware

May 26 – Aug. 19

Arapahoe Park

Jul. 25 – Aug. 12

colorado

Sonoma Co. Fair @ Santa Rosa

oregon

ontario, canada

oklahoma

ohio

north Dakota

new York

Tillamook Co. Fair @ Tillamook

Harney Co. Fair

Grants Pass Downs

Eastern Oregon Livestock Show @ Union

Aug. 8 – 11

Sep. 7 – 9

Jun. 16 – Jul. 8

Jun. 8 – 10

Jul. 11 – 14

Apr. 6 – Dec. 16

Woodbine Racecourse Crooked River Roundup @ Prineville

May 6 – Oct. 30

Aug. 25 – Nov. 10

Aug. 10 – Dec. 9

Jun. 14 – Aug. 4

May 4 – Nov. 17

Apr. 27 – Sep. 3

Oct. 8 – Dec. 22

Jul. 14, 15, 21, 22

Jun. 9 – Jul. 1

Jul. 20 – Sep. 3

Apr. 20 – Dec. 7

Apr. 27 – Jul. 15, Sep. 8 – Oct. 28

Nov. 2 – Dec. 31

Sep. 8 – Dec. 4

Apr. 20 – Jun. 26

May 25 – Sep. 3

Sep. 1 – 29

Fort Erie Racetrack

Will Rogers Downs

Remington Park

Fair Meadows @ Tulsa

Thistledown Racecourse

River Downs

Beulah

North Dakota Horse Park @ Fargo

Chippewa Downs @ Belcourt

Saratoga Race Course

Finger Lakes

Belmont Park

Aqueduct

Zia Park

SunRay Park

Ruidoso Downs

New Mexico State Fair @ Albuquerque

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FEatURE

the unCertain and unknown road ahead: raCe-day mediCation in the usa By Kimberly French

on may 4, 2011, three days Before the 137th edition of the kentuCky derBy, senator tom udaLL of new mexiCo and rePresentative ed whitfieLd of the BLuegrass state introduCed a PieCe of federaL LegisLation duBBed the interstate horse raCing imProvement aCt, whiCh was Co-sPonsored By rePresentative Joe Pitts of PennsyLvania, rePresentative Ben ChandLer of kentuCky, and rePresentative Jan sChakowsky of iLLinois.

This bill would proscribe the use of any and all drugs that would be considered performance enhancing on race day and institute a penalty system based on a three-strikes-and-you-are-out approach. Also, suspensions and fines would be levied against any person who purposefully provided his or her horses with illegal medications, and those horses would not be allowed to compete Sen. Tom Udall ranging from 180 days from the first violation to up to two years for the third offense. Widely disparaged by most of the industry, this bill was considered unfeasible because there were no distinctions between what was to be an illegal medication or a legal therapeutic substance, and there was a great deal of apprehension Congress would alter or modify the 1978 Interstate Horseracing Act, which empowers simulcasting across North America. Rep. Ed Whitfield Sandwiched between a two-day international Race Day Medication Summit held at Belmont Park on June 13 and 14, 2011 and meetings of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), as well as the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s American Graded Stakes Committee (AGSC) in early August, the Breeders’ Cup announced on July 17 it would not allow Salix (also known as Lasix or furosemide) to be used for any of its juvenile races in 2012. The Breeders’ Cup’s true aim was to abolish the use of Salix entirely for all its races by 2013. “Given the high level of international participation in our [races] and the increasing support for our nominations programs throughout the global Thoroughbred breeding and racing community, Breeders’ Cup feels strongly that the time has come to modify our medication policies to be consistent with international practices,” asserted Breeders’ Cup Chairman Tom Ludt in the press release. The AGSC followed the Breeders’ Cup’s lead and announced a ban on Salix for two-year-olds contesting graded stakes to be put in place for the 2012 season. If racetracks did not comply with this policy, any graded stakes race at that track would lose its graded status. 26

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Then, in a meeting on December 8, 2011, the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) adopted a model rule barring private veterinarians from administering Salix on race day. The RCI Board of Directors acknowledged on December 9 that the only therapeutic treatment that should be allowed the day a horse races is Lasix, but it should be closely monitored, and this also reflects the stance stated earlier in the year by the RMTC.

Louisiana emergenCy ruLe struCk down On Friday, January 20, the Louisiana State Senate Commerce Committee voted to strike down an emergency rule passed by the Louisiana Racing Commission (LRC) in November of 2011 that would have lowered the state’s threshold level for phenylbutazone from 5.0 micrograms to 2.0 micrograms. The vote was a victory for Louisiana horsemen, who opposed the LRC’s use of the emergency rule process in a non-emergency situation because the process does not allow input from affected parties. According to Louisiana HBPA President Stanley Seelig, “When it comes to very important issues – and medication issues are very important to the horsemen of Louisiana and other racing jurisdictions – it is important to do things the proper way. That means holding a hearing where all sides can come together and have their say on the subject before a decision is made.”

fourth edition of “worLd ruLes” reLeased The fourth edition of the “World Rules for Equine Drug Testing and Therapeutic Medication Regulation” was released on February 14. Composed by Dr. Thomas Tobin, professor at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center and National HBPA Scientific Advisor, Dr. Kimberly Brewer, and Florida HBPA Executive Director and National HBPA Medication Committee Chairman Kent H. Stirling, this book discusses “zero tolerance” and presents scientific explanations for regulatory thresholds for therapeutic medications. “This latest edition of the ‘World Rules for Drug Testing and Therapeutic Medication Regulation’ is the result of a great deal of hard work by the authors,” commented National HBPA CEO Phil Hanrahan. “The ‘World Rules’ provides the most current collection of information on this ever-evolving subject, and as such, this book will be of substantial value to a broad spectrum of equine industry participants and professionals. The need

for national and international regulatory thresholds and withdrawal time guidelines scientifically based on regulatory thresholds remains a challenge for the industry to address.”

graded stakes Committee reverses Position On February 24, 2012 the AGSC reversed its position on eliminating all race-day medications in graded stakes races for juveniles. “Due to the nature of the various entities involved in implementation of rules governing racing, the policy has taken longer to implement than the committee hoped when the announcement regarding the ban was made in August 2011,” said Dr. J. David Richardson, chairman of the AGSC, in the statement. “Over the past six months, through the leadership of the American Graded Stakes Committee and others in the industry, a great deal of valuable discussion has occurred regarding the important issue of medication administered to racehorses. “Consistent with TOBA’s mission to improve the economics and integrity of the sport, the committee will continue to engage in productive discussions within the industry, to educate the public, and to explore all avenues to effect positive changes with regard to the responsible use of medication for the benefit of graded stakes races, and the preservation of the integrity of those races.”

the New York Times Puts raCing in Crosshairs On Sunday, March 25, the front page of The New York Times presented a gruesome photograph of a lifeless twoyear-old Quarter Horse at Ruidoso Downs beneath the caption “Mangled Horses, Maimed Jockeys.” The article, authored by Walt Bogdanich, Eclipse Award winner Joe Drape, Dara Miles, and Griffin Palmer, was the first in a series of features examining how often racehorses are injured and what the causes of these injuries are. This piece focused specifically on the use of medication and how it is enforced. “But an investigation by The New York Times has found that industry practices continue to put animal and rider at risk,” said the paper. “A computer analysis of data from more than 150,000 races — along with injury reports, drug test results, and interviews — shows an industry still mired in a culture of drugs and lax regulation and a fatal breakdown rate that remains far worse than in most of the world.” The day subsequent to the Times article, Sen. Udall dispensed a press release stating the piece depicts a “very disturbing picture of the industry.” “The sport of horse racing which, at its best, showcases the majestic beauty of this animal and the athleticism of jockeys, has reached an alarming level of corruption and exploitation,” Udall said. “The consequence of inconsistent state-level regulation is an epidemic of animal doping that has led to countless euthanizations of helpless horses and the injury and death of their riders. The Times exposé has shined a glaring light on the need for national standards in a sport that reaps gambling profits but has lacked proper oversight for decades. The horse racing industry has promised voluntary reforms for decades, but as we’ve painfully observed, our legislation is the only viable way to address doping problems plaguing the sport.” American Association of Equine Practitioners President Dr. John Mitchell also responded to the Times series on March 26. According to Dr. Mitchell, “There should be no higher priority for the racing community than the health and safety of its equine and human athletes. Reducing equine injuries must be the primary focus of all who care for the horse – from racetrack management and regulators to the veterinarians and horsemen who work daily in the barns. The racing community has a fundamental obligation to provide the best of

care and oversight for our horses, and there are efforts to fulfill this mission. Examples of programs that have been recently developed for improved care of equine athletes include creation and refinement of the (Equine Injury Database), certification of tracks through the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, the establishment of aftercare programs for retired racehorses, and the dedication of millions of research dollars to equine health and safety. “As The New York Times article points out, there is much work to be done,” Dr. Mitchell continued. “Nationwide adoption of best practices for pre-race inspection and post-race observation, along with uniform medication, testing, security, and enforcement policies by all racing jurisdictions are essential safety and integrity elements for all to embrace. Commitment to these principles is critical to the very existence of the sport and, most importantly, the safety of its horses and human athletes.” The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), which oversees the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, presented its statement on March 27. According to NTRA President and Chief Executive Officer Alex Waldrop, “Recent media reports have presented a sobering assessment of the safety and integrity of horse racing. The NTRA takes these reports very seriously because we know that thousands of industry participants consider the health and safety of our human and equine athletes and the integrity of our sport to be our highest priorities. Over the past several years, the industry has instituted a number of significant safety and integrity reforms, including such initiatives as the Equine Injury Database, the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Despite this progress, we must do more and move with a greater sense of urgency than has been demonstrated to date. Toward that end, tracks, horsemen, regulators, and other participants must consider all options for enacting nationwide reform in a more comprehensive, lasting way.”

JoCkey CLuB reLeases reformed raCing mediCation ruLes On March 30, The Jockey Club set forth its “Reformed Racing Medication Rules.” Under this proposed program, all equine drug testing would be performed only by laboratories accredited by the RMTC, there would be stiffer penalties for repeat violators of medication rules, histories of what medication each and every racehorse has received, observation of all horses within 24 hours of a race, required rest periods for horses that suffer from exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), publishing guidelines for administration and withdrawal times for controlled therapeutic drugs, and “best practices” for improved security and monitoring of horses. There was language pertaining to a ban of all race-day medications in a previous draft, but in the summary of the rules, it says Lasix would be banned through a “transitional process.” “We have been refining this document since then (the Jockey Round Table Conference in August of 2011), and the result is a dramatically streamlined set of regulations that is on par with international standards,” noted The Jockey Club President and Chief Operating Officer James Gagliano. “It creates a new enforcement scheme with far stiffer penalties and deterrents for repeat offenders. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with industry organizations and national, state, and local regulatory agencies to see these rules adopted.” “As we have said many times before, The Jockey Club believes that the overuse of medication endangers our human and equine athletes, threatens the integrity of our sport, and erodes consumer confidence in our game,” Gagliano continued. “Horses should compete only when they are free from the influence www.nationalhbpa.com

FEatURE of medication, and these reformed rules represent a giant step toward achieving that goal.” (see National HBPA response on page 2)

toBa stiLL eyeing Ban on aLL mediCation in graded stakes In a board of trustees meeting on April 10, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) admitted that while there was certainly some adversity to executing a strategy to eradicate the use of any medications on race day, it had definitely not jettisoned the plan. “We had to recognize this wasn’t going to get done through the regulatory channels in 2012,” said TOBA President Dan Metzger, “but the policy has not been abandoned. The American Graded Stakes Committee is pushing forward toward a prohibition of race-day medication in two-year-old graded stakes. Without getting into specifics, there was discussion about how owners could affect change. There will be considerable discussion and resources put toward that issue in thoroughbred owners & Breeders Association the next several months.”

nyra resPonds to New York Times artiCLe In a three page press release on April 12, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) responded to The Times article by stating the research the writers used to ascertain injury rates was flawed and then outlined what NYRA, as an organization, had accomplished individually and in concert with other racing entities to promote equine safety. “To assess how often horses break down or get injured, The Times purchased official data covering more than 150,000 race results from 2009 through 2011,” NYRA quoted a sidebar to the main Times article. “The data are compiled by trained ‘chart callers,’ and used to compile results charts that bettors use to evaluate horses. The Times searched the data for terms indicating that a horse encountered a physical problem: broke down, vanned off, injured, lame, euthanized, died, collapsed, bleeding, or went wrong. “Chart callers are trained to describe the manner in which a race is run, not to ‘assess how often horses break down or get injured,’” NYRA continued. “Chart callers do not follow up with trainers or veterinarians to determine whether or not a horse has suffered an injury during a race. Horses may be vanned off for many reasons that have nothing to do with an injury. For example, a jockey may pull up a horse if he or she believes the horse has taken a bad step. In cases like this, the horse is often vanned off as a precaution. This is a common scenario, and often the horse is not found to have any physical problems. NYRA concludes, therefore, that there is plausible cause to regard the Times’ incident rate metric as faulty and to consider that its purported goal of assessing ‘how often horses break down or get injured’ leads to misleading and incorrect results.”

attemPt at emergenCy Ban of Lasix faiLs in kentuCky On April 13, the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) entreated Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear not to sign any appeal on behalf of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) for an emergency ban on race-day use of Lasix, as this was on the agenda for April 16 and the horsemen were unaware of what the proposed regulations would entail. “This caught us by surprise,” Kentucky HBPA Executive Director Marty Maline told The Blood Horse on April 13. “This was so clandestine in the manner in which it was done. That was not the way to do things. To do this end-around is terribly disappointing.” The KHRC voted 7-7 not to accept the proposal to eliminate Lasix on race day for two-year-olds in 2013 and for all horses in 2015. However, on April 16, 28

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an amended version suggested by commissioner Tom Ludt, who is also chairman of the Breeders’ Cup was put on the table for the coming months. Voting in favor of the ban were KHRC Chairman Bob Beck, Vice Chairman Tracy Farmer, Ned Bonnie, Wade Houston, Elizabeth Lavin, Alan Leavitt, and Dr. Jerry Yon. Voting no were Tom Conway, Frank Jones, Franklin Kling Jr., Tom Ludt, Dr. Foster Northrop, Michael Pitino, and Burr Travis. “I’m glad I didn’t have to make a vote,” new KHRC Executive Director John Ward told The Blood Horse on April 16. “This was a very healthy exercise, and I believe we will be able to get a consensus over the next 30 days.”

the New York Times strikes again On April 30, the second piece in The New York Times series, “Big Purses, Sore Horses and Death,” penned by Drape, Bogdanich, Palmer, and Rebecca Ruiz, concentrated on the rise of casinos and the how the funds generated from them contributed to an increase in purse money, which in turn could cause people to race unsound horses for a larger payday. “But what is indisputable is that casinos opening at Aqueduct and a growing number of racetracks have recalibrated the age-old economic equations of the horse-racing game,” stated The Times. “To survive amid a riot of new, technologically advanced gambling options, track owners have increasingly succumbed to the gambling industry’s offer to sweeten racing purses with slot machine revenue. But if casinos promise to prop up a struggling sport, they can also erode the loyalty that owners and trainers feel toward their horses, turning them, in the words of Maggi Moss, a leading owner, into ‘trading cards for people’s greed.’” “The casinos’ impact is greatest at the sport’s low end, the so-called claiming races, a world away from the bluegrass pageantry of Saturday’s Kentucky Derby,” the paper continued. “In the claiming ranks — where some of the cheapest horses fill starting gates at tracks like Aqueduct, Penn National, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Evangeline Downs in Louisiana — the casino money has upset the traditional racetrack balance of risk and reward.”

u.s. house energy and CommerCe heaLth suBCommittee hearing Called to order by Representative Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee of the U. S. House of Representatives heard eight witnesses testify before them during a two-and-half-hour hearing at Unionville High School near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania on April 30 that medication has no place in racing. “I think it left people more confused than actually clarifying the issue,” said Chris Scherf, who is the Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA)’s executive vice president. The Congressional committee did not recommend any specific action on its part. “If you can get racing commissions or your professional organizations to deal with this, you are so much better off doing that than asking Congress to get involved,” Representative Michael Burgess of Texas and co-chair of the House Subcommittee on Health said to the witnesses. On April 30, the National HBPA dispensed its own rejoinder to The Times series in the form of a written statement to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee for the hearing. The National HBPA piece (you can read it in its entirety beginning on page 30 of this magazine) was entitled, “A Review of Efforts to Protect the Health of Jockeys and Horses in Horseracing.” “The NHBPA strongly takes issue with the misstatements regarding the alleged misuse of racing medication in the horse racing industry. A feature article in the March 25, 2012 The New York Times (“NYT”), “Mangled Horses,

Maimed Jockeys: A Nationwide Toll,” claimed there was rampant illegal use of drugs in horse racing that caused injuries to both horses and jockeys,” stated the release. “The NYT reported from 2009 through 2011, trainers were ‘caught illegally drugging horses 3,800 times, a figure that vastly understates the problem because only a small percentage of horses are actually tested.’ The article cited this as evidence of a state regulatory Rep. Joe Pitts failure to stop “cheating.” “The NYT’s article prompted another call by some in the industry for federal regulation of horse racing and a ban on all medication, including furosemide (“Lasix”) that prevents pulmonary hemorrhaging in race horses,” the release continued. “However, an analysis of regulatory data in Thoroughbred racing states shows the NYT’s assertions are badly flawed and seriously misleading. Likewise, the call for a medication ban is premised on misconceptions by industry participants, including breeders, who are perhaps putting their wallets ahead of horse and rider health and safety.”

new mexiCo Passes new reguLations On May 2, the New Mexico Racing Commission proposed to adopt the model rules established by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) in response to The New York Times first article, which depicted the Land of Enchantment as possessing the worst horse safety record in the United States. There were no voices raised in opposition. “The New York Times article cast a dark shadow on the industry,” said Ken Corraza, a pharmacist and former commission member. “But we have really good people. We have honest people. There are just a few thugs out there that have changed the perception here in New Mexico.” Although the medication issue is still in a tremendous state of flux and the future is unclear, the National HBPA is closely monitoring it and ensuring the voices of its member horsemen and women are being heard.

new york Changes CLaiming ruLe On April 2, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board passed an emergency rule that will void claims if a claimed horse perishes during a race or is euthanized on the track during or following a race. It also provided lists of every fine or suspension issued by the board for nearly the last 30 years and lists of every horse that has been involved in an accident, sustained a serious and/or career-ending injury, or has died or broken down within the confines of the Empire State. “The public has every right to know exactly what is happening at racetracks in New York state,” said New York Racing and Wagering Board Chairman John Sabini. “The wealth of information in these two databases leaves no stone unturned regarding incidents at tracks in New York and who is being held accountable for rule infractions by the board. As the adage says: sunlight is the best disinfectant, especially for the state’s horse racing industry.”

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Richard E. Glover, Jr.

FEatURE

a review of efforts to ProteCt the heaLth of JoCkeys and horses in horse raCing + The following is a written statement of the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association for the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Hearing on April 30, 2012. The statement was distributed at the hearing by representatives of the National HBPA and to the press. The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (“NHBPA”) has been representing the interests of horsemen, horsewomen, and horse racing in North America since 1940. There are over 30,000 owner and trainer members of the NHBPA throughout the United States and Canada focused on a common goal: the betterment of horse racing on all levels and a commitment to the future of horse racing. From 2009 through 2011, owners spent over $2 billion to purchase racehorses. Moreover, they spent, on average, an additional $25,000 annually for the training and care of each horse. The NHBPA has 30 affiliates across the United States and Canada, including: Alabama; Arizona; Arkansas; Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan); Charles Town; West Virginia; Colorado; Finger Lakes, New York; Florida; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kentucky; Louisiana; Michigan; Minnesota; Montana; Mountaineer Park, West Virginia; Nebraska; New England; New Mexico; Ohio; Oklahoma; Ontario; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Tampa Bay, Florida; Texas; Virginia; and Washington. The NHBPA strongly takes issue with misstatements regarding the alleged misuse of racing medication in the horse racing industry. A feature article in the March 25, 2012 issue of The New York Times (“NYT”), “Mangled Horses, Maimed Jockeys: A Nationwide Toll,” claimed there was rampant illegal use of drugs in horse racing that caused injuries to both horses and jockeys. The NYT reported that from 2009 through 2011, trainers were “caught illegally drugging horses 3,800 times, a figure that vastly understates the problem because only a small percentage of horses are actually tested.” The article cited this as evidence of a state regulatory failure to stop “cheating.” 30

hJ summer

The NYT’s article prompted another call by some in the industry for federal regulation of horse racing and a ban on all medication, including furosemide (“Lasix”) that prevents pulmonary hemorrhaging in racehorses. However, an analysis of regulatory data in Thoroughbred racing states shows the NYT’s assertions are badly flawed and seriously misleading. Likewise, the call for a medication ban is premised on misconceptions by industry participants, including breeders, who are perhaps putting their wallets ahead of horse and rider health and safety. According to “The Jockey Club Fact Book” from 2009 through 2011, the average field size in 139,920 Thoroughbred races run throughout the United States was 8.17 horses. Because at least two horses in every race — the winner and another horse selected by the stewards — are routinely tested for drugs, 25 percent of all horses (two out of every eight) were tested. Statistically speaking, that is a representative sample of all horses racing in the three-year period. At the outset, it is thus fair to say the NYT was wrong in claiming post-race testing “vastly understates” the extent of “cheating.” What then were the results of drug testing in the NYT’s three-year period? Do they show rampant “illegal drugging”? The answer is a resounding no. Based on data maintained by state racing commissions and compiled by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI), 99.27 percent of nearly 300,000 post-race tests were negative for drug use. Those percentages are not, by any stretch of the imagination, evidence of rampant drug use. They should be the envy of every other sport that tests for drugs. Horse racing spends about $35 million a year on equine drug testing. The Association of Racing Commissioners International notes the World Anti-Doping Agency, which conducts testing in other sports, in contrast earmarks $1.6 million per year for testing fees. Laboratories conducting testing for the horse racing industry include those at the University of California/Davis, the University of Florida, the University of Illinois, Iowa State University, Louisiana State University, West Chester University, and Morrisville State College. Also involved are private ISO-accredited laboratories like Dalare Associates (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), HFL Sport Science (Lexington, Kentucky), and Truesdail Labs (Tustin, California). Granted, in the three years surveyed by the news article, there were positive test results, but only about half the 3,800 claimed by the NYT. Even so, nearly all were for drug concentrations above regulatory levels of permitted therapeutic medication, like common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. “bute”) similar to aspirin, Advil, and Aleve taken by humans. Only a handful of drug test positives (82 out of 279,922, or less than 3/100ths of one percent) were for illegal substances (“dope”) generally having no purpose other than cheating. The following chart summarizes the drug testing results for the period 2009-2011. Class 1 and 2 positives are “cheater” drugs, or “dope,” classified as such by the ARCI. Those drugs have the highest potential for affecting performance and have no generally accepted medical use in racehorses. Class 3, 4, 5, and furosemide (“Lasix”) positives, on the other hand, generally indicate overdoses of therapeutic medication. Therapeutics are permitted in racehorses and have little or no likelihood of affecting performance. Threshold limits for therapeutics are set by state regulation with the intent that on race day, no horse should be under the direct influence of therapeutic medication, except for the permitted race day use of anti-bleeding medication (Lasix).

raCing mediCation data 2009-2011 State

Races

Starts

Avg. Field

Drug tests

Class 1

Class 2

Class 3

Class 4

Class 5

Furosemide % Neg.

% Pos.

4,888

38,993

7.97

9,776

99.48

0.52

1,526

14,058

9.21

3,052

99.42

0.58

13,369

100,656

7.52

26,738

130

99.38

0.62

2,901

21,799

7.51

5,802

99.44

0.56

9,872

86,116

8.72

19,744

99.18

0.82

1,838

14,112

7.67

3,676

99.90

0.10

6,797

54,573

8.02

13,594

99.57

0.43

3,343

28,701

8.58

6,686

99.48

0.52

6,439

56,568

8.78

12,986

98.80

1.20

10,337

94,178

9.11

20,674

237

98.70

1.30

2,518

19,768

7.85

5,036

99.77

0.23

4,178

31,966

7.65

8,356

99.59

0.41

1,315

9,316

7.08

2,630

99.55

0.45

1,392

10,790

7.75

2,784

163

93.60

6.40

205

1,550

7.56

410

95.70

4.30

2,491

20,399

8.18

4,982

98.30

1.70

3,105

25,083

8.07

6,210

99.89

0.11

5,180

43,302

8.35

10,360

99.76

0.24

131

664

5.06

236

99.30

0.70

11,256

87,317

7.75

22,512

99.85

0.15

7,876

60,915

7.73

15,752

113

98.90

1.10

3,466

32,869

9.48

6,932

99.69

0.31

2,196

16,014

7.29

4,392

99.30

0.70

13,568

109,878

8.09

27,136

194

99.20

0.80

3,538

31,227

8.82

7,076

98.80

1.20

1,210

10,213

8.44

2,420

99.30

0.70

2,538

17,887

7.04

5,076

99.93

0.07

12,433

105,470

8.48

24,866

99.63

0.37

113

8.07

96.43

3.57

TOTAL

139,920

1,144,495

8.17

279,922

327

1,484

102

99.27

0.73

Clearly, the above state racing commission data disproves the NYT’s dramatic allegation about the widespread misuse of drugs. The NYT piece also claims drug use is the main cause of horses being injured and breaking down in races. Based on a purported analysis of Equibase charts, the NYT reported an “incident rate” of 5.2 per thousand starts for 2009-2011, which included both Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds and an expansive definition of “injury incidents.” A subsequent Thoroughbred Times analysis of the same charts found a 4.03 per thousand incident rate for Thoroughbreds. Once again, the facts are other than what the NYT asserted. In 20092011, the data shows an overall drug positive rate of 1.8 per thousand starts. Assuming for the sake of discussion the highly doubtful and unsupported premise that all drug use, whether illegal or therapeutic, causes injuries and fatalities, the “incident rate” in the three-year period should be closer to 1.8,

and not 4.03 or 5.2 per thousand starts, depending on which analysis, if any, is correct. Simply put, the actual data suggests something beside drug use is primarily responsible for racing breakdowns. For this reason, the horse racing industry has been conducting scientific research and analysis on racing surfaces to better understand the role surfaces play in racing injuries in order to further improve the safety of horse racing for both horses and jockeys. The NYT and many of those industry voices calling for a ban on race-day medication appear to labor under the misconception that race-day medication, in addition to Lasix, is routinely permitted in numerous racing jurisdictions. The NYT says “horses are permitted to run on some dose of pain medication, usually bute.” But that is not true. The “dose” the NYT article hangs its hat on is not active medication, but rather a regulatory threshold limit set for test screening purposes. www.nationalhbpa.com

FEatURE For example, in Virginia the current threshold for phenylbutazone (“bute”) is two micrograms per milliliter of plasma in post-race testing. On race day, that small concentration has no medicinal effect on a horse, and a test showing that amount or less is regarded as negative. However, the increasing sensitivity of drug testing equipment makes threshold limits like this necessary to avoid having positive test results based upon residual concentrations of therapeutic medication lawfully administered before race day. Or stated another way, “zero tolerance” testing without threshold screening limits will result in false positives. The NYT compounded its error by implying an increase in racing fatalities at Colonial Downs was caused in 2005 by the Virginia Racing Commission increasing its bute threshold from two to five micrograms. Instead, a study conducted with the assistance of the Virginia Racing Commission demonstrated there was no statistically significant difference in fatality rates tied to bute threshold levels. Finally, proponents of a ban on medication point to Britain as an example the United States should emulate. There, NYT claims, “breakdown rates are half of what they are in the United States [and] horses may not race on any drugs.” None of that is true. According to the British Horseracing Authority (“BHA”), the central body that regulates racing in Britain, the fatality rate in 2011 was about two in every thousand starts. In the United States, The Jockey Club calculated a 2011 fatality rate of 1.88 per thousand starts. Both rates include steeplechase racing. Further, horsemen in England are allowed to and do administer the same therapeutic medication used by American horsemen, including bute and Lasix. But on race day, like American horses (except for Lasix), those in England may not compete under the influence of active medication and, like the U.S., the BHA uses threshold screening levels and post-race testing to ensure that is so.

Britain (2006-08)

Starts

Tests

Negative Tests

Positive Tests

286,343

27,753

99.84%

0.16% (44)

279,922

99.27%

0.73% (2,066)

united states 1,144,495 (2009-11)

The chart above, comparing three years of post-race testing in England (based on the most recent data published by BHA) with the most recent U.S data compiled by the ARCI, shows no significant difference in drug positive results between the two countries. Both are essentially drug free.

Richard E. Glover, Jr.

hJ summer

The slight variance between countries may be accounted for by the fact that less than 10 percent of British starters are tested, while the U.S. tests 25 percent of all starters, and the U.S. has four times the number of starts. Also, the British select a horse for post-race testing subjectively based on performance in a race or “intelligence” available to the race stewards. In the U.S., selection in each race of two horses for testing is more or less random at the outset. In Britain, only urine is routinely tested, while in the U.S., both urine and blood are examined. The sole difference in medication policy between the United States and Britain (as well as the rest of Europe) is the use of Lasix. In Britain, Lasix is used in daily training to prevent or lessen pulmonary hemorrhaging, but not on race day. From a horse welfare standpoint, that makes no sense. No one disputes that Lasix prevents rather than causes injuries or fatalities in racehorses, and thereby protects jockeys, as well. We end by stating our position regarding medication: A) The National HBPA’s focus regarding medication has always been, and remains, the health and safety of the horse, the safety of the jockey, and the safety of all individuals coming into contact with the horse (i.e. grooms, assistant starters, hot walkers, trainers, and veterinarians). B) The National HBPA believes an independent Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) of industry stakeholders, with input from appropriate medical and veterinary professional bodies such as the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), should be the final evaluator of medical/veterinary science. C) RMTC-approved medication rules should be considered by the Association of Racing Commissioners International on behalf of state racing commissions, and following a “due process” evaluation with all industry stakeholders being heard, the rules should be adopted or rejected by a majority vote. D) One of the goals of the RMTC and the ARCI should be uniform national medication rules, which, in turn, should be implemented by means of a national compact among the states, and not imposed by the federal government. E) Approved uniform national medication rules must be based solely on published, scientifically determined regulatory thresholds, with published, scientifically determined withdrawal time guidelines, all based on and supported by data published in the scientific literature. F) RMTC and ISO-17025 accredited laboratories should perform all medication testing. G) Repeat medication offenders, after “due process,” should be severely penalized, including permanent exclusion from the industry.

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FEatURE

dynamic video endoscopy By Kimberly French

Two weeks afTer 2011 eclipse award finalisT and 2011 preakness (Gr. i) vicTor shackleford Turned in an abnormally uncharacTerisTic sevenTh place finish in The 2012 donn handicap (Gr. i) aT GulfsTream park, he worked an easy six furlonGs in 1:15.76. normally, This Trip around The Track would merely be considered a rouTine mainTenance move. however, The four-year-old son of foresTry was acTually beinG acTively assessed by someThinG more TechnoloGically advanced Than a mere sTopwaTch. dale romans, The chesTnuT sTallion’s condiTioner, aGreed To allow his veTerinarian To TesT an over Ground video endoscope, which over The cominG monThs could replace The hiGh-speed Treadmill as The one of The main opTions To diaGnose upper airway issues.

Barbara Livingston

“The designer of the machine wanted to tinker with it a little this morning, and my vet wanted to get used to the machine, so I allowed them to test it on Shackleford,” Romans told Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form on February

Shackleford taking the Churchill Downs Handicap (Gr. II) on May 5. 34

hJ summer

24. “We figured if you are going to use it, why not use it on the best horse in the barn. I was extremely pleased with the way he worked; it looks like he came out of the Donn just fine. And by the way, his airways looked beautiful, according to the vet.” First introduced to the United States in 2008 by Optomed, a French company specializing in veterinary healthcare endoscopy, the over ground endoscope is now being marketed by multiple companies and goes by a variety of monikers. While all of them employ the same basic unit features, such as an endoscope which attaches to the bridle, a light source, and a computer/ recorder carried by the horse, rider, driver, etc., in some capacity each device sports different features. “You will find various trademarked names applied to these systems: Equine Training Laryngoscope, Dynamic Respiratory scope, Remote Dynamic Endoscope system, Equine exercise endoscope,” noted Dr. James Robertson of the Woodland Run Equine Clinic in Grove City, Ohio. “Some have wireless telemetry that allows observation of the exam from a remote point. At least one has a feature that allows for remote adjustment of the end of the scope, even after the examination has started.

“This feature is very useful,” Robertson continued, “because the scope end can ‘drift’ after it is fixed into place, affecting the quality of the examination, and in the racehorse that has gone on to the track. It is difficult – if not dangerous – to have them pull up and stand for readjustment. At least two of these systems have a lavage system that helps clear mucous from the end of the scope during the exam. In addition, some of these products have an on-board GPS locator, which allows for point-to-point speed calculation, electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, and respiratory noise recorder.” Considered to be the second leading cause for decreased athletic ability in racehorses behind only musculoskeletal injury, most upper airway issues can usually be diagnosed by gathering a horse’s history, palpating the horse’s throat, and performing endoscopic or ultrasound examinations with the horse at rest or instantly after exercise. There are various situations where a horse hampered by a condition such as dorsal displacement of the soft palate, laryngeal hemiplegia (roaring), or an entrapped epiglottis, will demonstrate no signs of their affliction while at rest and only present signs of a problem while at work or in training. About two decades ago, the high-speed treadmill was introduced as a means to evaluate these horses that are referred to as ‘dynamic,’ meaning symptoms are only evident during exercise, to determine what exactly ailed them and what the best course of treatment would be. By the early 1990s, many veterinary practices and universities began to use this form of testing, and it has been considered the ‘gold standard’ for these elusive cases ever since. Recently, however, there has been much discussion in veterinary circles as to whether the high-speed treadmill remains the best method, as research has established 85 percent of racehorses diagnosed with upper airway conditions on the treadmill exhibited no symptoms of any condition while at rest. The development of this portable over ground endoscope enables a veterinarian to equip the horse and evaluate him while training in his natural environment. “It has completely changed the way I look at upper airway problems or disorders in horses, especially comparing a resting exam to an exercising exam,” explained Dr. Jennifer Smith of the New Jersey Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. Dr. John Madison of the Ocala Equine Hospital in Ocala, Florida, while acknowledging how helpful the high-speed treadmill was prior to the new endoscope in a presentation to the Florida Association of Equine Practitioners, admitted he felt the over ground endoscope was definitely more advantageous for difficult upper airway diagnosis. According to Madison, “There were, however, some disadvantages to the use of the HSTM (high-speed treadmill) exams on clinical cases. The horse had to be shipped to a facility with a high-speed treadmill, and the horse had to be acclimated to the treadmill before the exam could be performed.” Madison continued, “Depending on the skill of the operators, this could take the better part of a day. The ability to elicit the problem seen while the horse was under tack was also partly dependent on the skills of the treadmill operator, but was also dependent on the problem being investigated (e.g. not all problems would be readily introduced on the HSTM). If the operator did not have the experience and confidence to exercise the horse to near exhaustion, some dynamic conditions were missed (e.g. dynamic collapse of the left arytenoid). Other problems (like dorsal displacement of the soft palate and pharyngeal collapse) were frequently not reproduced because the horses were not wearing a bridle, were not in the same headset, and were not exercising under the same conditions similar to what they experience during competition. Therefore, the competitive drive or anxiety that can sometimes accompany exercise during competition could not be reproduced, leading to many false negative exams.

“The introduction of over-the-ground video endoscopy (OTG) has all but eliminated these false negative exams by allowing horses to be examined under the exact conditions under which the problem occurs,” Madison asserted. “As long as the horse exhibits the problem during the examination, it is highly likely the cause will be identified. For these reasons, OTC endoscopy has replaced HSTM as the ‘gold standard’ in the diagnosis of upper airway conditions. The HSTM, in my opinion, is obsolete as a tool for use in clinical cases and now is an instrument used primarily in research.” Smith and Dr. Gary Priest, who splits his time between his own practice, Harthill and Priest Equine Surgery in Versailles, Kentucky, and Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Palm Beach, Florida, both initially purchased Optomed’s Dynamic Respiratory Scope and have continued to remain with this company’s equipment. “I purchased my unit in the summer of 2009,” Smith recalled. “Obviously, I had an interest in upper airway problems in horses, sport horses in particular, and I’d heard of the technology probably a year or so before, and thought, ‘Wow, that would be fantastic.’ Then, when the equipment was demonstrated for us around the holiday season of 2008/2009, their systems were very user friendly, the image quality was impressive, and the equipment was not something too cumbersome to put on a horse, so it seemed like they would tolerate it well. “For Thoroughbreds or other riding type horses, there is a dedicated saddle pad with the recorder, transmitter, and battery,” Smith continued. “The scope, which is flexible and different from a regular scope in that there’s no fiber optics or LEDs in it, so you can really bend it without damaging anything, goes up their nose, folds itself back over the head, and there is a special noseband with clips to hold it in place. For Standardbred horses, there is a pack that hooks over the side of the sulky for the transmitter, and the scope is attached the same way as a riding horse. I think the Optomed people do have a saddle pad version for the Standardbred now, so it would go under the surcingle.” Even with all the various environmental factors that cannot be controlled during the examination, Priest has never really experienced many problems obtaining an accurate diagnosis and feels the imaging quality is certainly comparable, if not preferable, to the high-speed treadmill. He said, “I only had to repeat a few exams early on from technical failure from the equipment, and since the Optomed system has a lavage system, which washes the end of the scope as you do the exam, mucous is really no problem. Out of a 100 exams, I might have to do one over again, and that’s pretty low. Also, it’s not only the equipment that causes a problem. I’ve had riders fall off before and that sort of thing. “The image quality is at least comparable with the treadmill, and I’m not a television technician, so I don’t know the exact terminology, but it’s a good as any video endoscope I’ve ever seen,” Priest continued. “The advantage of this scope is there is not as much movement because this scope is semi-rigid. Actually there are some places in the United States that use this scope on a treadmill because the image is much more stable. The typical treadmill scope consists of a regular flexible endoscopic tube, so when the horse is moving, it flops up and down, which makes a very unstable image that is difficult to watch. It’s like trying to read a book driving down a gravel road.” Dr. Eric Parente from the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, disagrees with the belief that the over ground video endoscope surpasses the traditional high-speed treadmill www.nationalhbpa.com

exam in its ability to diagnose dynamic upper respiratory issues. However, he acknowledges the system does have some advantages. “I don’t want to be the old man in the room saying ‘You know 20 years ago,’ but there were actually studies done several years ago that compared over ground exercising endoscopy to a treadmill exercising endoscopy and found the treadmill endoscopy had a better chance of obtaining a diagnosis,” Parente explained. “When you do a treadmill endoscopy, the veterinarian truly controls the exercise, and that’s advantageous because you can make them go as fast or as slow or as far as you want, versus when you are doing over ground endoscopy, you hook the equipment up and tell the trainer and or rider or driver, whatever kind of horse it is, and they are the one actually controlling the exercise. Also, a treadmill endoscopy monitors a horse’s blood gasses and heart rate because if they aren’t getting oxygen to the muscles, there could be another problem. With the over ground endoscopy, all that is monitored is the upper airway. “The advantage of the over ground endoscope is quite frankly client convenience,” Parente continued. “You don’t have to ship the horse to the treadmill, and the exercise is a little bit different on the treadmill rather than traveling over ground. The horse’s head and neck position can be better mimicked over ground with a rider on the horse’s back, where some of these abnormalities only present or show themselves with the typical head and neck position you would only obtain with a rider up. Despite what everyone has been saying, I see all the different equipment because I get all the videos, and the quality of the image is still superior on the treadmill. Also, you can control the scope position better on a treadmill, and that’s a big advantage because sometimes some of these things move by you fast. The quality of the image makes a difference whether you can see what happening or not. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what you test you use, because with a lot of these dynamic abnormalities, if you don’t reach the right clinical situation in the exercise, you are not going to find the right result. How the test is performed is what is going to give you the result.” Priest agrees how a horse holds his head and neck does directly influence how many of these problematic upper respiratory issues are discovered and is the main benefit of the over ground endoscope. He said, “You use the equipment in a discipline the horse is required to perform in. In other, words if it is a racehorse, it should be on the racetrack with the rider and tack. If it’s a Standardbred, you put them in the sulky. In Kentucky, there are a lot of Saddlebreds that perform at different gaits, and on the treadmill you can’t do that. You don’t have the influence of the rider, and we are now understanding that head positioning may play a critical role in some impairments of the upper airway. This is the gold standard now.” According to Smith, an experiment performed during a respiratory symposium at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, supported the possible superiority of the over ground endoscope, and the scope’s positioning has never really posed a large problem in her examinations. She explained, “The treadmill was kind of considered the gold standard for diagnosing upper respiratory conditions in horses, but I think there are a few people that have treadmills that are still biased towards them because of the belief they can work a horse harder on a treadmill than during regular exercise.

I completely 100 percent disagree only because I think there is no way you can breeze a racehorse on a treadmill. It’s not like going all out on the track, and at the respiratory symposium, they were talking like the over ground endoscope was the gold standard right now, because most people thought the image was better on an Optomed scope. “The positioning of the endoscope is imperative, because you can’t have someone gently slide the scope back into place once they are on their way out,” Smith continued. “But like with anything else, there is a learning curve to familiarizing yourself with the system and its nuances. I’ve only had one exam – and I’ve done close to 200 by now – where I got too close to the epiglottis. That was early on, and the horse swallowed it, so it was stuck under the epiglottis. I had a beautiful image of it’s underside, but there are always going to be technical difficulties from time to time, like wear and tear on a cable that breaks, but they have really been minimal.” In Priest’s opinion, no matter what the determination is amongst the veterinary community as far as whether it is a better modality than the treadmill, the use of the over ground scope will produce several results. He asserted, “I think it’s going to eliminate horses early in their training career that have an upper airway impairment.” Priest continued, “I’m primarily involved with Thoroughbred racehorses, and the amount of money owners and trainers invest in these horses until they go to the races is tremendous. If a horse has a problem like this, something else can be done with it rather than invest the time and money if a surgical technique is not available to correct it. That’s just the economics of the horse business. “Another benefit to us (veterinarians) is it allows us to make an accurate diagnosis so we can apply the surgical techniques we have available, then go back and evaluate the horses who have had surgery to find out if these techniques are as good as we think,” Priest added. “Maybe some of them are a lot worse than we thought they were, so they need to be modified or eliminated if they are of no benefit or are not doing what we thought.” What Smith also likes about the equipment is owners, trainers, grooms — virtually anyone — can look at the image and directly assess what is going on with the horse while easily understanding it. “To me, it’s just intuitive,” Smith said. “You put a horse in their normal environment, and it exhibits the abnormality under those conditions. That is how you are more likely to get an answer than pushing them really hard on a treadmill. Not that you can’t get an answer, and they are both probably useful modalities, but from a convenience standpoint and for the possible stress placed on the horse, it’s far better. “For example, I had a trainer bring a horse in for an evaluation the other day, and he asked if we had a treadmill here, and after I told him we did not, he really wished we did,” Smith continued. “That’s when I told him we had the dynamic scope, and I did one of these exams for him a couple years ago, but he wasn’t there. This time, he was standing right next to me and there was a nice clear image on the screen for him to see. I didn’t have to say word, and he was like, ‘Oh my god, this is way better than the treadmill.’ For some people, seeing is believing, and it’s much easier to show laypeople what is going on than explaining it with all the complicated terminology.”

“anoTher benefiT To us (veTerinarians) is iT allows us To make an accuraTe diaGnosis so we can apply The surGical Techniques we have available, Then Go back and evaluaTe The horses who have had surGery To find ouT if These Techniques are as Good as we Think,” priesT added.

hJ summer

43rd RUNNING

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Stake 3

~ 4 3 R D

R U N N I N G ~

THE WESTTo beVIRGINIA DERBY GRADE II run SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2012 (Special First Race Post Time ~ 2:00 pm)

$750,000 GUARANTEED. (PLUS A BONUS OF $150,000 TO ANY GRADE I / GROUP I WINNER THAT WINS THE WEST VIRGINIA DERBY)

STAKES

FOR THREE YEAR OLDS.

No Nomination Fee. $1,000 to pass the entry box. $2,500 additional to start. Money to be divided: $435,750 to Winner; $150,000 to Second; $75,000 to Third; $37,500 to Fourth; $15,000 to Fifth; $5,250 to Sixth through Twelfth. Weight: 124 lbs. Winners of Two Grade I races at One Mile or over in 2012… 2 lbs. additional; Non-winners of a Grade I race at One Mile or over in 2012…allowed 2 lbs.; Non-winners of a Grade II race at One Mile or over in 2012… 4 lbs.; Non-winners of a Grade III race at One Mile or over in 2012… 6 lbs.; Non-winners of $150,000 at One Mile or over in 2012… 8 lbs. The owner and trainer of any West Virginia Derby starter that has won a leg of the Triple Crown in 2012 shall each receive a bonus of $25,000 per race. THIS RACE W ILL NOT BE DIVIDED. This race is limited to Twelve (12) Starters with four (4) also eligibles. In the event more than twelve (12) entries pass the entry box, the twelve (12) starters will be determined with first preference given to the Highest Graded/Group Winners, and second preference given to those that have accumulated the highest total earnings at the close of entries. Same owner entries will have equal draw. For those who enter and are eliminated, the Entry Fee will be refunded. Starters to be named through the Entry Box Tuesday, July 31, 2012 by usual time of closing. Trophy to the Winning Owner, Trainer and Jockey.

ONE MILE AND ONE-EIGHTH

NOMINATIONS CLOSE MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012.

HORSE

COL OR

SEX

F&M F&M

AGE

3 3

Track Last Started _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Date of Last Start _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Trainer _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Trainer’s Phone (

) _____________________________________

Owner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Owner’s Phone

)_____________________________________

Permanent Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

City _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(

State_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Signed_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Forward all nominations to: JOSEP H J. NARCAVIS H, Racing Secretary • Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort • P.O. Box 358 • Chester, WV 26034 • (800) 477-2238 • FAX (304) 387-8312

www.nationalhbpa.com

FEatURE

By Will Velie

Barbara Livingston

chAMpions oF the people: hoW JerrY crAWForD AnD DAle roMAns steppeD in to sAve the h-2B visA progrAM For horseMen Two days before the Florida Derby (Gr. I), Kentucky Derby qualifier, 2011 Preakness Stakes Champion Trainer, and Kentucky HBPA Vice-President Dale Romans was on Capitol Hill meeting with the directors of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) on behalf of horsemen. Despite having two horses running in the Florida Derby in two days, Romans left his duties as trainer in Florida and traveled to Washington in order to advocate on behalf of all trainers in front of USCIS. Alongside Dale Romans was the man who made the meeting a reality, Jerry Crawford, who is president of Donegal Racing and current vice-chair of the Breeders’ Cup. Thanks to Crawford’s years of work in the public sector and horse industry, a meeting determining an issue critical to many trainers was set up between the directors of USCIS and representatives of the American Horse Council (AHC) and National HBPA. For approximately the past year, our industry has been struggling with the reinterpretation of a seemingly minor definition relating to the H-2B visa program by USCIS. The H-2B visa program is the work visa that allows horse trainers to bring in supplemental international workers, such as horse grooms and hot walkers, for specific periods of time provided that they have first searched for and hired all Americans who are interested in the job. The interpretation at issue is what defines temporary. The regulations governing the H-2B program state that the need of a trainer must be temporary in nature and cannot exceed ten months. The need is confined to a particular location – so if a trainer needs to travel from the summer meet at Churchill Downs in Kentucky to the winter meet at Gulfstream in Florida, that trainer must go through the process of hiring all interested Americans in Florida before the trainer is given clearance by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to have visas for international grooms and hot walkers in Florida. For many years until 2011, USCIS followed USDOL’s interpretation that temporary need is defined by location. The USDOL interpretation means that a trainer’s need in one location, such as Kentucky, is not added to his need in a geographically distinct location, such as Florida, that would result in a finding that the trainer has a year-round need, disqualifying the trainer from taking

part in the H-2B visa program at all. In an unexplained change of policy last year, USCIS diverged from USDOL’s interpretation of temporary need defined by location and began aggregating all of the trainer’s temporary needs nationwide. The change in policy has resulted in the denial of many trainers’ H-2B visa petitions. It is difficult to overstate the devastating effects that Jerry Crawford a denial of an H-2B petition can have on a trainer’s operations. Despite the enormous efforts the industry takes to train and attract Americans to foundational level jobs such as groom and hot walker, a chronic shortage of Americans interested in taking these positions continues with no relief in sight. When a trainer is issued a denial of his or her H-2B visa petition for eight grooms two weeks before he or she is due to ship 80 horses from Remington Park to Prairie Meadows, or from Fair Grounds to Oaklawn, the denial can jeopardize the entire operations of the trainer. To take part in the H-2B visa program, the trainer must agree and promise to pay a wage set by USDOL, furnish a guaranteed number of hours, and actively recruit any interested Americans under supervision of USDOL. The www.nationalhbpa.com

feature

Barbara Livingston

trainer must place two ads in the local newspaper of record, including one Sunday ad. The trainer must then leave the job open for 10 days and offer the job to any American responding to the ads or referred by the State Job Workforce Agency. Typically, the trainer only requires one month of experiDale Romans after winning the 2011 Preakness Stakes with ence as a groom and the ability Shackleford to be licensed by the track where the person will be working. Only after this recruitment procedure is completed and certified as completed in good faith will USDOL issue the necessary clearance to submit the visa petition to USCIS. Though this is an involved process, the trainers are happy to go through it and have been granted approval by USDOL for years following these procedures. All of these steps are well and good provided USCIS then approves the USDOL-certified H-2B petition. The increasing frequency of USCIS denials of the USDOL-certified petitions is what precipitated the request for meeting. Despite repeated requests for a meeting and guidance from USCIS to discuss the change in interpretation causing denials of trainers’ petitions, our requests were yielding little response. In January, in response to a request by National HBPA Immigration Liaison Julio Rubio, Dale Romans said he would see what he could do about getting our issue heard by the decision makers at USCIS. Within just a few weeks, Jerry and Dale had forwarded our issue papers to the agency and secured a meeting at USCIS headquarters in Washington for the last week of March. Present at the meeting were Crawford, representing owners; Romans, representing trainers; Jay Hickey, representing the American Horse Council; Julio Rubio, representing the National HBPA; and myself, as immigration attorney for the trainers. USCIS was represented by Alejandro Mayorkas, director of USCIS, and most of the operational directors for USCIS who serve with him. 40

HJ summer

Jay Hickey described the substantial positive economic impact that the horse industry has in the United States. He described the significant number of jobs that rely on the industry and its ability to meet its labor needs to provide sufficient numbers of foundational workers such as grooms and hot walkers. Julio Rubio described the efforts that the HBPA pursues to train and attract American workers through programs such as Groom Elite. He also described the many welfare and benevolence programs that the HBPA and its partners offer to international workers such as English language classes, health care programs, provision of quality housing, and day care for children of stable area workers. Dale Romans described to USCIS the difficulty of running a training operation given the severity of labor shortages for groom level positions. He described the travelling nature of horse trainers going from meet to meet and the challenge of finding Americans who were interested in travel or staffing an operation from zero each time a trainer moves to a new location. Jerry Crawford and I described the legal theories which support USDOL’s long standing interpretation that temporary need should be defined through the context of location and that a temporary need in Kentucky should not be aggregated with a temporary need in Florida to render a finding that the trainer has a year-round need and, as a result, end in a denial from USCIS. We described that the trainers who do take part in the H-2B visa program earnestly want to follow a functional law. We described that trainers who participate in H-2B programs are transparent in their proper payment of wages, provision of worker’s compensation, and USDOL oversight. We explained that operators who do not follow immigration laws and hire undocumented workers off the books have no oversight, leaving American workers unable to compete for jobs, undocumented workers exposed to exploitation, and law abiding trainers at a financial disadvantage to their competitors who pay no payroll or social security taxes and may or may not have worker’s compensation insurance for their undocumented workers. In conclusion, we explained that our trainers are eager to take part in a transparent, consistent H-2B program that, as its primary mission, seeks to hire Americans first and protect international workers from exploitation. The message was well received, and Director Mayorkas expressed his understanding of the issues that our trainers are facing in the current labor market. Shortly after the meeting, USCIS announced a national stakeholders meeting open to all industries to discuss “its policies related to the H-2B nonagricultural temporary worker program, particularly the definition of temporary work in the H-2B context … as well as whether the employer or its proxy seeks H-2B workers to perform similar duties in multiple locations.” The meeting will occur in the very near future, which we will announce through the National HBPA website (www.nationalhbpa.com). We encourage all members who are affected by this issue to participate. On behalf of our HBPA members, I would like to express a sincere thank you to Jerry Crawford and Dale Romans for taking this issue to the fore and helping our issue be heard by the decision makers who have such significant effect over the fortunes of many of our operations. On Sunday after the Kentucky Derby, the workers from the Churchill Downs stable area presented a statue to Jerry that simply said “El Campion de la Gente” (which means “Champion of the People”) for his efforts in helping protect their tenuous immigration status in the United States. In this recognition, I heartily agree that not only are Jerry Crawford and Dale Romans champions on the track, but they truly are also champions of the people. William Velie is an attorney experienced in immigration matters who represents Horseman Labor Solutions, an immigration services company that represents horseman throughout the United States in immigration matters. Horseman Labor Solutions, a sponsor of the National HBPA, can be reached online at www.horsemanlabor.com or by phone at 1-877-678-RACE.

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The National HBPA Foundation, a tax-exempt Sec. 501 (c)(3) fund, was developed as a safety net for horsemen when other forms of assistance are unavailable or have been exhausted after disaster strikes. Every year, the National HBPA Foundation helps horsemen make it through difficult times such as disease quarantines at a racetrack or natural disasters likes floods, fires, etc. by providing tens of thousands of dollars in needed assistance. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the National HBPA Foundation and make a difference in the lives of your fellow horsemen and women who may find themselves in need, either: • Log onto https://www.nationalhbpa.com/MakeDonation.asp to make a credit card donation over the Internet • Mail a donation check made payable to National HBPA Foundation to: National HBPA Foundation, P. O. Box 13700, Lexington, KY 40583-3700 • Call toll-free 1-(866) 245-1711 for a credit card transaction via telephone.

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suMMer sKin proBleMs in horses

FEatURE

by Heather Smith Thomas

hJ summer

SKIN PROBLEMS IN HORSES ARE OFTEN SEASONAL. SOME CONDITIONS (SUCH AS RAIN ROT, RINGWORM, AND “SCRATCHES”) ARE MORE COMMON IN WINTER AND WET WEATHER. OTHER CONDITIONS ARE SEEN IN SUMMER—INCLUDING INSECT SENSITIVITIES (ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO INSECT BITES) AND ENVIRONMENTAL ALLERGENS SUCH AS POLLENS, GRASSES, AND WEEDS. SUNBURN ON WHITE MARKINGS—AND A MORE SERIOUS CONDITION CALLED PHOTOSENSITIZATION—ARE ALSO MORE COMMON IN SUMMER. The skin is the largest organ of the body, with many nerve endings. When the skin has a problem, it can make the horse miserable.

insect Allergies

The body sometimes reacts adversely to a certain substance, called an allergen. Allergic reactions in horses can be triggered by many things. Dr. Rosanna Marsella, Associate Professor of Veterinary Dermatology at the University of Florida (Gainesville), says the most common allergy in horses is hypersensitivity to insect bites, particularly tiny gnats (“no-see-ums”) called Culicoides. The resultant itchy condition is called sweet itch, or Queensland itch. Dr. Stephen White, a dermatologist at University of California at Davis, says horse’s skin reacts to proteins in the gnat’s saliva. According to White, “These tiny flies generally affect the underline, back, or both. Some species feed mainly around the neck. There isn’t a cure for this problem. The best thing is to prevent it by using fly

repellent containing permethrin. In severe cases, we will treat the horse with steroids to shut down the allergic response.” “This condition is diagnosed by clinical signs (itching/rubbing), in conjunction with a skin test,” noted Marsella. She added, “People have tried to create an allergy vaccine to help reduce the hypersensitivity, but success rate is disappointing.” Dr. Christine Rees, a veterinary dermatologist at Hill Country Equine in Boerne, Texas, says you can try to desensitize the horse using allergy shots for an insect problem, but these work better if the horse also has pollen allergies. She explained, “The success rate is fairly low (20 to 30 percent) if you just use the shots for insect allergies by themselves.” This leaves the main focus on insect control, using repellents on the horses and fine mesh screen to keep flies from coming into the barn. “You also need an excellent ventilation system,” asserted Marsella. “If you close up the barn to protect the horse, it may become very hot inside. You need strong fans to provide enough air circulation, particularly if you have horses that also have COPD or other respiratory issues. An alternative, if you have an open barn, is just to use a strong fan. The tiny insects are unable to fly in a breeze. If you have good fans and apply repellent, this will significantly cut down on insect exposure.” There are a variety of products advertised as repellents. Marsella explained, “In reality, most of them are insecticides, not repellents. If a horse has allergies, it’s not enough to kill the insect after it has bitten the horse. You need to prevent the bite. Studies on repellent activity have been done on mosquitoes, not on Culicoides. So there is still some question as to which products are most effective. Many veterinarians recommend products containing permethrin. But in order to be a repellent, it has to be at least two percent permethrin. When you look at all the products available, the ones that contain permethrin generally have a lower percentage and therefore won’t work as repellents.” It can be a challenge to find something that works. “Despite the fact that the label may say it should be effective for a week or two weeks, the reality is that with humidity, high temperatures, horses sweating, etc. it won’t last that long,” asserted Marsella. White says repellent should be applied daily since most products are not effective for more than a day or two. He explained, “Preventing the problem by protecting horses early in the fly season is better than having to deal with it after the horses develop the reaction.” Repellents that give good response include Fly Pel, according to Marsella. This is a veterinary product that requires a prescription. “Or,” Marsella added, “you can substitute TriTec 14, but it has to be applied daily.” Marsella continued, “Florida is probably the most challenging place for insects. There may be other regions where you can get by with less frequent application. Some products are water soluble and readily washed off, while others stick to the hair better. Endure tends to stay on, and you may get away with less applications, but it also collects dirt/dust when the horse sweats or rolls.” Some people have tried garlic as a repellent, but there is no scientific evidence that it works. According to Marsella, “Things we recommend to decrease itching include topical steroids. We try to avoid systemic steroids as much as possible because of the risk of laminitis. We use topicals like Genesis Spray (a triamcinolene spray), or a hydrocortisone leave-on conditioner that you can apply to selected areas of the body to make the horse more comfortable.” It is also important to treat any secondary infection that may result from insect bites and itching. “Horses traumatize themselves and frequently develop secondary bacterial infections,” said Marsella. Depending on severity, the treatment may require systemic antibiotics or just a topical therapy if it is mild.

Marsella noted, “There are many topical antibacterial products like benzoylperoxide shampoo or chorhexidine shampoo, but if the infection is extensive, the horse needs oral antibiotics. Most of the time, we use trimethoprim sulfa.” Some horses may respond to antihistamines. According to Marsella, “Hydroxizine is frequently prescribed. Treatment includes many approaches—trying to minimize insect exposure, decreasing the itch (because the more the horse traumatizes himself, the more inflammation develops), and so on. You have to look at many different aspects to combat this common and frustrating allergy.”

environMentAl Allergens

“This is the second most common skin problem, which includes allergies to pollens, trees, grasses, weeds, or molds,” explained Marcella. “This is called atopic dermatitis, and it’s common to have this type of allergy and a Culicoides hypersensitivity in the same individual, and you have to address them both. If the problem is non-seasonal, you can try food trials to see if it’s a food allergy. If the horse’s problem is seasonal, most likely you are dealing with environmental allergy, and we’ll do a skin test. Some people do serology, but we prefer the skin test.” Rees said the skin test is more sensitive, noting, “To read it accurately, however, you need to check it at 15 minutes, 30 minutes, again in four to six hours, and at 24 hours. Some horses react immediately to some of the allergens and then don’t show anything else. Some will have a delayed reaction, while others will be a combination of each.” The horse is sedated for a skin test. “I test for about 60 different things,” explained Rees of skin tests. “Some horses react to grain dust, corn smuts, or mold. Some things are related to feed, or pollen, rather than insects.” A skin test will identify the allergens to which the horse reacts, and those can be included in a specific allergy vaccine for that particular horse. It takes one to three months for the shots to work, however, starting with low dose and gradually increasing to stimulate the immunity. If the shots work, the horse may need to be on them for the rest of its life. The success rate, in Rees’ experience, is about 70 to 75 percent, and horses that develop hives usually benefit a lot. Some horses also respond to antihistamines, and most will respond to steroids. However, it is not safe to have horses on steroids long-term. “Other treatments we use, trying to avoid steroids, include topical therapy,” asserted Marcella. “One product I prescribe is topical tacrolimus

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FEatURE (Protopic). This is a human ointment for atopic eczema and is well tolerated by humans and horses. You can use it for spot treatment on areas that are itchy, such as on horses that rub their face and traumatize the skin above their eyes or on the muzzle, ears, or legs. Using this ointment once a day decreases inflammation and itching, and the effect is rapid.” Topical tacrolimus (Protopic) requires a prescription. Rees pointed out that allergy shots are better than treating with antihistamines or steroids for horses in competition since those medications would be picked up on drug tests. The vaccine makes the horse more comfortable so it can still race, and the owner or trainer does not have to worry about disqualification because of medications. Unlike insect allergies, which can develop at any age, environmental allergies tend to be inherited. According to Rees, “Within one to five years of being exposed, the horse starts to show signs. Exceptions might be a horse moved to a different environment and suddenly develops an allergy. Different geographic areas have different types of pollens that might cause problems. A skin test needs to be specific for your region.” One thing that can change this picture is when a storm brings pollen from hundreds of miles away.

hJ summer

Sunburn

other sKin proBleMs

Researchers have found that the skin is a more reactive organ than we once thought. “There are antigen-presenting cells within the skin,” explained Rees. “Besides allergens being inhaled, some are absorbed through the skin. With contact allergies, the horse is generally exposed at least once and then develops a hypersensitivity reaction with subsequent exposure, similar to poison ivy reaction in humans.” For instance, some horses develop a sensitivity to fly sprays. Dandruff is another skin problem sometimes seen in summer. The dry, flaky skin may be due to a nutritional problem (such as not enough fatty acids in the diet) or can be secondary to allergies from insect bites, according to Rees. Dry, flaky skin and hair falling out (especially around the eyes) can also be a sign of anhidrosis—when the horse loses its ability to sweat. This condition is most common in a hot climate. Oils from the sebaceous glands are no longer taken onto the skin by sweat, and the dry skin may itch. Another summer problem is hebronemiasis (summer sores), caused by tiny worm larvae that are carried by flies and deposited in small nicks or scrapes/wounds in the skin. This problem has nearly disappeared, however, with use of deworming products containing ivermectin.

®� KOOL HEELS� Stop their pain with....� Heel Pain�has become a very common problem in racehorses and competition� horses. Research shows that the heels and bars are the initial shock absorbing� mechanisms of the foot. Bonding a high grade rubber in the heels, without� adding any additional height, allows the shoe to be nailed on as usual.� KOOL HEELS�relieve the pressure on the soft tissue ligaments, tendons and� cartilage reducing hoof capsule trauma while helping to restore soundness.�

Take�a good look at the heels of the shoes pulled from your racehorses or com-� petition horses next time without�KOOL HEELS� . You will notice the impact� areas at the heels and actual grooving into the aluminum in many cases.� At Thoro’Bred, we have been bonding Leg Saver rim pads for over 40 years, so� you can count on our bonding technology.� KOOL HEELS�are available in our� traditional Queens, Queens XT, and ED (European Design) Queens Plates.� THORO’BRED, INC. 1-800-854-6059 email: thorobred@pobox.com� On line at: www.thorobredinc.com Made in the USA !�

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base and keep the off-track betting (OTB) outlets open, which was a benefit to Turf Paradise and horsemen. The following were the Turf Paradise seasonal award winners: Owner & Trainer – Miguel Silva Jockey – Jorge Carreno Apprentice Jockey – Vinnie Bednar Whinny Award – Bill Straus Walter Cluer Award – Shawn Coady Three-Year-Old Filly – Page Springs Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding – Taylors Deal Four-Year-Old Filly – Hard Seven Four-Year-Old Colt/Gelding – Brass Plate Older Mare – Rare Sunset Sprinter & Older Horse – Derive Claimer – Derive Quarter Horse – Macy Bay Arizona-Bred – A Political Time Horse of the Meet – Saratoga Boot

mESSaGE FRom pRESiDEnt DR. DaViD haRRinGton The Alabama HBPA’s board of directors held its spring meeting on March 4, 2012. Several resolutions were enacted to support the owners and trainers that participate in the Alabama-bred races and/or race Alabama-bred horses in open races. First, the Alabama HBPA will pay up to $500 per horse toward hauling expenses for horses finishing 4th through 12th in a restricted Alabamabred race. Receipts for hauling expenses are mandatory for reimbursement. Second, any Alabama-bred horse (male or female) finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in any open race held in the U.S. will be paid a bonus of $400, $300, $200, or $100, respectively. It will be the owner’s responsibility to inform the Alabama HBPA’s executive secretary, Nancy Delony, or second vice president, Gary House, when his or her horse meets one of the above listed criteria. Payment is retroactive to January 1, 2012. In anticipation of The Magic City Classic, an Alabama stakes race historically held in late May or early June, the Alabama HBPA requested funding for the 2012 Thoroughbred races at the December 2011 Birmingham Racing Commission meeting. However at the March 21 Birmingham Racing Commission meeting, the Alabama-bred 2012 Thoroughbred races were not allocated any funding even though the Alabama-bred Quarter Horse race was allocated $50,000 from the fund, which contained over $200,000. One commissioner is seeking to rectify the lack of funding for the Alabama-bred Thoroughbred races. We are working on the development of a web page. The web site is being prepared with the help of volunteers, as we are on a very limited budget. It should be up and running by the time you read this. Please bear with us as we continue to fine-tune the site. You can go to www.alhbpa.com to log in and stay updated on the horse racing news and events affecting the Alabama horsemen and horsewomen. Court-ordered mediation between the Jefferson County Racing Association (JCRA) and the Alabama HBPA took place on April 25 with no results. With the loss of the Kentucky Derby signal, the Birmingham Race Course took the opportunity using local media to state, “Union Bosses Block Kentucky Derby.” A last ditch effort call for negotiations was made to the track owner/management, but the response was that they just did not think they could work anything out before Saturday. On behalf of the Alabama HBPA, I would like to thank all of you for the support given us. We will continue to pursue negotiations with the JCRA and the return of live horse racing to Alabama.

ElEction RESUltS The Arizona HBPA recently concluded its board of directors election, and below are the results: President – Gary Miller Owner Directors – Jack Chase, Tom Johnson, Filippo Santoro, J. Lloyd Yother, and Kari Toye; 1st Alternate – Roy Schaefer, 2nd Alternate – Debi Ferguson Owner/Owner-Trainer Directors – Tom Bartol, Dick Hall, Tony Klenakis, Ray Odom, Sr., and Manuel Ortiz, Sr.; 1st Alternate – Vic Oliver Executive Director – Tom Metzen, Sr. Secretary-Treasurer – Wendy Hobson Congratulations to our new board of directors.

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SEnD US YoUR Email aDDRESSES anD ViSit oUR wEbSitE We encourage horsemen to send us your email address to azhbpa@qwest. net and to check out our web site at www.arizonahbpa.com.

hJ summer

Richard E. Glover, Jr.

tURF paRaDiSE The Turf Paradise meet ended on May 6 with a full field in the Hasta La Vista, traditionally the last race of the meet each year. We closed the meet with a small increase in on-track handle and attendance, and Kentucky Derby Day handle was good. The closing of Yavapai Downs last summer devastated the horsemen who ran there. We experienced the loss of horses and trainers to other tracks, and some horsemen just got out of the business. We were able to maintain our fan

YaVapai DownS Much to the dismay of hundreds of horsemen, the doors shut for racing at Yavapai Downs, and a history was lost. The facility was put up for auction through the bankruptcy courts on April 3. Ex-Arizona HBPA President Gary Miller was awarded the winning bid, subject to acceptance by the USDA. Unfortunately, the USDA rejected the bid, claiming it wanted to get the best balance for the loan and the taxpayers. Politicians that do not understand the economic hardship the closing of the track caused made the decision, and they fail to understand what an economic boost it would have been to sell to Mr. Miller, who wanted to open the facility for racing in 2012.

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1-800-OAKLAWN • oaklawn.com aRKanSaS hbpa, oaKlawn DonatE nEaRlY $10,000 to RacEhoRSE REclaim Oaklawn, in conjunction with the Arkansas Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and the horse owners, presented Racehorse Reclaim, an Arkansas-based Left to right: Arkansas HBPA Executive Director Thoroughbred retireLoretta Brennan, Racehorse Reclaim Executive ment and retraining Director Deb Adams, Janet Dunlavy, and Arkansas organization, with a HBPA Director Terry Dunlavy check for $9,346 on May 2. The money came from each owner donating $1 for every starter he or she had during the meet and Oaklawn matching the $1. The 4,673 starters during the 2012 live meet resulted in the donation. “This money is going to help a lot of horses,” said Racehorse Reclaim Executive Director Deb Adams. “We are very grateful to Oaklawn and the HBPA for coming up with a way to generate the funds and for the owners who have given so generously. We were also given the opportunity to get in front of a lot fans during the meet and spread the word that these racehorses can have productive careers after the racetrack. Horses that leave our program have gone on to be trail horses, dressage horses, hunter-jumpers, and pleasure horses.” Race Horse Reclaim is a not-for-profit operation dedicated to the rehabilitation, retraining, and retirement of Thoroughbred racehorses. Its mission is to create a future for horses after they have finished their racing careers. Racehorse Reclaim conditions and retrains them for new careers and then finds suitable long-term homes for them. oaKlawn conclUDES 2012 SEaSon with incREaSES, tRacK DiStRibUtES REcoRD pURSES DURinG mEEt Oaklawn concluded its 2012 live race meet on Saturday, April 14 with a crowd of 63,804 turning out on a picture-perfect day to watch Zayat Stable’s Bodemeister place himself among the Kentucky Derby (Gr. I) favorites with his 9 1/2-length victory in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (Gr. I). Oaklawn enjoyed excellent weather not just on Derby Day, but throughout the entire season, which contributed to strong business and four purse increases during the meet. By the time the meet ended on April 14, the track had given away a record of more than $18 million in purses – $2 million more than the previous year. “We couldn’t have scripted the season any better,” said Assistant General Manager of Racing David Longinotti. “We had great racing all season, and it all culminated during the Racing Festival of the South. Not only should Bodemeister be among the Kentucky Derby favorites, but I think we’ll be hearing a lot about Mamma Kimbo (Fantasy Stakes (Gr. II) winner), Alternation (Oaklawn Handicap (Gr. II) winner), and Plum Pretty (Apple Blossom Handicap (Gr. I) winner) throughout the year. Good weather and great horses brings out the racing fans, especially in Arkansas.”

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From start to finish, Mother Nature shined brightly on Oaklawn’s 2012 meet, and 592,431 people came through the turnstiles during the course of the meet. In 2011, the total crowd was 570,821. Total handle for 2012 was $155,532,790, compared to $151,623,944 last season. On-track handle totaled $42,519,206, an increase over the $40,441,714 wagered on-track in 2011. The 2012 season also marked a new era for Oaklawn as it was the first for new track announcer Frank Mirahmadi and track superintendent Jamie Richardson. Both Mirahmadi and Richardson received rave reviews from the horsemen and fans. Oaklawn will open for the 2013 live season on Friday, January 13. The 56-day meet will run through April 13, 2013. Charles TowN hBPa JEFFERSon coUntY DaY at thE capitol Activities for this affiliate began on February 19 with an invitation to join county non-profit organizations, as well as some of our local community businesses, for a bus trip to our capitol in Charleston for Jefferson County Day. The evening of our arrival, we were guests at the Governor’s mansion for a reception. The next day, we went to the Capitol to set up displays about our organization and had an opportunity to meet our State Legislators. SUppoRtiVE RESolUtion FRom JEFFERSon coUntY commiSSion President Ken Lowe gave an informative presentation to the Jefferson County Commission. He delivered a brief history of racing in our county and the pertinent facts of our economic impact study. In support of Charles Town racing, the Commissioners have written and sent to the Charles Town HBPA a resolution stating, in part, “The Jefferson County Commission hereby recognizes the importance of Thoroughbred horse racing, breeding, its substantial positive impact on the people and businesses of Jefferson County and its profound relationship to the history, culture, economy, and life of Jefferson County; and, be it Further Resolved that the Jefferson County Commission is in full support of live year-round Thoroughbred racing at Charles Town Races and breeding in Jefferson County, recognizing the severe adverse impact on the Jefferson County community should such activity cease to exist or be diminished.” chaplain’S EaStER paRtY The Chaplain’s Easter Party, held on Saturday, March 31, was coordinated by jockey Matt Mc Gowen, a member of the Chaplaincy Council, and his wife, Nicole, making it the most memorable event for the children. This year, the event began with a reading of the Easter story, followed by a pizza party. There was a huge Easter egg hunt and a www.nationalhbpa.com

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parents or the children got the greatest thrill from seeing the fire truck up close and personal.

bunny ring toss game. The moon bounce, donated by trainer Jeff Runco and wife Susan, was great fun. The children were able to have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. The finale of the day was Dr. Henry Christie, president of the Chaplaincy Council, driving one of our local fire trucks to the party for everyone to see and learn about the equipment. It was a toss-up whether the

RUSSEll RoaD winS 20th RacE On April 14 in the seven-furlong Confucius Say Stakes, six-year-old West Virginia Thoroughbred Association Horse of the Year Russell Road ran to victory for the 20th time in his racing career. Congratulations to Charles Town-based owner Mark Russell, trainer James W. Casey, and jockey Luis Perez. ElEction pRocESS GEtS UnDERwaY in JUnE Preparation work begins in June for the election of our board of directors. September will be the general membership meeting to present the Nominating Committee’s slate and to accept nominations from the floor. Ballots will be sent out in October, and completed ballots will be due to be received back 30 days later. Ballot counting is scheduled for December.

Florida hBPa FloRiDa hbpa ElEction The Florida HBPA had its annual board of directors election on March 15, at which time five directors were elected to the 15-person board to serve three-year terms. Incumbent Teresa Palmer was elected to another term as an owner. New owners elected to the board were Celia Fawkes and Karla Wolfson. Returning to the board for another three-year term were trainers Barry Rose and Larry Pilotti. Adam Lazarus was elected as the owner alternate, and Manny

Tortora and Larry Bates are the trainer alternates. At the Florida HBPA Board of Directors meeting on March 28, Phil Combest was elected president. Mr. Combest replaced long-time president Sammy Gordon, who resigned last summer. Other officers elected were vice presidents Barry Rose, Teresa Palmer, and Larry Pilotti. Bill Kaplan returned for another term as secretary, and Barry Rose agreed to serve another term as treasurer.

thE lion oF wintER RoaRS EaRliER thiS YEaR By Kent Stirling, Executive Director Every year as the self-proclaimed Czar of Winter Simulcasting, I track the wagering dollars per race on the five strongest signals that operate during the winter when Gulfstream Park is racing. I have been performing this exercise that probably no one cares about but me since some media types wrote about the continually deteriorating racing taking place at Gulfstream Park. The year was 2000, and I was curious where the best racing was actually taking place. I cleverly figured that I could find out by tracking the daily average out-of-state wagering per race from the top tracks. I figured that the fans would “vote” with their money on the most popular signal and, therefore, the best simulcast signal. Gulfstream had the highest wagering per race on every day it ran in 2000, and it has pretty much done the same thing for the 12 years that followed. Oh, there was a close call a few years ago when Santa Anita seemingly edged its sister track, winning the weekdays and overall total wagering per race, while Gulfstream, as always, prevailed on Saturday and Sunday. Someone reminded me that Flor-i-duh had not yet mastered net pool pricing (we were the last state to do so) and that I wasn’t counting the separate pool wagering, for instance, into which Canada bet. When I added this wagering to Gulfstream’s previous totals, I AQUEDUCT

GULFSTREAM

OAKLAWN

SANTA ANITA

TAMPA BAY

Races

Avg/Race

Races

Avg/Race

Races

Avg/Race

Races

Avg/Race

Monday

481,675

731,903

284,692

601,835

Wednesday

117

392,968

100

481,295

227,003

500,223

136

294,058

Thursday

153

406,527

180

522,299

109

186,682

120

405,379

274,492

Friday

153

457,715

183

568,611

122

200,011

120

499,115

181

318,527

Saturday

166

725,955

211

875,623

128

282,949

156

728,469

188

423,671

Sunday

144

488,953

199

663,268

108

174,589

133

606,955

133

312,458

Average/ Race For All Days

760

502,802

915

648,835

496

217,230

573

573,427

737

333,822

hJ summer

Races

Avg/Race

Did Not Race

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pURSES SEt REcoRD at GUlFStREam paRK Gulfstream Park recently concluded its most successful race meet ever from a horsemen’s prospective. Overnight purses paid during the 87-day meet just missed hitting the $300,000 per day level, with actual total overnights paid at $299,991. Last year during a 79-day meet, average paid overnights

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now had a new/old winner of the winter simulcasting war. I immediately disqualified Santa Anita and moved Gulfstream up into the top spot once again. For a few years, I ended my winter simulcasting exercise on the weekend when the Florida Derby was run. I soon realized that I wasn’t being fair to those tracks that hadn’t had the opportunity to run their Derby and to, therefore, be the beneficiary of those larger handle numbers that those Derbies and the Wood brought to their respective tracks. Gulfstream’s handle numbers declined rather sharply after it ran the Florida Derby as horsemen scrambled to get their horses to the 800-pound gorilla in Lexington or to the now slots emporium in the big city. Even with this decline in handle, Gulfstream still managed to have the highest average wagering per race while it sat idly by while these lesser races were being run. While Gulfstream has had the best average simulcasting numbers per race each year, the tracks that have finished second have been the Fair Grounds, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita. If memory serves me, the Fair Grounds was second in 2000 and maybe 2001, but after that it fell immediately behind the other two tracks. About five years ago, the owner of the Fair Grounds stated that none of its properties would ever publish attendance and handle numbers again, unless they were really, really good – like might happen on a Friday night with entertainment. I know you are wondering (if you read this far) how Gulfstream did when its whole, long 87-day race meet was analyzed. By analyzing the entire meet, there was no favoritism that could be applied to the handle numbers to aid Gulfstream or hinder another track’s numbers by the Czar of Winter Simulcasting. I even used Oaklawn’s Racing Festival of the South handle numbers that occurred a week after Gulfstream Park had closed. I did this by dropping the previous week’s handle numbers from Oaklawn and replacing them with handle numbers from its Racing Festival. Once again, the Lion of Winter, Gulfstream Park, had the best average wagering per race on every day of the week. Some of you may have looked at the accompanying chart and said what about Wednesday, when Santa Anita seemed to beat Gulfstream’s average per race handle, $500,223 to $481,275? The rules of winter simulcasting are that at least two tracks must operate on the same day, which is why we didn’t include Tuesdays in our chart (a day which was run regularly by Tampa, but only by Tampa). Likewise, a track must have operated on a certain weekday at least twice in order to have its numbers counted, and if a track does so and still beats Gulfstream’s average per race handle, the number of required days may be increased to three. In other words, both the Wednesday numbers from Santa Anita and Oaklawn are not counted on the final simulcast results for weekdays, which again shows Gulfstream being the most popular signal on every day of the week. On the total average wagering handle per race, Gulfstream, as it has done for all 13 years of this study, finished first, but both Aqueduct and particularly Santa Anita showed strong gains over last year, with Aqueduct improving almost $57,000 per race and Santa Anita jumping a whopping $188,000 per race after its dismal 2011 race meet. Gulfstream slipped back $11,000 per race from its average for the 2011 meet, and Tampa Bay Downs fell $46,000 from its 2011 average. As usual, Gulfstream, even though it runs many more races than the other tracks, again exhibited its dominance on racing’s strongest day, Saturday.

were $274,547. Total daily purses paid for the 2011/2012 meet were $405,971, while those paid for the 2011 meet were $383,979. For the first time ever, Gulfstream Park ran dates that began in December. In the past, Gulfstream had run from early January until late April, but this year it opened on December 3 and ended April 8. Gulfstream handled $50,663,434 on its live on-track product, up significantly from last year’s $47,477,635. However, its average daily handle was down slightly from last year’s $600,983 to $582,338 this year. The total handle on the live Gulfstream signal in ITW (IntraTrack Wagering) was up almost $5 million, or a daily average of $407,949, this year compared to last year’s average of $385,854. Gulfstream’s ISW (InterState Wagering) handle almost hit $600 million for a daily average of $6,823,950 compared to last year’s average of $6,549,444. Starters per race was a healthy 9.24, although down slightly from last year’s 9.52. This decrease may have been due to the average carding of 10.5 races this year against 10.0 races per day last year. Gulfstream ran an incredible 392 turf races during this meet, which was up dramatically from last year’s 334 races on the grass. Days where races were carded sloppy or muddy were almost identical, with eight last year and seven in 2012. Gulfstream’s December handle numbers were much higher than those handle numbers from past Decembers, but there were no other Gulfstream handle numbers from past years with which to compare. This left me with only a January to early April comparison to make any sense out of this year’s handle numbers. I matched the same 68 race days conducted from January 5 of this year against the same 68 days last year from January to April. The numbers turned out very similar to those handle numbers for the entire meet. On-track live wagering was down about three percent, while ITW and ISW wagering were both up about 3.6 percent from last year. The number that improved the most during this period was the handle on the full card, or out-of-state signals wagered on in ITW land, or the rest of Florida. Gulfstream cleverly took on Tampa Bay Downs, which this year operated during the same dates as Gulfstream, in a battle to sell these out-of-state signals into ITW land. Florida statutes dictate a minimum percentage that can be held by guest sites on these wagers on out-of-state signals that only can be obtained or bought through one of the currently operating Thoroughbred tracks. Tampa Bay Downs had always allowed these guest sites to retain a higher percentage of the wagering in order to incentivize a guest to buy the signal through Tampa and not through the operating South Florida track, whether it be Calder or Gulfstream. Each year, the signals bought through Calder or Gulfstream would drop about 20 percent as guests bought the signals through Tampa. This year, Gulfstream was able to increase the out-of-state wagering on its signal by 17 percent over last year’s wagering handle. For the fifth year in a row, Gulfstream Park sported wagering numbers that were up from the previous year, but this year, it ended its successful 87-day race meet on a sour note. In the last “race” of the year, Gulfstream satisfied its lawyer/lobbyist and part-owner in the Gretna Pari-Mutuel Barrel Racing site by permitting two barrel racers to race 220 yards down the stretch from the drop of a flag. This was a “race “ not sanctioned by American Quarter Horse Association, and a race for which an entry to compete was accepted on race day after one of the original Quarter Horses was found to have no tattoo and was scratched. I did not include the $1,758 wagered on this “race” in any of the above handle totals.

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national hbpa wintER conVEntion The National HBPA convention held last January in Hollywood Beach, Florida was a great success, as those of you who attended already know, and those of you who could not attend in person certainly were able to discern from reading about it in the last issue of The Horsemen’s Journal. Great panels were held on, among others, wagering and alternative gaming, legislative affairs, immigration and, of course, the Medication Committee forum, which was as usual the best panel. A great day at the races hosted by Gulfstream was one of the highlights of the convention, second only to Gulfstream Park Consultant Sammy Gordon being honored for his many years of dedicated service to horsemen as the longtime president of the Florida HBPA. None of what took place at the HBPA convention in Florida would have been possible without our many wonderful sponsors, whom we would like to honor below, but I would be remiss if I did not single out the overly generous donations of: Gulfstream Park, Oklahoma HBPA, and ExpressBet. Others who were also generous sponsors were: Calder Race Course; Ocala Breeders Sales Company (OBS); Maroevich, O’Shea & Coghlan Insurance, Inc. (MOC); Racing and Gaming Services (RGS); Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association (FTBOA); Tiegland, Franklin & Brokken, DVMs, PA; Bruce Green, Esquire; Burch & Burch, DVMs; Finish Line Feed; Lorraine Horse Transport; Arizona HBPA; Arkansas HBPA; Indiana HBPA; Michigan HBPA; Minnesota HBPA; Ontario HBPA; Pennsylvania HBPA; Tampa Bay HBPA; and Washington HBPA. iNdiaNa hBPa pRooF oF woRKER’S compEnSation inSURancE REqUiRED Horsemen and women racing in Indiana should pay special attention to the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC)’s recently announced policy on worker’s compensation insurance verification. Beginning on July 15, 2012, trainers must provide a Certificate of Insurance in order to show that his or her employees are covered by worker’s compensation insurance. The certificate must include the IHRC as a certificate holder. The Certificate of Insurance can be provided in person at the time of licensure or by mail prior to licensure. If provided by mail, you should make sure that the certificate is on file at the racetrack commission office at least seven days prior to your first start. Trainers without employees will be asked to sign an affidavit attesting that they have no employees requiring coverage. Those trainers may be required to provide a State of Indiana Worker’s Compensation “Clearance Certificate” for each worker who does not require coverage. Applications for a clearance certificate and applicable instructions are available online at www.in.gov/ wcb/2328.htm. The IHRC has emphasized that it is the responsibility of the trainer/ employer, not of the Worker’s Compensation Board or the IHRC, to determine whether an employment relationship must be covered in Indiana. For further information, contact your private insurance carrier/agent. If needed, you can reach the Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board at (317) 232-3808 or at www.in.gov/wcb. ihRc iS VERiFYinG i-9 compliancE In 2012, the IHRC is requiring that trainers demonstrate they are in compliance with federal Form I-9 requirements. All U.S. employers must complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and non-citizens. 50

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On the I-9, the employer must examine the employment eligibility and identification document(s) an employee presents to determine whether the documents reasonably appear to be genuine and relate to the individual, and the employer must record the information on the Form I-9. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the last page of the form. Prior to licensure of any employees, the IHRC will require trainers to sign an affidavit indicating that they have fulfilled their obligation by completing the I-9 for each employee. The IHRC will provide the affidavit at the time the trainer is licensed. To verify compliance, the IHRC will require trainers to produce the completed I-9s for inspection if a written complaint has been filed or as otherwise deemed appropriate. I-9s are available at the IHRC licensing offices at Indiana Downs and Hoosier Park, the Indiana HBPA office, and at www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf. ihRc chanGES continUinG EDUcation REqUiREmEnt In 2010, the IHRC mandated that, beginning no later than January 1, 2012, in order to maintain a current license, trainers must complete at least four hours per calendar year of continuing education courses approved by the commission in order to maintain a current license in Indiana. Accordingly, during 2011, 82 trainers representing 52.6 percent of Thoroughbred starters in Indiana attended continuing education programs sponsored by the Indiana HBPA. However, many out-of-state trainers were unable to participate in either seminar, so the IHRC has extended the continuing education requirement for licensure until 2013. At least two seminars will be given in 2012, one during each of the Indiana Downs and Hoosier Park race meets. Notices and agendas for upcoming seminars will be provided, when available, on the IHRC website at www.in.gov/hrc, and on the Indiana HBPA website at www.inhbpa.org. The full text of the regulation is provided below: “Beginning in 2013, trainers must demonstrate, prior to licensure, that they have attended a four-hour continuing education course approved by the Commission within the past two calendar years. Trainers completing an approved continuing education course in 2011 or 2012 will have met this requirement through the 2014 racing season. The continuing education requirement does not apply to trainers who have started horses six or fewer times in Indiana the previous year. Such trainers may start up to six horses in a year before he or she must fulfill the continuing education requirement.” tRainER oR DESiGnEE mUSt bE pRESEnt at Salix aDminiStRation All trainers are responsible to have a licensed representative with each horse on race day at the time of Salix administration. The representative must be available from one hour prior to the scheduled post time for the race until Salix is administered. The penalty for non-compliance is: first offense - written warning (ruling); second offense - $250 fine; and, third offense - $500 fine and scratch. ihRc lowERS bUtE thRESholDS anD EliminatES calciUm anD b1 The IHRC has unanimously voted to reduce the threshold of phenylbutazone (bute) allowable in post-race samples from five micrograms per milliliter of serum to two micrograms per milliliter of serum. This change comes one full year after extensive debate by regulatory veterinarians, the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI), and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC). The withdrawal time for bute will remain at 24 hours. Also, in accordance with a new national model rule permitting furosemide (salix) as the only drug to be administrated on race day, the IHRC has decided to prohibit the administration of calcium and vitamin B1.

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2012 awaRDS banqUEt FoR iowa hbpa anD itboa The annual Iowa HBPA awards banquet held for the category winners of the 2011 Prairie Meadows racing meet was a huge success with an excellent turnout. A few of our honored guests in attendance this year were The Honorable Terry Branstad, governor of the State of Iowa; Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds; and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. The awards dinner From left to right: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Gov. Terry Branstad, Jack Ketterer, ITBOA President Deb Leech, had a different twist and Iowa HBPA President Leroy Gessmann this year because the banquet was a combination of the Iowa HBPA and Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (ITBOA) winners. It was decided after last year’s banquets having occurred within less than a week of each other that a From left to right: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Bryan combination of the two Mundell, Gov. Terry Branstad, John Pinkerton, and would be easier for both Iowa HBPA President Leroy Gessmann groups and our representative members. The result was a resounding success from all of the complements that were received following the banquet. One award recipient was a winner for both organizations – From left to right: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Chris Richard, Gov. Terry Branstad, and Iowa HBPA Maggi Moss as Owner President Leroy Gessmann of the Year for both the Iowa HBPA and ITBOA. Also, a special recognition award was presented to Jack Ketterer after his retirement this year from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission after 24 From left to right: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Lynette years of service to the Rasmussen, Linda Juckette, Gov. Terry Branstad, state of Iowa and the Kurt Rasmussen, and Iowa HBPA President Leroy horse racing industry. Gessmann

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Once again congratulations to all Iowa HBPA 2011 award winners. Below are the award recipients in their respective categories: Special Recognition Award: Jack Ketterer 2011 Horse of the Year: Ducky Drake – Owners Bryan Mundell & John Pinkerton 2011 Trainer of the Year: Chris Richard 2011 Appreciation Award Recipients: Lynette Rasmussen, From left to right: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Maggi Moss, Gov. Terry Branstad, Chris Richard, and Iowa Linda Juckette, and HBPA President Leroy Gessmann Kurt Rasmussen 2011 Claimer of the Year: Ice Hockey – Owned by Maggi Moss 2011 Owner of the Year: Maggi Moss tVG/pRaiRiE mEaDowS/hbpa aDw Up anD RUnninG The newest advanced deposit wagering (ADW) entrant to on-line gaming has come to Iowa and is doing well. The initial data produced by TVG has the number of people signed up as account holders ahead of early predicted estimates. Thus far, around 1,000 people have signed on as account holders for the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino-owned ADW operation. Additionally, handle has been strong for the ADW and will continue to grow as information about the legality of online wagering spreads across the state. So far, information about the availability of the site has been distributed using tradition media outlets, on-site promotions, and online campaigns to try and promote the collaborative ADW. There has been one issue regarding the mobile aspect of this new ADW. It revolves around the ability of account holders in the state to use their account through any device other than directly connected to the Internet via computer. TVG is well aware of this issue and is quickly trying to alleviate the error. If you have an account in Iowa as a Prairie Meadows customer, please be patient as TVG works on resolving this problem. As more information comes available regarding the ADW, the Iowa HBPA will be posting updates on the Iowa HBPA Facebook page. Please keep apprised of all our activities via this excellent communication tool as a member. 2012 SUmmER conVEntion to bE hElD in iowa The National HBPA’s summer convention is almost here, and the Iowa HBPA is looking forward to seeing all the affiliates from around the country come to the state. Prairie Meadows now has an onsite hotel that will be accommodating attendees along with holding the meetings in the convention center. The convention will coincide with the Iowa Festival of Racing, which includes three graded stakes. The three stake races are: The $250,000 Iowa Derby (Gr. III), the $200,000 Iowa Oaks (Gr. III), and the $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (Gr. III). During the Festival of Racing, the local horse retirement and retraining program, Hope After Racing Thoroughbreds (H.A.R.T.), will be holding a silent auction in the Prairie Rose Room. All of the proceeds will benefit this program and help aid in the placing and/or retraining of Iowa racing Thoroughbreds when their racing careers are over. If you would like to donate an item(s) to the silent auction for H.A.R.T., please contact the Iowa HBPA office at (515) 967-4804.

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Brought to you by Ellis Park Race Course (812) 425-1456 • EllisParkRacing.com pRESiDEnt’S mESSaGE The 2012 Kentucky Derby is in the books, and congratulations to the connections of I’ll Have Another, this years Derby winner. The days leading up to the Derby were somewhat eventful. The Kentucky HBPA received information that there was no signed agreement between Arlington Park and the horsemen. After a lengthy discussion, the Kentucky HBPA board unanimously decided to withhold the Churchill Downs simulcast signal until such time as we were assured that horsemen at Arlington Park would receive an equitable share of the wagering revenue for purses. The 1978 Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA) provides the majority horsemen’s group of the jurisdiction hosting the racing a veto right in whether or not to send the simulcast signal of the races for wagering purposes. The legislative history of the IHA indicates that Congress, in granting the veto rights, believed that horsemen would be more concerned with protecting the viability of live racing, while the racing associations may be more concerned with their bottom line. The Kentucky HBPA has always judiciously handled this important responsibility. By prudently deciding when to veto a signal, we are confident that purses – the lifeblood of our industry – will be protected and the money wagered on Kentucky’s races will be distributed equitably between the racing association and horsemen’s purses. Management and horsemen resolved their dispute at Arlington Park, and the Kentucky HBPA released the Kentucky simulcast signal prior to the Oaks and Derby. The issue of Lasix (Salix) on race day continues to be a divisive issue not just in Kentucky, but nationwide. As I previously reported, The Jockey Club commissioned a study that scientifically established that Salix is extremely effective in preventing Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH). Additionally, a review of data compiled in New York both prior to the approval of the use of Salix and after Salix was approved for administration indicates an 80 percent reduction in the incidence of EIPH. At a Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) meeting, one commissioner suggested that it is a “perception problem.” Yet as Dale Romans articulated, if there is a perception problem with the betting public on the use of race-day Salix, then why are noted racetracks that permit Salix on race day such as Gulfstream, Aqueduct, Keeneland, and Churchill Downs during Derby week reporting record attendance and wagering? It comes down to this: research indicates that Salix is ideal for preventing excessive bleeding, which in turn will damage the horse’s lungs and increase the incidence and severity of bleeding in the future. As one of the KHRC commissioners suggested, to require a horse to run without Salix is inhumane based on countless peer reviewed research projects. It should be noted that in this year’s Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, every horse ran with race-day Salix. Does this indicate that every horse in both races is a confirmed bleeder? No, it does not. However, with the damaging effects of even one episode of EIPH, it is a very humane preventive measure. Finally, as someone pointed out to me, based on countless research studies, many of us believe that the use of race-day Salix is in the best interest of the health of the horse. Those who feel differently have the option of running

their horses without Salix on race day, It is hypocritical to call for a ban of race-day Salix and then continue to allow your own horses to run with Salix. Good luck in your racing endeavors! Rick Hiles moVinG in a nEw DiREction On the final day of the 2012 Keeneland Spring race meeting, The Jockey Club arranged a meeting between Thoroughbred racing and performance horse representatives. The Kentucky HBPA joined in sponsoring the event. The purpose of the gathering was to introduce members of each sport and perhaps initiate dialogue and exchange ideas on how to facilitate racing Thoroughbreds beginning new careers as performance horses. Kentucky HBPA Director Ann Banks enthusiastically agreed to attend the event, and Thoroughbred racing could not have been better represented. “On Long Island, where I grew up, Thoroughbreds were the breed of choice,” Banks said. “I learned early on that they deserved to be treated with respect, and that it was important to be a good steward for the horse.” Embarking on a long-storied career with horses, Ann learned from notable Hall of Fame trainer Elliott Burch and the Rokeby Stables crew the intricacies of working with Thoroughbred racehorses. It was also during this time that it was ingrained in her that an ex-racehorse could do many other jobs like a fox hunter, jumper, or an eventer if for some reason a career in racing did not develop. “I strive to help Thoroughbreds be good ambassadors of the breed. I learned early on that Thoroughbreds were given a bad rap as a difficult breed, and I wanted to prove to the sport horse community that there are responsible Thoroughbred people who take care of their horses.” Ann has enjoyed enormous success moving retired racehorses to new careers, but it is by no means an easy task. She works methodically, studying and observing horses in her care. Ann’s years of experience and keen observation inform her of the horse’s soundness, personality, and potential talent for a new job. As one of the benefactors of her dedication so eloquently stated, “Ann Banks is without question one of the brightest gems in the Thoroughbred industry. I know a number of people who have adopted horses passing through her care, I have even had one myself, and without exception they are well adjusted and ready to begin their new careers as performance horses. I think that says a lot about her.” want to SEE a blooDY coRpSE? KEntUcKY RacinG withoUt RacE-DaY laSix By Jennie Rees, reprinted with permission from the Louisville Courier-Journal I don’t know a more polite way to say this but: IS THE LEADERSHIP OF THE KENTUCKY HORSE RACING COMMISSION THAT WANTS TO BAN RACE-DAY BLEEDER MEDICATION (in such a sneaky fashion that even some of its commissioners didn’t know it would be up for a vote at Monday’s meeting until late last week) BONKERS? This is a game-changer for Kentucky racing, and not for the good. Rather, it would contribute in alarming fashion to the devastation of a circuit already on the ropes. You want to see a bloody corpse, that would be Kentucky racing if getting rid of the proven-effective anti-bleeder medication furosemide is banned on race day. I don’t think I’m exaggerating. Horses bleed, not just Thoroughbreds. Lasix has been proven to prevent or reduce the incidence of bleeding. It is highly regulated. The bettors know who is on Lasix and who is not, because it is prominently noted in the program. It continUED on paGE 55

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is a system that works when you’re talking about integrity and protecting the public. Let me stress something else: mere months ago, Mary Scollay, the commission’s equine medical director, repeatedly assured horsemen that no one was trying to ban Lasix in Kentucky – emphatically and categorically, and she couldn’t understand why trainers such as Hall of Famer Bill Mott and prominent veterinarian Ken Reed kept wanting to turn the dialogue back to potential efforts to ban race-day Lasix when what she was only discussing was the so-called adjunct bleeder medications also permissible in Kentucky and some other states. Then this comes out of the blue about a flat-out ban on race-day Lasix, with absolutely no warning. And they wonder why horsemen don’t believe what they are told by commission administrators. I’m guessing those wanting to ban the one medication* allowed on race day (certainly far fewer than, I would guess, any of the commissioners use in any 24-hour span, remembering that caffeine and a whole lot of other things we take daily are illegal in horse racing) are ones who attend Keeneland, with its huge crowds, and Derby and Oaks, where one certainly could believe everything is hunky-dory. (*Also the adjunct anti-bleeder medications in some states. But today virtually no jurisdiction allows anything else within 24 hours of race, and even some very innocuous therapeutic medications can’t be given within 48 hours or more. For those following the rules, it is incredibly drug free. If there are those not following the rules, guess what? – They don’t care! A ban would only be in their favor.) I suspect those on the commission seeking to ramrod this through are not paying the bills on a six-year-old horse running for $5,000 claiming on a Thursday at Turfway Park. The Thursdays that Turfway still runs, anyway. (I would say Wednesday, but those have been eliminated at every track in the state but for Keeneland’s six weeks of racing a year and Churchill’s short fall meet. I can’t even say for a Thursday at Ellis Park, since those have been gone for a couple of years.) Or if they are paying those bills on a nickel claimer, they think they can’t win because everyone else is cheating – certainly not because they have a tooslow horse! – and if only Lasix is banned they would have a better chance. These commissioners wanting to ban Lasix certainly haven’t been in Kentucky’s racing offices struggling to pull cards together, even with a significant reduction in days. Surely, for goodness sakes, the motivation isn’t to get an atta-boy! from The New York Times. The ultimate outcome of Kentucky becoming the first jurisdiction to repeal Lasix would not be universal trumpeting about how great and courageous the commonwealth’s racing regulators are. Instead, it would result in the further exodus of horses to other jurisdictions and heads shaking everywhere by those grounded in reality. As trainer Dale Romans told me the day before he won the Blue Grass Stakes with Dullahan – and few people in the commonwealth in any position have as much at stake in the industry as he does, with his huge stable (including many he owns), training center, and now a farm to house broodmares – trainers and owners don’t need anything more to give them the legitimate excuse to go race at Indiana, where the purses are fatter thanks to slots and the competition not as tough. Or Pennsylvania. West Virginia. And probably soon, Ohio. Think about it: Kentucky a loser to Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio racing. What has kept Kentucky racing as good as it still is, despite its serious erosion and mega-problems, is loyalty of its owners and trainers who want to race here, whether it’s because they live here or admire the appreciation the

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public has for the sport. Get rid of Lasix, many will feel no one cares about them and their horses, so why should they care about Kentucky racing? The racetracks also need to speak out if they find the potential for Kentucky to be standing alone with a Lasix ban to be alarming and risking their already shrinking horse population. If getting rid of Lasix is such a noble cause, why hasn’t New York – home to many of the horses raced by the elite of The Jockey Club – shown any inclination to repeal its use? You think those horses are going to ship into Kentucky for stakes when they can find similar races elsewhere (and quite possibly for more money) and not risk subjecting their horse to a bleeding episode? Just take Aruna, winner of last fall’s Grade I Spinster at Keeneland. She was a bleeder in France and sent to America so she could race on Lasix and prove herself on the track, which she did. I’ve used her as an example before, because her camp is open about what brought her to America. But does American racing (and Central Kentucky) really want to get rid of the Arunas of the racing world? She is from one of the greatest racing and breeding operations in the world. For those owners and breeders (including apparently some on the KHRC) who say Kentucky should be the first in line to ban Lasix, I say you don’t need a regulatory change to not run your horses on anti-bleeder medication. Set the example and don’t run your horses on such medication and prove you can be successful without it and that it is just the needless and dangerous crutch you contend it is. Take out ads that your stallion/broodmare never raced on Lasix, if that is the case. The fact is that horses only have so many starts in them. In many instances, each race has financial impact for those involved with the horse. Why do something that hurts its chances to compete at its best? Especially in the current climate? It makes no sense, and it has dangerous consequences. miChigaN hBPa mESSaGE FRom ExEcUtiVE DiREctoR GaRY tinKlE Michigan’s 2012 racing season at Mt. Pleasant Meadows is well underway. Racing began on May 5 and will continue through October 14. Racing days are Saturday and Sunday, with a mixed breed schedule of six Thoroughbred races and two mixed-breed races. The track is a half-mile with a two-furlong chute on the Isabella County Fair grounds. Efforts to amend the 1995 Racing Act proved quite a challenging endeavor. Any change requires approval by the Governor and legislature, with the requirement that the industry must be united on any final legislation submitted for approval. Needless to say, and expected, those discussions were very intense. The 1995 Racing Act has not been amended since it became the law in 1996, and all breeds were very protective of their interests. Eventually, all racing interests came together and offered language that will create an opportunity for the industry to compete fairly within Michigan’s gaming industry. Of course, as any legislative change, it is not perfect, but it is a serious start to save thousands of jobs and millions of dollars for positive impact on the state’s economy. During the process, several committees heard personal stories that clearly sent a message that Michigan was about to lose an industry the state’s economy could not afford to discard. Horse racing has been a good economic partner for Michigan for more the 70 years and only wants to be allowed to grow and offer new 21st century pari-mutuel gaming at our racetracks. Of course, the casino interests testified and did not share our position. Michigan has more than 20 Native American casinos and three casinos www.nationalhbpa.com

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in Detroit, which presents a significant challenge. Being a part of a highly regulated industry, racetracks face another challenge that requires government approval to grow the business. The requirement needing approval from a competitor to grow your business is not faced by many industries, but it is not unique to the racing industry. We compete with the state’s lottery, the deep pockets of the casinos, and Proposition 1. In our opinion, Prop. 1 has created a monopoly, adding to the challenge to gain support. With an outstanding grass roots effort, the final language for the changes to the 1995 Racing Act has been approved by the House and Senate Agriculture committees to be sent to both chambers for discussion and, hopefully, support. Of course, the next step is to gain support of Governor Snyder. Governor Snyder on several occasions has expressed the need to “reinvent Michigan and stop picking winner and losers.” If HB 5546 and SB 1075 are approved, Michigan’s racing industry will have a chance to survive and improve Michigan’s economy. Horse racing is an important part of the Governor’s “agricultural garden.” miNNesoTa hBPa

Brought to you by Style Stable Custom Blankets & Sheets (320) 587-3217 • StyleStableBlankets.com GoVERnoR SiGnS hoRSE RacinG pURSE EnhancEmEnt bill! Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has signed legislation that amends laws governing the Canterbury Park Card Room. Effective immediately, Canterbury may increase the number of tables in its 24-hour card room from 50 to 80, hold more poker tournaments, and increase the poker bet limit from $60 to $100. This improvement will lead to increased revenues, resulting in an approximate 40 percent purse increase at Canterbury Park. a RacEtRacK/tRibal caSino paRtnERShip In a separate provision, the bill offers even greater potential for enhancing our revenues and live meet purses by allowing implementation of pari-mutuel simulcasting to the 18 tribal casinos in Minnesota. While this legislation will not solve the revenue problems the industry faces, it is an important step in the right direction. Randy Sampson commented, in part, “We are excited about the opportunity to forge a cooperative relationship with the tribes to promote horse racing throughout the state. In addition, we are currently having conversations with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community regarding potential joint marketing and purse enhancements. While we do not have a definitive agreement, we are encouraged that the tribe’s elected leadership has expressed a willingness to consider working with us to provide a badly needed shot in the arm to Minnesota’s horse industry.” Although this is not the long-term solution for which we had hoped, it does bring hope. This small change can make a huge impact on racing and the equine industry. Since 1997, many Minnesotans have been anxiously awaiting the approval of the Racino bill to boost the industry. This year, as in the past, the bill has taken its followers on a roller coaster ride as it sought approval. The board of directors of the Minnesota HBPA would like to thank all horsemen that have not given up hope in a brighter racing future, who made calls, wrote letters, made capitol visits, and participated in the lobby for Racino. About the Equine Development Coalition of Minnesota: This newly formed horsemen’s representative group, was instrumental in educating legislators and keeping horsemen informed and active on Racino 56

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matters. Passage of this legislation would not have been possible without the great job everyone did this year of articulating to the legislature both the importance to Minnesota of a healthy horse racing industry and the fragile current status of the industry. Jeff Hilger, president of the Equine Coalition of Minnesota, commented, “Racing purses are the fuel of our horse industry. This legislation will help stop the decline of the breeding industry in Minnesota and send a clear sign to Minnesota owners and trainers that the state is serious about protecting the future of the equine industry.” Positive Impact on Racing Purses When fully implemented, these changes will allow purses at Canterbury Park to grow from the current $6 million to approximately $8.5 million annually. We are looking forward to the positive impact these changes will have statewide and another great season of racing. calEnDaR June 5 – Groom Elite 101 starts July 3 – Fireworks Spectacular July 7 – Minnesota HBPA General Membership/Nomination Meeting July 28 – “Chaos @ Canterbury” Mystery Dinner Theater- RTCA Fundraiser July 21 – Extreme Race Day July 24 – Watch for your election ballots in the mail! August 11 – MTA Yearling Sale August 22 – Ballots must be in Minnesota HBPA office, Election day August 24 – Fillies Race for Hope September 2 – Minnesota Festival of Champions September 3 – Final day of racing mouNTaiNeer Park hBPa

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paRKER winS 4,000th RacE Congratulations to jockey Deshawn Parker on his 4,000th career win!

“It was painful deciding to close Atokad and to let many long-term employees go. But that operation is suffering, and we need to make good business decisions with the resources we have. The board believes that replacing the Lincoln Race Course with a new, exciting facility is a better investment. Our plan to construct the project in phases will help assure its success,” Veerhusen said. The relocated Lincoln Race Course facility will be located south of West Denton Road, on land previously part of a planned unit development proposed by the Dial Corporation. The original 300-acre P.U.D. anticipated a new Walmart, light commercial, and residential development. The developer completed roadway improvements and utilities infrastructure before Walmart backed out and the economy slumped. “We have been looking for an exciting large tenant to help us kick off the development. The racetrack will create a great draw to the area, and the sports bar and simulcast facility will provide year-round entertainment,” said Rick Kiolbasa of Greenleaf Properties and representative of the Dial Companies. The new horse racing facility will decrease the amount of commercial development in the area by over 50 acres, which will remain in agricultural land use. “We’re delighted to find a location that has great access and existing infrastructure but still feels very agricultural,” Veerhusen said. “This part of the county already has many horse owners and equestrian riding facilities. We think horse racing will fit right in and be a great asset to the city in the future.”

NeBraska hBPa

New eNglaNd hBPa

hoRSEmEn to bUilD VEnUE at U.S. 77 anD wESt DEnton RoaD, SimUlcaSt will REmain at innoVation campUS Until complEx opEnS in 2013 The Nebraska HBPA is purchasing and developing a site at U.S. 77 and West Denton Road in Lincoln to replace the existing Lincoln Race Course facility on the Nebraska Innovation Campus. The Nebraska HBPA plans to develop the site over several years, starting with a simulcast facility in late summer of 2013. Revenue from the operation will be used to build a grandstand, one-mile track, and barns for up to 1,000 horses. The Nebraska HBPA has an agreement with the University of NebraskaLincoln to vacate the existing track in July of 2012 and the simulcast facility in September of 2013 to make way for the improvements planned for Innovation Campus. “The University has been very accommodating while we have pursued our options,” said Todd Veerhusen, president of the Nebraska HBPA. “They understand how important it is for us to transition seamlessly from our current site to a new site without losing revenue from our operation.” The Nebraska HBPA has been evaluating potential sites and operational changes since the University of Nebraska took ownership of State Fair Park in January of 2010. One option would have legalized historic racing machines at racetracks in Nebraska and created a new revenue source for the horsemen. However, the bill that would allow those machines was vetoed by the Governor, and the vote to override fell one vote short. As a result, the Nebraska HBPA was forced to close and sell one of its five existing Nebraska racetracks, Atokad Downs in South Sioux City, in order to generate revenue to pursue the Lincoln project. With the sale of Atokad, Nebraska horse racing will be consolidated to four racetracks – Fonner Park in Grand Island, the Columbus track, Horsemen’s Park in Omaha, and the replacement facility in Lincoln.

nEw EnGlanD nEwS On Kentucky Derby Day, May 5, New England HBPA President Anthony Spadea and the New England HBPA board hosted a welcome back luncheon at the Suffolk Downs track kitchen for the owners, trainers, and stable area workers who have shipped in for the 2012 meet that opens on June 2 and ends on October 29. President Spadea gave a brief overview of the ongoing dialogue with Suffolk Downs to resolve issues and work to make this a successful meet. Discussed was the completed contract for the 80-day meet, with a purse structure of $8.25 million ($103,000 daily).

hbpa hoStS EaStER DinnER The Mountaineer HBPA hosted an Easter Dinner at the Riverfront Buffet at the Mountaineer Casino Race Track and Resort for more than 300 horsemen and their families. nEw hbpa nEwSlEttER Look for Mountaineer’s Messenger, a monthly newsletter for members of the stable area community at Mountaineer Park. It is filled with information regarding issues that are important to the racing community. impoRtant inFoRmation FoR hoRSEmEn: wESt ViRGinia licEnSinG RUlES haVE chanGED! If your birthday falls from January through April, you must renew your license by the end of April 30, 2012. If your birthday falls from May through August, you must renew your license by the end of August. If your birthday falls from September through December, you must renew your license by the end of December. Renewal fees will be prorated. 2013 renewal dates will be on your birthday.

thE caSino UpDatE It appears as of this date, May 9, that the casino license application process established under the recently enacted expanded gaming bill is such that it will not result in any license being granted this calendar year. Suffolk Downs and the New England HBPA are working diligently to assure that both Boston and Revere will give local approval for a casino at Suffolk Downs. Under the terms of the bill, live racing is a requirement for a license at Suffolk Downs. Our efforts to secure such a license was enhanced when, on May 5, the town of Foxboro, Massachusetts rejected a notion of a casino in Foxboro by electing a slate of anti-casino candidates. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who teamed with casino mogul Steve Winn, had proposed a billion dollar casino across from the Patriot’s stadium. Kraft announced he would honor the wishes of the town and was suspending his casino efforts. This leaves Suffolk Downs as the sole major contender for the one license available in this area of Massachusetts.

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thE nEw EnGlanD hbpa anD mtba The New England HBPA and the breeders are working very closely to promote breeding and racing and keep a focus on the economic importance of the Thoroughbred industry. The breeders report an increase in the current foal crop. More mares are being bred this year, and a number of new stallions are standing at stud this year. The breeders and the New England HBPA have agreed to sponsor a golf tournament on August 16 at the Glen Ellen Country Club in Millis, Massachusetts. The proceeds will be donated to a program for retiring and retraining Thoroughbreds from the track. The breeders and the New England HBPA are also supporting a new group, North East Thoroughbred Sporthorse Association (NETSA), which is sanctioned by The Jockey Club to sponsor horse shows for Thoroughbreds. This is a way to showcase the retired Thoroughbreds and promote a market for our horses, as well as a way to curtail the bad press we have been receiving. We encourage our horsemen to contact NETSA or visit its website at www.NorthEastThoroughbred.com.

rently the case. This change is necessary if video lottery terminals (VLTs) at Ohio’s racetracks become a reality as incoming simulcast revenue will go from a large percentage of a track’s total revenue, as is currently the case, to a much smaller portion of a track’s total revenue when VLTs are in place. Without the change, live racing would be in jeopardy in Ohio. For updates on this legislation, please visit our website at www.ohio-hbpa.com.

thE EiGhth polE, inc. On April 11, Boston’s Mayor Menino presented the Boston Neighborhood Fellows award to New England HPBA board members Shirley Edwards and Jim Greene, who founded and staff the nationally-recognized Eighth Pole program. This is an annual awards program funded by an anonymous donor that provides recognition and direct financial support to individuals of creativity, vision, and leadership who work in community service in Boston.

oklahoma hBPa

notES The horsemen are excited and optimistic about the upcoming Suffolk Downs meet and the future of horse racing in New England! Sadly, we report the recent passing of Alfred “Jack” Poxon, a longtime New England trainer. ohio hBPa

ohio hoUSE bill 386 By the time you read this, Ohio House Bill 386 will have likely been passed. While the bill mainly contains language regarding Ohio’s four stand-alone casinos, there is also language in the bill regarding minimum live racing dates in Ohio going forward. Much time and effort has gone into the racing dates portion of this bill, which seeks to tie minimum racing dates to a racetrack’s permit rather than to its ability to simulcast incoming signals, which is cur58

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will RoGERS mEEt aGain ShowS hUGE GainS The 2012 Thoroughbred season has gotten off to a quick start in Oklahoma. The Will Rogers Downs meet in Claremore, Oklahoma has continued its unbelievable success again for another year. All-sources handle is up again for the third straight year. The largest portion of the continued upswing is its export signal. Export was up another 60 percent in 2012, for a three-year gain of approximately 250 percent. The support shown to the meet at Will Rogers Downs by all of our export partners is fantastic. Especially the commitments by Elite Turf, Racing and Gaming Services, and TVG have been phenomenal. A big thank you is owed to their customers for their participation at Will Rogers Downs, and it is very much appreciated. With a daily average purse distribution teetering on going over the $150,000 per day mark, the northeast Oklahoma racetrack is definitely on the move forward. UpcominG REminGton paRK mEEt The 2012 Remington Park meet will kick off the fall racing season in Oklahoma on August 10. The 2012 Thoroughbred meet will feature a daily purse distribution of $220,000 per day, and the expectation is for the Remington Park meet to continue its growth, as well. Several prominent sweepstakes events will highlight this year’s meet, including the $1 million Oklahoma Classics Day, the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, and the closing day star-studded $300,000 Springboard Mile for two-year-olds. Rose Erato

ElEctionS SEt FoR thiS SUmmER Elections for the Ohio HBPA board of directors are being held this summer. Now more than ever, as we transition from racing facilities to combined racing and gaming facilities, it is important to elect responsible, dedicated individuals to represent your interests as board members. The Ohio HBPA board of directors is made up of six owners and six trainers/owner-trainers. This year, we will be electing three directors in each of these categories. You should receive your election materials and ballot no later than August 5. The election packet you receive will have complete instructions on how to cast your ballot. Ballots are due in to our auditing firm, Jones Battles Group, which conducts the Ohio HBPA elections voting tabulations, no later than Friday, September 7. Election results will be announced on Saturday, September 8. Please be sure to vote.

ohio RoUnDtablE VS. StatE oF ohio In April, Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Tim Horton heard oral arguments in the Ohio Roundtable’s case versus the state of Ohio challenging, amongst other things, the constitutionality of video lottery terminals at Ohio’s seven racetracks. The Roundtable, a conservative political group, filed the case in October of 2011, and the Ohio Attorney General’s office filed motions to dismiss the case earlier this year. Horton heard arguments on the motions to dismiss in April, as well. According to press reports on the case, the judge is expected to rule on the case around the release of this magazine in June. Updates on this case can also be found on our website.

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aSSiStant tRainER anD tRainER tEStinG DatES REmaininG FoR 2012 July 25 – Applications due June 20 (testing at Woodbine and Fort Erie) September 26 – Applications due September 5 (testing at Woodbine only) 2012 boaRD oF DiREctoRS ElEction It is an election year for the HBPA in Ontario. Licensed Ontario members are reminded that in order to cast a ballot in the election, it is imperative that the HBPA’s administrative office has your current address information on file. To verify that we have your contact information on file, please call 1-866-7793067 and ask to speak with Lesley Barker or Bridget Bimm. EVEntS in 2012 Sunday, June 10 – HBPA Day at the Races at Woodbine and Fort Erie Race Tracks Sunday, September 9 – HBPA Day at the Races at Woodbine Race Track Sunday, September 23 – Annual General Meeting at 10:00 a.m. in the Munnings Room at Woodbine Race Track Sunday, September 23 – Owners Appreciation Day at 12:00 p.m. at the Trackside Tent at Woodbine Race Track (Please call to order tickets to Owners Appreciation Day – limit of two, owner’s license required upon entry) Sunday, October 14 – HBPA Day at the Races at Fort Erie Race Track Saturday, November 10 – Backstretch Appreciation Day at Woodbine Race Track ontaRio hoRSE RacinG inDUStRY aSSociation woRKinG to KEEp GaminG at thE RacEtRacKS The Government of Ontario’s sudden decision to end the “Slots at Racetracks Program” as of March 31, 2013, has already begun to cause significant harm to Ontario’s horse racing and breeding industry and, by extension, rural communities. Ontario’s horse racing and breeding industry has a significant impact on rural economies, with more than $1.6 billion dollars being spent in rural communities to train and prepare horses for the track. A number of governmentsponsored reports acknowledge the horse racing and breeding industry has been responsible for sustaining 60,000 jobs in our province. Until recently, the government recognized the role this successful revenue sharing program has played in sustaining these jobs. As many track-based members of our industry race into what could be their last season with uncertainty, friends and neighbors on the farm and who participate in the horse breeding industry are already feeling the pain in a big way. Contracts are being cancelled, horses are being moved from Ontario stables, and many families are struggling to get by as they watch an industry that has sustained generations begin to fall apart. The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) continues to be a strong advocate for our industry and has been working with MPPs from all three parties represented in the legislature, representatives from the OLG, and various government officials to develop a sustainable way forward for our industry. The pending cancellation of the “Slots at Racetracks Program” has done a lot of damage already to many horse people. Thousands of individuals have written letters to MPPs using our www.value4money.ca website, and tens of thousands of people have signed petitions. We are proud and heartened to see so many working so hard to do what they can to protect our industry.

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OHRIA has a website dedicated to the “Slots at Racetracks Program” that is continually updated with media links, videos, and press releases, and features a blog and a Twitter feed. Please visit http://value4money.ca for more information. oregoN hBPa poRtlanD mEaDowS GEaRS Up FoR FiRSt SUmmER/Fall mEEt Big changes are in store for horsemen and racing fans alike in Oregon in 2012. For the first time in the history of the track, Portland Meadows will move from a fall and winter racing schedule to a summer/fall meet. Much the same as racing in many other states, Oregon has been under tremendous pressure economically and felt a change was needed in order to keep our industry viable. After numerous meetings and discussions between track management and the Oregon HBPA, an agreement was reached to conduct a 60-day racing season beginning on July 15 and running until December 8 of this year. The new schedule will feature Wednesday and Friday evening racing and Sunday afternoon action through September. Beginning in October, there will be racing on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with all days of racing being conducted in the afternoon. “Our collective goal of having live racing when the weather is at its best and by running on nights and weekends is to reinvigorate the local and statewide market by introducing people to the sport of horse racing,” commented Portland Meadows General Manager Will Alempijevic. In order to help make the race meet successful, the Oregon HBPA was able to reach an agreement with management to keep the track open for training following the close of the 2011-2012 meet in March with no charge in rent to the individual horsemen. ElEction pRocESS UnDERwaY Horsemen are reminded that this is an election year for the Oregon HBPA. A general nomination meeting was held in February, which resulted in a slate of candidates including seven owners and six owner/trainers, along with two candidates for president. Ballots are currently being prepared and will be mailed out in October. It is important that we have a valid address for all members in order to receive a ballot. If you wish to make a change in address or check to verify that your current address is correct, contact the Oregon HBPA office at (503) 285-4941 or by e-mail at ohbpa@aol.com. PeNNsylvaNia hBPa pEnn national happEninGS The partnership forged between New Vocations and the Pennsylvania HBPA is paying off in handsome dividends. The adoption program for retired Thoroughbreds is funded by horse owners and contributions, including a generous donation from Penn National. According to Jennifer Hamm, program coordinator and Horsemen’s Liaison, “almost 100 horses have been adopted in the past year alone, with approximately 20 more currently at the rehabilitation and retraining stations. Anna Ford, program director for the adoption office, has done a great job placing our adoptees in good homes and deserves a lot of credit.” Jennifer went on to say that she follows up on many of the horses through phone calls and emails, as well as receiving letters and photos of the retirees www.nationalhbpa.com

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going through the paces in their new occupations. In addition, many of the adopters communicate directly with the donors and keep them informed on how the horses are doing in their new careers. Once notified of donor interest in placing their charges in the New Vocations Program, Jennifer screens the applicants for eligibility and then notifies veterinarian Renee Nodine, who performs a vet exam on all the horses. After the vet exam, the horses either go directly into the adoption pool, or those requiring “down time” are placed in the rehabilitation facility. Dr. Nodine expressed regret that “we cannot take all horses into New Vocation.” It is her hope that “someday, the adoptive process will be provided for all candidates.” She did state “that very few horses have been refused,” but she wishes “it were none.” In other news in Pennsylvania, the threat of a massive raid on Act 71 funding for horse racing in the Commonwealth has been met by an aggressive and energized grass roots initiative. The Equine Coalition, together with all member racing entities, have responded in a united effort to educate Legislators. Many Representatives and Senators do not understand the negative impact Governor Corbett’s plan would have on the horse racing industry. Horsemen have responded by phoning their Representatives and writing letters, as well as attending numerous sessions of legislative meetings with both the House and the Senate. pRESqUE iSlE DownS happEninGS Following a successful race meet in 2011, Presque Isle Downs’ 2012 meet broke from the gate on May 15 and continues through September 29. Two new barns with an additional 96 stalls have been added to the stable area. Racing will be conducted five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, with a first post time daily at 5:30 p.m. Congratulations are in order for Tracie Smith, who has been promoted to racing secretary. In an effort to become more horseplayer-friendly, the takeout on wagering at Presque Isle has been reduced. The following is our new wagering format and post times: Post Times & Wagering Format Tuesday - Friday Race 1

5:25 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Race 2

5:50 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Race 3

6:15 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Race 4

6:40 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Race 5

7:05 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Race 6

7:30 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Race 7

7:55 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Race 8

8:20 p.m.

WPS

TRI

Rose Erato

Superfecta in each race with a field of 8 horses or more

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Pool

Takeout

17.00%

Exacta

20.00%

Trifecta

25.00%

Superfecta

25.00%

Daily Double

20.00%

Pick 3

23.00%

Pick 4

23.00%

Pick 6

23.00%

$2.00 minimum on all wagers with $1.00 box & wheel except: $.50 Trifecta, Pick 3, Pick 4 & Pick 6 & $.10 Superfecta. TamPa Bay dowNs hBPa tampa baY DownS hbpa annoUncES ElEction RESUltS The Tampa Bay Downs HBPA recently announced the results of its 2012 board of directors election. Longtime President Robert Jeffries was again selected to that post for the association in the election that’s results were effective as of March 30, 2012. Gregg Griffith was elected vice president. Owner directors elected were Walter Nazarenko, Victor Scodius, Saronda Smith, Judson VanWorp, and Sharyn Wasiluk. Trainer directors elected were Gregg Griffith, Kathleen Guciardo, Wynn Jolley, Mike Murray, and Bernell Rhone. Most of the directors will be returning to the board for 2012. However, the Tampa Bay Downs HBPA is welcoming two new directors this year in trainers Wynn Jolley and Mike Murray. Texas horsemeN’s ParTNershiP, llC pinnaclE EntERtainmEnt annoUncES aGREEmEntS to acqUiRE maJoRitY intERESt in REtama paRK RacEtRacK in tExaS On April 26, Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. (PNK-1.50%) announced that a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company has entered into agreements to execute a series of transactions that would result in the company securing a 75.5 percent equity stake in Retama Partners, Ltd. (“RPL”), the owner of the racing license for Retama Park Racetrack. Located approximately 20 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio, Texas, Retama Park is a class 1 pari-mutuel horse racing track directly off of Interstate 35 in Selma, Texas. Under the terms of the agreements, the company will pay $22.8 million to acquire the 75.5 percent stake in RPL, comprising a purchase of debt securities and other interests related to Retama Park for $7.8 million and cash consideration of $15.0 million that will be used primarily to refinance Retama Development Corporation’s (“RDC”) existing indebtedness and to provide working capital. The initial purchase of debt securities and other interests related to Retama Park are expected to close immediately. The subsequent transactions are subject to the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals and additional agreements with RDC, with closing expected by the end of 2012. In order to maintain continuity in the operation of Retama Park, the company intends to provide bridge loans of up to $2.6 million to RDC in the near term, which are to be repaid upon closing of the company’s 75.5 percent stake purchase with the cash consideration contributed in that transaction.

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virgiNia hBPa colonial DownS’ SUmmER RacE mEEt Colonial Downs in New Kent, Virginia opened its 32-day summer meet on Saturday, June 2. Racing continues through July 28, with racing on Thursday through Sunday each week. During the meet, the Virginia HBPA is providing its traditional stable area benevolence services and is hosting social events for horsemen. Our office/classroom building next to the track kitchen is the center for most stable area activity. It is open from 5:00 a.m. to midnight every day and features a big screen television with simulcasting, satellite channels, and a DVD player. Computers, printers, scanners, and fax machines are also available without charge, as is Internet access. For those with laptops or tablets, the entire building – and the outside patio area – is a WiFi hot spot for 24-hour Internet connection. This year, the Groom Elite 101 training program will be offered from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday dark days. The six-week course, taught in English and Spanish by Dr. Reid McLellan with the assistance of local trainers, combines classroom instruction in the Virginia HBPA building with hands-on work in the barns. Because of the track’s remote location east of Richmond, the Virginia HBPA has a 12-passenger van for transport seven days a week from the dormitories to shopping and recreation areas. Free meal tickets for use in the track kitchen are available in the Virginia HBPA office. Sports equipment is also on site. Walk-in urgent medical care is provided by MedExpress in nearby Williamsburg from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. Dental care is available in Providence Forge, down the road from the track entrance. Treatment expenses are paid by the Virginia HBPA. All grooms are eligible to participate in the best-turned-out program. A $20 prize is given by the paddock judge before each race to the groom with the best-turned-out horse. The Virginia HBPA also awards a weekly $100 prize for the best-kept barn.

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Anthony Sanfilippo, president and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Entertainment, commented, “The Retama Park transactions provide Pinnacle with the opportunity to expand our portfolio of properties, diversify our operating base, and provide strategic value for our shareholders. Pinnacle, along with Retama Partners, Ltd., will improve the financial health of Retama Development Corporation. Upon closing, we will immediately begin work to integrate Retama Park into our portfolio of properties and leverage our operational and marketing expertise to bolster the track’s performance. We look forward to partnering with the City of Selma to enhance the value of Retama Park Racetrack and its economic impact on the State of Texas, the local community, and the horse racing industry. We believe Retama Park provides significant strategic value for our shareholders given the potential approval of gaming entertainment centers at Texas pari-mutuel facilities and by expanding the reach of Pinnacle’s operations in the region into two key Texas markets, San Antonio and Austin.” Bryan Brown, chief executive officer of Retama Entertainment Group, commented, “We are very excited at the prospect of having Pinnacle Entertainment as operator and majority partner of Retama Park. Pinnacle Entertainment’s investment significantly improves the outlook for Retama Park, and we will undoubtedly benefit from Pinnacle’s resources and long track record as a developer, marketer, and operator of gaming entertainment facilities throughout the U.S.”

For interested trainers, the Virginia HBPA pays half of the rental fee for large walk-in mobile containers that can be used for tack and feed storage. The containers are usually placed at the end of shedrows. Last, but by no means least, Chaplain Nick Lapcevic is at the track for counseling and prayer services. He also conducts a Bible study class one evening a week that includes a complimentary supper at a nearby restaurant. Turning to social events, the Virginia HBPA is sponsoring an Owners’ Day reception on June 16 prior to the Saturday evening card featuring the $500,000 Colonial Turf Cup for three and up and the $100,000 Edward P. Evans All Along Stakes (Gr. IIIT) for fillies and mares. The reception starts at 4:30 p.m., with cocktails and snacks in the Virginia HBPA’s building. All horse owners and their guests are invited to attend. Ceremonies honoring winning owners, with special trophies commemorating the day, will take place on the front side during the race card. The eighth annual Shannon Campbell and Disabled Jockeys’ Fund Benefit Golf Tournament is scheduled for Thursday, July 19 as part of festivities leading up to the $600,000 Virginia Derby (Gr. IIT) on the following Saturday. The Virginia HBPA, the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, and Colonial Downs are again sponsoring the tournament at the Royal New Kent golf course in Providence Forge, minutes away from the track. Tee time is 11:00 a.m. Jockey Shannon Campbell, a Virginia native, rode at Colonial Downs. Several years ago, Shannon was paralyzed from the waist down in a riding accident at Charles Town. She is one of more than 50 jockeys in the country who are permanently disabled. All proceeds from the tournament are for these jockeys’ living and medical expenses. washiNgToN hBPa

Brought to you by Emerald Downs (888) 931-8400 • EmeraldDowns.com whbpa ElEction – octobER 2012 On May 10, the Washington HBPA’s 2012 board of directors election process got underway when the election and nominating committees were named. The nominating committee is in charge of soliciting members to run for office and formally announcing them at the nominating meeting tentatively scheduled for July 11. The election committee will oversee the counting of the ballots on election day, October 9, 2012. Thank you to Linda Newman, Chris Stenslie, and Celeste Brady for volunteering to serve on the election committee. Thank you also to Blaine Wright, Mary Pirone, and Jose Navarro, who agreed to serve on the nominating committee. If you are a Washington HBPA: “member in good standing on the date of nomination and has been during each of the two (2) calendar years immediately preceding the nomination date; and “Started a horse, or the fractional equivalents of one horse, at a track in Washington with which the Association has a current contract a minimum of five (5) times in each of the two years immediately preceding the date of his or her nomination;” you are eligible to run for the Washington HBPA board of directors. Previous directors who fulfill these requirements for (3) calendar years are eligible to run for president. Members should expect to receive their ballots by September 9. To ensure that you receive your election materials, it is imperative that the Washington HBPA has your correct address, so please make any corrections to your contact information as soon as possible. www.nationalhbpa.com

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If you have any questions regarding the election, please contact the office at (253) 804-6822 or by emailing contactus@whbpa.com.

Duane Hamamura

thRillinG niGht FoR VEtERan tRainER It is not often that the Washington HBPA reports a “hat trick” night for member trainers, but trainer Don Munger and jockey Leonel Camacho-Flores stole the show on Friday night, April 27 at Don Munger Emerald Downs. Jockey agent Keith Drebin said it best when he commented that he doubted that anyone in the stable area was not rooting for Wild Hoss in the feature race that night. Truly, everyone was excited to experience the 88-year-old Don Munger’s and the 28-year-old Leonel Camacho-Flores’ thriller as they teamed up for three longshot winners on the seven-race card. They swept the early daily double with White River and Mt Peak and later capped their big evening when Wild Hoss rallied for a 7-to-1 upset in the feature race for three-year-old Washington-breds. In fact, all three Don Munger horses were Washington-breds, and we are talking true homebreds – bred, raised, and owned by Munger and his wife, Wanda, and all three sired by their stallion, Nacheezmo, who also stands at the Munger Farm in Enumclaw, Washington. “It’s only the second time in my life I’ve won three races in one day,” said Munger, whose involvement with Thoroughbreds spans over a half-century. Munger and Camacho-Flores continued their torrid streak the following weekend, combining to win with five of their last seven starters. The veteran trainer and breeder’s success is met with respect from his peers, many of whom he helped along the way. Instead of the usual questioning of trainers who win at high percentages, fellow horsemen and women are saying, “This is what makes horse racing fun.” SiEtE DE maYo cElEbRation Last year, the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration took a hiatus because the fifth of May fell on a race day. The Washington HBPA staff heard from many disappointed fans of what has become an annual event for the association. 62

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This year, the fifth of May fell on a Saturday race day, but Mackenzie Noble of the Backstretch ClubHouse Learning Center and the Washington HBPA’s Lanna Allen decided to move the party to Monday, May 7 and call it Siete de Mayo. The holiday of Cinco de Mayo honors the defeat of the French army by the Mexican militia at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. The victory, by the outnumbered and less equipped underdogs, demonstrated to the entire world that the people of Mexico were willing to defend themselves from foreign invasion. The “Batalla de Pueba” is a battle that has become a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism. This year’s party at Emerald Downs marks the eigth year our racing community has commemorated the “Batalla de Pueba.” Started in 2003 by the Washington HBPA, the Cinco de Mayo dinner dance was seen as a way to honor and share the culture of a population that contributes so much to the Washington Thoroughbred industry. The event has also been used as a fundraiser, and this year’s proceeds benefited the Backstretch ClubHouse. Moving the event to the May 7 might be the reason this year’s attendance was lighter than in years past. Those that did attend found a very festive, family-oriented event with a meal well worth the price of admission. The Emerald Downs chef created a buffet filled with Mexican delicacies – everything from chicken verde to scrumptious tamales, along with a plethora of fabulous desserts. Emerald Downs is to be commended for its continued support and sponsorship of the dinner. Special thanks go to Bob Frasier and the Emerald Downs kitchen and waitstaff, who always seem to go beyond the call of duty when helping with an Washington HBPA event. Also to be commended are trainers Larry Pierce and Dan Markle for attending an event that honors the heritage of those that contribute so much to the trainers’ racing success. Without volunteers, the event, which has become one of the premier family gatherings for Emerald Downs stable employees and their families, would not be possible. In addition to Lanna and Mackenzie, we would like to acknowledge Luis Romo, Haley O’Connell, Cass Wendall, Beverly and Don Turner, and Celeste Brady for their contributions to a successful and fun night.

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adver

tising

fall deadline 2012

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friday ,

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rese rvaTi augu ons: st 3, 2 ad m aTer 0 1 2 ials due: wedn esday , aug ust 8, 2012

for more informaTion or To reserve space, call The horsemen’s Journal adverTisinG deparTmenT aT {512.225.4483} {adverTisinG@hbpa.orG} www.nationalhbpa.com

By richard e. glover, Jr. Editor

BEyond thE WirE

aLL good things must Come to an end

There is a beauty and allure to horses running down a stretch, straining for the finish line. Whether it is a battle through the last stride, a comfortable win, or an overpowering performance, the magnificence of racehorses in full flight giving all that they can is quite simply one of the most gorgeous things in all of sports. As a teenager, it is that beauty that reeled me in and hooked me on the sport of horse racing. I always say that I can point to two minutes and twentyeighty and one-fifth seconds that changed the course my life – it was watching Conquistador Cielo running the 1982 Belmont Stakes (Gr. I) field into the ground for a breathtaking 14-length triumph over that year’s Kentucky Derby (Gr. I) winner, Gato del Sol. During those years, collecting horse racing magazines such as Turf & Sport Digest, The Blood-Horse, and The Thoroughbred Record (now Thoroughbred Times) and learning about breeding and racing was to me what baseball cards are to a lot of people growing up. Couple that with my parents taking us on a family trip to Kentucky, where I was able to meet some of my favorites like Conquistador Cielo, Secretariat, Slew o’ Gold, Damascus, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Nijinsky II and others, and I became bound and determined to become part of the horse racing industry – even if I was living in Texas, where we still had no pari-mutuel racing at the time. It took a lot of years to find my way into the sport I loved, but after starting to write some freelance racing columns in the mid-1990s for fun, it all started to come together. ABC Sports on America Online hired me to write and host online chats about horse racing, and the doors began to open. Finally, in 1997, I got my chance to move full-time into racing, working in the media relations department at Lone Star Park the year that Texas track opened for business. Helping launch a major league sporting venue was exhilarating, as was the feeling that I was finally home the first time I walked into the still-underconstruction Lone Star Park press box and looked down at the track. Having been born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, it was hard to believe that a worldclass track was finally opening in the area and that I was a part of it. It was at Lone Star Park where, for the first time, I really got the opportunity to get to know a lot of horsemen and horsewomen on a personal basis. Just like the horses and the sport, I quickly fell in love with the odd, often dysfunctional family that comprises life in the stable area of any racetrack. I loved nothing more than the mornings at the track talking to the people and watching the horses work out, and the mornings are still my favorite time at any racetrack. Lone Star Park is also the place where I really started to understand the inner workings of horse racing as a business instead of just a sport. One of the stewards with whom I worked at Lone Star Park, Dave Hooper, accepted the position of executive director at the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) late that year, and he offered me the opportunity to come to work for him as the editor of the association’s magazine, The Texas Thoroughbred. Since my work at Lone Star Park was seasonal and there would be no racing between the end of November and the following April, I made the decision to move to Austin and try my hand at publishing. Dave had inherited a mess at the TTA – including a magazine in disarray – and we and the rest of the small but talented TTA staff had our work cut out for us turning things around. There’s nothing like baptism by fire, and those long days and nights at the TTA taught me a great deal about nearly every aspect of magazine publishing. After a year at the TTA, Tommy Azopardi from the Texas Horsemen’s Partnership approached me on behalf of the National HBPA about putting

hJ summer

together a proposal to take over the organization’s magazine – another publication in disarray. It’s hard to believe that it has been almost 14 years since the National HBPA asked me assume control of The Horsemen’s Journal. At the time, I had no idea how much the magazine and the horsemen and horsewomen for which it exists would come to mean to me. Nevertheless, I have made the hard decision that it is time for me to leave the National HBPA to pursue other opportunities. While I will no longer be the director of communications for the National HBPA, I will always be part of the odd, often dysfunctional family that is the horsemen and horsewomen that make up our sport, and I will always want the best for the horses and people who give their hearts and souls to get to each and every one of those finish lines. As I sit here now about to embark on the next chapter of my professional career, it is impossible not to reflect back on some of the people and events that made my time as part of the HBPA meaningful and worthwhile. There is no way The Horsemen’s Journal would have survived in tough economic times without the incredibly hard work done by each of the magazine’s advertising directors over my tenure. Thank you, Jennifer Vanier Allen, Sandy Erreguin, Elizabeth “Sam” Garza, and Dinah Lovett for always being willing to go well beyond your job title and do so many invaluable things for me, the National HBPA, and its members. There were also so many people involved with the HBPA that deserve thanks both for their friendship and their efforts on behalf of both the organization and The Horsemen’s Journal. First, there are all the men who have served over the years on the Horsemen’s Journal Committee. There were the National HBPA staff members who were invaluable as resources and friends over the years like Laura Plato, Christine Kelley, Caroline Koye, Rhonda Denham, and Melanie Hopkins. There is the unbelievably talented staff at Limb Design (especially Elise DeSilva and Linda Limb), who make sure the magazine is always beautiful, Dan Steinborn at Printglobe and Jeremy Teeter and Matt Saddler at Democrat Printing, and the many writers and photographers who have contributed over the years (I have to give a special thanks to the incomparable Barbara Livingston and Melissa Sykes). And there were so many people from so many HBPA affiliates over the years that meant so much personally and professionally that I don’t want to name them specifically because I would undoubtedly leave someone deserving out. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t say a special thank you to Tommy Azopardi, Bill and Janis Walmsley, Larry Hillis, Kent Stirling, and John and Kaki Roark for your support and guidance over the years – I learned a great deal from you all. And I have to thank Loretta Brennan, Linda “Sparky” Gaston, and the whole gang at the Arkansas HBPA for always treating me like family – I love you guys. Thank you to the sponsors and advertisers who support the National HBPA and its programs, including The Horsemen’s Journal. Without your support, I couldn’t have done what I’ve done for the last 13 ½ years. I hope we’ve been able to provide you with ample value in return for your investment in us. Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you HBPA members. Thank you for reading our magazine, thank you for telling us when you agreed or disagreed with what we printed, and thank you for your steadfast support of our sponsors and advertisers. It has been my pleasure to work for you over the last several years, and I wish only the best for you all in the future.

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