European Trainer - Winter 2010 - Issue 32

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European Trainer ISSUE 32 – WINTER 2010

European

ISSUE 32 – WINTER 2010 £5.95

www.trainermagazine.com

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOROUGHBRED

ENDO BOTTI

Irish Racing

The effects of the current economic climate

Bone Bruising Challenges of diagnosing the condition Publishing Ltd

International Races

Should runners be medication free in preceding races?

“Prize-money should be redistributed over fewer but better races”

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Have courage in our convictions Giles Anderson

Many pages have been written this autumn in the British racing press on the following two subjects: 1. The positioning and worth of a Champions’ Day fixture at Ascot in October; and 2. The declining amount of levy generated by the betting industr y.

Personally, I can see the benefits of having a Championship meeting in the UK but I have to ask whether British racing can afford to run one fixture at a seven-figure loss for two years.

Haven’t we got a championship meeting in the UK already? It happens to be r un at Ascot in June over five days and is tr uly world-class iconic racing!

But wait, haven’t we been here already? Wasn’t it just a few years ago that we had “The Festival of British Racing” run at Ascot in September?

For me the Champions’ Day debate is really a bit of a sideshow in comparison to the way British racing is funded. This is the subject that should be drawing everyone professionally involved in our sport together. We can have all the Champions’ Days we want but if there is no firm financial footing for the sport there will simply be no point.

I’ve long admired Ferdy Murphy both as a trainer and as one of life’s characters. He wrote a very well thought out argument in the Racing Post on November 7th in which came up with some good conclusions as to ways racing should be financed. For some time, I’ve held exactly the same view as he puts forward about a rights payment based on races shown.

The precedence for this is the current BAGS agreement, where racecourses receive money from the bookmaker on the type of racing that is staged and the number of runners per race. If it has achieved one thing over the last few years, that is to determine the type of product that is now making up day-to-day betting shop fodder.

But racing now needs to take back control of its destiny. If the bookmakers can’t afford to show the racing they want at the price we want to set for it then we need to be strong enough to say “no.” We can take courage from trials in America at tracks like Monmouth Park, which managed this year to increase betting turnover by 123% on 50% fewer days of racing. And from the French system where there are, on average, two PMU fixtures per day. And from Hong Kong, where they race twice a week, or from Japan where there are two racing systems in place – a major racing circuit and a minor one.

'The one thing in common with all these venues is that quality racing is run for what racing can afford.

For the future, racing and bookmakers need to work together. It’s that simple. Racing provides bookmakers a market to bet on its product and needs to be rewarded. Bookmakers give racing a great high street presence and need a quality product. Working in harmony great things can be achieved. Working apart great opportunities will be destroyed. I If you want racing to receive a fair return from bookmakers, please sign the Levy Campaign Charter.

Go to www.racingunited.co.uk ISSUE 32 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 01

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Chairman’s message

CRIQUETTE HEAD 2010 has really been an exceptional vintage for racing and we have been fortunate to see some exceptional horses. Goldikova has been fantastic for racing on all levels and I applaud the spor ting decision of the Wertheimer Brothers to keep her in training.

O

NCE a mare has successfully made the transition from three to four years old, there is not so much risk to keep racing her until the age of five or six, and this is easier than with an entire male.

Six years old is still young for a thoroughbred as a horse does not reach maturity until the age of five. Freddy has done a magnificent job so far with Goldikova and he will judge how long she is fit and well to run. It is the dream of any trainer or owner to have a horse like Goldikova in their stable, and she has kept this dream alive which is wonderful for our sport.

We witnessed an excellent Breeders’ Cup this year with two great mares and Zenyatta remains a champion in my opinion despite her defeat. It is rare that we have the opportunity of seeing two such high-quality mares, and throughout the year we have been lucky to watch some extraordinarily talented and robust horses, headed by the likes of Frankel and Workforce.

Outside the highs on the racetrack itself, the year has not been easy. Economic difficulties still affect the worldwide community and so it was to be expected that sales figures were in decline. This was made even more difficult by the fact that this year’s yearlings were conceived when nominations were at their most expensive, but leaves hope for the future as covering fees have since decreased and should help to regularise the market.

In France, our betting market has been opened during 2010. Even though the market is restricted, I remain extremely vigilant towards this move as since the opening laws have not been respected. I believe that bookmakers are dangerous for racing and it is very hard to regulate their activity. Looking at other countries, even such as England and Ireland, bookmakers have done a deal of harm to racing and the French system is currently the envy of the world as we are the only ones able to keep our heads above water financially.

Looking back on the sporting season, the angels were smiling down on me with

Special Duty during the month of May, then we saw champions such as Makfi and Paco Boy who has been so tough. Henry Cecil did not have such a good start to the year but I was delighted to see him enjoy la vie en rose later in the season with Frankel and Twice Over. Alain de Royer Dupré deserves huge congratulations for his mastery in winning the Melbourne Cup with Americain. I know this family well as I trained the dam and the horse has made huge progress and I believe will be a force to be reckoned with at the top level next year.

The Melbourne Cup is THE race to win in Australia and one of the major competitions around the world so it is a marvellous accomplishment for the French to win the race for the first time. In all, the French have had a wonderful year, proving to be great ambassadors for the country in winning some of the top contests abroad.

I would like to conclude by congratulating all trainers for their successes during the year, at whatever level. This is what we rise and work for each day and I hope that successes continue in 2011. I

“The Melbourne Cup is THE race to win in Australia and one of the major competitions around the world so it is a marvellous accomplishment for the French to win the race for the first time” 02 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 32

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CONTENTS ISSUE 32

10 TRM Trainer of the Quarter Goldikova’s trainer Freddy Head.

12 Endo Botti

The trainer and former jockey speaks out about the industry in his native Italy, by Niki Luciani.

18 Bone Bruising

Stacey Oke discusses bone bruising, which affects many horses in training.

24 Medication

Geir Stabell gives his opinion on the fairness surrounding the usage of medication in international racing.

28 Hans Adielsson

The highly respected Swedish champion trainer embarks on a new phase in his career, training from a British base, by Geir Stabell.

34 Vitamin K

Catherine Dunnett reminds us about the importance of the forgotten vitamin.

12

40 Irish Racing

Lissa Oliver looks at the impact the economy has had on Irish Racing.

46 Kinesio Taping

Ken Snyder learns about the cutting-edge art of Kinesio tape from equine practitioner Nancy Brennan.

52 Readers View

Jim Chiapetta questions the logic behind banning nasal strips in European Racing.

56 Overtraining

Three potential causes for a racehorse’s exhaustion are overtraining, overreaching, and chronic fatigue syndrome, as explained

by Dr David Marlin.

60 Product Focus 66 Stakes Schedules

Forthcoming stakes races from Europe and around the world.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Publisher & Editorial Director Giles Anderson Assistant Editors Frances Karon, Lucy Smith Design/Production Neil Randon Advertising Sales Giles Anderson Circulation Pippa Anderson Photo Credits

Uppstrom/SRB, Galoppfoto, Horsephotos, Stefano Grasso, Healy Racing, Caroline Nor ris, James Tate, Geir Stabell, Fiona Boyd, Shutterstock

Cover Photograph Stefano Grasso

Trainer Magazine is published by Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd. This magazine is distributed for free to all ETF members. Editorial views expressed are not necessarily those of the ETF. Additional copies can be purchased for ÂŁ5.95 (ex P+P). No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the European Union For all editorial and adver tising enquiries please contact Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd Tel: +44 (0)1380 816777 Fax: +44 (0)1380 816778 email: info@trainermagazine.com www.trainermagazine.com

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Dr Catherine Dunnett BSc, PhD, R.Nutr. is an independent nutritionist registered with the British Nutrition Society. She has a background in equine research, in the field of nutrition and exercise physiology, with many years spent at The Animal Health Trust in Newmarket. Prior to setting up her own consultancy business, she worked in the equine feed industr y on product development and technical marketing.

Niki Luciani completed an MA Hons degree at Edinburgh University and successfully qualified as a BHSAI before working for British dual purpose stud Scarvagh House, looking after European and South American markets with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and then moving to France to work for the Aga Khan Studs.

Now based in Italy, motherhood and the demands of keeping the Luciani family breeding operation running smoothly have put an end to her globetrotting days.

Dr David Marlin is a specialist in exercise physiology, thermoregulation, transport, and respiratory physiology. He has authored over 170 scientific papers and book chapters, and Equine Exercise Physiology. Marlin is International Board Chairman of the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology, editor of Comparative Exercise Physiology, and holds visiting Professor positions at the Universities of Bristol, Nottingham, and Oklahoma State. He works as a consultant to the racing industr y, the British Equestrian Teams, the FEI, and the Inter national League for the Protection of Horses.

Dr. Stacey Oke is a licensed veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. In addition to writing for various horse publications, she also contributes to scientific journals, is an editor of an internationally-recognized, peer-reviewed journal, creates continuing education materials for both human and veterinar y medicine, and conducts biomedical research studies.

Lissa Oliver lives in Co Kildare, Ireland and is a regular contributor to The Irish Field and the A ustralian magazine, Racetrack. Lissa is also the author of several collections of short stories and two novels.

Ken Snyder is a Louisville, Kentucky based freelance writer.

He is a regular contributor to several other racing publications, a feature writer and essayist for some non-racing magazines, and an advertising marketing writer, as well.

Geir Stabell, founder and Editor of Globeform has worked with many leading publications which include; The Sporting Life, Paris-Turf, Blood-Horse, Racing World, Ridsport and the Irish Field. He was also international handicapper to the Racing Post for seven years,where he introduced European style ratings in North America, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. He has also worked as a TV presenter & exper t guest in Scandinavia and USA.

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EUROPEAN TRAINERS’ FEDERATION AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the ETF:

a) To represent the interests of all member trainers’ associations in 3Europe. b) To liaise with political and administrative bodies on behalf of European trainers. c) To exchange information between members for the benefit of European trainers. d) To provide a network of contacts to assist each member to develop its policy and services to member trainers.

ETF REPRESENTATIVES Chairmanship:

Criquette Head-Maarek Association des Entraineurs de Galop 18 bis Avenue du Général Leclerc 60501 Chantilly FRANCE Tel: + 33 (0)3 44 57 25 39 Fax: + 33(0)3 44 57 58 85 Email: entraineurs.de.galop@wanadoo.fr

Vice Chairmanship:

Max Hennau FEDERATION BELGE DES ENTRAINEURS Rue des Carrieres 35 5032 - Les Isnes BELGIUM Tel: Fax: +32 (0)81 56 68 46 Email: max.hennau@mobistarmail.be

GERMANY

Vice Chairmanship:

Jim Kavanagh IRISH RACEHORSE TRAINERS ASSOCIATION Curragh House-Dublin Road Kildare-Co.Kildare IRELAND Tel: +353 (0) 45 522981 Fax: + 353 (0) 45 522982 Mobile: + 353(0)87 2588770 Email: irishrta@eircom.net www.irta.ie

SPAIN

NORWAY

Erika Mäder Jentgesallee 19 47799 Krefeld Tel: +49 (0)2151 594911 Fax: +49 (0)2151 590542 Mobile: +49 (0)173 8952675 Email: trainer-und-jockeys@netcologne.de

Mauricio Delcher Sanchez AZAFRAN, 5- 3ºM MAJADAHONDA 28022 Madrid Spain Tel: +34 (0)666 53 51 52 Email: mdelcher@hotmail.com

CZECH REPUBLIC

UNITED KINGDOM

Jan Demele CZECH JOCKEYS AND TRAINERS ASSOCIATION Radotinska 69 Praha 5-Velka Chuchle 150 00 Contact: Roman Vitek Mobile: +42 (0)606620591 Email: drvitek@email.cz

Rupert Arnold NATIONAL TRAINERS’ FEDERATION 9 High Street - Lambourn - Hungerford Berkshire RG17 8XN Tel: +44 (0)1488 71719 Fax: +44 (0)1488 73005 www.racehorsetrainers.org

ITALY

Ovidio Pessi U.N.A.G. Via Montale, 9 20151 Milano milano@unag.it paolapezzotti@libero.it tel. +39 02 48205006 mobile: +39 348 31 33 828

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Treasureship:

Maria Lamm Dåntorp, 136 50 Haninge Sweden Tel: +46 (0)8500 20938 Fax: +46 (0)8500 25250 Mobile: +46 (0)70 7560 769 Email: ml@marialamm.se

Sven-Erik Lilja Eventyrveien 8, 1482 Nittedal Norway Tel: +47 (0) 67 07 14 12 Mobile: +47 (0) 91 12 88 96 Email: svelilja@nokab.no

SWEDEN

Fredrik Reuterskiöld Swedish Trainers Association South Notarp 3228 S-243 92 Hoor Tel: +46 (0)413 55 00 65 Fax: +46 (0)413 55 04 95 Mobile: +46 (0)70 731 26 39 Mr Claes Björling Swedish Trainers Association North Karlaplan 10 115 20 Stockholm Sweden Mail: worldracing@hotmail.com Tel: +46 (0)8 662 46 79 Mobile: +46 (0)708 756 756

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TENDONS

Racehorses presenting with tendon problems have historically been the nemesis of veterinarians and trainers alike.

Many treatment methods have been tried; in some cases tested and mostly fallen by the way side.

Possibly the reason for so many false dawns in the search for a reliable treatment for tendon trauma/pathology is that many of them do not take into account the healing and metabolic processes that occur naturally. Instead, it could be argued that human intervention causes as many, if not more, problems than solutions.

For example, it is understood by clinicians [human and animal] that disorganised scar tissue present in a highly organised structure such as a tendon tissue matrix will disrupt the ordered architecture to the detriment of the functional capacity of the tendon, yet some treatments ignore this.

Harvesting stems cells to use to inject into tendons; counter productive?

I am a long way from being convinced of the repeatable efficacy of any treatment procedure that injects any substance into the tendon, a structure which comprises of a complex functional architecture.

The vogue for injecting substances such as platelet rich plasma (PRP), stems cells and even cells taken from pig bladder, I believe could be counter productive and may well do more damage than good.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TENDONOLOGY’S TENDON TREATMENTS www.tendonology.com Tel: 0844 879 3374 Mobile: 07718 539910 FOR A WELL THOUGHT OUT AND SENSIBLE TREATMENT OPTION

Tendons have a higherarchical structural arrangement and small areas of damage within the tissue architecture can remain undetected until it has reached a significant critical mass

Tendons Injury: The role of exercise rehabilitation in the treatment process

by Dr David Chapman-Jones

The role of exercise in the treatment process In my opinion, there is no doubt that a structured exercise programme can significantly improve the prognosis of a racehorse with a tendon injury.

I believe that a rehabilitation programme should be based upon principles used extensively in human medicine where the general philosophy adopted in musculoskeletal practise is one where mobilisation (movement) is preferential to immobilisation. This is particularly important in the remodeling phase of tissue replacement. Methods used can be walking in hand, under saddle and when appropriate over a variety of terrains and gradients, eccentric proprioceptive stretching and basic schooling work where the horse’s body is treated as a whole entity rather than concentrating on the injury in isolation.

Unless the tendon injury is very severe I would not follow a regime of sustained period of b ox rest. I would not advocate the use a circular horse walker but in preference horses should walked in hand, preferably in a straight line or using a treadmill. This will reduce the torsional stress on the developing fibrillar collagen matrix during the remodeling phase of tissue.

The key elements to a sensible rehabilitation programme are:

Consistency & repetition: little and often

Treating the body as a whole

Good shoeing; keep the toe short and use a shoe with plenty of lateral and heel support

Avoiding aggravating external factors such as uneven surfaces for example deep sand-based surfaces, small diameter automatic horsewalkers (less than 15m).

Ensuring that any increase in the level of exercise in terms of frequency, intensity or duration, is taken in a stepwise incremental manner

A variety of exercise types help to make up a good rehabilitation

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Freddy Head (right of centre) with Goldikova after her third Breeders’ Cup Mile victory

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by F reddy Head. Head and his team will receive a selection of products from the internationally -acclaimed range of TRM supplements worth €2,000, as well as a bottle of select Irish whiskey .

TRM Trainer of the Quarter

FREDDY HEAD

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HEN Freddy Head hung up his riding boots in 1997 with six French jockeys’ championships, four Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes and a trifling ten Group 1 wins aboard Miesque to his name, one could be forgiven for believing that he would be hard pushed to do as well in his new career as a trainer.

True, he has yet to top the trainers’ table or win one Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, never mind four, but Freddy Head has now established himself as one of the very best professionals in France and beyond. 2008 was the year when the former jockey really showed for the first time what he could do when given the right ammunition.

Popular grey sprinter Marchand d’Or had already lifted a pair of Gr 1 Prix Maurice de Gheests at Deauville and he secured the hat-trick in Europe’s longest sprint in August 2008, a month during which Freddy Head walked on water at the Normandy track. His Tamayuz took the Gr 1 Prix Jacques le Marois and Goldikova came of age with a first top-level victory in

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the Prix Rothschild, while the only disappointment came from Naaqoos who was “only” fifth in the Prix Morny before redeeming himself in the Gr 1 Prix JeanLuc Lagardère on Arc day. Head recorded his best-ever position in the French trainers’ standings in 2008, finishing fourth with just under €3 million in earnings, while two of his biggest wins of the year came abroad, in the July Cup and Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Since then, Goldikova has gone from strength to strength, breaking records and entering the history books. Her success could not have been achieved without the patient and modest handling of her mentor, who always humbly acknowledges “I have been extremely lucky to be associated with two such great mares as Miesque and Goldikova.”

But more often than not, good luck is created rather than simply stumbled across and this certainly looks the case for Goldikova, who has demonstrated her stubbornness behind the starting stalls on several occasions and is not known for her lovable and kind nature in the stable. That

she has raced against the very best for over four seasons, without ever looking over the top or in danger of turning sour is a great credit to Freddy Head who has managed her targets with finesse. He has been rewarded by a dozen Group 1 wins and a place in racing lore and has taken great pleasure in sharing his exceptional mare with the racing public. Always ready to respond to a journalist’s microphone, in his native French or a perfect English, Freddy Head realises the importance of his mare’s superstar status to the racing industry as a whole. He is open and approachable towards the media and invariably quick to deflect any praise aimed at himself firmly back towards Goldikova.

The news that Goldikova would remain in training in 2011 at age six was beyond the wildest dreams of most fans, yet this was the sporting decision taken by Freddy Head and the Wertheimer Brothers. One thing is certain, Goldikova’s 2011 campaign will be perfectly tailored to suit the mare’s needs and the public will be politely informed of her well-being in the run-up to a fourth Breeders’ Cup Mile. I

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PROFILE

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ENDO BOTTI

ENDO BOTTI Focusing on the big picture

Having enjoyed success on the world stage as a jockey, Endo Botti took time out at the SGA Y earling sales in Milan to discuss his hopes and fears as a trainer and the future of Italian racing. B y Niki Luciani

H

ERE is an ambitious trainer in his thirties, familiar with the winner’s enclosures at major international Group 1 fixtures as far afield as Hong Kong as a jockey – thanks to the exploits of Ramonti and Electrocutionist – and determined to return to them one day as a trainer.

Meet Endo Botti of the famous Botti racing dynasty, pristine white shirt tucked into neat blue jeans on a tall slender frame which, after years of battling with the scales, has now been allowed to fill out slightly. Intense hazel eyes burn out from

under thick dark eyebrows.

“As a jockey I was able to get off the horse, shower, change, and unwind, knowing that I’d get a cheque for riding the horse,” he says. “As a trainer, especially for a perfectionist like me, it is impossible to switch off, and now the bigger picture concerns me greatly. Where is racing going and who is taking it there?”

Father Giuseppe, never short of an opinion or two, walks past, then pulls up a chair as the conversation turns to the sales results. The lack of new money coming into the sport in the context of new Italian buyers

at the sale, the various sales races and bonus schemes, and racing funding itself from within are all discussed, but what urgently needs fixing from outside the most?

“Let’s put it this way,” chips in Endo.

“Elsewhere, those who play by the rules and work properly within the system gain their just rewards, and stiff penalties are meted out to those who don’t. The decent owner, the honest trainer – they don’t get treated any differently here to those who abuse the rulebook. The playing field is not level.”

We all look at each other. Endo continues: “No one comes out and says these things.

But it’s time they were said. I am a young trainer with horses of the calibre of Jakkalberry in my yard and loyal owners who I want only the best for. But we are not supported properly by the very state structures whose job it is to govern the sport.

Stability, security, firmness, fairness, this is what our industry needs. ”

Attention to detail: Botti at the SGA Sales

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PROFILE

The Bottis: (from left to right) Giuseppe, Endo, Stefano and Alduino Botti

Jakkalberry (by Storming Home ex Claba di San Jore) carried insurance broker Felice Villa’s navy-and-yellow-check colours to victory in the Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano for Botti in June, less than two years after he took out his trainer’s license.

Jakkalberry also scored a third in last year’s Italian Derby (Group 2), a race in which Botti had piloted that colt’s half-brother Awelmarduk (Almutawakel) to victory in 2007. He also guided world champions Electrocutionist and Ramonti to Group 1 glory around the globe.

Bottis have judiciously covered Jakkalberry’s dam Claba di San Jore, a daughter of Barathea, with less-fashionable sires to produce a Classic winner, a Group 1 winner, and the highly talented Prix NielGr.2 third Kidnapping (Intikhab) so far.

There is much talk of her Shamardal colt, Crackerjack King (who made an impressive winning debut in October and has since won the Listed Premio Campobello – not, however, trained by Botti). The mare has since visited Cape Cross and Dalakhani, so there is undoubtedly more to look forward to.

As a granddaughter of Crodas (Shirley Heights), Claba di San Jore hails from one of the most consistent black-type producing families in modern breeding. Not many people outside of Italy know that the Bottis also have a stud farm, Razza del Velino – a successful sales consigning unit in its own

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“It has taken me a while to build up a good team around me but I think now I have the right balance of people in my yard” right – which they set up a decade ago and breed under the name Allevamento Deni.

While his cousin Marco set up a successful training operation in Newmarket, and brother Alessandro oversees the French arm of the Botti dynasty in Chantilly, Botti decided to stay in Italy.

“Firstly, two of Italy’s leading owners, Felice Villa and Franco Polidori, immediately sent me some decent horses to train,” Botti says. “I think you have to seize Lady Luck when she comes your way.

“They had faith in me from the word go and it was a major head start to not have to go out looking for horses to fill my boxes.

“I already had a great set-up with my partner Cristiana [Brivio Sforza] and to leave such security and head off on an adventure to start from scratch in another country at my age seemed madness.

“Finally I am not afraid of sacrifice, hard work, and a challenge, and so…here I am!”

As a jockey he was known for his steely reserve in the saddle but freely admits to being the exact opposite in the run-up to a big race. “I do still ride important pieces of work myself,” he says. “I worry, hope, pray the night before that the horse in question confirms my opinion of him the next morning on the gallops; is my instinct right about where he is mentally and physically or have I missed something.

“In fact, the daily task I struggle with most as a trainer is the morning work lists – I spend ages over them every evening. It has taken me a while to build up a good team around me but I think now I have the right balance of people in my yard. The veterinary work is well organised which alleviates a lot of stress, I have a trustworthy right hand and, of course, in Cristiana the best right hand woman.

“A trainer needs to be as much a people person as a horseman. If I rode a bad race as a jockey I could watch a replay of the race and learn my lessons from it. If I have a bad day as a trainer, or go through a bad patch of form, it can be difficult to pinpoint what is going wrong.”

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ENDO BOTTI

And if he could throw it all up in the air? “I rode for Bill Mott in America and would love to have gone back to him to be an assistant trainer for a while, or else to have done a more traditional ‘apprenticeship’ with one of the all-time greats like Sir Michael Stoute, Henry Cecil, André Fabre, Alain du Royer Dupré – before setting up my own operation as it is now.”

Two green Razza Latina pens are neatly clipped onto his red catalogue cover, side-by-side, and his mobile phone sits aligned at right angles with them on top of the catalogue. Botti is neat, precise and measured in everything he does, absolutely not the type to sport a dog-eared catalogue stuffed with carbon-copy sales slips or be overheard arguing heatedly over an espresso with colleagues.

He stares down at the pens as if to allow his mind a split second to think “what if…?” and then explains Brivio Sforza’s role in his life. Giuseppe allows himself a few wedding date/grandfather-type quips and then excuses himself to go off and find brother Alduino, the other half of the ‘Dioscuri’ training partnership that has for decades been at the very top of the game, and with whom Alduino’s son Stefano also now collaborates closely. “[Cristiana] is the force behind the Razza Latina stud,” Botti explains, “A leading consignor – year in, year out – at the SGA sale under the name S.A.R.L. She raised the young Electrocutionist in her paddocks only for him to pass through the ring unsold, be subsequently purchased by Earle Mack, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It is clear that Botti’s partner plays a vital role in keeping the wheels of the operation im motion. “From the start of August onwards, Cristiana is more absorbed in preparing her draft of yearlings for the sales,’ Botti explains.

“Otherwise, she follows all the veterinary work, the feeding programmes, and the administration for the racing stables, leaving my head free to concentrate on training the horses.

“To have the magnificent facilities of San Rossore [Pisa] on our doorstep but yet have our own private selfcontained base from which to operate is the perfect set-up, with 50 boxes and a 900-metre wood bark training track we can concentrate on quality not quantity.”

With Marco in England, Alessandro in France, and Stefano in Italy like himself, the Bottis inevitably have made comparisons between each country’s racing industries. The general view is that Italy has the potential, but it remains unfulfilled. “Racing in England, Ireland and France seems to have maintained its allure as the sport of kings. What few owners are left in Italian racing are in it purely because they are passionate about their horses and about the game. In France the system is excellent, and while in Italy there is a similar tiered structure of breeder and owner premiums, there is no PMU to replenish the coffers and no leadership within UNIRE, the equivalent of France Galop.”

He agrees that Italy punches little weight when it comes to shaking out the European Pattern Calendar each year, given the

“We have got our owners used to buying low-grade horses for what they cost to produce, or less, to run countless times in similar company”

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PROFILE

changes that England and France have been able to make to their programmes.

There is only one Group 1 for two-yearolds in Italy – the Gran Criterium. There are no Group 2 races, only one Group 3 before the end of the summer season – the Primi Passi, and only one Group 3 restricted to fillies – the Dormello.

“The programme for good juveniles in Italy is weak, of that there is no doubt,” Botti admits. “There are plenty of maiden and conditions races, but a horse ready to run at Group level needs to look abroad for opportunities, and France being closest distance-wise is where we tend to seek our black type.

“There should be more emphasis on quality and less on quantity. Prize money should be redistributed over fewer but better races. Comparing average prize money per runner, we sit roughly midway between English and French levels at present.

“Unfortunately, we have educated our betting public badly. They don’t notice whether they’re betting on a low-grade handicap or a Group 2, they’re just interested in the price. Their passion is not for the quality of the race they’re watching, but the value of the bet. In England, I notice they market the event, the day out, the spectacle, the race – they attempt to give racing its due cultural context.”

Asked whether he would lower the €814,000 prize money for the Derby, now it has been downgraded and shortened in distance, Botti is emphatic.

“No,” Botti reverts to his quality versus quantity argument. “I would sooner cut out the bottom 10% of races and redistribute that money. It is important that our Derby Italiano maintains its value. Its form lines have remained solid and this year’s winner Worthadd is a case in point.

“It does stand up as a race, but its position in the European Calendar is just one of many weaknesses with the Italian programme that need to be overcome and that cannot be resolved as isolated cases.

“Ask any trainer whether he’d rather win a Group 2 in Italy or a Group 2 in France and they won’t have to think for too long before they give you an answer. We will struggle to attract foreign runners to boost the average ratings of our Group races for as long as a horse of the calibre of Rip Van Winkle has nothing to gain by coming here to win one of the Group 1s for older horses.”

Botti believes the lower ceiling on the Italian yearling market (the select session’s top price was €190,000 for a Dubawi colt out of Group 3 winner Kathy College) has made it challenging for trainers to maintain existing owners at a certain level and attract new owners. “We unfortunately seem to have got our owners used to buying lowgrade horses for what they cost to produce, or less,” Botti says, “to run countless times in similar company and accumulate prize money by small increments.

“In England, despite the cuts in prizemoney, a decent maiden winner can be resold at a profit and its true market value realised. This market has all but disappeared in Italy.

“Many Italians have already been in Fairyhouse this week buying up the €10,000 and under yearling to bring back here and run in the belief that – even though they will forfeit all the premiums – they will have a tougher racehorse or a better class of horse.

“It has to be said that the middle market at the select session held up much better than anticipated. There seemed to be more buyers this year for the €20,000-to-€50,000 horse – which is very encouraging – but there are few owners left in Italy prepared to

Botti with his partner, Cristiana Brivio Sforza, at San Siro racetrack

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exceed this price, and I didn’t notice any significant new buyers at the sale.”

The inevitable question to ask is whether the breeder and owner premiums are working. Botti believes they are.

“They allow breeders here to use stallions abroad that otherwise would financially be beyond the means of all but the biggest Italian breeders.

“They are in that we are not short of homebred champions – Electrocutionist, Rakti, Falbrav, Rip Van Winkle, Amadeus Wolf, Joanna, Pressing, Lui Rei, Vol de Nuit, Noll Wallop, Altieri, Distant Way. “They are if you consider it is all a numbers game, and for a country with a broodmare population of barely 3,000, we produce all of this and more, albeit without the ITY suffix because of where our best mares go for foaling and covering.

Botti is of the view that the owner incentives and prize money in Italy – when set against training costs – compare favourably with other countries.

“A 100% premium on top of the actual prize money won for an Italian-bred horse that wins a Group 1 is a massive bonus,” he says. “They are working if you consider what could have happened yesterday – people could have decided just to wait until the European breeze-ups and buy a ready-to-run two-year-old.”

The trainer is concerned, however, at an apparent lack of financial planning within the Italian racing industry which could threaten the sport’s future.

“The industry’s budget for 2010 has not even been officially signed off yet because of lack of leadership in UNIRE,” Botti reveals.

“How can my owners, or anyone else’s for that matter, buy with confidence?

“Will there be money in the pot for next year’s prize money pool? And if so, how much and for how many races?

“At the moment, nobody knows. Will there be enough money for breeder subsidies in 2011 and, if not, what cuts might have to be made? Nobody knows.

“Premiums for next year are anyone’s guess. We seem to be operating blindfold on a day-to-day basis rather than being able to plan for the long-term health and future of our industry.”

For someone so neat, precise and measured, these are indeed words of frustration. He draws breath and on – no doubt – his immense reserves of national pride, he adds: “We will never find out what Electrocutionist was truly capable of. I hope, in the foreseeable future, to find out what we Italians, given the resources and the guarantees that would allow us to plan ahead, are truly capable of.

“Instead of being forced to operate on the margins of the global system, I want us to become major players in world racing again.” I

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VETERINARY

Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver suffered from bone bruising which affected his performance in the Travers Stakes

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BONE BRUISING

The challenging diagnosis of bone bruising On Saturday, May 1, 2010, Super Saver, the three-year-old colt bred and owned by WinStar Farm, LLC, won the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths under the watchful eye of trainer Todd Pletcher. Three races later, on August 28, Super Saver finished tenth in the Travers, beaten by more than seven lengths. What happened to this talented colt in less than four months? By Stacey Oke DVM MSc

A

CCORDING to Pletcher, Super Saver did not display any signs that would account for the unexpected poor finishes in the Preakness, Haskell Invitational, and Travers.

“Super Saver didn’t have any sign of lameness. He was not moving short or choppy when trotted up at home, he galloped well on the track, and he worked very impressively. He felt the same as he always had to the riders. We didn’t see anything obviously wrong,” relayed Pletcher.

Regardless, Pletcher suspected there was something to explain the colt’s change in form and he sent him to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

Dr. Larry Bramlage examined the colt and performed nuclear scintigraphy, or as it is commonly called, a “bone scan.”

Bramlage diagnosed “bone bruising” in all four fetlocks, requiring a minimum of 60 days of rest.

Super Saver provides a typical example of how challenging it can be for even the most experienced trainer and veterinarian to recognise bone bruising.

What exactly is bone bruising?

“Bone bruising is the most common cause of lameness and poor performance in thoroughbreds admitted to our hospital,” notes Mike Ross, DVM, a professor, surgeon, and Director of Nuclear Medicine

at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

Bone bruising is a condition that has many different names including condylar sclerosis, subchondral bone modelling or remodelling, and maladaptive bone remodelling. Despite the widespread use of the term “bone bruising,” Ross states that that is not the best name for the condition.

“While bone bruising may be a good descriptive term it is important to understand that the condition in horses is a long term chronic process caused by repetitive stress to the distal (or bottom) end of the cannon bone at the fetlock joint,” says Ross.

Most horse people are familiar with articular cartilage, the layer of tissue in the fetlock joint that lines the bottom end of the cannon bone. Lying directly underneath the articular cartilage there is a layer of bone called “subchondral bone.” It is this layer that is damaged and remodelled in response to training and racing.

The subchondral bone can adapt to racing or training in one of two ways: (1) replace the existing subchondral bone with new, strong bone that is able to withstand the concussive force of intense training and racing; or (2) replace the existing subchondral bone with new, sclerotic, or inflamed bone. Sclerotic bone is dense but it is brittle and fragile when compared to healthy bone- it is not as good at absorbing the concussion forces generated by training

or racing as normal subchondral bone.

Bone remodelling is a process that takes several days from when the concussive forces stimulate the process, therefore by varying the concussive forces over a period of time the bone has time to strengthen itself.

If a horse is not given enough time to let new subchondral bone form, remodel, and become strong, then the bone becomes sclerotic, inflamed, or “bruised.”

Regardless of what label we ultimately put on it, bone bruising causes pain, which in turn causes lameness and/or poor performance. It occurs because the bone cannot adapt to the stress of training or racing.

The fine line between under and over training is often only apparent in hindsight, however, maybe it is time to look again at the traditional training methods to leave time for the bone remodelling process, possibly looking at varying workloads and surfaces.

Why the fetlock joint?

If you were forced to pick one bone that was the most important in the racehorse’s body, the cannon bone would have to be it.

“The outside of the cannon bone at the fetlock joint, called the lateral condyle, is the most common site of fracture, particularly catastrophic (fatal) fractures in thoroughbreds,” says Dr. Timothy Parkin, a senior researcher at the School of

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VETERINARY

Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, in the United Kingdom.

In addition to the fact that the distal cannon bone plays a major role in impact absorption, its small diameter and lack of ability to change shape also explains why the lateral condyle of the cannon bone is the most common site of bone bruising and fracture.

As Dr. Bramlage explained during the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture at the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Annual Convention, in addition to remodelling, other bones in a horse’s limbs can change shape to better adapt to the increased strain and stress of training. The bottom end of the cannon bone however is not able to change its shape to deal with the stress of training and racing – this bone is very dense and hard, but it is predisposed to fracture.

“Most fractures of the condyles (the bottom of the cannon bone) occur through the middle of sclerotic bone,” explains Ross. In addition, Ross has observed that these horses also frequently have microfractures that are found microscopically.

In a nutshell, maladaptive bone remodelling (“bone bruising”) places horses at risk of fracturing their cannon bone – a situation which could end a young horse’s career long before he or she ever gets to the gate.

How to recognize bone bruising One of the most problematic and frustrating parts of diagnosing bone bruising is the lack of obvious clinical signs or symptoms of the condition.

“Swelling (effusion) and heat are very common signs in horses with musculoskeletal injuries, including those of the fetlock. In the case of bone bruising

“In the case of bone bruising horses often do not have effusion and heat and it is difficult to detect in the early stages” Mike Ross horses often do not have effusion and heat and it is difficult to detect in the early stages,” Ross describes.

This lack of swelling and heat is one of the main reasons that recognizing bone bruising is so challenging.

In addition most horses with this syndrome have one, two, three, or even all four limbs involved. For example, the horse may trot short or “choppy” on both front legs without clear signs of lameness. Most typically horses are bilaterally or quadrilaterally affected. As a result the signs of unsoundness are masked, leaving only vague, subtle, non-specific signs that the horse has a problem. In addition, horses afflicted with this condition will frequently appear sound when examined at a trot, yet work or race poorly.

According to Dr. Bramlage classic signs of this condition include “poor performance, stiff going, loss of power behind, unwillingness to train and a refusal to load when (the horse) previously went in the gate willingly.”

Super Saver’s race record highlights how horses with bone bruising trot, train, and

may even work well but are unable to duplicate earlier form, hence the decision to retire him to stud last Autumn.

How veterinary surgeons diagnose the condition One of the first tools trainers and equine vets reach for when attempting to diagnose a suspected lameness issue is the trusty Xray machine. Unfortunately maladaptive bone remodelling is notoriously difficult to diagnose via radiographs.

“Even high quality digital X-rays can miss changes in the cannon bone when the signs are subtle,” notes Ross.

In rare cases when changes indicative of bone bruising actually are visible on the Xrays, then the problem is at an advanced stage and the horse’s chances of coming back are poor.

If the horse trots fine, gallops okay, works well, and there are no radiographic findings, how can you diagnose bone bruising? By far nuclear scintigraphy is currently the best tool that vets and trainers have to diagnose this condition.

Nuclear scintigraphy is performed by intravenously injecting a radioactive “dye” (technetium) into the horse’s bloodstream that subsequently accumulates in regions of bone that are inflamed. More specifically, the technetium is linked to a phosphorouscontaining molecule. Since bone that is being remodelled requires high amounts of phosphorous, the injected phosphorous/ technetium compound will accumulate in regions of bone that are actively remodelling. A few hours after the injection, the horse is scanned to see where (i.e., which bones) the phosphorus/ technetium compound accumulated. It is these “hot spots” that indicate bones that are inflamed and are therefore remodelling, damaged, bruised, or fractured. More in-

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Reversal

Reversal – Mononuclear cells prepare bone sur face for new osteoblasts to begin building bone

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BONE BRUISING

Normal subchondral bone (left) and sclerotic or inflamed bone (right)

depth information on bone scanning is available in James Tate’s article “Nuclear scanning – the next stage in diagnosing lameness” published in the Summer 2008 edition of European Trainer.

Dr. Parkin and his colleagues performed a study examining 48 horses with bone bruising of the distal cannon bone.

“We compared bone scan results from horses with bone bruising with those obtained in normal, non-lame

thoroughbreds,” says Parkin. “The key finding of the study was that nuclear scintigraphy is a very useful tool for accurately diagnosing clinical, not experimental, cases of bone bruising in actual racehorses.”

Parkin’s study was recently published in the prestigious Equine Veterinary Journal (volume 42, pages 552-557). Further work will aim to confirm these findings and design training regimens to reduce the

Formation

Formation – Osteoblasts synthesise a matrix to replace resorbed bone with new bone (3-4 months)

impact of this problem.

In addition to identifying a clear diagnosis of bone bruising, nuclear scintigraphy can also rule out an actual fracture of the lateral condyle should one be present.

Some trainers claim that all horses in training “light up” at the back of the cannon bone on bone scan, which makes the results of scintigraphy questionable. Dr. Ross explains that this is not entirely accurate.

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Nuclear scintigraphy Image of a hot spot in the lower cannon bone at the fetlock joint

“This is a common misconception,” he says. “We image many thoroughbreds that have other lameness abnormalities and we do not find scintigraphic changes in the fetlock joints. Sure, there may be mild, diffuse increased radiopharmaceutical uptake, but not focal, well-localized activity that we see in horses with maladaptive bone remodelling or bone bruising.”

That is, instead of having a mild, diffuse uptake of the radioactive dye, horses with maladaptive bone remodelling have a remarkable, focal uptake of the technetium… a veritable “hot spot.”

Pletcher concurs with Dr. Ross and further suggests that interpretation of the scintigraphy images is a critical factor in diagnosis.

“Scintigraphy is a very good diagnostic tool when you can’t get the answers you need from X-rays alone, but it relies on the interpretation of the person who is reading them. A lot of it is up to interpretation,” he says. “Nuclear scintigraphy is not always the magical answer everyone wants.”

Is this condition more common that it used to be? Not really. As Bramlage explains, “Bone scan, better images with digital radiography machines, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and a better understanding of the disease all make us better at confirming it than previously.

Treating horses with bone bruising The first step in treating bone bruising is no step at all.

“Rest is essential,” emphasizes Ross.

Bramlage concurs but adds that strict “box rest is actually harmful unless it has progressed to the later stages of the disease.

The best treatment is paddock exercise.”

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industry, but when a diagnosis of bone bruising is made 60 days are often too few.

“Four months of rest is not popular amongst trainers; however, bone simply does not heal in 60 days,” exerts Ross. “In my experience 60 days is not enough time for affected horses and if more than 60 days is not given, most often, lameness and performance problems recur.

Like Ross, Pletcher recommends rehabilitating affected horses for longer than 60 days.

“Anywhere from 60 to 180 days is needed before they begin their first breeze.

It really depends on their fitness level.”

Pletcher adds.

Patience is absolutely essential to not only avoid a fracture – catastrophic or noncatastrophic – but also to prevent the subsequent development of degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis (OA).

“There is evidence that maladaptive Nuclear scintigraphy images of a horse's front fetlocks showing a hotspot in the inside por- subchondral bone injury can lead to osteoarthritis and fracture even as early as tion of its lower cannon bone at the fetlock the end of the three-year-old year,” Ross cautions, however, that each continues Ross. rehabilitation regime must be based on the Adequate rest is critical to allow individual horse and bone scan findings. “If subchondral bone to heal, to prevent horses are quite lame, I recommend four fracture, and to prevent osteoarthritis in the weeks of rest, followed by four weeks of fetlock joint. walking either in hand or in a mechanical walker for four weeks, followed by eight Marching on: life after bone weeks of turn out exercise, or some other bruising form of exercise that is not race training.”

Unfortunately there is currently no simple As many trainers are aware a 60-day way to predict which horses will suffer from rehabilitation period is commonly repeated bone bruising, which horses will recommended in the thoroughbred go on to develop osteoarthritis or a condylar fracture, and which ones will be the next Derby winner.

As Parkin and his colleagues clearly demonstrated, nuclear scintigraphy is an excellent tool for diagnosing bone bruising but it is a “poor indicator” of prognosis and recovery time.

“Successful management of horses with bone bruising of the back of the lateral condyles is certainly challenging and the condition results in a significant loss of training days. We need more information on different training regimens to better establish what regimens would be beneficial for horses with bone bruising,” concludes Parkin.

Bramlage and colleagues performed a study that was presented at last year’s AAEP meeting (the full study is scheduled to be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association). According to this study, 40% of horses return to race after stall rest and walking whereas an overwhelming 95% return to racing after 60-90 days of paddock exercise.

“Each case is an individual case. Once they are given time off they do tend to reach their full potential,” according to Severe lateral condylar fracture Pletcher. I

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RACING

OPINION

Should medicationfree horses be given preferential treatment?

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MEDICATION

From next year, any trainer who has violated rules regarding use or possession of Class 1 drugs over the past twelve months will be barred from having runners at the Breeders’ Cup races, it was announced following a Breeders’ Cup board meeting in September, says Geir Stabell

T

HIS is good news, and – although positives for Class 1 drugs are extremely rare in racing – it is clearly another step in the right direction, and the new regulation leads my thoughts swiftly back to a vital question I posed in an earlier article, namely: should horses that have obtained invitations, achieved ratings, or points qualifying them for big international medication-free events while running on medication be given preference over contenders that have been campaigned to get into these same events while racing without any form of medication?

To my mind, the answer is an absolute ‘no.’ The way these things work in horseracing today is as bizarre as it is unique, when compared to practices in other sport. Outside observers can be forgiven for making comments like ‘horseracing is a business first, a sport second.’

Within the sport, we are all striving for a level playing field. As things stand in many a

corner, that is not always so and is in some cases far from so. The only true playing field would be in high-profile meetings open only to horses racing without any form of medication, and who have never been raced on medication. If, as is widely appreciated, these most common forms of medication, like Bute and Salix (Lasix), have a bearing on performance, how can it then be right that horsemen and women in some parts of the world get help from medication when qualifying their horses for an invitation to ship abroad to jurisdictions where any use of such medication is strictly prohibited?

We have seen enough examples of how a move to the US and administration of raceday medication has contributed to turning ex-European runners around to believe that this is an important aspect of international competition well worth addressing. It is nothing short of astounding that racing’s regulators have made neither mention of nor attempt at addressing this problem.

They seem to have been blinded by an obsession of getting international competition at their venues, regardless of how such visitors have been prepared in order to qualify.

Names like Ventura, Megahertz, Silic and Starine spring to mind. Until they ran on medication, they were nowhere near good enough make them anything but longshots at the Breeders’ Cup. Such ‘medicationimproved’ runners will, in turn, get invitations to participate in championship races outside North America. If they had stayed in Europe all along they might never have come within a marathon of getting such an invitation.

You might argue that in North America this is not a problem since horses are allowed to race on Bute and Lasix nationwide, which ought to make it a level playing field, but I’m not so sure about that.

I don’t think one can say that it’s totally fair within the US either simply because the thresholds regulating the use of medication vary from state to state. A trainer who feels that a horse needs a larger dose of medication to produce the form required to qualify for, say a Triple Crown or Breeders’ Cup race, or an invitation from Sha Tin or

Royal Ascot for that matter, can run his horse in prep races in jurisdictions where a larger dose is allowed, thus increasing his chances of getting those valuable points, stakes earnings, or achieve that crucial rating, catapulting the horse into the desired field. If the same horse had run gone through the preps in a state with a lower threshold, or in Europe, he may not have had much of a chance of securing a berth.

Even if you are not convinced that adding medication can move a horse up the charts, you must agree that – in principle – these practices are wrong. Okay, keep on inviting those horses with great results while racing on medication to take part in races where medication is not allowed. Keep on allowing them to push medication-free runners down to the list of reserves, but do not call this way of selecting big race runners fair, do not call it a ‘level playing field.’ Quite simply, it is not.

Ideally, horses qualifying for international championship races (which are often oversubscribed) should have been qualified by racing under exactly the same rules and regulations regarding medication, as in the jurisdiction where the big race is set to be staged. That, and only that, would be a way to go about creating a level playing field.

If organisers of such events as Royal Ascot, the Breeders’ Cup, Hong Kong International day, Dubai World Cup night, the Melbourne Cup festival, etc. really want to put up a fight against medication, perhaps they should give preference to horses that have been free of medication in their preceding races when sending out invitations and preference again if fields are over-subscribed. Perhaps they should only invite horses that have been medication-free in their races over, say, the past 24 calendar months.

In races that are designed to have a strong impact on the breeding of thoroughbreds, one might also consider taking the ultimate step of writing race conditions allowing only horses that have never raced on medication, and whose sires and dams never raced on medication, to be eligible. Announcing such changes for a number of prestigious events, with a five-to-six years’ notice, might be

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RACING

California Flag, who like most American horses races on Bute and Lasix, finished unplaced in the Hong Kong Sprint

both a bold and interesting experiment.

In valuable, high-profile international events at Sha Tin, Meydan or Royal Ascot, North American-trained horses that have raced on medication can easily ‘lock out’ runners from other countries that have never raced on medication. In the foreseeable future, this is not going to be a major issue at Ascot, as the restrictions on field sizes are nowhere near the same as at places like Sha Tin and Meydan, both of which have a maximum field limit of 14 runners, with a panel of handicappers ranking the contenders in the event that more than 14 horses are declared to run. Do these handicappers pay much attention to which borderline horses have been raced on medication or not? I have seen no evidence of such practice.

2009 HONG KONG SPRINT – A BRILLIANT EXAMPLE On last year’s Hong Kong International day, the locally-trained runner Brilliant Chapter, a horse that had never raced on medication, failed to make the cut. His connections had to accept that their horse – a regular in stakes sprints at Sha Tin and beaten just two lengths by Happy Zero when giving that rival 2kg in the Sha Tin Trophy-Gr3 two months earlier – was ranked last of 15 declared runners in the Hong Kong Sprint-Gr1, a race allowing no more than 14 starters. Meanwhile, the two US shippers, California Flag and

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Cannonball, both made it comfortably into the field.

California Flag had raced 16 times previously, every time on both Bute and Lasix. Cannonball had raced on Lasix in all but two of his starts in North America and – like California Flag – he had both “B” and “L” printed next to his name in the racecard at the Breeders’ Cup, where this pair filled first and third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Racing without medication, they had to settle for fifth and tenth at Sha Tin. Interestingly, One World, second when Brilliant Chapter ran such a fine third behind Happy Zero in the Sha Tin Trophy (Gr3), upheld the form with an excellent second to Sacred Kingdom in the Hong Kong International Sprint (Gr1). Just over an hour later, Happy Zero took second behind the outstanding champion miler Good Ba Ba in the Hong Kong Mile (Gr1). It is reasonable to assume that, in view of these results, the connections of Brilliant Chapter felt that their horse had deserved to get into the Hong Kong Sprint field, a race for which he had been aiming all season. Instead, he was pushed out by horses who qualified for a berth while racing on medication.

BAN THE HORSE TOO Returning to the Breeders’ Cup resolution mentioned initially, stopping trainers who have broken the rules on medication over the past year from racing their horses at what is often billed the ‘World

Championships of Horseracing,’ it needs pointing out that, if this is going to have any effect at all, the regulations on assistant trainers taking over the licences of banned trainers must be tightened.

This resolution will not have the desired effect if a trainer gets his or her ban at some point leading up to the Breeders’ Cup, can simply ‘hand over’ the licence to an assistant trainer – making sure that for his clients it is business as usual on the most valuable weekend of the year. The only way to pull the rug under the violators probably is to ban the actual horse from taking part, thus putting additional pressure on trainers.

Losing the licence for a period of time is inconvenient but seemingly not an insurmountable problem these days. Losing the odd horse to another trainer may not be good for business, but what about the day when a violation of the rules might cost the trainer his support from a big owner? Going down this route may be creating deterrent that will actually get us somewhere. Then again, if a horse trained by a handler who has been found to have violated rules regarding use or possession of Class 1 drugs is as a result denied a run at the Breeders’ Cup – well, then this horse can always be rerouted to Hong Kong International day at Sha Tin. Can we say that the racing world is working in harmony when dealing with these matters?

Probably not. I

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HANS ADIELSSON

HANS ADIELSSON Ready to make his mark in England

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PROFILE

A former champion trainer in his native Sweden, Hans Adielsson has moved to England where he takes on challenges from his new base near Lambourn. By Geir Stabell

“

G

ELDINGS make better racehorses than fillies and colts. This is not something I believe to be true – I am absolutely certain of it.”

Hans Adielsson, 67 – champion trainer of thoroughbreds several times over in Sweden, where he has also been training trotters for twenty-plus years – made some interesting observations as we met him at the Tattersalls Sales in Newmarket in October, where he invested in 14 yearlings for his new base in near Lambourn.

“It has been written in Sweden that my move to England is to become Erik Penser’s private trainer,” Adielsson explains, “but that is not quite correct. I will be training a number of horses for Mr. Penser, who persuaded me to make this move, but I take

up this new challenge as a public trainer – and will be introducing some new faces to this country on the owner’s side. That said, I would never have made this move without Mr. Penser’s backing.”

Penser tried to talk his fellow countryman across the North Sea more than ten years ago, but that was not good timing for Adielsson. “We were absolutely flying with our trotters,” he reflects, “and my son Erik’s career as a driver was also beginning to take off. I simply had to stay where I was.”

Adielsson switched to trotting from thoroughbreds in 1988, at the request of his principal backer, Mr. Lars Thulin, who was racing his highly successful horses under the banner Superbus AB. “Thulin felt that the racing circuit was too small – not growing as he would have liked

Adielsson with Walky Talky, winner of the Vinterfavoriternas Pris in 1973

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it to – and we decided to close down the thoroughbred operation and make the switch,” Adielsson recalls. Based at Jägersro Galopp outside Malmöe in the south of Sweden, he had been champion trainer so many times it was almost boring to read the end of season standings, and clearly the man needed a fresh challenge.

“I knew the stabling area at the track pretty well,” he says, “having worn out several pairs of boots there since 1958.”

In his first year as a trainer, back in 1972, Adielsson trained just three horses but he won Vinterfavoriternas Pris – an equivalent to the Racing Post Trophy – with Walky Talky. That was the first of a whole host of big race winners trained by Hans Adielsson.

“In my second year, Miss Kirsten Rausing sent me one to train,” he recalls, “and I remember being very flattered by that, as I knew how serious she was about the sport.”

The stable grew in numbers and “we did pretty well in the 70s but it was a battle all along, as I bought every single horse myself, then sold them on. My wife kept reminding me of how broke I actually was. It paid off in the long run however. I soon decided that one had to adjust to the programme book in Sweden, so I focused on purchasing homebreds, as the classics were not open to imports, and I was always on the lookout for nice fillies. Classic-winning colts in Sweden never had a real future value but fillies could be sold on as broodmares, and that was also why we cut just about every colt we bought.

Geldings make better racehorses, of that I am certain. They are more focused, easier to handle and less prone to injuries too. It is exactly the same case with trotters. There are so many advantages but, of course, the breeding must continue, one can’t cut the Workforces in this game...“ It was with the fillies that he secured future returns for his owners, and Adielsson’s team landed the prestigious Amacitalopning at Täby Galopp outside Stockholm six years on the bounce during the early 80s, while the two fillies Humbug and Rossard made his name better known outside Sweden. Both bred in Denmark, both bought and trained by Adielsson, they both beat the boys in the Swedish Derby.

Humbug, a daughter of Jimmy Reppin, won the Derby in 1982, and thus became the first filly to land the premier classic since 1947. She cost 70,000 Dkr (approximately £5,100 at the time) as a yearling, “a lot of money for a Scandinavian bred in those days,” Adielsson comments. The Glacial filly Rossard, bought for just 11,000 Dkr, turned out to be even better. By Scandinavian standards she was an absolute freak. She won the Swedish Derby, Danish Derby, Swedish Oaks, Danish Oaks and finally the Danish St. Leger – each time cruising home on a tight rein. Handicappers were at a loss when asked what ratings she

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Above: Rossard wins the 1983 Danish Derby at Klampenborg, trained by Adielsson and ridden by Mikael Jakobsson. Right: Humbug prior to her victory in the Swedish St Leger, under regular jockey Lars Kelp

had produced. Nobody knew how good Rossard was, all one could do was rate her performances with a big “+”. Some sort of an answer came when Rossard later won the Flower Bowl Invitational (Gr1) at Belmont Park in New York, ridden by Laffitt Pincay Jr. Rossard had left Adielsson’s stables by then and was trained by Evan S. Jackson.

Like Humbug, she had been bought by Nelson Bunker Hunt, whose agent Tom Pratt discovered their talents in Sweden. As a broodmare, she produced Unusual Heat, currently a top sire in California.

When Adielsson switched from thoroughbreds to trotters and moved from the track to train from a farm less than a mile from the course, it was in fact a case of returning to his roots. “Thoroughbreds are closest to my heart,” he tells us, “but my life with horses began at Ostersund Trotting Park in the north of Sweden, not far from where I grew up. My interest in horses back in the 50s introduced me to the so-called “Nordsvenska” trotters – a quite a heavy, tough local breed still being used for racing.

My parents sent me and my five sisters and brothers south, to Lund University, just north of Malmöe. From Lund to Jägersro was not far for a young man keen on horses, and meeting thoroughbreds was “like seeing Formula One for the first time.”

Adielsson soon found a way to get his name printed in the local racecards. Having driven in trotting races, he rode in his first

thoroughbred race at Jägersro in 1964. A few years later he was working for Henry Michael Jones, an English trainer many will remember as the man who conditioned the smart sprint-miler Rebell Fortuna, “a winner at Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1968,” Adielsson remarks. The man appears to have an almost computer-like brain. Details on each big race winner – well even less important achievements – are easy to dig out from his determined-looking head – far too many facts for an article like this but one day obviously a blessing for whoever is given the job to write his memoirs. “Did you know,

Henry Michael Jones is today working at the gates at Sandown Park and Kempton Park?”, Adielsson smiles.

Trotting, or harness racing as it is often called, is a lot more competitive than thoroughbred racing in Sweden, a nation with a population of just nine million. The country has 33 trotting parks, as opposed to three racecourses, and the trotters race year round, as they can run on snow-packed tracks. Elitloppet, an international event staged at Solvalla in Stockholm, is the marquee event – and you need a world-class operation to make it to the top on this

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PROFILE

Adielsson had great success during a 20-year career with his trotting stable, training between 60 and 70 trotters each season

circuit. In a typical season, Adielsson trained between 60 and 70 trotters, assisted by his wife Mai, “a first rate horsewoman who has both ridden thoroughbred races and driven trotters,” and his stable has always been one to follow for the punters.

Take a look at the statistics for the past few seasons, and you will find almost unreal strike rate figures; 28.5% winners in 2006, 31.1% winners in 2007, 28.9% winners in 2008, 28% winners in 2009, and 28.5% winners in 2010 (this year from just a handful of runners).

With success so consistent and fulfilling, why switch back to the thoroughbred world?

“I was fed up, to put it bluntly,” he says, “and last December I decided to quit. My son Erik, who is now 36, does not need my backing anymore. He has worked hard and is one of the top drivers. He just passed 3,500 wins and was recently retained as ‘catch-driver’ to Stig H. Johansson.”

Stig H. Johansson, with around 170 horses in his care at Solvalla, is one of the world’s top harness trainers, and to say that Erik Adielsson was given a dream job would be dead right. At the same time, Johansson got rid of one of his arch-rivals, Adielsson senior, though probably unknowingly and certainly not by design.

“Penser contacted me again when he heard I had packed it in,” Adielsson says, “and now the timing was right – I think we can say it was more than right, it was perfect. But I know it will be tough. We have no ambitions to set the world alight – only to be part of the wonderful British racing scene. Hopefully we can train some nice winners and make our mark.”

As for the future, Adielsson hopes to fill all 29 boxes in his stables at Lambourn.

With 14 yearlings from the sales, he is halfway there and is looking to purchase some horses in training so he can have

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runners on the all weather courses this winter.

Training trotters is different to training thoroughbreds, but Adielsson also tells us of similarities, and of what can and cannot be transferred from one sport to the other.

“Based at the track, we trained our thoroughbreds much against the clock at Jägersro,” he explains. “We did it the ‘American way,’ if you like. When my juveniles made their debuts I frequently had three to four runners in the race, and I often had a clear idea of the finishing order – purely based on what the clockings of each horse had told me. Usually, it worked out to perfection. The clock is crucial also to a trainer of trotting horses. Each workout is timed, and logged, it is seen as so important.

All drivers carry a stopwatch in the races.

“A lot more conditioning work goes into a trotter, hours of stamina-building workouts. That is probably the main difference. Another is how trotters are given a warm-up prior to the race. We let them stretch their legs for about 15 to 20 minutes, warming them up like human athletes do.”

Adielsson talks about giving trotters interval works, something he also believes in

“I know it will be tough. We have no ambitions to set the world alight – only to be part of the wonderful British racing scene”

with thoroughbreds. The racing is totally different, as most trotting parks are 1,000 metres, making a mile race a three-turn affair. “You must stick to the rail,” he explains. “Going one lane wide means losing 4 metres on each turn. French courses are bigger but in Sweden we generally race on 1,000-metre circuits, and the maximum field is twelve. One advantage is that the punters can see what’s going on from start to finish of course, and, with drivers carrying stopwatches, you can rest assured that if the pace slows down, someone will kick on. It’s almost like cycling.”

“Perhaps the main difference is that trotters do not race at two,” he adds, “and when we get to August only 25 per cent of the three-year-olds will have made their debuts. Trotters can race as much as 20 races in one season – and in big races several run without shoes.”

Despite having been so successful on the trotting circuit in Sweden over the past 20 years, Adielsson is not a man many punters will have come face to face with at the races.

“The last five years I have hardly myself travelled long distances to attend racing,” he says. “Of course I was there when we race locally, but if I sent runners to Solvalla it meant a 13-hour round trip by car, and I see no point in having a trainer spending so much time on the road. When the horse is loaded on the box to go to the races, my job is done. I can make far better use of my time at the yard, preparing the next runner, and I can see the race on TV, and also, if we have a bad day at the races, why should I spend hours in the car on my way home getting edgy over it?”

So, despite having arrived in a powerful Volvo (what else?), this man is not hoping to spend much time on ‘strips’ like the M25.

What he has in mind is training winners, something he has been doing quite well for the past forty-odd years. I

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NUTRITION

Fresh pasture contributes to vitamin K intake

Vitamin K – the forgotten vitamin Vitamin K, which is classified as a fat soluble vitamin, has been present in racing rations for many years, both in forages and as one of a range of vitamins and minerals added to concentrate feed. To date, vitamin K has not been a fashionable vitamin, unlike vitamin C or vitamin E, which have received a lot of attention from a research perspective. Vitamin K is probably best known for its function in blood clotting, but more recently its role in bone metabolism has been highlighted in humans and horses. Here we will explain the role of dietary vitamin K in the context of racing and touch on some new research that has emerged in horses with respect to bone metabolism.

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Many forms of vitamin K Vitamin K is in fact not a single vitamin but a group of vitamins with a similar structure and resulting action. Two forms of vitamin K that you may be familiar with are phylloquinone (or vitamin K1) and menaquinone (or vitamin K2). Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy plants including grass both fresh and dried. Vitamin K2 is synthesised by bacteria present in the digestive tract, particularly in the hindgut.

There are also various synthetic forms of vitamin K that are available for use in horse feed. Each of these forms of vitamin K have a similar core structure but with different side chain configurations, which can affect the absorption of vitamin K from the digestive tract. Interestingly, menadione – which is the synthetic form of vitamin K often used in vitamin and mineral premixes and supplements – has no side chain. This

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limits its delivery around the body as it less able to bind to the plasma protein responsible for transport.

Forage can be a variable source of vitamin K The level of vitamin K1 found in grass can be extremely variable and is degraded rapidly by the action of ultraviolet light.

Work carried out in Australia reported that the level of vitamin K in Couch, Prairie, Phalaris, and Rhodes grass was reduced by between 30-70% following just 7 hours of drying in sunlight with a UV index between 2 and 7. So whilst access to fresh pasture will contribute to vitamin K intake, the reliance on hay or haylage in stabled horses in training may limit dietary vitamin K intake from this source.

Vitamin K2 or menaquinone can be synthesised in the hindgut of horses by the resident microflora, but the contribution to overall vitamin K status is unknown as the degree of absorption of vitamin K from the hindgut has not been established.

Assuming that vitamin K absorption from the hindgut is good as for ruminants, it is still likely to depend on digestive health and the presence of a good balance of resident bacteria. Bacterial vitamin K synthesis and absorption will be reduced if there has been extensive damage to the gut, or if the normal balance of microflora has been disrupted e.g. by antibiotics, or as a result of hindgut acidosis. Hindgut acidosis can occur in horses in training when large high-starch meals are fed chronically, especially where the cereal starch has a low digestibility.

Dietary vitamin K is absorbed primarily in the small intestine, and the process can be impaired when the absorption of fat from the diet is decreased, or as the result of the intake of certain substances known as antagonists. Antagonists of vitamin K absorption can be drugs such as warfarin, which has been used in the past to treat navicular disease. Dicoumarol is a vitamin K antagonist that can be formed from coumarin present in mouldy hay or haylage containing sweet clover. However, the affected forage would have to be fed for several weeks before a vitamin K deficiency arises.

Requirements for vitamin K The level of vitamin K required in the diet of horses is poorly defined and complicated by the difficulty in assessing the contribution from bacteria in the hindgut.

Ruminants have a low dietary requirement for vitamin K, as bacterial synthesis in the rumen is high, but in contrast there is very little vitamin K synthesised in the large intestine in people. In horses, the general consensus seems to be that their requirement will lie somewhere in between,

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Supplements that include vitamin K are claimed to help prevent bleeding

depending on the health and efficiency of the hindgut. However, traditional measurements of clotting function have been used to assess vitamin K status but as we will discuss below this may not be the best reflection of optimum status for bone metabolism.

Vitamin K, a pivotal role in blood coagulation The crucial role of vitamin K is linked to its requirement as an essential co-factor for an enzyme that modifies the structure of an amino acid known as glutamic acid.

Glutamic acid is found in many body proteins with crucial functions in both blood coagulation and bone metabolism.

These functional proteins are known as GLA proteins. The glutamic acid residues in these GLA proteins are activated or carboxylated in the presence of vitamin K, which enables them to bind calcium, a crucial element to the function of the GLA protein. For example, when blood clots, there are many protein-derived factors that facilitate the clotting process. Some of these, such as factor II (prothrombin), VII, IX, and X, depend on adequate vitamin K to facilitate their ability to bind calcium and hence support the bloodclotting process.

Exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) or ‘bleeding’ is a problem in racing and many supplements have emerged over the years claiming to alleviate it. However, as the exact cause and mechanisms of EIPH have not as yet been determined, it is difficult to give any credence to most of these products given the lack of scientific studies to support their purported beneficial effects. Vitamin K has often featured in such products, presumably in the belief that its effects on coagulation will deliver improved or speedier bloodclotting. EIPH, however, is not associated with a lengthened time for blood to clot and so supplementation with vitamin K in this respect is probably futile.

A role for vitamin K in bone metabolism Additional vitamin K dependent GLA proteins have been discovered in other areas of metabolism where the ability to bind calcium is important. As a result vitamin K is seen as essential for some aspects of bone and cartilage metabolism and also for cardiovascular health.

The involvement of vitamin K in bone metabolism has received some recent attention in equine nutrition. Three vitamin

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Natural levels of vitamin K in grass degrade from exposure to sun

Research in Australia suggests dietary vitamin K may minimise OCD

K dependent GLA proteins have been isolated in bone: osteocalcin, matrix GLA protein, and protein S. Bone-forming cells called osteoblasts synthesise the GLA protein osteocalcin, which needs to be able to bind calcium in order to mineralise bone. In fact, the efficiency with which osteocalcin binds calcium is reduced if the glutamic acid residues have not been activated (carboxylated) in the presence of vitamin K. Matrix GLA protein has been found in bone, cartilage, and blood vessels, and it is thought that its calcium binding capacity helps to prevent calcium from being deposited in these tissues where it is not required.

These bone-related GLA proteins are thought to be more sensitive to reduced vitamin K status compared to the clotting factors involved in blood coagulation. This is probably because the clotting factors have ‘first call’ on dietary vitamin K via the liver, and bone GLA proteins are lower down in the queue. In practical terms, this

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may mean that bone metabolism may be adversely affected before any measured change in vitamin K status is detected through analysis of blood coagulation. The proportion of blood osteocalcin that is present in the activated (carboxylated) form can potentially be used as a more sensitive measure of vitamin K status and one which is more relevant to bone metabolism.

Is vitamin K the missing piece in the bone metabolism jigsaw?

There is no doubt that there are many factors, both dietary and non-dietary, involved in the occurrence of skeletal problems such as fractures, OCD, and sore shins in horses in training. Recent work carried out in Australia suggests that dietary vitamin K may be another factor to be addressed in order to minimise the likelihood of skeletal problems.

A study in yearlings suggested that vitamin K status was inadequate in horses

with radiographically identifiable bone lesions. This research group observed that yearlings with no radiographic lesions showed a significantly higher measured bone mineral density compared to those with one or more lesion. The researchers then assessed vitamin K status by measuring the percentage of circulating osteocalcin that was activated or carboxylated and relating this to the prevalence of radiographic lesions.

Interestingly, those yearlings with one or more visible lesions also had a significantly decreased percentage of circulating carboxylated osteocalcin compared to the yearlings with no lesions.

This research group has also shown that a group of two-year-old thoroughbreds in training supplemented with a water soluble bioavailable form of vitamin K showed a suggested improvement in bone density compared to a non-supplemented control group, although this result just missed statistical significance. The increase in bone density was above and beyond the increase observed in the control group as a consequence of training. Further work also showed an improved OCD lesion score in a small group of horses supplemented for three-to-seven months with the same form of vitamin K. Certainly the recent research on vitamin K in horses suggests that perhaps we should be looking at the status of this vitamin more closely. The use of more sensitive indicators of vitamin K status, such as percentage carboxylated osteocalcin, may prove to be useful, especially in horses that have limited access to fresh pasture. Whilst much more research needs to be done to understand the significance of these findings on skeletal health, it potentially opens the door for more efficient forms of vitamin K supplementation, if it is clearly established that vitamin K status is suboptimal. I

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RACING

What does the future

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THE FUTURE OF IRISH RACING

hold for Irish racing?

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RACING

With nine Irish racecourses set to lose at least one meeting each, the 2011 Irish Fixture list has brought home some stark realities. Brian Kennedy, manager of Sligo, pointed out: “For this track to remain viable you need a minimum of nine fixtures. We’re down to eight now.”

By Lissa Oliver

T

HE reduction of the Irish fixture list by 10 meetings down to 335 (267 days of racing) comes as a result of the falling horse population in Ireland (currently down 13% on 2009) and the reduced level of entries and runners (down 22% and 5% respectively). Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), says of the decrease, “Even when people were screaming for more fixtures because of the balloting problem, we continued to let the fixtures grow gradually. Now that we have to introduce a drop in fixtures, it is also very gradual. The balance of horse population and fixtures at the moment is just right. We have to ensure that we keep high levels of prize money – it’s the lifeblood of the industry, the carrot that keeps people investing in horses.”

Still leading the way in terms of a quality product, in many ways Ireland acts as a barometer for the European industry as a whole. When the recession first hit, Ireland raised the criteria for horses in training and sustained prize money levels, but as the financial crisis continues, is this sustainable?

“From the start we took the view that our priority would have to be sustaining employment within the breeding and training sectors,” Kavanagh admitted. “In order to do that we have to keep the priority on prize money. We have cut back on internal costs, halted grants and made cutbacks on marketing costs. These are only short-term measures and can’t continue.

But we have managed to keep prize money at an acceptable level, with at least €7,000 per race, and that has to remain our priority.”

Pivotal to the future is the forthcoming Irish Budget, described by Jim Kavanagh of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association as “the catalyst of how racing progresses.” He

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says, “Make no mistake, it’s the most important Budget this industry has ever faced.” Yet there are reasons to remain optimistic.

“We are on good terms with the Government and that has always been the case,” Brian Kavanagh says. “It heavily favours export-led industry, labour intensive industry, industry with a strong reliance on

a uniquely Irish product, and racing ticks all of those boxes.” In addition, for all the current problems, attendance figures on Irish tracks are slightly up on 2009, which has to be encouraging.

Margaret Fogarty, the General Manager of Gowran Park, agrees. “The difficulty for everyone is that we’re coming from such a high base. We have to remember that there

“We took the view that our priority would be sustaining employment within the breeding and training sectors” Brian Kavanagh – Chief Executive, HRI

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The core customers at racecourses such as Gowran Park are the horse enthusiasts who like to have a bet

was an industry before the Celtic Tiger and that our primary industry is one based on agriculture and tourism. Any industry that employs people from those core areas must be sustainable,” she insists.

Yet Jim Kavanagh is having to deal with the negative aspects of the current recession. “Our role as the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association is to protect and

promote. At the moment we have a very difficult bad debt situation and it’s a major issue,” he says. “We’re working on ways to put together an owner/trainer agreement to safeguard all interests. Trainers are having to carry people financially, their business hinges on trading. They must buy on spec and pass that horse on. Credit from the sales company is vital. It’s good for the vendor, good for the trainer, and good for the sales.

The sales companies are also tightening their belts and have to protect themselves, but credit is very necessary to help the trainer pass animals on.”

Jim Kavanagh had predicted a loss of 10% of licence holders this year and expects to lose that same number in 2011. “We are in a major crisis and it’s going to be very difficult indeed for many trainers to renew their licence,” he warns. “Our product is still world-class; we’ve put in years of investment and we’re still the world leaders.

For anything to happen to that would be disastrous. The biggest threat I see to the Irish industry is the progress in France.

Prize money levels and owner/breeder premiums could lead to Irish owners looking abroad.”

One sustainable source that can be relied on is media rights and it’s something Fogarty is very grateful for. “Media rights are highly welcome,” she says. “For most courses the income is used to pay off existing commitments. Technology is driving punters away. They can sit at home and watch and bet on two or three race meetings, with betting in running and other bets unavailable on course. Those people will never appear on a racecourse. Media rights simply represent the income lost from modern technology” Obviously, some of the measures introduced by HRI are only short-term, but Fogarty looks to the future when she says, “While I appreciate that these are difficult times, I would like to see the role of HRI being to re introduce development programmes. I would like to see racecourse

“We are in a major crisis and it’s going to be very difficult indeed for many trainers to renew their licence” Jim Kavanagh – Irish Racehorse Trainers Association

improvement schemes, co-funded, based on a ten-year development plan.”

Brian Kavanagh is similarly committed. “I agree that racecourse development funding is important, but of necessity that has been put on hold. Funding cuts have forced us to concentrate on prize money levels and we would also be reluctant to push tracks into borrowing money beyond their means of repayment. Obviously this can’t continue for any length of time; tracks require development funding to keep going, so we are anxious to get back into business as soon as we can. It is a particular challenge for us, as we have more courses per head of population here in Ireland than any other country.”

This will come as good news to Fogarty, who stresses, “We have to keep facilities right, routine maintenance is vital. We have to be careful that when we’re cutting costs it doesn’t affect the raceday experience and quality of the programme. We have a responsibility to ensure that when people do come, their experience is consistently good. Customers still have an entitlement to full restaurant facilities and bars, no matter how few. Everything has to be perfectly right, every time, for the loyal racegoer.”

Fogarty’s biggest concern is a change in attendance. “ The socialising racegoers over the last ten years were very expensive to recruit but they were not engaging with the sport, there was no loyalty or fundamental interest developed with this group. Our core customers remain the horse loving punter” Brian Kavanagh doesn’t necessarily agree with this view. “I think all racegoers do engage with the racing. Whether they have come to take part in the Best Dressed Lady competition or they’re a pedigree buff, they are still punting and cheering home their horse. It’s a constant challenge to encourage young people to go to the races and it’s something we’ve been saying for years. Ten, 20, 50 years ago, we would have been complaining of the same thing. There are certain aspects of racing, such as ownership, that suit the more mature person. Music evenings are very popular and it’s a very positive introduction to newcomers. If a small percentage become fans and return then that’s great,” he concludes.

Jim Kavanagh, however, feels that such measures are falling short. “What concerns me is that I see great local support for smaller independent tracks, but it seems to desert us when it comes to the metropolitan tracks. What’s wrong with the bigger tracks?

What’s not working? It’s something we must seriously look at,” he suggests.

One man doing plenty to encourage interest from the general public is John Osborne, manager of the Irish National Stud. “What we do here I feel is important,” he says. “We encourage delegations of enthusiasts, we are letting the public follow

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RACING

The Kids’ Club at Gowran Park has been a successful initiave to attract younger racegoers

the progress of the Dalakhani filly foal out of Sabaah [the dam of Irish Derby/Irish 2000 Guineas winner Desert King], we are supporting the Tote Go Racing Club. We want to foster more interest in the racing product so that someone can have an appreciation of it even if they can’t be actively involved.”

He recognises the importance of this, particularly in the face of stiff competition from other sports. “When James Joyce wrote Ulysses he was aware of racing’s appeal. The centrepiece of Leopold’s day was trying to follow the Gold Cup at Ascot,” Osborne points out. “Nowadays there are other far better presented sports and they are much easier to get into than the nuances of racing.

Racing fans have a knowledge built up over time, it’s very difficult to just walk into it for the first time and follow what’s going on. We must give information, we must give respect, and bring these people along.”

Osborne reminds us that the provision of good service doesn’t have to come at a cost.

“A smile is free,” he points out. “Going that extra bit for someone, good service, remembering who’s who – these are very simple basic things we can do to improve the raceday experience without costing anything. There are simple inexpensive provisions easily made such as a seat.

Having plenty of seating at a racecourse would revolutionise people’s day out at no great cost.

“If you look at football, the football managers are as big a celebrity as the players on the pitch; people love the backroom boys just as much as the teams,” Osborne continues. “In every race there is a story to tell. That story needs to be explored and presented. Owners could help, they are an asset we should make more of. They may have more to offer as a first port of call for the media after a race. When people see the

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passion and the thrill of an owner it will lead to copycat imitation. More passion never goes astray. Oliver Brady must be applauded for injecting razzmatazz. It’s opening the sport up, bringing people in.”

Brian Kavangh concurs. “Owners are pushed into the background in terms of recognition and they’re the ones paying all the bills. The jockey and the trainer are usually the go-to people after a race.

Syndicates have been great for the sport and have brought that joy of ownership to a broad range of new people. The coverage generated by a syndicate winning a major race is gold dust in terms of encouraging new people to get involved.”

Fogarty is in full agreement. “Racing needs to lose its exclusivity. We need to take responsibility for communicating the passion.” It’s a task helped by such successful initiatives as the Tote Go Racing

Club, pony club days, student days and the introduction at Gowran Park of a Kids’ Club.

“Privately-owned courses like this are very fortunate,” Fogarty says of Gowran Park. “The committee is not taking any dividends – it all goes straight back into the course. We’re very lucky and the committees deserve full credit. I go racing all the time and I’m pleasantly surprised by courses that have just seven or eight fixtures run by local committees. These are people who have passion. Our weighing room here was refurbished in 2009 and that was an entirely non-revenue generating project, but our committee made that commitment.

That passion is lost in the new generation. It is worrying that in ten years’ time we won’t have any volunteers for anything.”

Brian Kavanagh remains confident that Irish racing will emerge from the current difficulties at some stage and until then, “We are just getting the house in order. 10% of our races are black type, both Flat and NH, and we have to maintain a qualitycontrol programme. For these reasons the reduction in fixtures has been kept at a modest level, reflecting our confidence that the Government’s close engagement on the issue and the broad acceptance of the need for change among bookmakers has opened up a real prospect that a secure future funding basis will be achieved which will allow the industry to return to growth.”

The final word must go to Jim Kavanagh, who points out: “In 1790, when the first Irish Turf Club was formed, there were constant challenges. The Crimean War, the Boer War, the World Wars, all came when racing at that time was very much the pursuit of army officers and gentry, but racing survived. It’s part of the blood of the indigenous race. It’s a way of life, not a job, and we are survivors.” I

Crowds still come racing in Ireland despite the economic crisis

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Veterinarian Dr. Nancy Brennan (right) and chiropractor Dr. Tracy Barnes

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In a sport where everyone is looking for an edg e, the latest for thoroughbreds may be Kinesio tape. It is the same tape seen on tennis star Serena W illiams, football player David Beckham, and many others. It creates a lifting effect on the skin of humans and horses alike to improve circulation, relieve pain, and, depending on its application, relax or stimulate muscles. By Ken Snyder

HE principle behind Kinesio tape on horse hair or human skin is complex, involving stem cell activity, the peripheral nervous system, and lymphatic circulation. At the same time the concept is very simple.

“Manual therapy doesn’t last long. We wanted something to last longer,” said Dr. Kenzo Kase, a Japanese chiropractor who developed Kinesio tape more than 35 years ago. “You can’t massage for 24 hours or 48 hours, but the tape can, continuously and effectively,” he added.

Simple enough, but what actually transpires during both an “ahh-that-feelsgood” moment in massage and the days when tape essentially prolongs that moment by replacing a hand?

According to veterinarian Nancy Brennan, Kinesio tape, which adheres to horses and humans for three-to-five days, takes pressure off “pain receptors” to provide immediate relief. More importantly, however, it facilitates and accelerates stem cell activity by creating space for that activity beneath the skin through the lift on the skin’s surface. Stem cells in an injured area of the body in both humans and horses reproduce healthy cells to bring about healing.

The surprise, perhaps, with the tape is that it can affect more than muscle problems. Brennan, a holistic veterinarian who employs traditional veterinary medicine, chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, and now Kinesio tape in her practice, has treated sinuses, ovarian difficulties in fillies, lung abscesses, sesamoiditis, other bone and joint issues, and more.

The proverbial light bulb went off with Brennan when she had Kinesio tape applied by her chiropractor and friend, Tracy Barnes, in Louisville, Kentucky, where Brennan lives. “I had a herniated disk at age 19 and had developed multiple spurs in my back between the shoulder blades. I woke up one day unable to bend over and do my work,” said Brennan. The tape essentially “remodeled” the bone spurs, according to Brennan, and provided what she called a “miraculous recovery.” She became an instant believer in Kinesio tape therapy.

“At that point, I said, if it can be this effective on people, what about my horses?”

A few months later Brennan got the opportunity to find out when a young Quarter Horse suffering from equine protozoan myelitis was sent to her from Oklahoma. “She was spastic, almost cerebral palsy-like in her movements,” recalled Brennan of a horse who had potential value as a broodmare but for whom euthanasia was a real possibility. “I was like, this is going to be a ‘Hail Mary,’”

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she said, using a term that describes a long, last-ditch, desperation pass in American football. Chiropractic adjustment plus acupuncture produced some slight improvement but Kinesio tape, brought to bear on neck, sacrum and lumbar spine issues detected by Brennan, produced “dramatic results.” Although still not normal in her gait, the horse did not have to be euthanized and was able to return to Oklahoma. “Last year, I had to fill out papers because she’s a broodmare now,” said Brennan with a smile.

Three years later, in 2008, Brennan began using Kinesio tape on thoroughbreds, initially treating tendon tears and suspensory damage. She is the sole practitioner of this therapy among thoroughbred veterinarians and used it on 200-300 horses in 2008 and approximately 800 last year for clients that include trainers like Bob Holthus, who conditioned 2007 champion older male Lawyer Ron, and George Weaver, who won the 2005 Dubai Golden Shaheen with Saratoga County.

Speaking in technical terms, Brennan, a 1989 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school, described signals sent from the nerve endings in a horse’s hair follicles through the peripheral nervous system coming off the spine to the vertebrae and eventually the brain The tape will “talk to our brain to relax a muscle, facilitate or tighten that muscle, support that joint or move fluid through the circulatory system,” she said.

Whatever the physiological pathway or process, the results, at least from photos presented to a gathering of horsemen and equine therapists at a luncheon at the Churchill Downs Museum during Kentucky Derby week, are positive if not amazing.

One series of photos was of a foal approximately two-and-a-half months old with what is called flexor tendon laxity in the lower right leg. The condition meant the foal had no strength in the tendon attaching below the ankle preventing the young horse from being up on its hoof. The result, shown in the first photo, was an ankle parallel to the ground and swollen twice the normal size because it continually hit the ground as the foal was active in the paddock.

“As soon as the tape went on, it was telling the brain to tighten that flexor tendon so it was giving support immediately,” said Brennan, harking back to her explanation of the neural and physiological pathways affected by the tape.

The foal received three more applications of Kinesio tape over the course of a month, progressively strengthening the ankle.

After the third application there was no more need for further taping. The final photo in the series showed the foal up on its hoof.

Other applications, if not as dramatic

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This foal exhibited a flexor tendon laxity in its right leg

After application of Kinesio tape, the foal began to show mark ed improvement

visually, are impressive in what counts most with thoroughbreds: performance in racing.

Brennan recalled a filly who had been off the track for nine months, repeatedly getting sick after a race or even a breeze, and who went through seven different courses of antibiotics. Brennan suspected the horse had an abscess in the lung that was closing as it responded to antibiotics only to re-open after a race or workout. An ultrasound scan confirmed her diagnosis.

She employed a “lymphatic application” with the tape to drain fluid from the abscess to lymph nodes.

“Within 48 hours I heard air moving,” said Brennan, who noted that antibiotic therapy might produce a similar result in five-to-10 days. “I ultrasounded her after eight days and her whole lung was what I called aerated peripherally. In other words, we got rid of the fluid.” More important, the horse was permanently rid of the abscess.

An additional bonus was the filly’s recuperation. Horses recovering from an abscess through antibiotics might undergo one-to three-months of treatment, another

three-to six-months of layoff, and then resume training after nine months to a full year, according to Brennan. “That horse began training in six weeks,” she said, and the filly finished second in her first start and subsequently won a valuable maiden race.

“This horse raced at a higher level than where she was and won. That, in itself, was unusual, and the fact that she didn’t take the nine months off,” Brennan added.

Kentucky trainer John Paul Pucek testifies to the effectiveness of Kinesio tape with a situation perhaps more unusual than a lung abscess. His horse had sinus issues that had been unresponsive to “iodine jugs and everything you could think of,” said Pucek. “But she started taping him–his sinuses–and he won two in a row.”

Brennan explained that Kinesio tape helped drain an area in the upper airway of the horse that was repeatedly filling with fungus, bacteria and mucus. A lymphatic taping application drained the area much like the filly with the lung abscess.

With bones and joints, Brennan said the tape can be used to both drain fluids that

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create swelling following an injury or surgery while at the same time increasing stem cell activity to help make new bone.

She has, for example, treated horses suffering from sesamoiditis in Ireland.

“The sesamoid bones are not a primary weight-bearing bone, but they’re connected to the suspensory apparatus and the soft tissue. It’s very important to keep the inflammation out of those bones. With the taping, I’ve been able to take pain and swelling out,” said Brennan.

The efficacy of Kinesio tape in Brennan’s opinion leads her to believe it has “huge” potential to reduce medications with horses. “If we use it preventatively, then yes, absolutely, we can get away from a lot of the anti-inflammatory treatments,” she said.

Even the use of steroids, which, if coming under increasing restriction in mature horses at the racetrack, are still in use in young developing horses, can by affected

by Kinesio tape. Brennan said the tape can supplant steroids by allowing nerves to function at their optimum in young horses.

“The nerves are going to feed the muscles in exercise and muscle development will be enhanced,” she said. Steroids, through appetite stimulation, medicinally but artificially promote muscle development.

Replacing medications is only one issue with Kinesio tape; replacing doubts among trainers is another. “This is something new and they don’t have a clue about it,” said Brennan. “‘It’s a piece of tape. How can that help? You’re putting a bandage on to protect an injury, to hide something.’ They

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“‘It’s a piece of tape. How can that help?

You’re putting a bandage on to protect an injury, to hide something.’ They don’t understand that it can be used for injury as well as prevention of injury. It’s probably why it took me so long to try it.”

Dr. Nancy Brennan don’t understand that it can be used for injury as well as prevention of injury. It’s probably why it took me so long to try it.”

“In 2008, I didn’t even charge,” she added.

Suspicion and skepticism of a new method or technique in veterinary care is not new for Brennan, who began to introduce chiropractic adjustment and acupuncture in her practice 20 years ago on the backside. “Veterinary medicine didn’t accept these types of modalities.” She said she can now count 10 veterinarians who are chiropractors and acupuncturists solely.

Equine chiropractors are required to be licensed veterinarians in the U.S. Many veterinary practices, of course, including acupuncture or chiropractic adjustment, follow use with humans first.

Jockey Calvin Borel might provide a testimonial for Kinesio tape more valuable

than post-tape performance by thoroughbreds or the observations of trainers served by Brennan. Speaking at the Derby week luncheon that featured Kase and Brennan, Borel told how Brennan’s chiropractor, the aforementioned Barnes, had taped his wrist the day he rode Mine That Bird to victory. Years ago Borel’s wrist had been broken in three places and essentially rebuilt with two plates and nine screws, leaving his hand virtually numb most of the time. The tape brought instant feeling into his hand and it is clearly visible on his wrist in winner’s circle photos of Borel still aboard his second Derby winner.

Shaking his head at the memory of his first Kinesio treatment, he said, “I thought the tape had something in it.”

While Kinesio tape carries no medicinal properties, Borel may have it right: there may be something in it. I

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IN FOCUS

Nasal Strips – what is stopping them being used in European racing?

Nasal strips have for a long time been used around the world in a variety of equestrian sports including all Olympic disciplines. Their use in racing is widespread across North America, Australia and the Far East. However, to date, they can only be used in European racing as part of a training regime. The letter below was sent to us by Jim Chiappetta, a former racehorse veterinary surgeon and the manufacturer of FLAIR® Equine Nasal strips, and questions the European racing authorities’ reluctance to allow them to be used.

Dear Editor I wish to comment on the subject of rules of racing and evaluation procedures for approval of new healthcare products for racehorses in Europe. In particular, I wish to comment on the European racing authorities’ decision in 2000 to ban equine nasal strips and the unavailability today of a transparent and consistent process for reconsideration of the decision in light of further supporting evidence. Inconsistent application of opaque guidelines is a disservice to the horse and a detriment to the racing industry as a whole.

It is almost universally acknowledged that one condition requiring proactive management by racing authorities around the globe is exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (“EIPH” or “bleeding”). The occurrence of some degree of EIPH has been documented in essentially all horses that work at more than a canter (including flat racers and hurdlers). While some may dismiss EIPH as a mere side effect of exertion, the medical reality is that blood is meant to be flowing in the horse’s blood vessels, not collecting in its lungs or streaming from its nostrils. It is documented that EIPH causes poor

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performance and over time can result in cumulative and irreparable or permanent lung damage. As caretakers of horses, we must try our best to mitigate the harmful effects of this condition.

Equine nasal strips are clinically proven to reduce EIPH during moderate and intensive exercise. The strips work by supporting the soft tissues of horses’ nasal passages – passages that otherwise tend to collapse in all horses during intense exercise. Supporting the nasal passages reduces negative pressures during inspiration and reduces the numbers of ruptures of fragile lung membranes and bleeding in the lungs. At least eight clinical studies from noted U.S. research universities and institutions have shown that nasal strips are beneficial to horses’ health. Racing authorities around the word (including authorities in Australia, NZ, South Africa, UAE and the US) have approved them for use during racing. The strips are also approved for use by the FEI and most other sport horse organizations around the world.

Currently, however, most European racing jurisdictions ban the use of nasal strips during racing. The strips were

banned throughout Europe in 2000 after a recommendation by the Senior Veterinary Surgeons of the European Horserace Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC) comprised then of representatives from Britain, Ireland, France, Italy and Germany. This ban was based on both a flawed process and a flawed analysis, and it only serves to harm horseracing in Europe.

I have on several occasions requested an opportunity to meet with the EHSLC to request reconsideration of the ban. What I learned was that in considering a new product there were no actual guidelines for the EHSLC to follow, no public forum or proceedings, and no accessible documents explaining, supporting, or even disclosing, the EHSLC’s ruling.

The EHSLC’s reasoning for the 2000 ban (memorialized in a memo dated “11 April 2000”), is flawed and should be reconsidered. Below, I address the EHSLC’s various rationales for banning equine nasal strips.

1. Other “gadgets” such as tongue ties, which are allowed are intended to address a specific clinical entity. Nasal strips are

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seen by trainers as a non-specific way of improving performance.

This rationale is based on a flawed premise. There is significant evidence that nasal strips are intended to, and do, address one the most widespread specific “clinical entities” afflicting race horses worldwide: EIPH. The fact that some trainers and veterinary surgeons may not be aware of this evidence does not negate it, or even undermine it.

2. If nasal strips improve performance, they should be banned in line with performance-enhancing medication.

This rationale is based on flawed logic.

Nasal strips are a simple piece of equipment, not a drug or doping agent that enhances performance beyond that provided by improved health. Even if nasal strips were proven to enhance performance (which they have not), the mere fact that a horse performs better with a product than it would perform in its absence does not render the product analogous to an illicit performanceenhancing medication.

One of the best ways to improve an athlete’s performance is through training and excellent nutrition; but we do not deprive athletes of either training or nutrition. In the case of animals such as horses, this logic is doubly flawed. They are under our care and do not have a

choice whether or not to race; they should not be punished for racing through prohibition of products (whether proper nutrition or nasal strips) that might otherwise help their health. Indeed, to ban everything that “improves performance” would undermine many of the advancements made in veterinary medicine today.

3. If nasal strips are ineffective, they should be banned (Our Rule 14 xix refers) because they give the impression that we condone practices that are intended to improve performance.

This rationale also makes no sense.

First, the strips are effective in reducing EIPH, so this point is moot. Second, for the reasons stated above, the mere fact that a product may improve performance, while improving the horses’ health, is not a reasonable justification for its prohibition.

4. The manufacturers claim that nasal strips reduce the frequency/severity of EIPH. The EHSLC veterinarians felt very strongly, for the sake of the breed, that horses should run on their merits. What would be the effect on the Thoroughbred in the long term if a horse won the Derby, wearing a nasal strip, that without the strip was unable to win a selling race?

This rationale is hyperbolic and unjustified. There is no evidence whatsoever that nasal strips change a horse’s class. Moreover, it once again overlooks the fact that improvements to the horse’s health should not be prohibited merely because they also offer some performance advantages. Without necessary surgery (e.g., throat surgery, arthroscopic surgery, etc,) a horse otherwise capable of winning the Derby might not be able win a selling race. Still,

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such surgery clearly should not be prohibited.

Indeed, the reality is that weakening the breed, and harming the integrity of the industry, could more likely occur when horses are genetically predisposed to a pathological condition that is not noted on the race card which is corrected (e.g., through surgery) outside the view or knowledge of regulators, breeders or the betting public. In contrast, nasal strips do not conceal a genetic fault that will be

passed on to future generations and weaken the breed; rather, unlike clandestine surgeries or the secret use of performance enhancing drugs, the use of equine nasal strips is open and obvious.

In sum, the EHSLC’s various rationales for banning equine nasal strips turn on faulty premises, faulty logic, and faulty evidence. Any disciplined analysis, and any consideration of the actual evidence, compels the conclusion that trainers should have the option to use scientifically tested

tools, including equine nasal strips, to keep their horses healthy. Only the EHSLC’s lack of guidelines and transparency could have allowed it to find otherwise. The EHSLC’s ban was wrongly entered, and it should be rescinded (as Australia did in March of 2009) for the benefit of horses and those who appreciate their athleticism.

Sincerely, James R. Chiapetta DVM, JD President Flair, LLC

Response on behalf of EHSLC Professor Tim Morris, Director of Equine Science and Welfare at the British Horseracing Authority Dr Chiapetta, as President of Flair LLC, is entitled to his views on the use of nasal strips but has misunderstood the regulation of racing in Europe and his description of the regulatory management of EIPH outside North America is incorrect.

Across countries in Europe, national authorities regulate racing. The EHSLC serves as a forum for the discussion of harmonisation of doping and medication control, but is itself not a regulatory authority. Individual authorities can choose whether to use its deliberations

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in their own rule making. Additionally the technical experts who meet at the EHSLC do separately as a matter of convenience use their time to discuss other matters, one example being the use of nasal strips, but again these discussions are not binding on national racing authorities. The EHSLC meets several times a year, so a response collectively to the issues raised by Dr Chiapetta, in the few days available once aware of this letter, would not be possible, and again any views are not binding on national racing authorities.

Apart from in North America, EIPH is managed conservatively by racing authorities around the world. In North America use of the diuretic drug

furesomide (Lasix™) is extremely widespread. This drug has been shown to reduce the incidence of EIPH but also improves performance. Therefore proactive management of EIPH is not the norm. The same arguments that apply to the use of drugs apply to the use of devices in British racing in that effects of any treatment must also be view in the context of any effect on performance.

The British Racing Authority has a clear position on the use of nasal strips, and bans them, as it does all nasal dilators, because they may affect performance; they reduce inspiratory airway resistance and peak tracheal inspiratory pressure.

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CHRONIC FATIQUE SYNDROME

OVERTRAINING Almost all trainers will have experienced a problem with individual horses, groups of horses, or sometimes even a whole yard where performance drops off for no immediately apparent reason. Blood tests, lameness examinations, clinical examinations, etc. reveal no apparent cause. The drop in performance is often put down to the fact the horse has “gone stale,” become “sour” or “gone over the top.” In human medicine we talk about chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) which can affect both athletes and non-athletes, but in athletes we may be more likely to talk about overtraining. By Dr David Marlin

I

N people, chronic fatigue syndrome is well recognised but often poorly understood. It typically affects young-to-middle aged adults with women being more commonly affected than men.

It is estimated that somewhere between 150,000-250,000 people in the UK alone are affected by CFS. CFS is also referred to as simply chronic fatigue, post-viral fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The latter term describes muscle pain and central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) inflammation but this is not always apparent in chronic fatigue patients and so the term CFS has become more commonly used. In the 1980s ME was disparagingly referred to as “yuppie flu.” As the name implies, the overwhelming and major symptom in cases of CFS is tiredness and lack of energy.

To be diagnosed with CFS a person must have had the condition for a minimum of four months and at least one symptom out of the following: muscle pain, joint pain, headache, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, general feelings of being unwell for at least 24 hours after any form of physical exercise, and feeling tired even after a nights’ sleep.

There are also a range of other symptoms including weight loss, abdominal pain, increased anxiety, and depression. CFS does not respond to bed rest and is worsened by physical activity. The term yuppie flu implies that the condition is largely in the mind.

Whilst CFS is still not well understood, there is evidence that some people have particular genes which make them susceptible and that stress, depression or viral infections can bring about the onset.

Since the precise cause of CFS is unknown it’s almost impossible to prevent and there is no specific treatment.

Treatment is aimed at reducing symptoms such as headache and muscle pain and

Overtraining has been characterised by poor per formance combined with reduced appetite and weight loss

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reducing stress. CFS is currently not believed to be contagious.

To date, a strong case for the occurrence of CFS in horses using the diagnostic criteria applied in human medicine has yet to be put forward. Many diseases in the horse could lead to chronic weight loss, but if we apply the human diagnostic criteria then CFS occurs in the absence of any other disease condition.

In the scientific literature there are only a few papers from a veterinary surgeon in Italy named Tarello, who made the diagnosis of CFS in a small number of horses in the late 1990s. In one case report he did use the diagnostic criteria for humans as described above. However, since 2001 there have been no other scientific publications describing CFS in horses.

That said, there are many frustrating circumstances that trainers will be familiar with where something akin to CFS may be going on. For example, a problem affecting a whole yard with horses with symptoms such as slightly dull coats, some weight loss, and slightly below par performance may well be due to a viral infection or perhaps a problem with the diet such as mycotoxin contamination. Another scenario where an entire yard is involved can be related to very high intensity training. In some of these cases the activity of the liver enzyme GGT (gamma glutamyl transferase) in plasma is increased. Interestingly, GGT is also elevated in horses eating feeds contaminated by mycotoxins.

In humans when we talk about overtraining we are really dealing with a situation where there is an imbalance between training time and recovery which

A sudden increase in training volume can cause over reaching

results in poor performance and physiological (e.g. weight loss, decreased muscle strength, headache, etc.) as well as psychological changes (e.g. depression, personality changes, irritability, etc.). Several controlled scientific studies under laboratory conditions with horses exercising on a treadmill and studies in training yards with actively racing horses have also provided evidence of overtraining.

To make a diagnosis of overtraining it is essential to rule out other possible causes of loss of performance, for example a viral

Overtraining can cause horses to become ir ritable

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infection or a nutritional problem. One of the key features of overtraining is that recovery may take weeks or even months.

Overtraining has to be considered as distinct from overreaching. Overreaching is defined as a sudden increase in training volume (speed and/or distance) and may result in muscle soreness and a transient drop in performance. If the new load is applied for a short period (~7-10 days) and the horse then returns to its previous level of training, there may be no long term consequence and performance may actually be enhanced.

Recovery from overreaching is usually thought of in terms of days rather than weeks or months. However, overreaching may also be the first stage in the development of overtraining.

Overtraining from a scientific perspective in racehorses was first reported in standardbreds in Sweden in the mid 1960s.

It was characterised by poor performance combined with reduced appetite and weight loss, nervousness, high heart rates, sweating, and diarrhoea. A more recent study in Italy which also looked at standardbreds found some evidence of blood changes between horses trained and raced more frequently but unfortunately they did not report the performance of each group, so limited conclusions can be drawn. An experimental study from the Netherlands showed that standardbreds trained for approximately 261 days and then worked much harder for a further nine days developed signs of overreaching. However, as the study did not demonstrate that the decrease in performance was prolonged we cannot assume these horses were overtrained. A study in New Zealand on standardbreds

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managed to induce overtraining in a training programme lasting 34 weeks. Overtraining was demonstrated by a reduced run time in a time trial and this reduction in performance persisted after a twoweek period of recovery. A range of physiological and hormone changes were observed but there were no changes in behaviour.

A better quality study, again on standardbreds, was carried out in Australia at the University of Sydney and this study provides our best understanding of the condition. Overtraining occurred after 31 weeks of training. Perhaps more importantly, overtraining took 15 weeks to develop in response to daily maximal exercise for six days per week. So the message here is that whilst overtraining can be induced in standardbreds, the training programme to do so is considerably more intense than typical training programmes in common use for commercial racehorse training.

So how common is true overtraining likely to be in the racing industry? This is a hard one to answer. For standardbreds, the prevalence may be higher than for thoroughbreds due to the different training programmes in common use. And as yet, we have no scientific studies of overtraining in thoroughbred racehorses using the human criteria. Remember that the essential criteria for a diagnosis of overtraining must include a decrease in performance that does not improve with a short period of reduced training intensity (7-10 days) and in the absence of any obvious disease or injury.

But if we are looking for any measurements or indicators that might help us suspect that we could be dealing with an overtraining issue in a horse or group of horses then what should we be looking for?

Firstly, the scientific studies suggest that no single measurement is going to give a definitive definition of overtraining in horses. Unexplained weight loss was identified in at least two of the overtraining studies, but this was small – of the order of 10-15kg. Stress leukograms (elevated total white cell count with increased neutrophils and decreased lymphocytes) do not necessarily appear to be helpful. Muscle enzymes (AST and CK) may or may not be increased.

The liver enzyme GGT (gamma glutamyl transferase) has been found to be elevated in several of the studies of overtraining and very high levels (above 100 iu/l) appear to be more commonly associated with poor performance. Increased blood lactate may also be seen at submaximal exercise, but this may be due to behavioural changes. Changes in behaviour may well be one of the best early markers of overtraining in horses. The Dutch and Australian studies both reported increased “irritability” of the horses as they approached overtraining. The Australian study in particular noted: unwillingness to train, not wanting to get on or of the treadmill, barging, pushing at the front bar, and sudden stopping whilst galloping.

Overtraining in human athletes is a complex syndrome that has a common theme – reduced performance in the absence of injury or disease which does not respond to short periods of rest or reduced training load. There is no single marker for overtraining and diagnosis involves ruling out any other possible causes and then observing whether performance is restored following a prolonged period of decreased training load. True overtraining in horses can be induced experimentally and bears many similarities to the condition in human athletes. However, diagnosis in the training yard is likely to remain challenging until we have better diagnostic methods. I

“One of the key features of overtraining is that recovery may take weeks or even months”

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THE COST OF NUTRITION Do you know your cost per day ?

By knowing your cost per day you can more easily decide what really is good value. Feeds and supplements come in many shapes and sizes, with various feeding recommendations attached, making it hard to judge their value at a glance.

Keeping it balanced If you are using a complete feed at the recommended intake levels there will be no need for supplementation, with the exception of electrolytes and oils if desired. The horse does not have the ability to ‘hold on’ to most extra vitamins and minerals fed above their requirement. The only vitamins that can be stored are A,D,E & K which are fat soluble.

Nutrition as a preventative Certain conditions such as gastric ulcers and tying-up are strongly influenced by diet. If you have horses with such problems, it is worth costing the use of special low starch feeds, feeding extra hay and allowing turn out. These changes can reduce the dependance on medications and supplements.

Good quality forages are another area in which money can be saved. Clean forages which are not dusty or moldy are always worth paying for as they help avoid vet bills for respiratory problems. Good quality forages are also more than just bulk,

European Trainer Suppliers’ Guide

they are a source of protein and energy. Feeding poorer grade forages will increase the need for concentrate feeding.

Oats vs Racehorse Cubes Oats compared to racehorse cubes are of course much cheaper weight for weight. However it should be remembered that oats do not offer the full range of essential proteins, vitamins and minerals needed by a horse in hard work. Oats should be fed with a balancer pellet or meusli to create a properly balanced diet. Without all the essential elements the horse can not perform to his maximum potential.

If we take a horse eating 6kg of a 14% racehorse cube per day, the same horse would need to eat 1.5kg of a 25% protein oat balancer concentrate with 5.3kg of oats to create a diet that is comparable on protein, energy, vitamins and minerals. With these numbers in mind you can work out the cost of buying oats and a balancer vs buying a complete racehorse cube.

Apart from the actual cost it is also a good idea to consider some of the benefits or drawbacks of both types of feeding.

Oats and a balancer offer potential savings if oats are available at a good price. This type of feeding also offers flexibility, allowing you to create a stronger protein diet for younger horses simply by increasing the ratio of balancer to oats. The drawbacks are the time it takes for mixing feeds, and the room for human error, especially when more than one person is responsible for feeding.

Using a racehorse cubes may work out a few cent or pence more expensive per day, but they are quick and easy to feed, making the margin for error lower. Racehorse cubes also offer a blend of ingredients, making them very palatable, and due to the grinding and cooking process they are also much more digestible than whole oats.

Summary Keep the diet balanced, if in doubt about what your are mixing contact your feed supplier for advice. Always remember that quality of feed and forage effects more than just the performance on the track, it is an essential part of keeping the horse in good health every day.

Feed values used are based on REDMILLS racehorse cubes and oat balancer concentrate. For further advice visit www.redmills.com or contact one of our team on +335 (0)599775800

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Bring all the benefits of the sea to your yard...

Seawalker® offers you the opportunity to exercise horses in a controlled environment using chilled, natural salt water.

With installations currently underway in the UK (Newmarket) and Australia, Seawalker® is being used worldwide by racing yards, equine rehabilitation centres and studs (for yearling preparation) with resounding results…

Here’s how our customers have been using Seawalker®.

For sprinting thoroughbreds, a 20 minute session on the Seawalker® before training loosens up muscles and horses move remarkably better directly afterwards. This can allow exercise programmes to be increased.

A 30 minute session on the Seawalker® after training can help a nervous horse to relax and therefore improves appetite – and may be a useful aid to gaining weight.

For fresh horses, a 30 minute session can ‘takes the edge off’ so there’s no need to lunge or use calming medication before riding.

A common problem with racehorses is that post training the muscles can seize or ‘tie up’. This is very painful for a horse, however a 20 minute session both before and after riding can control this problem better than any medication.

Falls can result in swellings of fluid – using Seawalker® can help to speed recovery by moving the swelling and loosening up damaged muscle.

All our customers are experiencing very positive results from Seawalker®. If you would like to find out more about how you can significantly improve the health and performance of your horses, please contact Marie-Louise Chittenden on +44 (0)1458 251300 or look on www.seawalker.uk.com

Irish Karon Oil – Supports health and performance Brinicombe Equine’s Irish Karon Oil is based on a traditional horseman’s recipe, brought up to date with the latest quality ingredients. This formulation contains over 50% high quality linseed oil, a rich source of Omega 3, combined with calcium and magnesium hydroxides to buffer excess acid.

As well as lubricating the gut to promote gastro-intestinal transit when horses are fed low fibre diets, there are real benefits to be gained by the increased dietary Omega 3 provided by this formulation. For racehorses in particular, Omega 3 from linseed oil has been shown to play an important role in red blood cell flexibility. During exercise,

flexible red blood cells are advantageous as they can flow more efficiently through the narrow capillaries, and thus ensure maximum delivery of oxygen to the lungs and muscles. Research involving human athletes has found that those taking supplementary Omega 3 can improve performance times and reduced muscle soreness.

Omega 3 is also known to help protect against inflammation and plays an important role in joint health.

For further information on Brinicombe Equine’s ProRange, visit www.brinicombe-equine.co.uk or tel +44 (0)1363 777228

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AquaCidTM – an exciting new natural product now available for horses Horses are athletic animals and as such are prone to skeletal inj ury.

Some horses compete at the highest level, such as racehorses, eventers, show jumpers and dressage horses, undergoing extensive training programmes before competing. Lameness at some point of their athletic career is almost guaranteed. Bone strength and joint support in performance horses is of particular concern due to the high level of wastage.

There are many supplements available in the market place which profess to help reduce inflammation and lameness (particularly within joints) and strengthen bone many of which do not have the research behind them to support their claims.

However, there is an exciting new natural product now available for horses, called AquaCidTM. The peer reviewed and published research to date has been very exciting.

What is AquaCidTM? AquaCidTM is a pelleted supplement for horses, manufactured from a unique, natural, organic red marine algae which is harvested from the ocean floor off the west coast of Ireland. The red marine algae,

“Lithothamnion corallioides”, absorbs minerals from the sea in similar ratios to the body making many of these minerals bioavailable and readily absorbed. The red algae grows in the sea and as the leaves get larger and larger, they eventually break off and fall to the seabed.

Here they are harvested for use in AquaCid TM, leaving the growing algae in situ to continue their life cycle. AquaCid TM is therefore a natural, environmentally friendly product.

AquaCidTM contains 74 different minerals many of which are known to be antiinflammatory.

This unique red algae is particularly rich in calcium and magnesium and also contains boron, silicon, zinc and manganese.

AquaCidTM typically contains 20-26% calcium and is low in phosphorus, making it ideal for equines.

Research has shown there are many nutritional benefits, to feeding this unique supplement, including: Increased bone turnover, reduced inflammation, reduced excitable behaviour and also gastric buffering properties.

For further information please visit www.aquacid.com or call +44 (0)7881 812830

European Trainer Suppliers’ Guide

Inclusion in our Suppliers’ Guide costs just £395 (exVAT) per annum For further details call Anderson & Co on +44 (0)1380 816777 62 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 32

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The Jury is in on Glucosamine and Chondroitin “Prevention is better than cure” is an anecdote that is certainly true when joint injury or disease is concerned. Veterinary intervention usually involves a combination of medication, surgery, intraarticular injections with hyaluronate or corticosteroids, or in some cases new biological treatments such as IRAP®, or platelet rich plasma therapy. Because joint injury or disease can be a career limiting condition, there has always been immense interest from trainers in nutraceutical containing supplements that may help to protect joints from disease, or to maintain joint health following successful veterinary treatment. The favoured ingredients have to date been supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin, as they have historically been perceived to be successfully used in humans. Realistically, however, the ‘jury has been out’ for many years on the use of glucosamine and chondroitin in human medicine and equine nutrition has for a long time been holding onto the medics coat tails in the absence of a wealth of convincing evidence in horses.

The jury in the form of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) have, however, recently voiced a verdict of no confidence in glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate. In fact, they have gone so far as to advise that doctors no longer recommend or prescribe these supplements.

This has resulted from a meta-analysis (or study of studies) of the large number of clinical trials that have been carried out into the efficacy of these ingredients. The paper in the BMJ concluded that there is no evidence that glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have any healing effects in humans beyond a placebo effect, where a patient may feel better simply for being given a sham treatment or ‘sugar pill’. So where does this leave us in horses, where the bioavailability of glucosamine and chondroitin has already been called into question.

Ali Howe, Equine Business Development Manager at Lanes Health, manufacturer of LitoVet suggests that we should be looking towards other ingredients such as rose-hip that already has a

proven track record in both humans and horses. She says - It is important that trainers don’t simply abandon neutraceutical supplements as a knee jerk reaction as there are real benefits to be gained in maintaining joint health through the rigours of training.

Training horses involves a fine balance between the inherent damage and repair processes and supplements such as LitoVet can ensure that the body’s natural repair processes are supported fully to help maintain joint function.

Litovet contains the same standardised level of GOPO, the active ingredient derived from rose-hip (Rosa canina) powder as the highly acclaimed human supplement Litozin. Litozin powder has already undergone its meta-analysis (study of studies) in human patients; with the verdict being that it is effective in managing joint health in human sufferers. A recently published study in a large group of performance horses also confirmed this beneficial effect in horses. Ali Howe also confirms that unlike glucosamine and chondroitin LitoVet is a completely plant based supplement and so is extremely palatable and has no environmental or other issues regarding its origin. She urges trainers to try LitoVet during this training season and perhaps LitoZin for any aches and pains they may have themselves.

For further information or to order LITOVET please contact Ali Howe on +44 (0)1452 524012 or emai: info@litovet.co.uk

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TopSpec Racing Feed Balancer TopSpec Racing Feed Balancer is designed for race horses and point-to-pointers fed a diet including a significant amount of oats.

TopSpec Racing allows the trainer to feed straights according to the energy requirements of his individual charges whilst maintaining a constant micronutrient intake from the feed balancer. It is therefore no longer necessary to use several different feeds at different stages of training. Advantage can be taken of competitively priced oats and other energy sources.

TopSpec Racing is fed at a rate of just 1 Kilogram per day (because it is highly concentrated it is fed at much lower rates than oat balancers, helping to maintain appetite and a healthy digestive tract).

TopSpec Racing removes the need to feed any of the following: blood tonics, muscle function supplements e.g. vitamin E and Selenium, energy metabolism supplements e.g. B vitamin products, digestive aids e.g. yeast products, hoof supplements, bone support supplements, immune-system boosters, anti-stress supplements, broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplements.

The nutritional benefits of TopSpec Racing are: the minerals, vitamins, trace elements and amino acids in TopSpec Racing balance hay or (haylage) and straights, allowing more nutrients to be utilised. The pure yeast benefits hindgut function, reducing acidity, improving fibre digestibility and so increasing energy availability. These two facts mean that horses can receive optimum nutrition from reduced levels of hard feed which will lead to a healthier, more efficient digestive tract. It provides nutritional support for optimum speed, stamina and recovery rates. TopSpec Racing promotes superb muscle

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64 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 32

development and function (high quality protein, rich in essential amino acids such as lysine, plus vitamin E and selenium, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and copper).

The feed balancer optimises bone development in young racehorses and strength in all ages (high quality protein, rich in essential amino acids plus optimum levels of calcium, phosphorous, vitamins A, C and D, magnesium, copper, zinc and manganese).

TopSpec Racing helps to maintain appetite at peak fitness (very palatable and nutrientdense; yeast and vitamin B12). It provides efficient energy metabolism (generous levels of B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium plus vitamin A, C and E with selenium and manganese).

TopSpec Racing provides nutritional support for red cell formulation (Copper, zinc, vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid with a carefully balanced, but not excessive level of iron) and greatly improves hoof, skin and coat quality (Biotin is included at the level [15mg/500kg horse/day] that is scientifically proven to improve hoof quality, plus optimum levels of sulphur – containing amino acids methionine and cysteine, calcium vitamin A, zinc, copper, iodine and intracellular soya oil). It moderates the effect of stress, such as extensive time in a stable, later stages of training, travelling and racing (generous levels of anti-oxidants, principally vitamins A, C, E and selenium combat the free radicals that are increased by stress; yeast and MOS offset the effects of stress on the gut) and helps maintain a healthy immune system (Rich in vitamins A, C, E and B6 plus MOS and Omega-3 fatty acids).

For further information contact the Multiple Award-Winning TopSpec Helpline on 01845 565030 or visit www.topspec.com

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Blame Wins Breeders’ Cup Classic in America These days, Al Stall Jr.’s barn is awash with the sweet smell of success. Blame it on Blame. If you want to get literal about it, the scent is coming from the balesized hay steamer by the office, where the warm mist creeping out the sides of the box indicates that it’s removing dust and allergens from the hay that is specifically fed to Grade 1 winner Blame.

The 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic could be argued as one the most historical and important races of this generation. all eyes were on Zenyatta, the six-year-old mare who entered the race with a perfect track record of 19-0. A victory for Zenyatta would have given her a second Breeders’ Cup Classic title, and made her the first horse to be undefeated in 20 starts in over a century.

However, history will show that Blame secured victory by a head from the fast-finishing Zenyatta.

Most racehorses are kept in stables, with little or no turnout time.

Hay and straw contain significant amounts of fungal and bacterial

spores (respirable particles) that germinate in warm damp conditions contaminating the feed and bedding.

Moreover, the spores remain airborne for long periods and are inhaled by the horse which induces the life-long allergic reaction Recurrent Airways Obstruction (RAO).

Reducing the source of microbes involves replacing the straw with shavings and treating the hay, traditionally done by soaking. Soaking is cumbersome, leaches out essential minerals and the post-soak water is a biological hazard. Steaming hay is a preferable alternative and recent extensive research at the Royal Agricultural College Cirencester, using the HAYGAIN hay steamer, on a wide variety of hays from all over the UK have shown that a 50 minute steam in the thermally insulated Haygain reduces respirable numbers by 94% and kills all the fungal and yeast spores.

For more information about Haygain call +44 (0)333 200 5233 or visit www.haygain.com

The Hay Bar Investment Hay Bar will once again proves it’s worth this winter. The unseasonable spring which has vastly reduced the quantities of hay and haylage made, will have a profound impact on maintaining a yard this winter. The soaring costs of both hay/haylage and straw are already being felt by yard owners. It is essential that we do all we can to minimise waste of both fodder and bedding – not only to keep costs down but also to try and ensure that the limited availability will see us all through the winter.

Many yards have been considering installing the Hay Bar system and this winter is certainly going to be the time to do it. The initial outlay will be quickly recouped by the efficiency of this product both in saving waste and in the reduced labour costs.

Testimonials and endorsements from the vets, physios and equine dentists keep reinforcing the need to feed from Hay Bar maintaining the natural position, which is so very important for a horse’s welfare.

Feeding from the wall is not to be advised, as it not only helps to create respiratory, dental and muscular problems but it also encourages a horse to bolt its food and this in turn can lead to gastric ulcers and unwanted cases of colic.

Converting to Hay Bar will also help to save scarce forage mixing with the expensive bedding. This winter the spiralling cost of hay and bedding will make us all very waste conscious. The Hay Bar system is truly the proven way forward.

Tel: +44 (0)1723 882434 www.haybar.co.uk

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RACES

Races are divided by distance and the relevant surface is indicated as follows: AWT - All Weather Track D - Dirt T - Turf European counties covered in this issue are: Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden and United Kingdom. The indexes also include Grade 1 races fr om North America as well major races from Australia and Japan.

CLOSING DATES

Closing dates for all Irish races are set for international entry dates. For cer tain races, Irish trained horses, may be able to enter after the published dates. Please check dates with the relevant issue of The Racing Calendar. All main French races have been given an eight day closing date with provincial races set to a ten day closing date. The Italian authority (UNIRE) do not publish closing dates for Listed races but we have been advised to set each race closing date ten days in advance of the race.

COPYRIGHT

Under Copyright law, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means. This includes but not limited to; photocopying for commer cial redistribution and or facsimile recording without the prior permission of the copyright holder, application for which should be addressed to the publisher.

DISCLAIMER

Whilst every effort has been made to publish correct information, the publishers will not be held liable for any omission, mistake or change to the races listed in all published indexes.

Call us on +44 (0)1380 816 777 to subscribe from £18 Country Track UAE Meydan

Race Name & (Sponsor) Al Quoz Sprint

Class Gr 2

Race Date 26-Mar-2011

Value $1,000,000

Age NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+

Surface T

5f (1000m) Metres 1000

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Track Nakayama Meydan Santa Anita Meydan Meydan

Race Name & (Sponsor) Capella Stakes Al Shindagha Sprint Palos Verdes Stakes Mahab Al Shimaal Dubai Golden Shaheen

Class Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 1

Race Date 12-Dec-2010 3-Jan-2011 22-Jan-2011 3-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011

Value $888,000 $200,000 $150,000 $200,000 $2,000,000

Race Name & (Sponsor) Potrero Grande Stakes

Class Gr 2

Race Date 3-Apr-2011

Value $150,000

Age 3+ NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ 4+ NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+ NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+

Surface D AWT D AWT AWT

Metres 1200 1200 1200 1200 1200

Age 4+

Track Kempton Park Hanshin Santa Anita Santa Anita Santa Anita Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Santa Anita Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park

Race Name & (Sponsor) Sunbury St Hanshin Cup Malibu Stakes La Brea Stakes Santa Ynez Stakes Forward Gal S Santa Monica Stakes Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship San Carlos Handicap San Vicente Stakes Hutcheson Stakes Inside Information

66 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 32

Class L Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2

Race Date 15-Dec-2010 18-Dec-2010 26-Dec-2010 26-Dec-2010 15-Jan-2011 29-Jan-2011 30-Jan-2011 12-Feb-2011 19-Feb-2011 20-Feb-2011 26-Feb-2011 19-Mar-2011

Value £40,000 $1,652,000 $250,000 $250,000 $150,000 $200,000 $250,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000

Age 3+ 3+ 3YO 3YO 3YO 3F 4+ FM 4+ 4+ 3 3 4+ F&M

Furlongs 6 6 6 6 6

Closing 26-Oct-10 31-Jan-11 13-Jan-11 28-Feb-11

6.5f (1300m) Surface D

Metres 1300

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Closing

6f (1200m)

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Furlongs 5

Surface AWT T D D D D D D D D D D

Furlongs 6.5

Closing 24-Mar-11

7f (1400m) Metres 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400 1400

Furlongs 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

Closing 09-Dec-10 09-Nov-10 16-Dec-10 16-Dec-10 06-Jan-11 15-Jan-11 20-Jan-11 29-Jan-11 10-Feb-11 10-Feb-11 13-Feb-10 05-Mar-11

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Gulfstream Park

Swale S

Gr 2

3-Apr-2011

$150,000

7f (1400m) 3

D

1400

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Track Deauville Pisa Deauville

Race Name & (Sponsor) Luthier Criterium di Pisa Pre Satamixa

Class L L L

Race Date 9-Dec-2010 12-Dec-2010 7-Jan-2011

Value €52,000 €61,600 €52,000

Age 3+ 2 4+

Track Siracusa Siracusa Hanshin Nakayama Meydan Meydan Santa Anita Meydan Santa Anita Meydan Meydan Cagnes-Sur-Mer Meydan Meydan Gulfstream Park Meydan Santa Anita Meydan Gulfstream Park Meydan Santa Anita

Race Name & (Sponsor) Criterium Aretuseo Criterium Mediterraneo (ex Ippodromi e Citta) Hanshin Juvenile Fillies Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes Al Maktoum Challenge Rd 1 Cape Verdi Sir Beaufort Stakes UAE 1000 Guineas Las Virgenes Stakes UAE 2000 Guineas Firebreak Stakes Pre De La Californie Al Fahidi Fort Meydan Classic Davona Dale Stakes Burj Nahaar Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap Zabeel Mile Gulfstream Park H Godolphin Mile Arcadia Stakes

Class L L Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 2 L Gr 1 Gr 3 L L Gr 2 L Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2

Race Date 5-Dec-2010 8-Dec-2010 12-Dec-2010 19-Dec-2010 13-Jan-2011 20-Jan-2011 26-Jan-2011 3-Feb-2011 5-Feb-2011 10-Feb-2011 10-Feb-2011 13-Feb-2011 17-Feb-2011 24-Feb-2011 26-Feb-2011 3-Mar-2011 5-Mar-2011 10-Mar-2011 12-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 9-Apr-2011

Surface AWT T

Metres 1500 1500 1500

Track Hollywood Park Hollywood Park Hollywood Park Santa Anita Santa Anita Santa Anita Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Fair Grounds Santa Anita Santa Anita Fair Grounds Oaklawn Park

Race Name & (Sponsor) Bayakoa Handicap Hollywood Startlet Cashcall Futurity San Pasqual Stakes San Fernando Stakes El Encino Stakes Donn H Santa Maria Stakes Risen Star Stakes Santa Anita Oaks San Felipe Stakes Fair Grounds Oaks Fantasy S

Class Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2

Race Date 5-Dec-2010 11-Dec-2010 18-Dec-2010 8-Jan-2011 15-Jan-2011 16-Jan-2011 5-Feb-2011 12-Feb-2011 19-Feb-2011 5-Mar-2011 12-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 10-Apr-2011

Value Age Surface €61,600 2F T €61,600 2 C&G T $1,521,000 2F T $1,652,000 2 No G T $200,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ AWT $200,000 NH F&M 4yo+ SH F&M 3yo+ T $150,000 3 T $250,000 NH 3F SH 3F AWT $250,000 3F D $250,000 NH 3yo SH 3yo AWT $175,000 SH-bred 3+ & NH-bred 4+ AWT €55,000 3 T $250,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ T $150,000 3yo T $250,000 3F D $200,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ AWT $300,000 4+ T $250,000 NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+ T $300,000 4+ D $1,000,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ AWT $150,000 4+ T

Value $150,000 $250,000 $750,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $500,000 $150,000 $300,000 $250,000 $250,000 $400,000 $300,000

Metres 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600 1600

Track Hanshin Hanshin Santa Anita Santa Anita Meydan Santa Anita Santa Anita Santa Anita Santa Anita Meydan Gulfstream Park Meydan Santa Anita Santa Anita Meydan Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Turfway Park Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Oaklawn Park Santa Anita

Race Name & (Sponsor) Naruo Kinen Japan Cup Dirt San Gabriel Stakes Robert J. Frankel Stakes Al Rashidiya Strub Stakes San Antonio Stakes Robert B. Lewis Stakes La Canada Stakes Balanchine Filly & Mare Fountain Of Youth Stakes Jebel Hatta Santa Margarita Stakes Santa Ana Handicap Dubai Duty Free Mervin H Muniz Jr Memorial New Orleans H Louisiana Derby Lane’s End Stakes The Gulfstream Oaks Florida Derby Santa Anita Derby Oaklawn H Providencia Stakes

Class Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2

Race Date 4-Dec-2010 5-Dec-2010 27-Dec-2010 1-Jan-2011 27-Jan-2011 5-Feb-2011 6-Feb-2011 12-Feb-2011 13-Feb-2011 18-Feb-2011 26-Feb-2011 3-Mar-2011 12-Mar-2011 19-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 2-Apr-2011 3-Apr-2011 9-Apr-2011 9-Apr-2011 9-Apr-2011

Age 3+ F&M 2F 2 4+ 4YO 4YO 4+ 4+ FM 3 3F 3 3F 3F

Surface D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Metres 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700 1700

Track Deauville Deauville Meydan Santa Anita Meydan Meydan

Race Name & (Sponsor) Lyphard Petite Etoile Al Maktoum Challenge Rd 2 Buena Vista Handicap UAE Oaks Al Bastakiya

Class L L Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 3 L

Race Date 8-Dec-2010 18-Dec-2010 3-Feb-2011 21-Feb-2011 24-Feb-2011 3-Mar-2011

Value Age Surface $954,000 3+ T $3,058,000 3+ D $150,000 3+ T $150,000 4+ F&M T $200,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ T $200,000 4 D $150,000 4+ D $250,000 3 D $150,000 4F D $200,000 NH F&M 4yo+ SH F&M 3yo+ T $400,000 3 D $250,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ T $300,000 4+ FM D $150,000 4+ FM T $5,000,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ T $300,000 4+ T $300,000 4+ D $1,000,000 3 D $500,000 3 AWT $300,000 3F D $1,000,000 3 D $1,000,000 3 D $350,000 4+ D $150,000 3F T

Value €52,000 €55,000 $200,000 $150,000 $250,000 $250,000

Furlongs 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Closing 25-Nov-10 26-Nov-10 26-Oct-10 09-Nov-10 10-Jan-11 17-Jan-11 16-Dec-10 31-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 07-Feb-11 02-Feb-11 05-Feb-10 14-Feb-11 21-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 07-Mar-11 26-Feb-11 31-Mar-11

Age 3+ 3F NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ 4+ FM NH 3F SH 3F NH 3yo SH 3yo

Furlongs 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5

Closing

30-Dec-10 06-Jan-11 06-Jan-11 22-Jan-11 03-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 12-Mar-11

9f (1800m) Metres 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800

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Closing 01-Dec-10 02-Dec-10 30-Dec-10

8.5f (1700m)

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Furlongs 7.5 7.5 7.5

8f (1600m)

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19-Mar-11

7.5f (1500m)

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7

Furlongs 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

Closing 26-Oct-10 12-Oct-10 16-Dec-10 23-Dec-10 24-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 03-Feb-11 03-Feb-11 14-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 10-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 22-Jan-11 08-Jan-11 31-Mar-11

9.5f (1900m)

Surface AWT AWT AWT T AWT AWT

Metres 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900

Furlongs 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5

Closing 30-Nov-10 10-Dec-10 31-Jan-11 10-Feb-11 21-Feb-11 28-Feb-11

ISSUE 32 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 67

STAKES SCHEDULES ISSUE 32 new:Jerkins feature.qxd

26/11/10

15:47

Page 3

STAKES SCHEDULES

Visit www.trainermagazine.com/europe Country Track UAE Meydan

Race Name & (Sponsor) UAE Derby

Class Gr 2

Country JPN GB JPN JPN USA FR FR UAE USA UAE USA

Race Name & (Sponsor) Chunichi Shimbun Hai Quebec St Aichi Hai Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes San Marcos Stakes Grand Prix de la Riviera Côte dAzur Prix Policeman Al Maktoum Challenge Rd 3 Santa Anita Handicap Dubai World Cup Santa Barbara Handicap

Race Date 26-Mar-2011

Value $2,000,000

9.5f (1900m)

Age NH 3 SH 3

Surface AWT

Metres 1900

Surface T AWT T T T AWT AWT AWT D AWT T

Metres 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000

Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Track Kokura Lingfield Park Kokura Hanshin Santa Anita Cagnes-Sur-Mer Cagnes-Sur-Mer Meydan Santa Anita Meydan Santa Anita

Class Gr 3 L Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 L L Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 2

Race Date 11-Dec-2010 18-Dec-2010 19-Dec-2010 25-Dec-2010 17-Jan-2011 13-Feb-2011 26-Feb-2011 3-Mar-2011 5-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011 16-Apr-2011

Value $954,000 £40,000 $888,000 $752,000 $150,000 €60,000 €55,000 $300,000 $750,000 $10,000,000 $150,000

Age 3+ 3+ 3+ FM 2 4+ 4+ 3 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ 4+ NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ 4+ FM

Race Name & (Sponsor) Andred (ex Regione Toscana) Mac Diarmida H

Class L Gr 2

Race Date 12-Dec-2010 19-Feb-2011

Value €61,600 $150,000

Age 3+ F&M 4+

Surface T T

Visit www.trainermagazine.com/europe Country Track ITY Siracusa

Race Name & (Sponsor) Mediterraneo - Memorial Faraci

Class L

Race Date 8-Dec-2010

Value €61,600

Track Toulouse Calder Santa Anita Meydan Santa Anita Meydan

Race Name & (Sponsor) Max Sicard WL McKnight Handicap San Luis Obispo Handicap Dubai City of Gold San Luis Rey Handicap Dubai Sheema Classic

Class L Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1

Race Date 12-Dec-2010 18-Dec-2010 19-Feb-2011 3-Mar-2011 20-Mar-2011 26-Mar-2011

Value €60,000 $150,000 $150,000 $250,000 $150,000 $5,000,000

Race Name & (Sponsor) Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix) Grand Prix du Conseil General des Alpes-Maritimes

Class Gr 1 L

Race Date 26-Dec-2010 26-Feb-2011

Age 3+

Age 3+ 3+ 4+ NH 4yo+ SH 4yo+ 4+ NH 4yo+ SH 4yo+

Value $4,220,000 €75,000

Metres 2200 2200

Surface T

Metres 2300

Race Name & (Sponsor) Nad Al Sheba Trophy San Juan Capistrano Handicap

Class L Gr 2

Race Date 17-Feb-2011 17-Apr-2011

Surface T T T T T T

Age 3+ 4+

Surface T T

Metres 2400 2400 2400 2400 2400 2400

Race Name & (Sponsor) DRC Gold Cup

Class Gr 3

Race Date 10-Mar-2011

Metres 2500 2500

Metres 2800 2800

Race Name & (Sponsor) Sports Nippon Sho Stayers Stakes

Class Gr 2

Race Date 4-Dec-2010

Value $1,504,000

Furlongs 11.5

Furlongs 12 12 12 12 12 12

Furlongs 12.5 12.5

Age 4+

Age 3+

Furlongs 14 14

Surface T

Metres 3200

Surface T

Furlongs 16

Closing 02-Dec-10 04-Dec-10 10-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 10-Mar-11

Closing 09-Nov-10 18-Feb-11

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Closing 14-Feb-11

Closing 07-Mar-11

18f (3600m) Metres 3600

Furlongs 18

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68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 32

Closing 26-Nov-10

16f (3200m)

Call us on +44 (0)1380 816 777 to subscribe from £18 Country Track JPN Nakayama

Closing 02-Dec-10 05-Feb-11

14f (2800m)

Value Age Surface $175,000 SH-bred 3+ & NH-bred 4+ T $150,000 4+ T

Value $200,000

Furlongs 11 11

12.5f (2500m)

Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Country Track UAE Meydan

07-Apr-11

12f (2400m)

Visit www.trainermagazine.com/europe Country Track UAE Meydan USA Santa Anita

Closing 26-Oct-10 13-Dec-10 09-Nov-10 09-Nov-10 06-Jan-11 04-Feb-11 18-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 19-Feb-11

11.5f (2300m)

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Furlongs 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

11f (2200m)

Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Country FR USA USA UAE USA UAE

Closing

10f (2000m)

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Furlongs 9.5

Closing 26-Oct-10

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26/11/10

16:27

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ISSUE 32 OUTSIDE COVERS:Layout 1

26/11/10

16:23

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ENDO BOTTI

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Should runners be medication free in preceding races?

“Prize-money should be redistributed over fewer but better races”