North American Trainer - May to July 2017 - issue 44

North American Trainer ISSUE 44 (MAY 2017-JULY 2017)

Bred and/or R aced by

DENA SPRINGS

298 709 246

Blacktype Winners Have Won

Blacktype Races including

ISSUE 44 MAY 2017-JULY 2017 $5.95

Graded Stakes Wins

www.trainermagazine.com

ANTONIO SANO in profile

Success Where It Counts

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE Publishing Ltd

ADENA SPRINGS Dermot Carty (416) 518-1449

www.AdenaStallions.com

KENTUCKY: Awesome Again Capo Bastone City Wolf Fort Larned Ghostzapper Macho Uno Mucho Macho Man North Light Point of Entry CANADA: Giant Gizmo Hunters Bay Milwaukee Brew Rookie Sensation Silent Name Silver Max Singing Saint Sligo Bay

17-1351 BT Wnrs/GSWs Bck Cover & Dig Spr Summer.indd 1

4/24/17 4:21 PM

Tweaking training decisions Thinking outside the box

Frank Stronach Exclusive interview

His plans for the future

Compounding pharmacies Does faking it pay?

TRACK–RECORD–SETTING GRADED STAKES WINNING

SON OF GIANT’S CAUSEWAY OUT OF A CHAMPION DAUGHTER OF THEATRICAL (IRE)

NIAGARA

CAUSEWAY GIANT’S CAUSEWAY-THEORETICALLY,

BY THEATRICAL (IRE)

Sire of promising 3YO colt DUROCHER, winner of two straight on turf at Gulfstream, including a score by 2 1/2-lengths on 4.9.17 running a mile in 1:36 3/5.

Sire of 2016 $100,000 Stakes Performer and 8-time winner LOGAN CREEK ($117,822) and stakes-placed HELLO PEOPLE ($46,739).

Outstanding sire of multiple allowance winner • YOU SHOULD BE HERE ($138,993), • CAUSE I’M GOLD ($47,821), • AS GOOD AS GOLD ($57,546), • ELSENORDELOSCIELOS ($64,050), etc.

STUD FEE: $2,500

BUCK POND FARM DOUG ARNOLD

n

VERSAILLES, KY

859.873.4081

GILES ANDERSON

In this issue...

W

E profile the careers of two men. Both were born overseas and have chosen North America as their home. Having interviewed both men, I know firsthand that they believe in the premise that it’s possible to achieve anything in life, but being in the right place at the right time plays a massive part when the lucky cards are being dealt.

Our “cover profile” trainer, Antonio Sano, has had some career.

As you’ll find out, he had to deal with more than most, from being the leading trainer in his native country of Venezuela, to getting kidnapped and escaping for a better life in North America, to suddenly finding himself on the cusp of national attention with the exciting Dialed In colt that we know as Gunnevera.

I don’t know that many octogenarians, but Frank Stronach is something else. At heart, he comes across as a humble man, proud of his roots, and he considers what he says before saying it. With a wealth of knowledge behind him, he has a strong vision for the future. He’s not the sort of man who considers slowing down any time soon. In the spring, his weekly commute will see him traveling to Florida from his Canadian base every Tuesday to Friday where he oversees his growing cattle farming business as well as racetrack operations.

When we met, our time together was scheduled for an hour or so but I ended up spending a morning in his company, followed by lunch at Gulfstream Park. He’s got passion by the bucketload for everything that he’s involved with. Whether it be the consistency of the pizza served in the Gulfstream restaurant to where racing will be 10 years from now, his overriding desire is to do what’s best by racing as well as the customers and fans.

Alan Balch, in his California Thoroughbred Trainers column, is quite right to question the gulf between the showcase races like Frank Stronach’s Pegasus World Cup incarnation and the stable conditions on backstretch at Santa Anita. This was a subject that I broached over lunch with Stronach, and it’s most certainly something that the Stronach Group is aware of, and now that they are fixing Florida, they are about to turn their attention to California. Like all of us, they recognize that for the health of racing, you need healthy horses, and there is no better place to start than on the backstretch of your own racetrack.

Following on from her look at contamination on the backstretch in our last issue, Denise Steffanus turns her attention to the business of compounding pharmacies in this issue. It’s definitely a case of buyer beware when considering where to source one’s medication needs. Always read the label, so the vets and doctors will tell us, but more importantly for a trainer with a livelihood and business at stake, always consider where the medication came from, because what might seem like a great deal isn’t worth the risk, if the correct dosages aren’t being used in the first place.

Wherever your racing takes place between now and the end of July – good luck! n

GRADED STAKES-WINNING TRAINING GRADS INCLUDED: 2016

CONNECT (G1)

IRISH JASPER (G2)

CONSTELLATION (G1)

PLEUVEN (FR) (G2)

CREATOR (G1)

ZINDAYA (G2)

CURALINA (G1)

AMERICAN PATRIOT (G3)

FOREVER UNBRIDLED (G1)

DARK NILE (G3)

NEW MONEY HONEY (G1)

EAGLE (G3)

OUTWORK (G1)

GENRE (G3)

SONGBIRD (G1)

SANDIVA (IRE) (G3)

TOURIST (G1)

TAMMY THE TORPEDO (G3)

DESTIN (G2)

THEORY (G3)

GOOD SAMARITAN (G2)

UPSTAR T (G3)

WinStarFarm.com | (859) 873-1717 3001 Pisgah Pike, Versailles, KY 40383

174001-TrainWinStar-halfvert-NATrainer.indd 1ISSUE 44

4/25/17 5:55 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM 1 PM

10

30

38

68

82

Issue 44

CONTENTS 10

76

Antonio Sano

Lameness the Singapore way

20

82

The road to the Kentucky Derby began in Venezuela for Gunnevera’s trainer, by Giles Anderson.

An in-depth study on lameness has been underway in Singapore, by Maria Fernanda Sepulveda Caviedes.

Training decisions

Two-year-old foot development

30

88

Trainers tell Bill Heller about some of their best and worst decisions.

Compounding pharmarcies

Denise Steffanus on the risks of using compounded knockoff drugs.

Stacey Oke, DVM, looks at the nuances of getting a young racehorse’s foot ready for the rigors of training and racing.

Anatomy of a training agreement The importance of having a training contract and what it should include, by Peter J. Sacopulos.

38

Frank Stronach

Giles Anderson meets with racing luminary Frank Stronach.

48

NSA handicap system

Martin Chamberlin assesses the introduction of handicap races into the North American steeplechase program.

58

The benefits of salt

Salt is a very basic need for horses, but what form and quantity is ideal for racehorses? By Stacey Oke, DVM.

6

Alan Balch

8

TRM Trainer of the Quarter

86

The Pan Am Conference

92

The Pennsylvania Breeding Fund

94

68

Suppliers Directory

Ed Golden profiles the significant but often overlooked role of the jockey valet.

The Sid Fernando Column

The jockey/valet relationship

2

4

Contributors

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

96

ALBERTUS MAXIMUS

Albert the Great – Chasethewildwind, by Forty Niner

G1 Winner, Millionaire Won Donn H-G1 and BC Dirt Mile

Sire of DOBLE FONDO, winner of G1 Sprint Championship International

DAAHER

Awesome Again – Irish Cherry, by Irish Open

18% Blacktype Horses

Already Three Blacktype Winners This Year Sire of EIGHT individuals to earn over $100,000

TAMARKUZ

Speightstown – Without You Babe, by Lemon Drop Kid

2016 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile-G1

Highest Beyer of 2016 for Two-Turn Mile on Dirt Eight Wins, Over $1.8M Earnings

Shadwell Farm Lexington, Kentucky

Kent Barnes, Stallion Manager • Telephone (859) 224-4585 www.shadwellfarm.com

17-1351 SWF roster full Trainer Mag TripleCrown .indd 1

4/24/17 4:11 PM

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial Director/Publisher Giles Anderson Editor Frances J. Karon Designer Neil Randon Editorial/Photo Management Suzy Stephens (1 888 659 2935) Advert Production Shae Hardy Circulation/Website Anna Alcock (1 888 659 2935) Advertising Sales Giles Anderson, Scott Rion, Oscar Yeadon 1 888 218 4430 Photo Credits Giles Anderson, Eclipse Sportswire, Frances J. Karon, Tod Marks, Professor Celia Marr, Maria Fernanda Sepulveda Caviedes, Nikki Sherman/PTHA, Shutterstock, Denise Steffanus, The Stronach Group Cover Photograph Eclipse Sportswire

An Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd publication Contact details Tel: 1 888 218 4430 Fax:1 888 218 4206 info@trainermagazine.com www.trainermagazine.com United Kingdom 14 Berwick Courtyard, Berwick St Leonard, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 5UA North America PO Box 13248, Lexington, KY 40583-3248 North American Trainer is the official magazine of the California Thoroughbred Trainers. It is distributed to all ‘Trainer’ members of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and all members of the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association, as well as all members of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders

4

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

Alan F. Balch was hired as Executive Director of California Thoroughbred Trainers in April 2010. His professional career in racing began at Santa Anita in 1971, where he advanced to the position of Sr. Vice President-Marketing and Assistant General Manager, and was in charge of the Olympic Games Equestrian Events for Los Angeles in 1984. He retired in the early ’90s to become volunteer president of the National Equestrian Federation of the USA, as well as of the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden.

He remains president of USA Equestrian Trust, Inc.

Martin Chamberlin is one of the three appointees to form the initial handicap rating committee of the National Steeplechase Association.

Pursuing a career in information technology, he obtained weekend assignments as a steeplechase chart-caller for Equibase, witnessing racing at nearly every NSA racing venue.

Sid Fernando (@sidfernando) is president of eMatings LLC and Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc. He is the former bloodstock editor of Daily Racing Form and also blogs about racing and breeding.

Ed Golden is the author of Santa Anita’s widely acclaimed “Stable Notes,” hailed by peers as “the best in racing.” A native of Philadelphia, he earned Eclipse Award honorable mention while with the Philadelphia Daily News and has written for The Blood-Horse and USA Today.

Bill Heller, Eclipse Award winner and author of 25 books including biographies of Hall of Fame jockeys Ron Turcotte, Randy Romero and Jose Santos, is a member of the Harness Racing Hall of Fame Communications Corner. He spends summers in Saratoga and winters in South Florida. His 26-year-old son Benjamin lives in Albany, N.Y., is an accomplished runner and recently won a 5-K race and a mini-marathon.

Frances J. Karon is from Puerto Rico and graduate of Maine’s Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She is based in Lexington, Kentucky and specializes in sales, pedigree research and recommendations.

Professor Celia Marr is an equine clinician at Rossdales, Newmarket.

She is a RCVS and European Specialist in Equine Medicine and Honorary Professor at the Glasgow University Veterinary School. She has previously worked at veterinary schools in Glasgow, Pennsylvania, Cambridge and London and in racehorse practice in Lambourn. She is Chairman of the Horserace Betting Levy Board’s Thoroughbred Research & Consultation Group and Editor-in-Chief of Equine Veterinary Journal.

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 veterinary medicine, and conducts biomedical research studies.

Peter Sacopulos is a partner in the law firm of Sacopulos, Johnson & Sacopulos in Terre Haute, Indiana where he represents clients in a wide range of equine matters.

He is a member of the American College of Equine Counsel and serves on the Board of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Advisory Committee. Mr. Sacopulos has written extensively on equine law issues and is a frequent speaker at equine conferences.

Maria Fernanda Sepulveda Caviedes graduated from the University of Chile in 1998. Her first job was at the main race track in Santiago, the Hipodromo Chile S.A. She then completed an Internship, Masters and PhD at the Royal Veterinary College in London. She then worked seven years in private practice in Surrey, where she officiated regularly as track vet at Lingfield Park Racecourse. In November 2014, with HBLB funding, Fernanda joined a research team based at the Structure and Motion Lab of the RVC and the Singapore Turf Club.

Denise Steffanus is a freelance writer and editor based in Cynthiana, Kentucky. A longtime contributing editor for Thoroughbred Times, she earned the prestigious Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award and the USA Equestrian (now the U.S. Equestrian Federation) Award for Media Excellence. Steffanus, a Pittsburgh native, is a licensed Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and a member of American Mensa.

A DV E R T I S E M E N T

PUSHING THE LIMITS: HOW SOME TRAINERS ARE GAINING “THE EDGE”!

BY: MARK HANSEN

T

he pressure to win is so enormous that many horsemen resort to whatever it takes to get a piece of the purse or a decent sale… even if it means putting their horses’ lives in mortal danger by doping them with illegal synthetic erythropoietin (EPO) drugs to boost endurance.

Veterinarian Gary Smith said, “It’s a problem all over the industry. There is no way horses should be put on (synthetic) EPO.” So how do racers win? How do you gain a competitive edge without harming your horses or risking your livelihood? The answer may be found in a safe all-natural horse supplement that supports natural EPO function.

Why is EPO boosting so critical? Just like in people, a horse’s muscles require oxygen for fuel. Red blood cells are the body’s oxygen-carrying cells. A higher red blood cell count = more oxygen = more muscle energy. Elevated muscle energy helps the horse perform harder, faster and longer during endurance events. All horses naturally produce EPO in their kidneys to stimulate production of new red blood cells from bone marrow. In short, EPO is a natural “blood builder.”

With EPO doping, trainers try to boost the EPO effect to get a winning performance every time. They use a synthetic EPO (recombinant human EPO), even though the side effects can harm the horse. That’s one reason why it’s illegal.

Fortunately there’s another option. EPOEquine® is a safe, highly effective natural dietary supplement scientifically engineered for performance horses.

A Kentucky trainer who refused to give out his name, said, “I don’t want my competition to know about this.” He found EPO-Equine to be so effective that he’s

dead set against disclosing who he is, who his horses are, or even where he trains and races. He first started ordering a single jar of EPO-Equine® once a month. Now he’s ordering several CASES each month. And he won’t tell BRL exactly why. He said respectfully, “Sorry – no way.”

Bioengineers at U.S. based Biomedical Research Laboratories (BRL), first discovered a completely natural EPO-booster for human athletes (and it’s working miracles for top athletes and amateurs around the world).

Seeing these results, horse trainers contacted BRL and asked about using this natural formula for their animals.

That’s when the BRL team dug deeper and discovered a proprietary, horse-friendly strain of a common herb that promotes optimal blood-building results. EPOEquine® is based on the blood-boosting abilities of a certain strain of Echinacea that’s astounding researchers and trainers alike. (It’s not a strain you can find at the local health store.)

Veterinarians at the Equine Research Centre in Ontario, Canada ran a doubleblind trial investigating the blood building properties of the active ingredient in EPOEquine in healthy horses. For 42 days, one group of horses was supplemented with the active ingredient in EPO-Equine and another group of horses was given a placebo.

The supplement delivered significant blood building results, increasing red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels.

Researchers also observed improved blood quality and increased oxygen transport in the supplemented horses. Improved blood levels leads to elevated exercise physiology and performance.

The patent-pending formula in EPOEquine ® contains a dozen different herbs, antioxidants and anti-inf lammatory components combined to promote natural red blood cell production… for remarkable speed, strength and stamina right out of the gate.

Trainers find it easy to add just 1 scoop (3.2 grams) of EPO-Equine® to the horse’s daily feeding routine in the barn or on the road. Within a few weeks of daily use, you can expect to see increased red blood cell levels with no undesirable side effects.

An increase in red blood cell levels can improve muscle performance, supercharge endurance, and enhance recovery after hard exercise. Nothing else is scientifically proven to deliver these benefits in a completely safe and natural formula.

Compared to the cost of veterinarians, drugs, icing, tapping the knees, and putting the horse on Bute; or even the consequences of being banned for synthetic doping, EPO-Equine® is very affordable at the low price of just $59.95 per jar. Or save $180 if you are ready to commit to a larger trial of 12-jar case for just $539.55 with FREE shipping. EPO-Equine ® can be ordered at www.EPOEquine.com or 800-780-4331.

CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS

ALAN F. BALCH

Now, about Pegasus . . .

N

O, I’m not talking about the Pegasus World Cup. Not yet, anyway.

I’ve been a fan of the original Pegasus since my earliest memories around horses, when he was the symbol of the American equestrian governing body. As drawn by George Ford Morris, he appeared on the engraved medals and embossed certificates for horsemanship we were all trying to win.

For those of us interested in pedigree, he was sired by Poseidon . . . Greek god of horses, incidentally, along with the sea, earthquakes, and storms. And never underestimate the influence of the bottom line: his dam was the hideous, winged, venomous monster Medusa, no doubt the source of his own lovely, powerful wings, but not his handsome countenance. Nor his stunning white purity.

His jock was Bellerophon, who invented the riding helmet and safety vest, and, needing no whip, had his hands instead on a shield and golden spear.

Bellerophon was sent on the original Mission Impossible (well understood by every single one of today’s riders, no doubt) – to slay the ferocious, fire-breathing, hybrid monster Chimera, whose very sighting was an omen for disaster. Pegasus was his vehicle, and the necessary if not sufficient condition for vanquishing evil.

In short, the horse came first. Still does.

Without Pegasus, the jockey was nowhere.

And the monster would live.

So it is quite fitting, at least in one sense, that the world’s richest race would bear the name of the heroic and inspirational Pegasus, thunderbolts and all.

In another sense, sadly, it simply calls

­­“

attention to the chaos we face in American racing, particularly in California . . . top and bottom of that Pegasus pedigree, by the way, trace back to Chaos. Repeatedly.

According to media reports, the 473-ton, 110-foot tall, dark steel and bronze depiction of Pegasus stomping a dragon (absent his jock) cost $30-million to construct at Gulfstream Park in Florida. The World Cup purse there was $12-million in 2017, and is being elevated to $16-million in 2018.

Out at faraway Santa Anita, owned by the same outfit, the Blood-Horse reported in 2013 that $15-million had gone toward more grandeur in the track’s most sumptuous areas, its Chandelier Room and added mezzanine suites. More recently, apparently millions more have been dedicated to new table terraces and other opulent enclaves nearby.

In all, what’s that? Probably $50-million in statuary and splendor alone. Not those purses. Not even counting the ongoing maintenance and improvement of that magnificence, as status, monuments, and indulgence for the privileged few.

Despite the commitment of all that investment in extravagance and shrines, pre-eminent horseman D. Wayne Lukas didn’t hesitate publicly to decry the deplorable and decrepit state of the stables at Santa Anita following the draw for the Breeders’ Cup Classic that same year. “I would be embarrassed to take an owner out there now,” he said, despite having called the Santa Anita backstretch home when he first joined the Thoroughbred community in 1978. His own shed-row at the time had become the exemplar for all to emulate, there and everywhere else he raced. He believed in luxury for his horses.

Our Sport of Royalty has always

depended on commoners. We commoners, to begin with, actually take care of the horses. And as King Henry himself said, “All men are equal – on the turf, and under it.” In more contemporary times, it has disproportionately been the commoners (among the horsemen, as well as in the grandstand), who have made the tip-top magnificence possible. After all, only about 10% of the races are stakes for our royalty, but they consume a disproportionate 35% of total purses. So, as I never tire of reminding those who just won’t listen, the other 90% of the races are filled by the commoners.

They must also be attractive enough to the commoners who bet on them to generate those riches enjoyed by the royalty.

The World Cups in Dubai and Florida take the yawning gulf between hype and reality to a new level of absurdity. There are probably 20 horses from the tens of thousands active in the world who will contest them in a given year, along with their connections. In the American case, almost all of the money they’re running for is their own, so perhaps that “makes sense.”

What doesn’t make sense in any way is the ongoing neglect of investment in backstretch facilities and conditions, for horse and human alike, whether at Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields, or any track, any place in the world, in a sport where the horse comes first, and its human caretakers should, too.

This is our Chimera, and we clearly have the resources to vanquish it . . . if not the will or the proper priority. Remember that even Bellerophon ultimately learned the hard way that glory by itself is not entitlement, unceremoniously dumped by Pegasus. He ended up alone, hated by gods and man alike. n

The World Cups in Dubai and Florida take the yawning gulf between hype

and reality to a new level of absurdity. There are probably 20 horses from the tens of thousands active in the world who will contest them in a given year, along with their connections 6

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

”

www.trmirelandinc.com

Kiaran McLaughlin’s winning quartet at Keeneland on April 15 (from top left clockwise): Dickinson (left), Watershed, Tasteful, and Zennor

Trainer of the Quarter

KIARAN McLAUGHLIN

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter award has been won

by Kiaran McLaughlin. McLaughlin and his team will receive a selection of products from the internationally acclaimed range of TRM supplements, as well as a bottle of fine Irish whiskey.

WORDS AND PHOTOS: FRANCES J. KARON

8

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

K

iaran McLaughlin is no stranger to success.

Dubai World Cup? Check.

Breeders’ Cup Classic?

Check. Belmont Stakes?

Check. Whitney, Travers, Woodward? Check, check, check. And these are just few of his many Grade 1s. No, he’s no stranger to success at all, indeed.

But McLaughlin grew up in Central Kentucky and has been primarily based on the New York/Florida circuit, and before that in Dubai, so his April 15th feat of training four winners – from just four starters – on one single card at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, with much of his family in attendance, had to be just a little bit extra special to him.

McLaughlin joins Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher as the only trainers to make four trips to the Keeneland winner’s circle in one day.

The winning quartet – Tasteful, Zennor, Watershed, and Dickinson – were bred in Kentucky by Darley and are owned by Darley’s related entity, Godolphin Racing LLC. What’s more, all are by Darley sires: two by Medaglia d’Oro and one each by Bernardini and the late Street Cry. Tasteful got things rolling in Race 4, a sixand-a-half furlong maiden special weight that she won as she pleased by three-and-

www.trmirelandinc.com

three-quarter lengths under Joel Rosario.

It was the first win in two starts for the three-year-old Street Cry filly. Her second dam, the Chilean-bred Isola Piu Bella, was bred by Haras Sumaya, for whom she won the Chilean St. Leger and Mil Guineas [1,000 Guineas] on the way to Horse of the Year honors in Chile. Imported to the U.S. and racing under the name of Sumaya U.S. Stable, recognized in 2017 as the owner of classic hopeful Malagacy, she won two Grade 3s, so it is not unreasonable to expect Tasteful to have the talent to graduate to bigger and better things for McLaughlin and Godolphin.

In Race 6, it was Zennor’s turn to step up, going postward as the third choice in the eight-furlong turf allowance. With “Jersey Joe” Bravo in the irons, Zennor registered a three-quarters-of-a-length victory. The gray or roan five-year-old Medaglia d’Oro gelding, son of the Listed stakes-winning Zelanda, seems to have found his stride of late, with two of his three lifetime wins coming this season.

It was another five-year-old, Watershed, who kicked it up a notch in Race 7, the first of four stakes races on the card. Under Paco Lopez, Watershed paid $12.20 to win the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes, the first career black-

type win for the Bernardini horse who was multiple Grade/Group 3-placed in 2016. At the end of the nine furlongs, defending Ben Ali winner Eagle was two-and-three-quarter lengths behind Watershed in second.

Keeneland’s feature race of the day was the 1 1/16-mile, Grade 1 Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes on the turf, featuring $0.50-to1 favorite Lady Eli. McLaughlin’s five-yearold mare Dickinson was the distant second wagering interest at 6-1, but she and Lopez endured a troubled trip to impressively defeat Lady Eli by a head, in the process giving McLaughlin his third-ever Grade 1 victory at Keeneland.

While Tasteful appears to have a promising future, Dickinson – although it took a while for the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro to earn the opportunity to compete in top-tier races – has slowly matured into her Grade 1-caliber form. She’d been placed while still a maiden at three in her only prior stakes attempt but didn’t contest her first graded race until this past January, when she ran fourth in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Dickinson has not lost since, capturing the Grade 3 Suwannee River at Gulfstream, the Grade 2 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay, and now the Jenny Wiley.

Dickinson’s win may have been the most rewarding for her team. Darley bred and raced the mare’s first and second dams Little Belle and Dubai Belle, respectively, and raced her third dam, Flagbird, a Group 1 winner 22 years ago. In April of 2008, Little Belle won the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. Her trainer that day? Kiaran McLaughlin.

Little Belle died in 2013, leaving behind Dickinson as her only daughter. Perhaps, to tie it up neatly with a bow, some day McLaughlin will win a Grade 1 at Keeneland with one of Dickinson’s foals to make it three generations.

McLaughlin, an all-around nice guy who lives with multiple sclerosis and quietly downplays his successes by calling himself “lucky,” often defers attention to his horses and their owners, and he had only this to say after his final win on the program: “For Godolphin, it’s a great day…

Just unbelievable to win four at Keeneland, especially ending on a Grade 1.”

As a kid in high school, McLaughlin would occasionally skip class in April and October to sneak off to the races at Keeneland. Nowadays, he stands front and center in the Keeneland winner’s circle. n

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

9

PROFILE

10

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

ANTONIO SANO

ANTONIO SANO

Achieving success from adversity ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

11

PROFILE

I’m told to meet Antonio Sano at 8:30 A.M. outside Barn 64 at Gulfstream Park West, which most people refer to as Calder Race Course. Barn 64 is a typical Calder barn, with green and white awning, green-painted stalls, and a tropical feel. It could easily double as a petting zoo. On arrival, I am greeted by two goats, ducks, and an array of other birds. Legend even has it that one overly friendly pigeon has a special bond with stable star Gunnevera.

More about Gunnevera later.

WORDS AND PHOTOS: GILES ANDERSON

12

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

A

ntonio Sano is an early riser and according to his wife Maria Christina, not the greatest of sleepers in any instance. Up at 3:50 every morning come rain or shine, Sano can be found splitting time between his barns at Calder and Gulfstream Park. Between the two locations, he’s got roughly 70 horses in his care.

The two- and three-year-olds are based at Calder, and the older horses are some 10 miles away at Gulfstream. “I like the track [at Calder] for the babies. It’s a good track, deep sand, and when it rains it drains, while over at the other place, it can take two days to clear.” Assistant trainer Jesus “Chino” Prada, who has been an integral member of the team since Sano started training in the U.S., chips in: “Gulfstream is great for racing, but here is the best for training.”

Despite earning his 500th U.S. career win in mid-April, Sano is not yet a household name in this country, but in his native Venezuela, the man’s a legend.

He trained no less than 3,338 winners on his home soil, and it was only thanks to a kidnapping in 2009 that lasted longer than a month that he quit training in the country. The kidnapping -- his second -- resulted in the father-of-three doing what was best for his family, which was to remove them from the danger that his success was creating.

Sano is a third-generation trainer. “My father, grandfather, and uncle all worked with horses,” he recounts. “My father right now is 88 years old. He arrived from Italy when he was just 16 and was working with horses. They came from Sicily. In fact, my whole family is from there, including my wife!”

After graduating from college with a degree in engineering, the magnetic pull to the racetrack was too great, and Sano went to work as an assistant trainer for Julio Ayala to enhance what knowledge and skills had been passed down to him from his father and grandfather.

Setting up on his own in March of 1988, Sano ended up training in Venezuela for more than 20 years, earning the trainers’ championship title 19 times and winning an average of 150 races annually, with three year-end win tallies in excess of 200. That’s no mean feat when you consider that racing only takes place twice a week in the city of Valencia, where Sano was based. He earned the nickname “Czar Valencia Hipismo,” “hipismo” for horseracing.

In Venezuela, according to Sano, the pedigrees of the horses he trained were a little different than what he works with in the U.S., and so was the daily training regime. “I had 160 horses in my barn and worked the horses in four groups. Riders here take the horses to the track every 45 minutes and come back. There I would go to the track with four sets of 40 horses each, and every rider would work on two horses per set. I had the privilege to count

ANTONIO SANO

Stable star Gunnevera with Antonio and Maria Christina Sano

20 riders at the time. We would take them all to the track at 6 A.M. At 6:45 A.M., the second set would be ready, the third by 7:30 A.M., and the last before 8:30 A.M.” After first going from Venezuela to Italy, Sano and his family moved to the U.S. in March of 2010. They had visited the country before without spending any time at the racetrack, preferring the great vacationing opportunities that Florida offers with a young family in tow.

Well known for his training of staying types, Sano found the transition to training the speed-bred horses of the U.S. easy. “Each horse is different, but I’ve learned more from others around me here in the U.S. than I ever learned in Venezuela,” he says -- modest words, perhaps, for a trainer who is a master of his game. “But my focus is always on the way the horses finish.”

Prada has been a friend of Sano’s for

over 40 years. They attended trainer school together, along with Enrique Torres, who looks after the Gulfstream string, in their homeland in 1988. Prada trained for a while in Venezuela, where he got over 200 winners, and in 2001, he was the first to move to the U.S., where he was assistant to trainer Rodolfo Garcia.

Sano and Prada teaming up in Florida

­­“

Each horse is different, but I’ve learned more from others around me here in the U.S. than I ever learned in Venezuela

”

may never have happened had Sano decided to move to Italy after the kidnapping.

“Italy has beautiful people and great food, but the racing wasn’t for me. So I went to Florida and met Mike Antifantis (the racing secretary at Calder at the time), who gave me a couple of stalls. I then had to go back to Venezuela and close shop, giving all my horses away.”

March 22, 2010, was an important date in Sano’s and Prada’s lives. It marked the start of a new chapter, when they claimed their first horse for their fledgling operation. The numbers quickly grew from there. “Two horses became four, and quickly we had 10,” recounts Prada.

The stable ended its first season with 37 winners, including two in stakes races.

Knowing very few people or being known to few was probably a good thing for Sano as he and Prada quietly went about building ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

13

PROFILE

“Chino,” Sano’s assistant trainer and right hand man

their business. And where resentment for the new man in town could have quickly grown, friendships flourished with other trainers. “They treated me well and with respect,” says Sano.

With a successful formula in place, Sano’s stable was able to gradually improve the quality of stock. Still, his patronage remains primarily from Venezuelan or

14

other Latin American ownership interests; he hasn’t really caught on with American owners.

Three years ago, Sano started to shift his focus away from claiming horses to buying yearlings, while still using the claiming philosophy of trading up purchases. This time last year, Sano had high hopes for a then-unraced Broken Vow filly named

Amapola, who he had bought as a yearling for $25,000. Amapola crossed the wire first by nearly 10 lengths in her May, 2016, debut in track record time for four-and-ahalf furlongs at Gulfstream, only to lose the race in the stewards room for drifting in at the start. She turned a lot of heads that day, and Sano parted with her for a substantial profit. “I sold her for the money,” he says.

As with most buyers at sales, pedigree and conformation are at the top of Sano’s list when studying a catalogue page, but for him the stride of the individual and the horse’s eye are the main factors to determine if he is going to raise his hand in the ring -should the price fall in his preferred buying range of $5,000 to $50,000.

In 2015, Sano made a number of purchases at yearling sales, and came home from the Keeneland September sale with a good-looking son of first crop sire and Florida Derby winner Dialed In. The sale of that colt, from the consignment of Jim and Pam Robinson’s Brandywine Farm, must have been a rather bittersweet moment for breeders Brandywine and Stephen Upchurch. The chestnut’s dam Unbridled Rage had died about a week and a half after he was born, and the newly orphaned foal was bottle-fed until a foster mare could be found.

That colt, for which Sano had the winning bid at $16,000, is, of course, Gunnevera. And thanks to him, if Dialed In

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

174139

174139-DialedIn-NATrainer.indd 1

4/25/17 5:48 PM

PROFILE

From left to right: grooms Irma Tista and Luis Cabello; journalist Roberto “El Potro” Rodriguez; farrier Guillermo Guilly; assistant Jesus “El Chino” Prada; Maria Christina and Antonio Sano; with assistant Jorge Cardenas

hadn’t already been a particular favorite of Sano’s, he certainly would be now.

After the sale at Keeneland, Gunnevera, along with the other Sano purchases, was sent to Classic Mile Park in Ocala, where he was broken by Julio Rada, a classmate of Sano and Prada’s at the Venezuelan training school in 1988.

Gunnevera was showing potential at Classic Mile and by the time of his arrival at Calder, his reputation was growing.

However, the faith shown in him by those who knew him best wasn’t being shared by everyone: the first-time owner who Sano had bought the horse for eventually got around to paying for the colt...but the check bounced.

The name “Gunnevera” has no real meaning. It’s a combination of place names and words favored by his ownership interests -- Jamie Diaz, originally from Spain but now in Miami; and Peacock Racing, a partnership of Venezuelans Guillermo Guerra and Guerra’s father-in-law Solomon Del-Valle, who ended up with the horse just six weeks before his first run.

Del-Valle’s friendship with Sano is deeper than most normal friendships, as it was he who helped Sano’s wife arrange and finance Sano’s release from his kidnappers.

“I told him that we bought horses at the yearling sale and this was the best one, 16

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

that I’m going to make him a champion.”

Sano’s prophecy looks like it’s showing some promise, and Gunnevera’s success to date will go some way toward repaying DelValle’s generosity to the Sano family over the years.

So far in his young career, Gunnevera won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot at two. This year, he has made three starts, all at Gulfstream, with a win in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, a second in the Grade 2 Holy Bull, and a third in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Not only has he earned over $1.1 million, but he has qualified for a berth in the starting gate for the May 6 Kentucky Derby.

Gunnevera is not his trainer’s first graded stakes winner; although none received anywhere near the same level of acclaim as the son of Dialed In, Sano previously handled Devilish Lady, City of Weston, and Grand Tito to graded stakes wins.

Sano is the first to admit that nothing has quite yet compared to the sense of anticipation that has been building with the Gunnevera story and the national exposure he’s starting to receive. But how well does he react to the inevitable pressure? “I’ve never been in a situation like this before, but it’s a blessing,” he calmly says. For Maria Christina, it’s as if her husband’s life is going on just the same. “He never sleeps

before any race, he’s always thinking about something.”

Come to think of it, Sano’s whole day and night seems to be taken up with work or thinking about horses. The work day often ends 16 hours after it began, giving Sano a little much-needed family time with his three children. His eldest son Alessandro is already thinking about following in the family business. But unlike his father who has an engineering degree, he wants to get a degree that will help his career in the equine industry and is planning on going to vet school. Mauricio is 18 years old and also shows a keen interest in the sport, as does Sano’s daughter Mariella, who is 11.

But what about time away from horses, does Sano take a vacation? “One week -- and I don’t relax,” he says. “He’s always on the phone to Chino and I say, ‘No phone, Tony, the horses won’t run faster with you not there,’” interjects Maria Christina.

“Twenty years ago when Alessandro was born, I would never have thought that I would be where I am now,” says Sano.

“But Tony, you were scared to come here 20 years ago. There wasn’t the opportunity we have here in Venezuela,” retorts Maria Christina.

So Venezuela’s loss is America’s gain, and this is one family truly living the American dream. n

Gunnevera and Javier Castellano winning the G2 Fountain of Youth, Trained by Antonio Sano.

Purina is proud of Antonio Sano, and the entire Sano Racing Team.

Congratulations and safe trip!

Š 2017 Purina Animal Nutrition LLC. All Rights Reserved. Photo credit: Adam Coglianese

KENTUCKY: Awesome Again Capo Bastone City Wolf Fort Larned Ghostzapper Macho Uno Mucho Macho Man North Light Point of Entry CANADA: Giant Gizmo Hunters Bay Milwaukee Brew Rookie Sensation Silent Name Silver Max Singing Saint Sligo Bay

Success Where It Counts Bred and/or R aced by

DENA SPRINGS

298 709 246

Blacktype Winners Have Won

Blacktype Races including

ADENA SPRINGS Dermot Carty (416) 518-1449

www.AdenaStallions.com

Graded Stakes Wins

training

Training decisions that made a difference

20

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

TRAINING DECISIONS

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

21

training

Tom Amoss (right) saddles Delaunay

Trying to get into a horse’s head to maximize his performance is a difficult objective for all trainers, but one they take on daily. Heck, every time a trainer claims a horse he is hoping one or two tweaks will make a huge difference.

With top horses, the stakes are even higher. You only get one shot at twoyear-old stakes and the Triple Crown classics.

WORDS: BILL HELLER PHOTOS: ECLIPSE SPORTSWIRE, FRANCES J KARON

A

handful of long-tenured trainers were asked if they could pick out a particular horse, a race, and/or a decision in their careers that made them especially proud, an instance where they felt they made a big difference. At the other end of the spectrum, those trainers were asked if they could single out a race, a horse, or a decision that they would have quickly pressed a do-over button if one existed.

“A good trainer is always trying to be creative,” Tom Amoss said. “You’re constantly trying to be a mad scientist and get into a horse’s head. There are only so many ways you can improve a horse: physically, the respiratory system, and the one that’s overlooked a lot is making him mentally ready. We were able to do that with Delaunay.”

22

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

Amoss claimed Delaunay for $40,000 when the gelding won a race at Churchill Downs by a head on May 12th, 2012. It was the fifth time the son of Smoke Glacken was claimed in his last six starts. “He had switched hands many times,” Amoss said.

“He never ran for a claim again.”

Delaunay won nine of his first 10 starts for Amoss, including the 2013 Grade 2 Churchill Downs by four lengths. In his 23 starts for Amoss and owner Maggi Moss before retiring. Delaunay posted 12 victories, five seconds, three thirds, two fourths, and one fifth.

“He went on a tear,” Amoss said. “What made Delaunay better? Delaunay’s secret was that he drifted out when he trained, and, along with that, he had bad habits. He would fret before his races and before he worked out. It was definitely on his mind.

So what we used to do is tack him up, walk

him in the barn for 15 minutes, and then take the tack off him. All that nervous behavior went away when we put the tack on the second time. He was just a much more settled horse.”

A do-over? Amoss mentioned Mo Tom’s four-year-old debut in the Mineshaft Handicap on February 25th, his first start in five-and-a-half months. As a three-yearold in 2016, GMB Racing’s Mo Tom won the Grade 3 Le Comte by 2¼ lengths off a near-eight week layoff, and then finished third in the Grade 2 Risen Star, fourth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, eighth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, first in the Ohio Derby, and, in his final start as a three-yearold, a distant fifth in the Grade 3 Super Derby on September 10th.

“I trained him up to his four-year-old debut,” Amoss said. “I trained him the same as I did when he was a three-year-old. It didn’t work. He didn’t run his race.”

In the Mineshaft, Mo Tom finished sixth by seven lengths in the field of seven. “I pride myself on trying to put my horse in the right spot,” Amoss said. “When I unsaddled him, I saw how tired he was. He was fatigued. I’m not infallible as a trainer, but I left the track that day obviously disappointed, feeling I had done an injustice to him.”

 The first horse Kelly Breen ever had for George and Lori Hall was Keeneland Kat, a two-year-old filly in 2005. “She was the first horse I picked out for the Halls, one of four yearlings I purchased at Keeneland,” Breen said.

Keeneland Kat won her maiden debut, July 25th, at Monmouth Park by 6¼ lengths. “It’s almost a given that if you break your maiden at Monmouth, you run in the Colleen a month later, and a month later you go into the Sorority,” Breen said.

Breen decided to skip the Colleen and train into the Sorority on September 3rd.

“I heard from the race secretary before the Colleen,” Breen said. “I said, ‘We’re probably going to skip it.’”

He wondered about the wisdom of that decision when Keeneland Kat hesitated in the gate at the start of the six-furlong Sorority, which had attracted 11 twoyear-old fillies. “I dropped my program in frustration,” Breen said. “She had no shot of winning.”

Nobody told her. She won by 2½ lengths.

“She circled the whole field,” Breen said. “A two-year-old filly doesn’t usually get left in the starting gate and win at six furlongs.

Without the right timing, I don’t know if she would have won the Sorority. I think I really did a good job. I patted myself on the back.”

Two years earlier, Breen had a horse in a race he still has trouble talking about.

“I had a horse break down, which is very maddening to me,” he said.

That horse, Icebreaker, was co-owned

by Ricky Gallo, who owned the first horse Breen ever trained, Contarito.

Icebreaker was in an allowance race at Aqueduct on March 20th, 2003. “It started to rain,” Breen said. “I gallop my own horses. I know my own horses. He can’t stand up in the rain. It started to downpour. I wanted to scratch.”

Breen called the stewards.

Citing an ongoing Pick Three, they asked him not to. “I said, ‘Okay,’” Breen said. “I ran the horse and he broke a sesamoid and had to be destroyed. I wish I hadn’t raced him. The stewards called me on the phone the next day and said they appreciated me running.

I lost a horse. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a horse you’ve been racing and galloping for three years. That’s a part of racing. We all felt bad.”



After breaking Animal Kingdom, a huge two-yearold colt owned by Team

­­“

TRAINING DECISIONS

Without the right timing, I don’t know if she would have won the Sorority. I think I really did a good job. I patted myself on the back

”

Kelly Breen

Valor, Randy Bradshaw, then working on a training farm, sent him on to trainer Wayne Catalano at Arlington Park, June 25th, 2010, to hopefully begin his career.

Bradshaw included a note about the horse that read, in part, “Colt trains well but has not put much effort into his works. He needs company as he is lazy.”

Catalano is justifiably proud of laying the foundation for that horse who, after switching barns to trainer Graham Motion, won the 2011 Kentucky Derby and the 2013 Dubai World Cup. “When he came to me, he was a green two-year-old,” Catalano said.

“This one was a little more backwards, immature. He didn’t want to train. We trained him with the pony. We trained him with other horses. Put blinkers on.

We took our time. By doing the things we did with this horse, we got him on his way.

We straightened him out. We started his career.”

In 2010, Animal Kingdom finished a

fast-closing second in his maiden debut at Arlington Park on September 18th, then won a maiden race at Keeneland going away by 3¼ lengths with Lasix added at Keeneland on October 22nd.

Then he was gone from Catalano’s barn.

But Catalano enjoyed Animal Kingdom’s spectacular success, which wouldn’t have happened without a proper foundation and introduction to racing. Catalano put it this way: “We got all the kinks out of him.”

As a do-over, Catalano mentioned Darrell and Evelyn Yates’ Crypto Star, who won the 1997 Grade 3 Louisiana Derby and Grade 2 Arkansas Derby before finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby from the dreaded one post, and fourth in the Belmont Stakes after skipping the Preakness. “It was our first time on the Derby trail,” Catalano said. “Maybe we shouldn’t have run him in the Arkansas Derby. He might have done better. Or we could have skipped the Kentucky Derby and gone in the Preakness, but everybody wants to go in the Kentucky Derby.”



Mike Hushion has been training for Barry Schwartz for decades. Many of their horses are New York-breds. Hushion loves the job he did with one of them, The Lumber Guy, during that colt’s first season of racing, and wishes he could redo the ending for another horse, Captain Serious.

The Lumber Guy made his debut as a three-year-old in a New York-bred maiden race on January 28th, 2012. Sensing that he had a big future, Hushion masterfully upped the competition for his runner. “He was a very, very strong horse,” Hushion said. “He had his little foot issues on the way.”

That made his ascension even more impressive. “We laid out his campaign, and everything worked out. That’s the only time it ever happened to me,” Hushion laughed.

The Lumber Guy won the Miracle Wood Stakes, finished fifth in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial, won the Grade 2 Jerome, finished sixth in the Grade 2 Peter Pan, then won the Grade 1 Vosburgh and finished a brave second by threequarters of a length in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.

Captain Serious didn’t do as well, but he had his moments.

He won his first three starts as a threeyear-old in 2014, including the Mike Lee Stakes for New York-breds and in his next two races, finished second in the Grade 3 Dwyer and third in the Grade 2 Amsterdam. In his first start in 2015, he won the Hollie Hughes Stakes for statebreds.

His final four starts couldn’t have been much worse. He lost his rider in the 2016 Grade 3 Toboggan, was vanned off in an Kelly Breen takes pride in knowing his horses

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

23

training “Chester said, ‘What are we going to do next?’” Kimmel said. “I said, ‘I’ll think about it.’”

Kimmel had an idea. “I brought him to the paddock three days in a row between races at Gulfstream,” he said. “By the third day, I had him grazing in the paddock circle. We went back to Payson. A couple days prior to the Florida Derby, we did it again. He was perfect.”

Before Kimmel went to saddle Friends Lake for the Florida Derby, he noticed his odds: 30-1 and climbing. He’d go off at 37-1.

“I bet $200 to win on him,” Kimmel said.

Kimmel liked what he saw in the paddock. “There was a band there. Half the field was losing their cookies.”

Friends Lake wasn’t one of them. He won the Florida Derby by three-quarters of a length under regular rider Richard Migliore. “I always think that the fact he was so well-behaved, that made the difference,” Kimmel said.

Kimmel didn’t have to think long for a do-over choice. Lucille Conover and George

­­“

I always think that the fact he was so wellbehaved, that made the difference

John Kimmel

Wayne Catalano was instrumental in laying the foundations for Animal Kingdom’s future success

allowance race, then finished fourth in an allowance race at Finger Lakes. In the final start of his career Hushion wished he hadn’t made, Captain Serious was vanned off again after taking several bad steps in a claiming race at Belmont.

“I realized he was giving me the message that he didn’t want to be a racehorse anymore,” Hushion said. “When they hesitate going to the track, when they don’t go after the feed tub, he had shown me he wasn’t a happy camper. Physically he was fine. I figured ‘one more time.’ That was a mistake. I was disgusted with myself.”

But there’s a happy ending. “A couple days after the race, we sent him to a good home,” Hushion said. “A lady and a little girl. He immediately took to that.”



John Kimmel had chosen a difficult 24

assignment, the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park, for Chester and Mary Broman’s talented three-year-old Friends Lake, who had scored his second straight victory in the $100,000 Sleepy Hollow Stakes for New York-breds in his final start as a two-year-old the previous October. “We were preparing him for the three-year-old campaign at Payson Park,” Kimmel said.

“He was doing very, very well.”

That is, until Friends Lake walked into the paddock at Gulfstream Park. “He acted up in the paddock,” Kimmel said. “He was so nervous, he just about ran over my assistant trainer. He couldn’t hold him.”

Friends Lake finished third by 12¾ lengths at 3-1.

Kimmel had hoped a good showing in the Holy Bull would make a start in the Grade 1 Florida Derby a logical next step.

Now what?

”

Bolton’s A New Twist, a four-year-old filly

by Storm Cat. Her dam Twist Afleet had given Kimmel his first Grade 1 victory.

Heading into the Grade 3 Genuine Risk Handicap at Belmont Park in 2003, A New Twist was looking for her third consecutive victory after taking an allowance race and the $132,000 Madison Stakes at Keeneland.

“She had bad-acting genes from Storm Cat and was very difficult to handle,” Kimmel said. “She got loose twice in the paddock at Keeneland. After I put the first girth on in the paddock, I’d move her to put on the over-girth. At Belmont, after I put the first girth on, she didn’t move. The valet said, ‘Let’s put the second one on her now.’ We started tying the over-girth. She went straight up in the air. The outrider lost her reins. She went up, flipped over, and her head struck the concrete. She died almost instantaneously. I felt so bad for so long. I even contemplated, ‘Why am I doing this?’

I should have moved her and saddled her in a different place. If I had a reset button, that would have been it.”



Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was having a hard time figuring out Charismatic, a two-year-old colt owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis. “Here’s this grand, magnificent chestnut horse with a great pedigree,” Lukas said. “I tried to push every

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

173653

173653-Stallions-NATrainer.indd 1

4/25/17 4:51 PM

TRAINING Chris Antley right after the finish line.

Lukas didn’t have similar luck with L.R. French Jr.’s Capote, the undefeated twoyear-old champion colt of 1986 who won all four of his starts, including the Grade 1 Norfolk and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

“He got real sick with an intestinal disorder,” Lukas said. “He lost weight. I got him turned around at the end of February.

He blossomed. He put on weight. But that sickness had taken its toll. When you have a two-year-old champion, you think he’s invincible. I thought he’d put it together and get it done. He wasn’t ready to face Derby-type horses.”

He wasn’t. Capote, who would lose all six of his three-year-old starts, was eased in the Kentucky Derby. “I shouldn’t have run him in the Derby,” Lukas said. “I totally misread him.”



Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard chose two of his greatest horses, Augustin Stables’ $2 million-earning gray mares

­­“

I decided to do tough love. He was either going to be a great horse or drop into lower claimers

D. Wayne Lukas

D. Wayne Lukas opted for tough love with Charismatic

button. I said, ‘What am I doing wrong?’”

After Charismatic lost five straight maiden races, Lukas dropped him into a maiden $62,500 claimer on November 21st, 1988. “I wasn’t even concerned about him getting claimed because it was a high price.

I talked to Bob Lewis. Bob said, ‘He hasn’t accomplished anything. Why not $35,000 or $40,000?”

Charismatic won that race for $62,500 by five lengths. But he didn’t win any of his next three starts. Lukas had seen enough.

“I decided to do tough love,” he said. “He was either going to be a great horse or drop into lower claimers. I never trained a horse as hard as I did with him in January and February of his three-year-old season. He started responding. He was such a gorgeous horse. And he was sound. He started to turn it around.”

Regardless, Charismatic was one-for26

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

nine. Lukas dropped him into a claimer, again for $62,500. He lost by a neck but was placed first on a disqualification.

“By that time, I was starting to get good vibes from him,” Lukas said. “I remember walking down after the race with Jeff (his son and assistant trainer). I said, ‘Jeff, I hope someone didn’t claim this horse today.’ I didn’t think he was going to win the Derby, but I knew he was better.

What’s interesting is that Mike Mitchell, who was a good friend, said, ‘I filled out a card for him, but when I got over there and saw him, he was so good-looking. He didn’t have a pimple on him. There must be something wrong with him. I tore up the card.’”

The rest is history. Charismatic won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before finishing a game third in the Belmont Stakes when he was pulled up by jockey

”

Forever Together and Informed Decision, as examples of a good job training and a doover.

“I try normally to give credit to the horse,” Sheppard said. “But I’ve always thought the sign of a good training job is bringing a horse off a lengthy layoff and winning.”

Well, in 2009, Sheppard did exactly that with both mares off nearly identical fiveand-a-half-month layoffs. Both won graded stakes off that long layoff.

On April 9th at Keeneland, Informed Decision, who had concluded her threeyear-old season with a 4¼-length score in the 2008 Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland on October 18th, won the Grade 1 Madison Stakes by a head in her four-yearold debut.

Five days later, Forever Together, who had won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita on October 24th in her prior start, captured the Grade 2 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in her five-yearold debut. “She won nicely,” Sheppard said.

“I was very proud of the fact that I was able to get them ready to run off a five-and-a-half month layoff and they won graded stakes.”

He tried duplicating that unique double the following year, but it didn’t work out.

Informed Decision had finished 2009 in style, taking the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint by a length and a quarter at

Santa Anita on November 6th. But in her sixyear-old debut on April 8th in the Madison, she finished third by 3¼ lengths as the 1-2 favorite. “She was special,” Sheppard said.

“We brought her up to the race off works at Camden, and she tired. I was kind of surprised she came up a little short.”

Another surprise came two days later at Keeneland when Forever Together also lost her 2010 debut, finishing second by a half-length in the Jenny Wiley, her first start since running third in the 2009 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf on November 6th. Her loss bothered Sheppard more than Informed Decision’s.

“I worked Forever Together on dirt at Camden and I didn’t have anything to run with her,” Sheppard said. “She was going in what I thought was a pretty good time, five furlongs in like 1:01. After she lost, I worked a couple horses not as good as her there and they both went faster than she did, five furlongs in around a minute. I realized I didn’t do enough with Forever Together. I should have worked her more.

When you have a plan and it works, you sort of pat yourself on the back. When it doesn’t … I felt I let the horses down a little bit.”



Yockey’s Warrior severely tested Al Stall’s resolve. Many times. “He’s a horse that

­­“

training

I’ve always thought the sign of a good training job is bringing a horse off a lengthy layoff and winning

”

Jonathan Sheppard took an enormous amount of patience,” Stall said. “As a two-year-old, he walked like in a goose step. We had to get him through that. As a three-year-old, he had a great race first time out, then the problems started mounting up. A breathing problem. Then all of a sudden, he had EPM (equine protozoal myeloencephalitis), a spinal disease. We had to give him time off for that. Then he won at Oaklawn. We thought we were back on the right road.

He got strep pneumonia. We had to put him in a hyperbaric chamber. We swam him. We got him back in September last year. We tried him on grass. He didn’t run well.”

Then Yockey’s Warrior, owned by Stewart Madison, Steve Landry, Matt Bernard, Joel Broussard, and Stall, did something completely different. He stayed healthy,

Jonathan Sheppard trained champion Informed Decision to win a Grade 1 after a long layoff 28

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

winning three straight races, including the $73,000 Thanksgiving Handicap at Fair Grounds. That’s why Stall entered him in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland on April 8th of this year. “The owners were willing to take the time, and we’ve been rewarded lately,” Stall said.

“These type of things, horses don’t always come back from. He’s at the top of his game at age five. For the first time in his life, he can train, breeze, run, and recover just like a normal horse.”

A do-over? Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider’s Departing had quite a career with Stall, winning nine of 27 starts and earning more than $1.9 million. Stall thinks he could have done even better.

“He’d run a huge race against horses he could beat, then I would get all pumped up,” Stall said. “I’d say, ‘Let’s try something better.’ Every time we stepped him up, it didn’t work. Sometimes I talked people into running him. Every time he got against better horses, you really could see he was a notch below.”

Stall isn’t exaggerating. In five Grade 1 stakes -- the Preakness, Stephen Foster, Whitney, Clark and A.G. Vanderbilt -Departing finished sixth, third, eighth, seventh, and seventh. “I should have learned from the first time,” Stall said.

“I repeated it. That was from being overconfident. I wish I hadn’t done that.” n

halfpage-ad-forager-US-PRINT-V1.pdf

1

24/04/17

17:24

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

29

VETERINARY

Compounding pharmacies

30

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

31

VETERINARY

Veterinary bills are a big part of every horseman’s expenditures, and with the high cost of medication, even maintaining a horse on anti-ulcer drugs can be enough to break the bank. So it’s no wonder people turn to low-cost alternatives. But these counterfeit drugs could cost them plenty in the long run.

WORDS AND PHOTOS: Denise Steffanus

H

ORSEMEN who think illegal compounders have their interest in mind when they produce a knockoff drug and sell it for a much lower price are deceiving themselves. Profit and greed are the motives of these pirates. Illegally compounded drugs—called knockoffs, counterfeits, copycats, or pirated drugs— are made from raw ingredients that have no guarantee of their content, potency, or absence of contamination. The sources for

these raw ingredients are foreign suppliers, usually in India, Pakistan, or China.

Chemical companies within the United States that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to produce raw materials for drug manufacturing must follow a strict protocol to test and certify each batch they produce before they are permitted to market it. They also are expressly forbidden by law to sell to compounders because the law prohibits compounders from using bulk ingredients to make drugs. That’s why illegal

compounders turn to foreign suppliers.

In recent years, use of illegally compounded products has killed dozens of horses and cost trainers fines and suspensions for positive post-race tests. But the insidious threat of illegal compounding is not drugs that kill outright, but ones that don’t work because they either contain much less of the active ingredients than stated or they are formulated in a way that renders them ineffective.

Legal vs. illegal compounding Legal compounding is any manipulation of an FDA-approved drug for use beyond that stipulated on the label. For example, if a veterinarian needs a paste form of a specific FDA-approved antibiotic for use in an individual animal but that antibiotic is only available in tablet form, a pharmacist who fills that prescription by crushing the FDA-approved antibiotic tablets and mixing the resulting powder with a paste is formulating a compounded drug. Compounders are not permitted to reproduce a commercially available FDAapproved drug.

Legal compounding commonly involves: ●Combining two or more FDA-approved injectable drugs so the horse needs just one needle stick; ●Adding flavoring to an FDA-approved drug; or ●Altering the method of administration of an FDA-approved drug (as for the paste antibiotic mentioned above).

Compounded drugs benefit veterinary medicine when they are formulated properly and used for appropriate medical purposes. They are an important weapon in the veterinarian’s war against disease.

The legality of their manufacture and distribution, as well as how carefully and ethically they are produced, are the issues.

Dr. Joe Bertone, professor of equine medicine at Western University, formerly was a veterinary medical officer for the FDA. He has served on numerous committees and task forces on medications, including the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents. Bertone said he is not against compounding pharmacies, just the illegal and unethical practices some of them use that are not in the horse’s or the owner’s best interest.

Illegal compounding practices: ●Production of knockoffs of commercially available, FDA-approved drugs; ●Mass production of compounded drugs, which constitutes drug manufacturing; ●Use of bulk ingredients in compounding; ●Use of materials whose manufacture does not meet U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) standards; and ●Shoddy or unethical protocols in producing compounded medications.

“I went on an inspection one time for the FDA,” Bertone recalled, “and when we

32

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES walked in the pharmacy—actually it looked like a garage—there was a wooden barrel covered with a piece of old plywood. I picked up the plywood and asked, ‘What is this?’ And you could tell there was a yellow crust on this material. They said, ‘That’s sulfadiazine. What we do is just push the yellow stuff away and scoop down below it.’ This was for an EPM [equine protozoal myeloencephalitis] treatment.

“Another compounding pharmacy had a diclazuril solution that looked like a snow globe when you shook it. The instructions said give it intravenously and that stunned me.

“And yet another put omeprazole, the active ingredient in Gastrogard, and bismuth subsalicylate, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, together in the same tube, fully knowing that the two mixed together destroys the omeprazole. Research clearly showed the drug had no effect and there was no omeprazole in the formulation. The excuse from the pharmacy was that they sell it because people like it.”

The first red flag that a compounded drug is a counterfeit is a lower price than the FDA-approved drug. To make a legally compounded drug, a pharmacist must start with an FDA-approved drug as the basis of its formulation. So, logically, a legally compounded drug would have to cost more, not less, because the pharmacist adds ingredients to it to change the flavor or route of administration.

For example, if a 500-gram jar of an FDAapproved phenylbutazone powder costs $20, and the pharmacy adds $5 worth of apple flavoring to make a compounded product, the pharmacy must charge at least $25 for the flavored product, probably more when factoring in labor and other costs.

talking drugs with the potential to kill.

In 2009, Franck’s Pharmacy in Florida produced an injectable supplement that killed 21 polo ponies when the person entering the formula misplaced the decimal point. Instead of 0.1 grams of selenium, the solution contained 10 grams of selenium—a fatal dosage of 100 times the correct amount. The 21 horses suffered a gruesome, agonizing death.

In 2011, Wickliffe Pharmacy in Lexington, Kentucky, compounded an EPM medication containing toltrazuril and pyrimethamine that killed two horses when a lethal amount of pyrimethamine was used in the formulation. While the compounded medication contained 24 times the amount of pyrimethamine listed on the label, it contained only 3.7% of the toltrazuril listed.

Even if the compound had not contained a lethal amount of pyrimethamine, it would have been ineffective.

Both Franck’s and Wickliffe produced

these drugs in violation of at least two FDA regulations: The drugs they compounded were not approved for use in the United States and they used bulk ingredients to formulate them.

Even if illegally compounded drugs don’t kill, they cause trainers plenty of problems.

In 2013 and 2014, Weatherford Compounding Pharmacy in Texas sold a compounded herbal product for bleeders, Tourniquet, to veterinarians in New Mexico and Iowa. Weatherford made the product using a cinnamon-ginseng powder it obtained from a Canadian supplier that had purchased it from China. The ginseng product was alleged to be contaminated with sildenafil (Viagra). Quarter Horse trainer John Stinebaugh was fined $40,000 and his license suspended for 16 years when four of his horses at Ruidoso Downs tested positive for sildenafil. Stinebaugh sued Weatherford and other involved parties for

Compounded, generic, or counterfeit A racetrack practitioner, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was unaware that the compounded drugs he had recommended to his clients as a cost-saver were illegal.

“I thought they were generics,” he said.

This is a common misconception.

Generic drugs must be approved by the FDA and be identical—or bioequivalent—to a brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use. Counterfeit drugs are not subject to approval or inspection of any kind, so there is no guarantee what is in them.

Think of it this way: Heinz ketchup would be comparable to a brand-name drug; Kroger’s brand of the same ketchup would be the generic. Both brand-name and generic products must be FDA-approved.

The ketchup-like sauce your Aunt Tillie makes from whatever is in her kitchen, including the worm in one tomato and the cat hair on her apron, would be comparable to the counterfeit drug.

But we’re not talking ketchup; we’re ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

33

VETERINARY open containers of powders on a large table. Along side of the table were drums of powders. The inspectors observed the employees compounding apple-flavored phenylbutazone powder. The inspectors did not see any gowns, masks, or gloves.”

As part of its sanctions, the Board placed Precision Pharmacy on a three-year probation.

These violations by compounders are just the tip of the iceberg. In October 2014, the FDA issued violation warning letters to nine internet compounders for marketing unapproved omeprazole products: Abler Inc. in New South Wales, Australia Multivet USA in Stony Point, New York Horse Gold in Wellington, Florida Ergogenic Labs in Wellington, Florida Horse PreRace in Orlando, Florida Tri-Star Equine Marketing in Delray Beach, Florida Westside Trading FZE UAE in Dubai Ceva Animal Health in New South Wales, Australia Teton Equine in Evanston, Wyoming FDA testing found Abler’s AbGard to be super-potent at 111.3% of the label claim for potency. The FDA letter also cited Abler for marketing unapproved phenylbutazone

­­“

The first red flag that a compounded drug is a counterfeit is a lower price than the FDA-approved drug

”

A pharmacist must ensure that FDA-approved components are used in correct quantities

$6 million, claiming irreparable damage to his career.

Four horses in Iowa also got bad tests from Tourniquet, which resulted in fines and suspensions for three trainers at Prairie Meadows Racetrack. In 2015, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy charged Weatherford Compounding with five counts of rule violations, including the use of out-of-date raw materials. Weatherford surrendered its license to do business in Iowa as part of the settlement with the Board.

In 2013, the California State Board of Pharmacy sanctioned Rapid Equine Solutions, a Pennsylvania compounder doing business in California, based on a referral from the California Horse Racing Board associated with a drug-positive investigation at one of its racetracks.

Four years earlier, the California Pharmacy Board investigated Precision 34

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

Pharmacy in Bakersfield, one of the nation’s largest equine compounders, in response to a complaint that it was bootlegging an FDA-approved equine drug.

Its investigators uncovered 21 alleged violations, including manufacture of illegal drugs, dispensing expired drugs to consumers, and using components that were past their expiration dates, which “could have posed a serious health hazard, and should not have been dispensed,” the Board stated. Other alleged violations were keeping refrigerated drugs at room temperature, having a single pharmacist supervise eight employees instead of a 1:1 ratio, and unsanitary compounding activities in the lobby and back room of the pharmacy.

The Board stated in its accusations: “Immediately upon entering, the inspectors noticed several people around several

and deworming products.

The omeprazole warning letter to Ceva Animal Health also cited marketing of unapproved injectable products xylazine (Rompun), gentamicin antibiotic, iron supplement, and glucosamine.

The FDA found Horse PreRace’s Omeprazole Oral Paste contained just 68.1% of the label claim for potency.

Additionally, the FDA cited the company with marketing unapproved injectable forms of flunixin (Banamine), a furosemide and dexamethasone diuretic, and a vasodilator to treat tying up; also included was a warning about its paste toltrazuril, which is not approved for use in horses.

Horse PreRace is on the radar of several racing commissions. It sells its products via its website. Many of the products are injectable substances that by federal law are restricted for sale only to veterinarians or by prescription. But anyone who clicks the website’s “Place Order” button can buy them. A person on its phone order desk confirmed, “Nothing on this site requires a prescription.”

This writer also contacted Horse PreRace via email to inquire about its injectable blood builder Blast Off Red. The product

S P E E D. Thoroughbred racehorses can sustain a speed of 40 mph. For horses that spend their turnout in pasture, it’s important to have a fence that will stand up to pressure and potential impact. Non-Climb and KeepsafeŽ fence from Red Brand are 100% manufactured in the U.S.A. and designed specifically to flex on impact, providing the very best in safety and security for your horse. Get complete product details and find a dealer near you at RedBrand.com.

VETERINARY

description emphasizes that it should be administered by “SLOW” intravenous injection, which set off danger warnings in my mind. When asked what it contained, an anonymous person replied, “All ingredients are proprietary and will not test or swab.”

I responded, “So you expect me to put something in my horse that I have no clue what its ingredients are?” Horse PreRace’s reply: “If you don’t feel comfortable we understand.” When I attempted to press the issue, the website mysteriously went down for “maintenance” immediately, but it eventually resumed business and is still operational.

War on illegal compounding Everyone recognizes the need to protect the public from the dangers of illegal compounders, and there are measures to curtail them.

The FDA oversees all facets of the pharmaceutical industry, including the production of drugs by compounding pharmacies. Additionally, each state has a pharmacy board that oversees all pharmacy activities within the state, including licensing pharmacists and facilities, conducting 36

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

inspections, and imposing penalties. This also includes regulating out-of-state pharmacies’ business within its borders.

Until 2012, routine inspections were infrequent and cursory, unless investigators were responding to one or more complaints about a specific pharmacy. Inspections were ramped up in 2012 after 753 patients in 20 states were sickened and 64 died from steroid injections compounded by New England Compounding Center that were contaminated with fungal meningitis and other pathogens.

Anne Gresham is a registered pharmacist in Lexington where she has been a pharmacy director since 1988, with the bulk of her career spent at the area’s two top equine hospitals, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. She currently is the owner of Doc Lane’s Veterinary Pharmacy.

Gresham noted that since the New England incident, government inspections now occur a couple of times a year, and the inspectors spend about six hours checking every facet of the facility.

“In Kentucky, this inspection includes verification that a compounding pharmacy

has standard operating procedures in place for all phases of compound-drug production,” Gresham said. “This includes procedures for the acquisition, handling, and storage of materials, containers, labels, finished compounds, etc. as well as appropriate facilities, equipment, personnel, and documentation.”

The list of items the inspectors check is lengthy and includes: every piece of equipment; the amount of particulates in the air; the temperature and humidity in the facility; logs of daily cleaning, calibrating, and maintenance of equipment; sterile compounding procedures; certificates of analysis for ingredients; and personnel licenses.

“Compound batch records must demonstrate that each ingredient is weighed and checked by two technicians or pharmacists,” Gresham said. “A pharmacist then checks the batch record again before it is labeled or dispensed. Each [scale] prints the weight of each ingredient, which also becomes a part of the batch record. Only pharmacists should write a new batch record, which calculates the amount of each ingredient and confirms the active ingredient is correct.”

Unlike human pharmacies, software that red-flags formulation errors or other warning signs does not exist for veterinary pharmacies. So a pharmacy director must rely on crosschecks by pharmacists and technicians to ensure the accuracy, effectiveness, and safety of its products. And when humans are involved, human errors occur. That is why Gresham stresses the importance of using a reputable pharmacy that specializes in equine preparations.

“If a vet requests a new compound, each ingredient must be reviewed by the pharmacist for the potency that is appropriate for the horse,” Gresham said.

“For this reason, a horse owner should purchase equine compounds from a pharmacy that has expert knowledge of medications for horses.

“Often a human compounding pharmacy is approached by a veterinarian about compounding a product that the pharmacist is not familiar with. This can be dangerous if the pharmacist does not have sufficient information about the medication and its use in equine. This can lead to incorrect potency, duration of treatment, dosage form, and instructions for the caregiver.”

The Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB) seeks to selfregulate the industry and make it easier for veterinarians to identify ethical compounders. Applicants must undergo a rigorous vetting and complete extensive requisites before they receive accreditation.

Lexington has the largest concentration of PCAB-accredited veterinary compounding pharmacies that specialize in horses— Hagyard Pharmacy, Rood & Riddle Pharmacy, Doc Lane’s Pharmacy, and Wickliffe Pharmacy. (Wickliffe obtained accreditation

COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES

COMPOUNDING PHARMACY CRITERIA Veterinarians and horsemen are urged to use the following criteria when selecting a compounding pharmacy: ●Ask the pharmacy if it will make you a knockoff of a commercially available, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medication. If so, do not use that pharmacy; ●Know the pharmacist and his or her background in pharmacy and in the veterinary industry; ●Ask if the pharmacy is accredited by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board or visit www.pcab.org, select “Find a PCAB Pharmacy,” and select the state where the pharmacy is located. If it is accredited, its name will appear. ●Choose a pharmacy that has a reputation for quality and that has been active in the veterinary industry long enough to be time-tested; ●Talk to veterinarians who have established such relationships; and ●If possible, visit the pharmacy and establish a one-on-one relationship with the pharmacist and support personnel.—Denise Steffanus two years after its pyrimethamine incident.)

Sanctioned facilities Weatherford Compounding Pharmacy in Texas, Precision Pharmacy in California, and Rapid Equine Solutions in Pennsylvania have no PCAB accreditation. Neither did Franck’s, which is now out of business.

In 2003, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) took heat from its members for allowing pharmacies that did not follow compounding regulations into the trade show at its annual convention. The AAEP’s first step was to ban pharmacies from promoting compounding products and services at its trade show. In 2009, it adopted a policy to permit only compounding pharmacies accredited by the PCAB to exhibit.

More action needed While Bertone appreciates the effort to step up pharmacy inspections, he said this does not solve the problem of counterfeit drugs. The real power to stop counterfeit drugs lies with horsemen and veterinarians, he said.

“If there is an approved product, that’s what horsemen should be using first,” he said.

“And horsemen have to be really skeptical when they have to use a compounded drug.

Veterinarians can contact the PCAB to check a pharmacy’s reputation.”

He said the easiest way to check if a compounding pharmacy is operating within the law is to ask it to compound a commercially available FDA-approved drug.

If it will provide such a knockoff drug,

don’t use that pharmacy.

Anyone can report a bootlegging pharmacy to the FDA, the respective state’s pharmacy board, or the pharmaceutical manufacturer whose drugs are being counterfeited. Pharmaceutical companies do investigate reports and they may seek legal action against the compounder.

Dr. Kenton Morgan, technical service veterinarian for Zoetis, said bootlegging of Zoetis products can be reported to any Zoetis representative or via its customer service phone number.

“It is also important for the reporting party to contact the state pharmacy board and perhaps the FDA as well,” he said.

“Depending upon the circumstances, either—or both—of these entities can bring pressure against the offending pharmacy to stop or bring direct regulatory action against them. Many times the state pharmacy board can actually effect change quicker, as they have direct authority over any pharmacy in their respective state.”

Few people sympathize with Big Pharma because of the high cost of medication.

But pharmaceutical manufacturers spend millions of dollars and years of development and testing to produce a single drug. Without FDA regulations to protect their investment against piracy from illegal compounders, they would have no incentive to invest in the pursuit of new drugs needed by veterinary medicine and our horses. n

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

37

PROFILE

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT

FRANK STRONACH

His plans for the future WORDS: GILES ANDERSON PHOTOS: GILES ANDERSON & The Stronach Group

F

RANK Stronach is in town.

His black Mercedes-Benz is parked at the entrance to the Gulfstream Park paddock. It’s 10 in the morning, and no one is around. Finding Stronach is like finding a needle in haystack, but eventually I find my way to the racetrack’s corporate offices, nestled on the side of the main grandstand complex, up on the 4th floor.

Stronach is sitting in the boardroom, the door of which is marked simply “Chairman.” The room is a rather sparse area, dominated by a large glass table

Stronach (left) and his early business partner, Tony Czapka 38

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

with various papers in the corner and a healthy supply of tablets and mobile phones.

For Stronach, I suspect that interviews must be a rather routine affair. As someone who has been running businesses for more than 60 years, he must have heard virtually all the questions that could be thrown at him.

But as I find out, Stronach is an incredibly personable and thoughtful interviewee.

He’s passionate about his past and I’m pleased that I had taken the time to read his autobiography, The Magna Man. I can say that it’s well worth a read, not only as a window into Stronach’s remarkable life story, but also for its nuggets of business genius.

BUILDING HIS BUSINESS We start with Stronach telling me a little about his past: his upbringing in Austria, his working-class background, and how he lived under two dictatorships – Hitler and then Stalin. He also tells me how he made his way to Canada, but could just as easily have found his way to Australia or the U.S., had those countries come through first with a visa.

He arrived in Canada in 1954 with one hundred bucks in his back pocket. Times were tough getting a foot on the proverbial ladder. “I was hungry and had no money to buy food. When you reach that point, it leaves a deep impression.”

Eventually, Stronach found work as a toolmaker, working with metal and essentially building “things”. It was exactly 60 years ago when he started his first business, a one-man tool and die shop. This small company began producing car parts and grew to become the most diversified automotive parts supplier in the world

FRANK STRONACH

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

39

PROFILE

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT in its field. But along the way, Stronach learnt about empowering his people. As his business grew, so did the opportunity for his employees through profit sharing and stock ownership. Enabling employees to share in the success of the business was paramount to the growth of the organization, the structure of which had

many academics scratching their heads to work out how he did it. To Stronach, it was simply “Fair Enterprise.” As he puts it: “If you let your employees share in the success of the business, they will be more motivated to produce a better product for a better price.”

But it wasn’t all plain sailing. Boardroom battles made Stronach stronger and more determined than ever to keep control of the company he built from scratch. By the time he stepped down from Magna International -- not to be confused with Magna Entertainment Corporation, that

was a precursor to The Stronach Group that owns racetracks such as Gulfstream -- the company had grown to $35 billion in annual sales, with 130,000 employees worldwide and it had two billion dollars in the bank.

Stronach’s passion for racing came about thanks to reading an advert for a riding horse in his local newspaper. Six years into his business career, he needed a hobby to take away the stress, and had always wanted to own his own horse. The owner of the stable that sold him a riding horse took Stronach to Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto in 1962 to see his first ever race, and from that point on, he became enamored with the world of Thoroughbred horseracing.

Today, Stronach sits at the top table in racing, whether as a perennial leading breeder or regularly ranking among the top three ownership outfits in North America.

BUILDING UP RACETRACKS

Gulfstream Park, an entertainment destination

40

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

Fast forward to 1997. “At that time, I already had a sizable company,” says Stronach.

“I wanted to diversify and have a second economic base. I knew that most of the racetracks in North America were badly run and in need of redevelopment. So I said, I’m going to buy some of those tracks and create a company that would bring world-class racing to a global audience.

Santa Anita was the first. I had looked at it for some time and it was sold to a real estate company for about $320 million.

A year later I got a call from the bankers, asking if I still had an interest because I had backed away from the deal the year before.

PROFILE Standing at over 100 feet Pegasus watches over Gulfstream Park

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT I had made an offer, but it wasn’t enough.

I didn’t want to get involved in a bidding war. So this time around, I said if the price is right you can have the money tomorrow.

They called me the next day and said $126 million. ‘It’s a deal,’ I said.”

In the years that followed, Stronach continued to buy a number of racetracks, including Pimlico Racecourse, home of the Preakness, and Gulfstream Park, making the Stronach Group the leading racetrack operator in America.

BUILDING THE ICONIC BRONZE PEGASUS At the entranceway of Gulfstream Park stands the world’s greatest horse statue.

Measuring more than 100 feet in height and sheathed in bronze, the statue features Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, and pays homage to the great contributions that horses have made to human civilization.

Stronach remembers the origins of the statue and the earliest sketches. “I had some great artists employed and we sketched up a dragon with Pegasus. I said to the artists: ‘I want you to make a model of a Pegasus fighting a fierce-looking dragon.’ Then we went to a German foundry and asked them to engineer a life-sized bronze statue more 42

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

than ten stories tall. There was nobody in the Western world which could cast something like that, so we went to China and the Chinese said they would do it. The outer layer of the statue is made with more than 1,200 bronze pieces about two yards by three yards that were fitted together with microscopic precision. We had to go down 60 feet to build the foundations for the steel structure, which has been designed to withstand hurricane-force winds. The statue really is one of the world’s great feats of engineering.”

What Gulfstream Park has ended up with is an iconic piece of metalwork, a complete one-of-a-kind bronze statue that rivals the Statue of Liberty in size and complexity.

Perhaps it’s iconic in another way. It’s a visual testament to what will one day be part

­­“

At Gulfstream, we are creating an entertainment theme park built around the horse. We are building a theme ride inside a dome theater at the base of the Pegasus statue Frank Stronach

”

of Frank Stronach’s legacy and how he built his first business, working with metal.

BUILDING A HORSE-THEMED ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION CENTER “You have to realize that nowadays people have a lot of choices when it comes to entertainment and gaming” says Stronach.

“That’s why we believe the racetrack of the future will be an entertainment destination.

“At Gulfstream, we are creating an entertainment theme park built around the horse. We are building a theme ride inside a dome theater at the base of the Pegasus statue. The central story the ride is based on is the battle between Pegasus and the dragon, which is really the classic take on the battle between good and evil. The ride also makes people think: where do we come from? And where are we going? What will the world be like 500 years from now?

The world today is at a tipping point – we can choose to climb to a higher plateau, or we can fall deeper into the abyss. But basically, the ride leaves guests with a hopeful message: that we can make this a better world, and that we must do all we can to ensure that good prevails.

“We are also planning to open a major museum. It will be interactive, and will tell the history of the horse. We will also build a hotel with a water park and a performance area where you can see musicals and shows. We want to appeal to families with kids between six and twelve.

9

EXPERIENCE THE THRILL ALL SUMMER LONG!

2017 SPRING | SUMMER CALENDAR APRIL

M AY

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

2

3

4

5

6

7

M 1

2

3

4

5

6

8

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

9

10

11

12

13

14

16

17

18

19 20 21 22

15

14

15

16

17

18

1

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

T

W

JUNE

S

T

F

S

J U LY

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

13

14

15

16

S

M

T

W

T

F

S

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

13

14

15

1

19 20

11

12

17

9

10

11

12

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

18

19 20 21 22 23 24

16

17

18

19 20 21 22

28 29 30 31

25 26 27 28 29 30

30

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

AU G U ST W

T

S P E C I A L R AC E DAYS

S EP T E M B E R

S

M

T

F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

13

14

15

16

17

18

S

1

2

12

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

13

14

15

16

19

10

11

12

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

17

18

19 20 21 22 23

27 28 29 30 31

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

LIVE RACING DAY

PRINCESS ROONEY (GII) SMILE SPRINT(GII)

FTBOA FLORIDA SIRE STAKES SATURDAY, AUG. 5 SATURDAY, SEPT. 2 SATURDAY, SEPT. 30

BREEDERS’ CUP Challenges Races “Win and You’re In”.

SIMULCASTING DAY

W E L C O M E

SUMMIT OF SPEED SATURDAY, JUL. 1 Featuring

T O

YOUR PLAYGROUND 83 9 0 1 S F E D E R A L H I G H WAY I H A L L A N D A L E B E A C H I 9 5 4 . 4 5 4 . 7 0 0ISSUE 0 I 43 G TRAINERMAGAZINE U L F S T R E A M.COM PA R K .COM

BENOIT PHOTO

PROFILE

3 t

The view from Gulfstream’s paddock to the shopping mall

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT It’s got to be exciting for them. I want to create something here at Gulfstream that horse people and horse lovers from around the world will flock to, as well as a place where families will want to come with their children. I’m also writing a book on what would constitute an ideal society. The book outlines some of the basic principles of a civilised society, principles such as: everyone must have access to health care, and no one should go hungry. But how do we as a society achieve this? That’s the big question. If we don’t have a concept of an ideal society, then we can’t put together the building blocks needed to make it a reality.

“With the book and and the Pegasus theme ride, I don’t want to preach to people. Instead, I want to provoke their minds. What will our future look like?

I believe the human spirit is capable of leading humanity to a higher plateau.”

Perhaps, what Stronach is telling us is his view on life based on what he has seen over the past 80 or so years. This may be his way of reminding the world about how we have changed as a society. In his youth, horses were very much part of daily life, while many children of today are being raised in the “urban computer generation”, where interaction with horses is an almost mythical or alien concept.

BUILDING RACETRACKS OF THE FUTURE Stronach has a number of other plans 44

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

­­“

Next year I want to do a grass race too, to get more international horses.

I have no problem if they do something similar in Australia or England Frank Stronach

”

for turning Gulfstream into one of the Sunshine State’s major tourist attractions.

“We plan to build high-rise condos and two hotels on both sides, so guests could stay here for a few days. We would like to make this into a major destination center.

This is the entertainment industry.

“I’m also thinking about what can I do for the future of the racetrack? I want to make sure that I leave something for future generations. So I want to put the racetrack into a trust. I’ve started to have conversations with horsemen’s groups about putting the racetrack in a trust in order to preserve racing here at Gulfstream, to make a long-term commitment based on a 15-year lease. And under this arrangement, the horsemen would have the choice to extend this commitment every five years – forever.

I want to make a contribution that horseracing can continue. It’s expensive to keep running horses. In essence, I want to make a contribution that horseracing can continue long into the future. I think the

horse community sees that I have made a positive contribution but I believe there is still more to be done.

“I’m saying to the horsemen, ‘Let’s work together.’ The trainers, the breeders, the horse owners – let’s see how together, we can make the most money. I have a saying: ‘if the economy doesn’t function, nothing else will.’ So if I make a major commitment for the future then together we can organize it so that there is more money for everyone in racing.”

BUILDING UP THE PEGASUS WORLD CUP Earlier this year, Gulfstream Park hosted the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Invitational, the world’s richest horse race. Twelve horse owners each paid $1 million for a spot at the starting gate and a shot at the biggest purse in history, with all of the owners sharing in the profits from the race. Stronach wanted to create a classic race along the lines of the Breeders’ Cup, one that would attract the best horses in the world. The first running of the Pegasus Invitational was a great success, and Frank is optimistic that they can create other world-caliber races.

“Next year I want to do a grass race too, to get more international horses. I have no problem if they do something similar in Australia or England. It’s great for horseracing to have all these races.

I’ve tried to be careful not to infringe on the Breeders’ Cup, because they’ve done a good job over the years. I’ve also tried not to overlap with the Dubai World Cup, so it’s possible that racehorse owners can run in both races. I think it would be good if we could develop a series of races to create great excitement around the world. We

BENOIT PHOTO

Kentucky Oaks

3YO filly ABEL TASMAN shown winning the G1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

Best of Luck!

TO THE CONNECTIONS OF THESE TOP CLASS 2017 OAKS AND DERBY CONTENDERS ALL GRADUATES OF WEBB CARROLL TRAINING CENTER

3YO filly EVER SO CLEVER shown winning the 2017 G3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn

Kentucky Derby 3YO colt

IRISH WAR CRY

COGLIANESE PHOTO

shown winning the 2017 G2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct

A job well done, a name you can rely on.

WEBB CARROLL TRAINING CENTER

St. Matthews, SC • Office: 803.655.5738 • email: office@webbcarroll.com • website: www.webbcarroll.com

PROFILE Stronach’s herd of grass-fed cattle take pride of place at Adena Farms

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT had a number of people from Wall Street who found it very exciting that you could buy into the Pegasus Invitational race by partnering with someone who has and then splitting the purse. It gives you many variations and options. So I think we would be open to talking to any

­­“

I’ve done a lot of soulsearching and want to raise cattle the most natural way possible in order to provide the best quality food, free from contaminants and chemicals

”

Frank Stronach

other individuals around the world who want to put on a world-class series of races like the Pegasus Invitational.”

BUILDING UP ANOTHER BUSINESS Stronach being Stronach, it’s no surprise that the lifelong entrepreneur is building up another venture outside of racing. It is also ironic, in a way, that Stronach’s past business ventures supported the automotive industry, which forever changed the role of horses in our society, while now his life is dedicated to preserving animal-based industry.

Not only has Stronach built one of the world’s largest and most successful car part companies, he has also become one of the biggest racetrack owners of our time. And as the owner of Adena Farms in Ocala, Florida, he can now add one of the largest producers of

grass-fed cattle to the list of his business accomplishments.

The grass-fed, all natural beef from Stronach’s Adena Farms, takes pride of place on the menu at Gulfstream Park. “I want to provide the best food at a reasonable price.

I’ve done a lot of soul-searching and want to raise cattle the most natural way possible in order to provide the best quality food, free from contaminants and chemicals. There is an old saying, ‘We are what we eat.’ More and more people today are concerned about the large amount of chemicals, growth hormones and antibiotics in the foods we eat. They want to eat food that is all-natural.

“All of the animals at our farm are raised in a completely natural environment. We feed our animals only natural foods – no added growth hormones, no antibiotics, no GMOs and no animal by-products. We also employ the highest standards of animal welfare to avoid pain and stress to our animals, and we operate the most advanced processing facilities right on our farm with USDA inspectors on-site.”

BUILDING A LEGACY As our interview comes to a close, I ask Stronach about how he’d like one day to be remembered, about his legacy. “In 50 years from now I would like to be remembered for being a decent person and for making a positive contribution to the horseracing industry.” In the meantime, however, Stronach still has much more than he would like to accomplish. “We’ve got a lot of exciting plans for our racetracks and the future of horse racing. We believe we can help horse racing reach great new heights.” n

INDUSTRY

How the NSA’s handicap system has bolstered the sport

48

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

NSA

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

49

TRAINING

Many ideas have been in play without getting traction for changes needed to forestall the decline in stature and interest of Thoroughbred horse racing in the U.S. Its critics often cite industry leadership that is lacking the will to make significant changes. But in the spring of 2015, the National Steeplechase Association (NSA), which was founded in 1895, boldly initiated fundamental change, jettisoning an entrenched legacy of claiming races to adopt an even older framework for race conditions: handicaps, patterned much like those systems in Europe and Asia. Now, after two years, results are in and have far exceeded expectations. Could this new direction for steeplechase racing have implications for the flat racing industry?

WORDS: Martin Chamberlin PHOTOS: TOD MARKS

T

HE NSA handicap system was launched at the Atlanta Steeplechase in April, 2015, with a mere four horses starting in a handicap, ramping up to an average of 8.6 horses during the year, and ended the 2015 season at the Carolina Cup Races in Camden with an unprecedented 30 entries for a handicap race, leading to a decision to split the race with an equal value purse to accommodate all horses entered.

Between the 2015 and 2016 spring steeplechase seasons, the inventory of horses remained essentially unchanged at about 200. And yet because the handicap system had created more opportunities, the sanctioned hurdle races saw a rise of some 200 more total starts spread out among those horses. While it’s too soon to tell how the handicap system may be influencing the 50

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

totality of the sport, it is readily believed it has already impacted the field size. The average field size in the hurdle handicaps rose from 8.6 in 2015 to 9.0 in 2016, outpacing the average field size of seven for all U.S. Thoroughbred racing as reported

by The Jockey Club (see table). According to NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo, “This [increase] was solely a result of the handicap system providing more opportunities for horses.” Most important though was that the horses came back to the barn after racing to win, which was what the owners wanted.

The initiative came on the heels of downward trending statistics in Thoroughbred racing. As in the flat racing arena, owner participation and investment in steeplechase horses had been dropping.

Races weren’t filling, or were dispatched as short-field contests. Owners and trainers were facing few options for racing

competitively except in claimers, where it was a crap-shoot that they’d still own the steeds they had no desire to lose.

The aversion to claiming races may not only be a sentiment confined to steeplechase horse owners. Walking around the barn area of Saratoga, one could hear horsemen lament losing horses to claiming, or trying to find a spot for a horse that was not having success at the non-claiming allowance condition levels. The latter usually meant the added burden of shipping a horse out to second-tier tracks, away from their home base on the New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit.

How widespread those concerns are among flat owners has yet to be measured in any formal way, but if results from a 2014 NSA survey of owners and trainers are any indication, it could be significant.

In the summer of 2014, the NSA created the Promotion and Growth (P&G) Task Force to attract new owners to the sport.

It was headed by Bill Price, chairman of the Queen’s Cup Steeplechase meet. The task force immediately launched an ad campaign in 2014 targeting Saratoga Race Course and hosted the Go Jump Racing Saratoga hospitality tent at the trackside pavilion with the National Steeplechase Foundation to introduce jump racing to flat racing fans.

(The task force was established as a standing committee in 2015.)

They still had another challenge: The profile of steeplechase owners remained vague. What did their stables look like, what caused them to leave the sport, and

NSA what would keep current owners coming back? These questions were tackled in a P&G survey of former and current licensed owners conducted in November and December of 2014. The survey found that, while 80% of the respondents who had left the sport said they’d return if they had the right horse, the cost of ownership and lack of opportunities were significant factors for leaving. The survey also found that key stakeholders hankered for non-claiming racing options for their horses.

Now there was strong evidence that this was a problem besides war stories at afterrace parties and in barn areas. Price reports that some “80 percent of owners wanted non-claiming races. We surveyed both current owners and owners who exited the sport up to about seven years back. Quite a few owners were racing homebreds that they were attached to – about 35 percent.

The message for non-claiming opportunities was loud and clear.”

As it happened, right at NSA’s hand there was experience with a possible solution.

When the idea was fully fleshed out, the solution was handicap races with horses assigned official ratings very much like the proven handicap systems found in other countries with a horseracing industry.

Handicaps have played only a minor role in American racing, but are a staple in other countries, making up 60% of races in the U.K. and Ireland, for example.

Charlie Fenwick, a longtime steeplechase owner and amateur rider and a P&G task force member, had won one of the most prestigious handicaps in ‘chasing, the Aintree Grand National, on Ben Nevis in 1980. And U.K. transplant and aspiring young trainer Kevin Tobin had already been promoting handicapping with the Steeplechase Owners and Trainers Association (SOTA). Tobin had begun his jockey career at a small track in Southern Ireland as a child, topping it with a win on Kanad in the Ascot William Hill Handicap Hurdle in 2007, before coming to try his luck in the U.S. a year or two later. He segued into training in 2011, later working with Fenwick to convert more horse owners into the sport.

With discussions for such a system arising among different NSA stakeholders and knowing its popularity overseas, Price says he realized, “We were onto something that was getting traction.”

Will O’Keefe, a veteran race announcer and point-to-point race secretary who is known for making even the dullest race thrilling, has a particular take on the value of such a system. Recalling the challenge of making the 1980 Virginia Gold Cup exciting where the win was by 100 lengths, he says, “The idea of a handicap is to have them all arrive at the finish line together. I can try and make a boring race less boring, but I’d sure as [heck] rather have more horses in the stretch, the more the merrier. That’s when you can really describe the race!”

With survey results in hand, Price, Fenwick, and Tobin promoted the idea

The Carolina Cup

with the NSA board of directors; it helped that Guy Torsilieri, NSA president, had also been part of early conversations on the topic. Tobin landed the role of “educator,” explaining how handicaps worked with official ratings (see sidebar).

“The board was solidly behind the idea,”

­­“

Quite a few owners were racing homebreds that they were attached to – about 35 percent. The message for non-claiming opportunities was loud and clear

Bill Price

”

Torsilieri said, and it responded quickly with a consensus to test the concept beginning with the spring 2015 season. To demonstrate they’d heard their stakeholders, they wanted races carded where every horse of reasonable competitive ability would have an opportunity to race and win. The atmosphere was intense, with only months to put something in place.

To that end, Gallo convened a team of handicappers to develop baseline ratings for an inventory of about 100 horses with a previous win, in training and ready to run. The spring 2015 condition book had already gone to print and Gallo had the task of working in a pilot number of handicap races among the spring race venues. The race meeting chairmen kept the light green by supporting the pilot handicap races.

The NSA Handicap Rating Committee was born with three members chosen for their objectivity and knowledge of race conditions, racing tactics, race venues, and ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

51

INDUSTRY

LEGEND® Multi Dose (hyaluronate sodium)

For Intravenous Use in Horses Only Not for Intra-Articular Use and

LEGEND®

(hyaluronate sodium)

Injectable Solution

4 mL For Intravenous Use In Horses Only 2 mL For Intravenous or Intra-Articular Use In Horses Only BRIEF SUMMARY Prior to use please consult the product insert, a summary of which follows: CAUTION Federal Law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.

INDICATIONS LEGEND® Injectable Solution and LEGEND® Multi Dose Injectable Solution are indicated in the treatment of equine joint dysfunction associated with equine osteoarthritis.

CONTRAINDICATIONS There are no known contraindications for the use of LEGEND® Injectable Solution and LEGEND® Multi Dose Injectable Solution in horses.

RESIDUE WARNINGS Do not use in horses intended for human consumption.

HUMAN WARNINGS Not for use in humans. Keep out of reach of children.

ANIMAL SAFETY WARNING For LEGEND Injectable Solution 4 mL and LEGEND Multi Dose Injectable Solution – Not for Intra-articular use. The Intra-articular safety of hyaluronate sodium with benzyl alcohol has not been evaluated.

PRECAUTIONS Complete lameness evaluation should be conducted by a veterinarian. Sterile procedure during the injection process must be followed. Intra-articular injections should not be made through skin that is inflamed, infected or has had a topical product applied.

The safety of LEGEND Injectable Solution and LEGEND Multi Dose has not been evaluated in breeding stallions or in breeding, pregnant or lactating mares.

ADVERSE REACTIONS No side effects were observed in LEGEND Injectable Solution clinical field trials. Side effects reported post-approval: Following intravenous use: Occasional depression, lethargy, and fever. Following intraarticular (LEGEND Injectable Solution – 2 mL only) use: joint or injection site swelling and joint pain. For medical emergencies or to report adverse reactions, call 1-800-422-9874.

ANIMAL SAFETY SUMMARY Animal safety studies utilizing LEGEND Multi Dose Injectable Solution were not performed. LEGEND Multi Dose Injectable Solution was approved based on the conclusion that the safety of LEGEND Multi Dose Injectable Solution will not differ from that demonstrated for the original formulation of LEGEND Injectable Solution. LEGEND Injectable Solution was administered to normal horses at one, three and five times the recommended intra-articular dosage of 20 mg and the intravenous dose of 40 mg. Treatments were given weekly for nine consecutive weeks. No adverse clinical or clinical pathologic signs were observed. Injection site swelling of the joint capsule was similar to that seen in the saline treated control horses. No gross or histological lesions were observed in areas of the treated joint.

For customer care or to obtain product information, including a Material Safety Data Sheet, call 1-888-637-4251 Option 2. ®LEGEND is a registered trademark, and ™ the Horse Logo is a trademark, of Merial. ©2016 Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA. All rights reserved.

Bill Price, Chairman of the Queen’s Cup Steeplechase meet

inventory of horses. These were Joe Clancy, a renowned horse industry periodical publisher who covered steeplechase racing in depth in his publications; Will O’Keefe; and this writer, a steeplechase race chartcaller for more than 30 years who has traveled extensively to visit racing venues worldwide.

Meantime, Gallo and the steeplechase race chairmen reviewed the 2015 condition book to include handicap races, looking, for example, for claiming or otherwise weak races that might be transformed. It was clear that some races would have to be developed on the fly, such as when an allowance condition race failed to fill and a handicap could serve as a substitute race.

Those first months also put the handicap committee under the gun to provide ratings to be published ahead of the start of the 2015 racing season. They began with a list of about 100 horses submitted from owners and trainers who wanted their horses rated for handicaps. Establishing baseline ratings

­­“

One of the toughest things we were trying to do early on was assign ratings to horses that hadn’t broken their maidens

Will O’Keefe

”

was a time consuming though necessary task.

For the handicap team, a kickoff meeting was held at the Mt. Washington Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland, albeit under the NSA rules of no alcohol imbibing while conducting business. Kevin Tobin was present for guidance having the most knowledge of how the U.K. system worked.

“It was very important to be accurate from the standpoint of eligibility,” related O’Keefe. “We sometimes had different views of where the horses should be placed.”

It was a process of team forming, storming, and norming much liked described in organizational development psychology. It helped that the three knew each other well, having a common passion for steeplechasing that led to their paths crossing often over the years. This writer had success in calling on professional handicappers for guidance in the U.K. and Ireland.

Maidens posed special challenges.

“One of the toughest things we were trying to do early on was assign ratings to horses that hadn’t broken their maidens, trying to judge a maiden that won at, say, Middleburg, against horses that had won a maiden elsewhere.” It wasn’t possible, the team concluded, so maidens had to run in maiden races and were all assigned a single specific rating after their first win.

Also mindful of the oncoming race season start, Gallo had to canvass race directors for a good pilot launch, with Atlanta emerging the winner. A filly and mare allowance race was dropped to bring in a handicap. The race went off with only four rated entries,

LEGEND_PI_InBrief_2016_FINAL_NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER.indd 4/19/16 1:22 1 PM

52

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

40009-

LEGEND® (hyaluronate sodium) Injectable Solution

YOU CAN’T BECOME A

from THE SIDELINES.

Everyday training and competing takes its toll. Before joint issues sideline your dreams, attack them with LEGEND. It delivers the same effective therapy whether delivered into the vein (IV) or the joint (IA) so it fits into your training and racing schedule.1 Talk to your veterinarian and be an equine LEGEND.

www.equineLEGEND.com

LEGEND product label and FOI summary.

1

®LEGEND is a registered trademark, and TM the Horse Logo and TMMAX, Merial Awards Xpress are trademarks, of Merial. ©2016 Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA. All rights reserved.

EQUIOLG1605-A (03/16)

Save on your next purchase.

www.max.merial.com

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: The safety of LEGEND has not been evaluated in breeding stallions or in breeding, pregnant or lactating mares. The following adverse reactions have been reported following use of LEGEND Injectable Solution: Following intravenous use: occasional depression, lethargy, and fever. Following intra-articular (LEGEND Injectable Solution — 2 mL only) use: lameness, joint effusion, joint or injection site swelling, and jointISSUE pain. 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

40009-LEGENDTradeAd-NewRace_NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER_FA.indd 1

69

7/18/16 1:15 PM

INDUSTRY

By the Numbers: 2015 vs 2016 NSA Handicap Race Stats Caution Federal (USA) law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.

Storage Conditions Store at 68°F – 77°F (20-25°C). Excursions between 59°F – 86°F (15-30°C) are permitted.

Indications For treatment and prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers in horses and foals 4 weeks of age and older.

Dosage Regimen For treatment of gastric ulcers, GastroGard Paste should be administered orally once-a-day for 4 weeks at the recommended dosage of 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (4 mg/kg). For the prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers, continue treatment for at least an additional 4 weeks by administering GastroGard Paste at the recommended daily maintenance dose of 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg).

Directions For Use • GastroGard Paste for horses is recommended for use in horses and foals 4 weeks of age and older. The contents of one syringe will dose a 1250 lb (568 kg) horse at the rate of 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (4 mg/kg).

For treatment of gastric ulcers, each weight marking on the syringe plunger will deliver sufficient omeprazole to treat 250 lb (114 kg) body weight. For prevention of recurrence of gastric ulcers, each weight marking will deliver sufficient omeprazole to dose 500 lb (227 kg) body weight.

• To deliver GastroGard Paste at the treatment dose rate of 1.8 mg omeprazole/ lb body weight (4 mg/kg), set the syringe plunger to the appropriate weight marking according to the horse’s weight in pounds.

• To deliver GastroGard Paste at the dose rate of 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg) to prevent recurrence of ulcers, set the syringe plunger to the weight marking corresponding to half of the horse’s weight in pounds.

• To set the syringe plunger, unlock the knurled ring by rotating it 1/4 turn. Slide the knurled ring along the plunger shaft so that the side nearest the barrel is at the appropriate notch. Rotate the plunger ring 1/4 turn to lock it in place and ensure it is locked. Make sure the horse’s mouth contains no feed.

Remove the cover from the tip of the syringe, and insert the syringe into the horse’s mouth at the interdental space. Depress the plunger until stopped by the knurled ring. The dose should be deposited on the back of the tongue or deep into the cheek pouch. Care should be taken to ensure that the horse consumes the complete dose. Treated animals should be observed briefly after administration to ensure that part of the dose is not lost or rejected. If any of the dose is lost, redosing is recommended.

• If, after dosing, the syringe is not completely empty, it may be reused on following days until emptied. Replace the cap after each use.

Warning Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. In case of ingestion, contact a physician. Physicians may contact a poison control center for advice concerning accidental ingestion.

Adverse Reactions In efficacy trials, when the drug was administered at 1.8 mg omeprazole/lb (4 mg/kg) body weight daily for 28 days and 0.9 mg omeprazole/lb (2 mg/kg) body weight daily for 30 additional days, no adverse reactions were observed.

Precautions The safety of GastroGard Paste has not been determined in pregnant or lactating mares.

Efficacy • Dose Confirmation: GastroGard ® (omeprazole) Paste, administered to provide omeprazole at 1.8 mg/lb (4 mg/kg) daily for 28 days, effectively healed or reduced the severity of gastric ulcers in 92% of omeprazole-treated horses. In comparison, 32% of controls exhibited healed or less severe ulcers. Horses enrolled in this study were healthy animals confirmed to have gastric ulcers by gastroscopy. Subsequent daily administration of GastroGard Paste to provide omeprazole at 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg) for 30 days prevented recurrence of gastric ulcers in 84% of treated horses, whereas ulcers recurred or became more severe in horses removed from omeprazole treatment.

• Clinical Field Trials: GastroGard Paste administered at 1.8 mg/lb (4 mg/kg) daily for 28 days healed or reduced the severity of gastric ulcers in 99% of omeprazole-treated horses. In comparison, 32.4% of control horses had healed ulcers or ulcers which were reduced in severity. These trials included horses of various breeds and under different management conditions, and included horses in race or show training, pleasure horses, and foals as young as one month. Horses enrolled in the efficacy trials were healthy animals confirmed to have gastric ulcers by gastroscopy. In these field trials, horses readily accepted GastroGard Paste. There were no drug related adverse reactions. In the clinical trials, GastroGard Paste was used concomitantly with other therapies, which included: anthelmintics, antibiotics, non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, diuretics, tranquilizers and vaccines.

• Diagnostic and Management Considerations: The following clinical signs may be associated with gastric ulceration in adult horses:inappetence or decreased appetite, recurrent colic, intermittent loose stools or chronic diarrhea, poor hair coat, poor body condition, or poor performance. Clinical signs in foals may include: bruxism (grinding of teeth), excessive salivation, colic, cranial abdominal tenderness, anorexia, diarrhea, sternal recumbency or weakness. A more accurate diagnosis of gastric ulceration in horses and foals may be made if ulcers are visualized directly by endoscopic examination of the gastric mucosa Gastric ulcers may recur in horses if therapy to prevent recurrence is not administered after the initial treatment is completed. Use GastroGard Paste at 0.9 mg omeprazole/lb body weight (2 mg/kg) for control of gastric ulcers following treatment. The safety of administration of GastroGard Paste for longer than 91 days has not been determined. Maximal acid suppression occurs after three to five days of treatment with omeprazole.

Safety • GastroGard Paste was well tolerated in the following controlled efficacy and safety studies.

• In field trials involving 139 horses, including foals as young as one month of age, no adverse reactions attributable to omeprazole treatment were noted.

• In a placebo controlled adult horse safety study, horses received 20 mg/kg/ day omeprazole (5x the recommended dose) for 90 days. No treatment related adverse effects were observed.

• In a placebo controlled tolerance study, adult horses were treated with GastroGard Paste at a dosage of 40 mg/kg/day (10x the recommended dose) for 21 days. No treatment related adverse effects were observed.

• A placebo controlled foal safety study evaluated the safety of omeprazole at doses of 4, 12 or 20 mg/kg (1, 3 or 5x) once daily for 91 days. Foals ranged in age from 66 to 110 days at study initiation. Gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels were significantly elevated in horses treated at exaggerated doses of 20 mg/kg (5x the recommended dose). Mean stomach to body weight ratio was higher for foals in the 3x and 5x groups than for controls; however, no abnormalities of the stomach were evident on histological examination.

Reproductive Safety In a male reproductive safety study, 10 stallions received GastroGard Paste at 12 mg/kg/day (3x the recommended dose) for 70 days. No treatment related adverse effects on semen quality or breeding behavior were observed. A safety study in breeding mares has not been conducted.

For More Information Please call 1-888-637-4251 Marketed by: Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA 30096-4640, U.S.A. Made in Brazil ®GastroGard is a registered trademark of Merial, Inc. ©2016 Merial, Inc. All rights reserved. Rev. 05-2011

Stats for handicap races run unless otherwise notes Steeplechase starters at sanctioned events overall # Handicap races with rated horses # Starts Maximum purse Average purse Average field size (compared with racing overall at 7) # of different trainers winning a handicap # winning margin 2 lengths or less way under the average, but with excitement in the air. So Outspoken, trained by Jasmine “Jazz” Napravnik, won the race by just a half-length in a heated stretch duel. The mission was launched!

The handicap committee continued rating horses on a weekly basis as the season progressed and finished with about 200 horses rated as of December, 2015. By the final race meet that year, the Carolina Cup Races held on the historic Springdale course in Camden, South Carolina, on November 21, it was clear this was a huge success: lTen handicap races had been run; lAn unprecedented 30 horses were entered for the final handicap of the year; lThe average field size for the five fall handicap races alone had was 9.8 (vs. the industry average of seven), with 8.6 for the ten races together; lFinishes were highly competitive, with seven of 10 decided by 1.5 lengths or less; lEight different trainers had won a handicap race, demonstrating that the system provided opportunity for a diversity of trainers and owners.

The system had met important initial goals – non-claiming opportunities for a wider range of horses and trainers, larger fields, and more exciting races.

With confidence borne of the 2015 outcome, Gallo doubled the races for 2016.

They covered every level from the least to the highest competitive short of Grade 1 stakes, giving all rated horses an opportunity to win.

Bill Gallo GG_PI_InBrief_2015_NO AMERICAN TRAINER.indd 1

54

2015 ~200 10 86 $35,000 $14,000 8.6 8 7

2016 ~200 19 171 $50,000 $21,579 9.0 11 12

The results were even more impressive than in 2015. Ten handicap races with 86 starters in 2015 grew to 19 races with 171 starters in 2016. The biggest purse went from $35,000 to $50,000 for the October 2015 Far Hills handicap. There were 11 different trainers with a handicap win, again suggesting the system did not possess a bias among the training ranks. Of the 19 winning horses, 11 had winning margins of a lengthand-a-half or less, which is very competitive for two-mile-plus races over hurdles.

By year’s end, a comprehensive handicap rating system had been embraced by a majority of owners and trainers, as evidenced by the entries. The system “is performing better than expected,” Gallo says. He uses terms like “a gamechanger,” “hard to knock,” and “no downside” to describe it.

“The horsemen are voting to support it via the entry box with no problems filling handicap races so far.” Price agrees, stated that the handicap system “absolutely and unequivocally” is fulfilling its goals.

As for the future of the sport, NSA officials and the handicap committee members all predict that the number of handicap races will expand relative to the number of new horses, new owners, and trainers entering the sport, but only to the extent required.

The 2017 condition book has several handicaps for the lowest ranked horses, considering that the lesser performing horses are the ones that the handicap system must provide racing opportunities for.

In the world of flat racing, the claiming game has been a modus operandi throughout its history in the U.S. To be sure, there are trainers and owners who like claiming races because they’re a ready-access market to acquire horses. Matthew “Matt” Gatsas, president of flat racing’s Sovereign Stables partnership, says, “There are pluses and minuses to both systems. Some like the challenge of claiming and improving the horse. For many, it allows a quick entry into the game, with a quick path to seeing the horse race back in a couple weeks’ time.

If you go the way of a two-year-old sale, owners have a long wait before they see their horse race.”

He agrees that for a large pool of new flat owners a non-claiming option is “spot on…Explaining how claiming works, or how their horse got claimed, is a difficult conversation to have and for a new owner

6/30/16 10:50 AM

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

34341-

WI N N I NG d o es n’ t h a p p e n

B Y

A C C I D E N T.

A nose. That’s all you need to see your number on top. To pay off on all those early morning workouts. The late nights planning strategy. You don’t do this to place or show. So ask yourself, does your horse have the stomach to win?

Time for a gut check. TheStomachToWin.com

Save on your next purchase and take rewards to the MAX. www.max.merial.com ®GASTROGARD is a registered trademark, and ™MAX, Merial Awards Xpress is a trademark, of Merial. ©2016 Merial, Inc., Duluth, GA. All rights reserved. EQUIUGD1425-K (09/15)

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: CAUTION: Safety of GASTROGARD in pregnant or lactating mares has not been determined.

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

34341-3_UG-Winning_K_Racing_NO AMERICAN TRAINER.indd 1

71

6/13/16 8:58 AM

INDUSTRY

Losing the One You Love: The Cases of Court Dance and Doc Dan Collins, managing executive of Bona Venture Stables, which forms flat racing partnerships, says many of his owners have been dismayed at losing horses through claiming. Bona Venture had a horse named Court Dance who won several condition allowance races and was stakes-placed, yet struggled to win at the stakes level. “With winter racing at Aqueduct [in 2016] we had nowhere to run except a claimer. Not having many options where she could win, she was entered for a claiming tag.

She was claimed in her first claiming start.

“It’s very frustrating for first-time owners and also for owners that have been with us for several years. The better ones are claimed quickly.” The Bona Venture group is looking for the experience of owning a horse to race, particularly on the NYRA circuit, so having horses claimed away doesn’t support that goal.

Putting a horse in a claiming race is not helping keep new people in racing or attracting new owners, in Collins’ experience. “People get emotionally attached to the horses, and having one claimed bursts their bubble before their bubble has even had a chance to fully inflate.” to accept.” Sovereign’s mission is to find the quality “Saturday afternoon” racehorse, so claiming does not figure heavily in its operation. If a prospect does not pan out at the higher level, the “claiming race offers an avenue to recoup some of the investment, and we will have no issue with doing that.”

The waiver claiming race process, instituted in New York, clearly demonstrates that it is

56

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

For his part, Charlie Fenwick could have lost Doc Cebu, a horse he’d put months of training into, in a steeplechase claimer. Last year, the gelding, a winner on the flat but unraced over fences, was entered in a maiden claiming race. Since this was Doc Cebu’s first steeplechase start, Fenwick felt the horse was too unexposed to be concerned about a claim. Doc Cebu surprised Fenwick and trainer Jack Fisher with a winning effort, and happily no claim was entered for him.

Fenwick, relieved, said, “I was now nervous about entering him in another claimer. I’d put nine months of training into him, his win was impressive, and I didn’t want to lose him. The horse would not be competitive in a nonwinner’s allowance level.”

He would have to either run Doc Cebu over his head, uselessly in an allowance, or put him in for a claiming price, which he was reluctant to do.

“A handicap race solved my problem and allowed me to do right by the horse,” he relates. Doc Cebu ran in a 115 handicap at Montpelier and emerged victorious, exiting the season with a two-for-two record to leave his owner feeling very pleased with the result of the handicap system. frustrating and likely costly to have a horse that is finally at the point where it can make a start, having invested much time and effort at getting the horse fit and healthy, only to lose it to a claim. Waiver claiming races allow an owner with a horse coming off a long layoff to recoup money from bills incurred by entering it into a claiming race as its first start after that inactivity, but not

allowing the horse to be claimed. But after the one waiver, the owner is out of options if the horse can’t compete in allowance conditions, so he or she may find a handicap race alluring.

All of this may require a broader flat racing market to begin with, Gatsas points out. “I think the handicap system can work [for flat races], but it would have to be supplemented with more horses in training sales as is done in Europe.”

Some will favor the ready-made robust market that claiming offers, and perhaps claiming and handicaps can coexist in flat racing. But as NSA’s Torsilieri remarks, it was clear that handicapping is here to stay for steeplechasing, at least. “The handicap system is completely integral to how we are conducting racing now and going forward.

It has tremendous upside for our sport.”

The P&G committee sees it as a key to the sport’s sustainability and growth, and will continue to promote it. O’Keefe knows what spectators want because he wants the same: “The more exciting the races are, the happier I am.”

He observes, “One of the funnest handicaps was when [trainer] Janet Elliot’s horse, Hiwasee Gem, won a low level handicap at a very low weight, where in a race without those weight allowances, that horse may not have had a chance. I think overall, the results have turned out extremely well with very competitive races, up to the last fence, and with [horses] trying a lot harder.”

There are other advantages. For hurdle horses that can’t compete at the allowance level, some jumpers exit the sport to become foxhunters, or are trained for timber races if they have superior jumping ability. As for the flat racers that can’t compete at the allowance level, claiming is the sole option to continue racing, or put them in another career such as a hunter or jumper or hurdle racing. The handicap system could keep them in the game longer, with better prospects for gentle landings in retirement. n

Medical care so advanced it almost makes you wish you were a horse.

We offer every type of medical care your four-legged athlete could ever need. With board-certified specialists in all fields we provide everything from upper airway, arthroscopic and laparoscopic surgeries, to internal medicine, complex fracture fixation and advanced diagnostic imaging, including bone scans and MRIs — all in one place.

It’s enough to make a human jealous.

800.724.5358 40 Frontage Road Ringoes, NJ 08551 www.midatlanticequine.com

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

57

VETERINARY

58

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

SALT

The benefits of salt

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

59

VETERINARY

10

NA D f

T

and c back centu healt were suffe or sk

The t from for sa

W

and ther

Salt blocks are a common way to supplement a horse’s salt intake

For being such a simple molecule—a mere ion of sodium joined with a single ion of chlorine to make sodium chloride (NaCl)—the crystalline chemical known as salt causes much confusion and prompts many questions. Why do horses need salt, and in what form? How often? Is the entire purpose of salt simply to help slake a horse’s thirst and replenish sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), and other important electrolytes lost in sweat following exercise?

WORDS: Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK, GILES ANDERSON

B

ASED on years of research into feeding practices of domesticated horses, Kathleen Crandell, PhD, a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research located in Versailles, Kentucky, affirms that salt supplementation is indeed very important, but not always as straightforward as one might think.

“Most forages destined for equine consumption have low levels of sodium and chloride. As such, equine nutritionists recommend supplementing all horses’ diets 60

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

with salt. The type, frequency, and amount will vary depending on the individual horse’s work level and environmental conditions,” advises Crandell.

The main focus of this article pertains to the importance of salt in equine diets and ways to provide appropriate amounts either using salt granules or blocks/licks, or electrolytes in the form of water-soluble powders or pastes. In addition, “other” uses of salt in Thoroughbreds, including medicinal uses such as salt therapy (salt rooms) and salted aqua trainers, are addressed.

Why horses need salt Unlike animals living in oceans that need to continually excrete excess salt, land mammals like horses have the complete opposite problem: they must obtain and maintain sufficient quantities of Na from their diets to support bodily processes.

Working in concert, the adrenal glands (located above the kidneys), liver, lungs, and kidneys all play key roles in conserving water, Na and Cl. Using several hormones and enzyme systems, referred to as the “aldosterone-renin-angiotensin system,” the kidneys receive signals to either excrete or reabsorb Na, Cl, and water in exchange for potassium (K) to maintain appropriate levels of all these electrolytes within the body.

Sodium is distributed amongst almost all organs and fluids. High levels of Na exist in skeletal tissues (about 50% of the body’s total Na), blood, muscle (11%), skin (8.5%), and internal organs (2%). In addition, approximately 12% of the body’s Na is found within ingesta located in the

Dep requ can

Duri abso the t bein

In ou cont rese conj the I City

Our of th syst

equine

Salt plays a vital role in many aspects of equine health.

Right now you have around 250g of salt (about a cupful) working to keep you alive and our horses need 9g of sodium and 36g of chloride.

Without enough salt, muscles will not contract, food will not digest and the heart will not beat.

W

ithin our bespoke design built chamber your horse can relax and fully enjoy and absorb the benefits of our therapy.

Depending on your design requirements, more than one horse can be treated within a session.

During the treatment, the horse absorbs and inhales the salt through the two largest organs of the body being that of the skin and the lungs.

In our bespoke unit, we have a controlled climate through our research and development in conjunction with and guidance from the Irish Equine Centre and Dublin City University.

Our treatment is a long-term cleanse of the respiratory and integumentary systems.

This improves absorption of oxygen which means the lungs function more efficiently during the exercise process resulting in the horse taking fewer breaths, keeping calmer during exercise, thereby reducing stress.

O

ur team at Equine Halo Therapy, using our expertise in the health and the equine world, realise the all too often challenges faced by the industry.

Treating these challenges through the use of anti-biotics and similar therapies can lead to secondary biological issues which results in downtime for our prestigious equine athletes, costing their owners and trainers.

The advantages to you …

• Non-invasive therapy • Stress free treatment • 100% drug free • Ability to administer at your convenience • Warranty guaranteed • 24 hour helpline • Full training and back-up support The disadvantages to you …

• Initial investment required • Usage beyond our recommendations may lead to depletion of healthy levels of mucus

• Improving lung function • Increasing oxygenated blood • Reducing inflammation • Alleviating and resolving skin conditions • Combatting infection • Loosening mucus • Improving stamina • Aiding recovery Horses with mucus build up, coughs, allergies, phlegm, sinusitis, asthma, ringworm and many other skin conditions have all shown great improvements from usage.

Chief Executive Officer email: aocallaghan@ccg.ie Tel. 00353 (0)87 9222162

OUR TEAM

HOW EQUiNE HALO THERAPY WORKS

With our therapy, lungs and airways can be alleviated from infection and inflammation, preventing strain being placed on the vital organs which results in cardiovascular improvement.

BENEfiTS Of HALO THERAPY

With the various mineral content the horse’s recovery and muscle generation is enhanced and with the mineral properties contained with the salt bolstering the immune system.

Benefits can also be seen in other areas such as cell permeability and nerve transmission.

Austin O’Callaghan

Tom Taaffe Director of Sales email: ttaaffe@ccg.ie Tel. 00353 (0)86 2568807

Elaine Taaffe Client Relationship Manager email: etaaffe@ccg.ie Tel. 00353 (0)86 6010090

Our results and testimonials illustrate the benefits for racehorse performance, pinhookers, studs, showjumpers, eventers and dressage alike.

email: info@ccg.ie telephone: 00353 (0)87 7417371

“We have installed Equine Halo Therapy systems throughout our global operations and have been very impressed with the results achieved through this therapy.”

Shadwell Standing for success “The results of using Equine Halo Therapy on my horse is seriously impressive and a good testament is Galileo Gold’s results in 2016.”

Hugo Palmer Race Horse Trainer

This is a message from our Chairperson.

Equine Halo Therapy is a premium business based in Ireland. What makes our product so special is our deeply engrained enthusiasm for horses and their health. With our friendly, adaptable and approachable business mindset, we provide a communal noncorporate outlook, which means there is always a real person at the end of the phone to answer any questions you might have about our product.

We are extremely proud of our unwavering philosophy to never contemplate shortcuts and through ongoing tests we are proud to be associated with the Irish Equine Centre and Dublin City University.

Amanda Torrens Chairperson “We are delighted at the benefits achieved through using this therapy & most honoured to endorse Equine Halo Therapy.”

Owen Burrows Private Trainer to HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum “Equine Halo Therapy is a great step forward in equine health and wellbeing.”

Martyn Meade Martyn Meade Racing, Newmarket “This year I learned about Equine Halo Therapy. I found it very useful for my horses here in Florida particularly with allergies, mucus, travelling and in respect of the different climate. It really helped. I am installing more units in Europe following the results I’ve experienced.”

Cian O’Connor Irish International Showjumper

IRISH AND PROUD Registered Irish Company No. 348236 VAT No. 1113382JH Equine Halo Therapy, by CCG (Complete Care Group Ltd) Bentley House, Main St., Convoy, Co. Donegal. F93 AHT Tel. No. 00353 74 91 01554 www.equinehalosalttherapy.com

ABOUT US

The term ‘halo’ comes from the Greek word for salt.

Salt is also known as having anti-bacterial. antiinflammatory, mucolytic and hydrophilic properties hence assisting in killing bacteria, reducing inflammation, breaking down mucus, and humidifying the respiratory mucosa.

Equine Halo Therapy has been shown to increase metabolism, energy production and also stimulate the nerves and the resulting nerve transmission.

S

alt Therapy having been used in humans for centuries and is a proven treatment for all types of breathing and skin conditions and is presented to you through Equine Halo Therapy

by CCG (Complete Care Group) Ltd. which permits horses to experience the amazing results that humans have benefited from for years.

TESTiMONiALS

T

he origins of salt lie in Eastern and Central Europe and can be traced back to the mid-19th century where the health of salt miners were noted to never suffer from any lung or skin disorder.

The two elements of salt – sodium and chloride – play a variety of very important and crucial roles in the horse’s body as maintaining the balance of their fluids which carry oxygen and nutrients.

H

orses are extremely sensitive to their environment.

ADVANTAGES AND DiSADVANTAGES TO YOU OUR CUSTOMER

NATURAL & DRUG fREE

Salt is sodium chloride also known as rock salt or mineral halite and is an ionic compound with the formula NaCI.

A WORD ABOUT SALT THERAPY

100%

S

imply put “Halo Therapy” is the use of dry salt, aerosol microns and sub particles to treat the respiratory tract, the skin and lethargy.

THE TREATMENT

THE HiSTORY Of SALT

halo therapy

SALT “Electrolyte pastes are good for when a horse is in need of quick electrolyte replacement,” Crandell advises

Tailoring salt intake to the task at hand

gastrointestinal tract. This serves as an effective reservoir for Na, especially in athletic horses.

“In times of need, horses absorb sodium from the intestinal contents to replenish those lost in sweat,” Crandell explains.

“Sodium is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, meaning that more than 90% of ingested Na is available for the body to use.”

Sodium is required for a wide array of body systems to function. Among the most important are the central nervous and muscular systems. Specifically, nerves require Na to stimulate skeletal muscles to contract .

Current salt intake recommendations

While some horses don’t seem particularly interested in their licks, other horses actively go out of their way to find salt, licking anything and everything they can get their tongues on to fill some apparent void. Sweat-covered tool handles or wooden blocks that historically held salt blocks frequently become prey to a horse’s oral cavity, slowly licked or chewed to shreds in situations involving Na deprivation.

Ultimately, every horse has unique tastes and flavor preferences, and their salt needs can vary dramatically.

According to the National Research Council’s (NRC) Nutrient Requirements of Horses, sixth edition, horses consume anywhere from 62

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

0 to 62mg of salt/kg bodyweight a day when offered a free-choice salt block.

“For an average 500kg horse, the NRC recommends offering 25g of NaCl daily,” notes Crandell. “Horses receiving commercial concentrate feeds will get a portion of that requirement from the feeds, as nearly every concentrate contains some salt.”

Classic ways of supplementing salt include: ● Simple NaCl granules, such as table salt or “loose salt,” top dressed on feed (concentrates) or offered free-choice in a mineral feeder; ● Free-choice salt licks/blocks; ● Free-choice mineral licks/blocks (the colored mineral blocks), which in addition to Na and Cl, can include other minerals like iron and iodine (red block) or copper, zinc, and manganese (brown blocks).

However, mineral levels in red and brown blocks are usually too low to meet a horse’s total requirement for “other” minerals but normally quite sufficient for salt.

Specially formulated electrolyte supplements for horses, available as powders or pastes, can be added to the feed, dissolved in water, or dosed with a paste.

The first ingredient of a good electrolyte will be salt (NaCl), so some owners/trainers prefer to either give electrolytes daily in place of salt or supplement only when the horse has been sweating to replace the lost electrolytes.

While the NRC recommends approximately 25g of NaCl per horse daily, the exact amount of salt offered depends on the individual horse, its level of athleticism and fitness, and environmental conditions.

“Daily salt supplementation is particularly important for horses involved in heavy or prolonged exercise to replace the major electrolytes, Na and Cl, lost in the sweat,” Crandell notes, “Salt supplements can also be used to encourage drinking water for appropriate hydration.”

Horses adapted to exercise excrete less Na than untrained horses. In humid environments, however, and with prolonged exercise, more NaCl-laden sweat is produced, necessitating additional supplementation after exercise to replace these losses. For example, horses training in more northern climates suddenly moved to a humid, warmer environment will likely require additional NaCl following exercise.

According to the NRC, “Because of limited data on specific requirements for sodium and the influence of activity, adaptation, and environment on animal needs, precise recommendations cannot be made.”

They did note, however, that intensely exercising horses in a hot climate likely meet their Na demands when trainers add 0.9% salt to the diet—equivalent to 90 grams per day for a 500kg horse consuming 10kg of feed per day. While this may seem like a lot of salt, consider that endurance horses may consume up to 180 grams of salt in the course of a 160 km race.

A more precise method of determining salt requirements described by the NRC involves measuring weight loss as an estimate of sweat loss. Sweat contains 2.8g NaCl per liter, prompting experts to suggest offering 3.1g of Na for each kilogram of bodyweight lost during exercise to replenish lost NaCl.

What If I don’t supplement?

Feral horses clearly don’t randomly happen upon salt blocks mysteriously appearing in their range like elaborate crop circles created by nocturnal aliens.

So is Na supplementation really necessary?

“It isn’t until the 1800s that books devoted to feeding horses finally make mention of adding salt to horses’ diets other than mixing it with wine and rubbing it on the gums to stimulate a horse to drink. It is possible that caretakers of domesticated horses did not realize the benefit of salt in the diet, or that up until the 1800s authors just did not think salt merited mentioning,” Crandell explains.

That said, some authors of texts that Crandell has studied did make reference to feeding horses dirt or letting them get their daily dose of dirt when they are turned out.

B

Breed, Own, and Earn in Pennsylvania!

Breeder Awards NOW 40% for all PA-Sired, PA-Breds of Purse Earned (1st-3rd) with No Cap on Earnings

Owner Bonus of up to 40% of Purse Earned On All Open Overnight Races (1strd) with No Cap on Earnings

(20% award for non-PA Sired)

$30 Million Paid in PA-Bred Awards, Purses, & Bonuses Each of the Last 5 Years 464 Days of Racing at 3 PA Tracks 400+ Restricted Races & 22 Restricted Stakes Run Annually Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association • www.pabred.com 701 East Baltimore Pike, Suite E, Kennett Square, PA 19348 • 610.444.1050

VETERINARY

“I assume that horses not offered supplemental salt seek out salt deposits in soil, which is where it seems that feral horses obtain dietary salt. In the wild, however, ingesting salt from soil deposits would probably not occur on a daily basis,” suggests Crandell.

John Stewart made several recommendations for the use of salt in his book Stable Economy: A Treatise on the Management of Horses (1860) regarding hay, including salted hay, which is hay mingled with salt at the time of stacking.

Stewart wrote, “The principle motive for salting hay is to preserve it when the weather requires that it be stacked before it is sufficiently dry, horses are said to prefer it to any other.” He also wrote, “Salt, I think, should not be forced on the horse. It may excite too much thirst. Given apart from the food, he may take all that is good for him.”

According to Crandell, by the 1900s, references to salt supplementation were widespread. In The Way of a Man with a Horse (1929). Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Brook advised, “All horses should have rock salt in their mangers, and 1 oz. in their boiled feeds or mashes. Salt promotes the digestion and aids in building up tissue.”

Horace Hayes in Stable Management and Exercise (1900) wrote, “The bad reputation which wheat has in England as a producer of colic and laminitis, is chiefly due to ignorance of the proper way to prepare it for a horse to eat. A couple of pounds 64

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

of boiled wheat, in which a little salt has been mixed, form an agreeable repast for a horse at night when soft food is required.”

Hayes’ advice on making a proper bran mash was to add “…about 3 lbs. of bran with an ounce of salt, and pour in as much boiling water as the bran will take up.”

To help horses drink, Indian author Rangin wrote, “After returning from furlough and before showing a horse at darbār a sawar gives the following: dry ginger, black mustard seed, salt, ajwāin or ajova seeds. One ounce of each is powdered, mixed in ātā and given at bed-time. The horse will drink deeply in the morning.”

A dab too much, a drop too little?

Wondering when to say “Whoa, whoa!” like a parent watching their child pour milk on their morning cereal? Generally speaking, offering a bit too much salt isn’t problematic.

­­“

In times of need, horses absorb sodium from the intestinal contents to replenish those lost in sweat

”

Kathleen Crandell

“Being water soluble, excess salt generally gets excreted by the body, largely without harm or foul as long as there is water to drink. In terms of palatability, horses generally don’t tolerate NaCl in a very high concentration in their feed, usually no more than 1.5% before they start refusing it. That would be equivalent to 15g of salt in every kilogram of feed,” shares Crandell.

“That is why feed manufacturers usually recommend offering salt free-choice alongside a concentrate.”

That said, reports exist describing either the development or exacerbation of gastric ulcers with repeated administration of electrolyte solutions.

“Because gastric ulcers pose health and performance problems for athletic horses, including Thoroughbred racehorses, appropriate supplementation and attention to gastric protection should be embraced,” advises Crandell. “Similarly, endurance horses are particularly at risk with the high intakes of electrolytes they receive, especially during a competition.”

Researchers from Germany recently reported that in addition to gastric ulceration, high levels of NaCl (100 g) to moderately exercising horses daily for two weeks results in a mild metabolic acidosis.

This means that the pH (acidity) of the blood decreases, becoming more acidic, which negatively impacts the excretion of other minerals and electrolytes, including calcium. The full text of this article is

Hyaluronic Acid lubricates joints, providing cushion and protection against friction

11 Amino Acids essential for growth and repair

Revolutionary 2-in-1 supplement supports the bone and joint health of horses in all stages of life.

www.DocsProductsInc.com 866-392-2363

Doc’s TM

Silicon critical nutrient for prevention and treatment

Micro-sized precursors to chondroitin and glucosamine to repair, rebuild, and maintain cartilage

Products, Inc. Dr. Douglas R. Beebe • Lexington, KY

174138-DocsProducts-half-NATrainer.indd 1

4/25/17 4:57 PM

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

65

available for free at https://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5207637/.

Rarely, psychogenic salt consumption occurs. In such cases, horses voluntarily ingest excessive Na and, not surprisingly, drink and urinate more frequently. If you are concerned your horse is drinking and urinating more than normal (e.g., compared to previous levels or herd mates), it is important to consult with your veterinarian. They will help rule out other causes of excessive thirst and urination, including diabetes (mellitus or insipidus), Cushing’s disease, and Addison’s disease.

“Classic signs of sodium deficiency include dehydration, incoordination of skeletal muscles, including chewing abnormalities, and an unsteady gait,” shares Crandell.

In addition, the concomitant decrease in feed and water intake also causes weight loss.

Other Uses for the Salts in Horses Wounds/Abscesses Salt is widely touted as having natural antiinflammatory and antibacterial properties that help fight infection. For example, salt dissolved in water can be packed into or placed on wounds and abscesses to help

­­“

VETERINARY

Being water soluble, excess salt generally gets excreted by the body, largely without harm or foul as long as there is water to drink

Kathleen Crandell

”

fight infection.

The Merck Veterinary Manual describes using Epsom salt to help manage sole punctures or abscesses. In this case, however, it’s important to note that Epsom salt isn’t actually NaCl or any type of salt but rather a mineral compound containing magnesium sulfate.

Recent research in human medicine tends to support the use of salt for various types of wounds, especially considering the surge in human patients preferring to use natural and alternative therapies first rather than jumping directly to pharmaceutical drugs (an approach

Salt rooms are used as non-invasive methods to treat respiratory and skin conditions 66

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

increasingly mirrored throughout the equine industry). For example, a 2017 study published in the journal Wounds found that topic administration of a sea salt-based spray to human patients with diabetic foot ulcers was beneficial.

Medications Several pharmaceutical drugs used in horses come as salts, which help stabilize the medication. Ceftiofur sodium (Naxcel) and ceftiofur crystalline free acid (Excede) can be used in horses. Both medications include the same basic drug used to treat the same infections but are dosed much differently because of their unique preparations (salt versus crystalline free acid). Excede, for example, treats respiratory tract infections in just two doses, whereas Naxcel is licenced for the same respiratory diseases but is administered daily for up to consecutive 10 days.

Another interesting example of how different formulations impact dosing involves glucosamine, commonly found in various joint supplements. Some supplements contain glucosamine hydrochloride (HCl) and others contain glucosamine sulfate. Both products dissolve in fluid in the gastrointestinal tract to

generate “glucosamine free base” (GFB) that is available for absorption. However, the HCl form produces more GFB than the sulfate form. This means that if two supplements contain 1000mg of glucosamine but one has 1000mg of glucosamine HCl and the other has 1000mg glucosamine sulfate, 830g of GFB from the HCl product is available for absorption, whereas only 600g of GFB is available for absorption from the sulfate product. This doesn’t mean that a product containing the sulfate form is inferior; it simply shows that not all salts are equal.

Salt therapy (Salt Rooms) Salt rooms are exactly what they sound like: rooms or modified stalls/boxes that have salt either pumped into the air or caked onto the walls and floors. In either design, aerosolized salt directly contacts the horse’s skin while simultaneously being inhaled. This therapy mimics salt caves that were once a haven for people with various respiratory afflictions, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), equivalent to heaves in horses.

Using salt therapy as a natural, noninvasive method of managing skin and respiratory issues is not new, but interest in, and availability of, salt therapy has only recently surged in the equine industry.

Now, several therapy facilities offer services around the world, and some horse-rich regions even have mobile therapy units relatively readily available.

According to companies offering salt therapy, the benefits for Thoroughbreds are: ● Suffering from respiratory conditions, including lower airway disease (e.g., inflammatory airway disease that is common in young, racing Thoroughbreds); ● With skin conditions, such as rashes, boils, dermatitis, mud fever, and ringworm; ● By facilitating recovery following training or racing (presumably by replacing lost

­­“

SALT

Salt rooms are exactly what they sound like: rooms or modified stalls/boxes that have salt either pumped into the air or caked onto the walls and floors

”

electrolytes during exercise); and, ● Through performance-enhancing mechanisms when used prior to competing.

Like many alternative and complementary therapies used in horses, the million dollar questions are: does this work and if so, how?

To date, no studies on salt therapy in horses have been published. Even in the human literature, very few controlled studies exist. Recently, a team of scientists reviewed the available literature on salt therapy for patients with COPD (one of the most common indications of salt therapy). In their study, published in the February 2014 edition of the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease the authors wrote, “From this review, recommendations for inclusion of salt therapy as a therapy for COPD cannot be made at this point and there is a need for high quality studies to determine the effectiveness of this therapy.”

In response to public-generated interest, Dr. Norman Edelman, the senior scientific advisor for the American Lung Association, contributed to a statement on the use of salt therapy. Based on his musings, there does seem to be scientific validity to the therapy.

Edelman wrote, “When fine salt particles are inhaled, they will fall on the airway linings and draw water into the airway, thinning the mucous…. Also, these environments are allergen-free and thus good for people with

allergies affecting their lungs.”

He also pointed out, however, that there are no evidence-based findings to create guidelines for patients and clinicians about treatments such as salt therapy, and he questioned how well maintained the rooms are. The concern was that bacteria could grow in unmaintained rooms, potentially exacerbating skin and respiratory conditions.

In summary, the American Lung Association’s final verdict was that salt therapy should be discussed with a medical professional—in our case, a veterinarian

Aqua trainers Much like salt rooms that create an ocean beachfront feel, aqua trainers can produce a similar environment. In addition to the standard benefits of a water treadmill (e.g., conditioning, rehabilitation, etc.), the salt can aerosolize, potentially benefiting the respiratory tract and skin.

Concluding remarks: use salt with a grain of salt Regardless of whether you are seeking salt for daily supplementation, electrolyte replacement, wound management, respiratory health, or other reasons, there clearly remains a great deal to learn. As always, consult with your veterinarian prior to any change in diet or supplement strategy, and choose products manufactured by reputable companies. Quality supplements are more likely to contain the type and amount of ingredient listed on the label and be free from contaminations, including illegal substances that could hypothetically generate a positive drug test (believe me, it’s happened!). Many respiratory and skin conditions require veterinary intervention; therefore, salt therapy and aqua trainers should only be explored after your horse has been examined by a qualified individual. n

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

67

RACING

68

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

VALETS

The relationship between jockey and valet ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

69

RACING

On Seinfeld, the “show about nothing,” there’s an episode about creating a fictional TV series where a driver hits Jerry’s car, but because the man has no insurance, the judge decrees that he become Jerry’s butler.

In jockeys’ rooms at tracks around the world, riders have their own butlers, but not by accident. They are not quite indentured servants called “valets.” Theirs is not an extemporaneous regimen. They help both jockey and trainer.

V

WORDS: ED GOLDEN PHOTOS: ECLIPSE SPORTSWIRE

ALETS do more than perform menial tasks.

They are in a profession where someone can point to them in faux envy and say, “Now these guys really clean up at the racetrack. Truth be known, racing could not function efficiently without them.

Ask any jockey. Martin Pedroza, for instance.

“They’re very important,” said the 51-year-

70

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

old Panamanian, one of the most durable and indefatigable riders of his generation.

“All the valets I’ve ever had know exactly what I like and what I don’t like.

“For example, if a trainer places the saddle too forward or too far back on the horse where I’m not comfortable, my valet reaches a compromise with the trainer, makes an adjustment, and puts it just where I want it.”

No one wants a salient saddle.

Valets assist in the process and are

assigned saddle numbers for each race, usually one through 12. The numbers are written on program pages tacked onto a cork bulletin board in the jockeys’ room each morning, showing saddle numbers of every horse. If his horse is scratched, the valet won’t saddle a horse in that race.

While valets assist in placing a saddle on a horse by luck of the draw, they serve specific jockeys by mutual consent.

“A jockey can have the same valet (at the racetrack it’s pronounced VAL-it; at a

VALETS parking garage, it’s VAL-ay) for a long time, but his valet doesn’t necessarily saddle the horse his jockey is riding,” Pedroza said. “Saddles are put on horses by valets according to post position numbers, one, two, three and so on.”

In other words, it’s a team effort. Valets interact with each other to assist riders as the need occurs. No valet is an island.

Trainer Peter Miller, a threat to win a title at any meet in Southern California, agrees there are subtleties and nuances when it comes to putting a saddle on to the satisfaction of both jockey and trainer.

“It’s important to be able to put the saddle on straight; it helps us,” Miller said.

“There are certain valets you kind of go, ‘Ohhhh,’” when they start walking towards you, and there are other valets where you know you’re not going to have a problem saddling.

“The valets are on the offside (left) of the horse with the saddle, putting it in

the proper position, as I’m also doing (on the right side). We’re each taking care of our side, making sure the saddle is not too loose, not too tight.

“Some jocks like it a certain way.

Pedroza likes it way up on the withers, way up front. Other guys like it a little further back.”

While valets lend a helping hand, they don’t necessarily have their hand out. They are well-compensated for their services.

“They get paid good money,” Pedroza said. “They get paid by the track to saddle horses, they get paid by us, and if they gallop horses in the mornings, like some do, they get paid for that, too.”

Southern California tracks employ 10 full-time valets, but on days when there are large fields, the number can grow to 12.

Valets readily recognize what is required to fulfill their obligations, no matter the length of time. They don’t punch a clock.

“In the morning, valets set up the riders’ tack (their racing equipment), helmets, water buckets to clean their face, and on a really hot day, sodas or water in a cooler,” explained Charlie McCaul, Santa Anita’s assistant Clerk of Scales who has been mother-henning jockeys at Southern California tracks since 1984.

“Once the races start, the valets saddle their assigned horses and when the riders come back, they’ll have another saddle ready for the next race, or if they use the same saddle, they may have to scrape the mud off that one.

“The valets stay pretty busy once the races start. If it’s a one o’clock post and they get to the room at 11, they stay till the last race and clean tack. Basically, they take care of their rider’s needs. You could say they are a butler.”

Webster describes a valet as “a man’s personal attendant” . . . “to act as a personal servant to; attend.”

Their vocation is not without its inherent dangers. Horses have inflicted injuries to valets by pushing them against the saddling wall or kicking them when they are being unsaddled.

McCaul, a youthful-looking 60, was born in New York, and is the Clerk of Scales at Del Mar and Los Alamitos. He came to California as a groom with trainer Reggie Cornell in 1976 and later that decade did a stint with Elliot Burch, so his foundation with horses is solid and was built from the ground up.

“I liked Southern California so much,” McCaul said, “I moved here in 1980.”

Valets are on salary from the racetrack, “but they are also employed by jockeys,” McCaul said. “They get $10 per mount from the riders, and if the jockey wins a stake, it could be more, depending on the rider.”

Back in the day, they were scraping by on as little as five bucks a mount. Take it from Luis Leon, a retired jockey who rode with Art Sherman more than half a century ago, and who later became a valet, catering

to, among others, Hall of Fame rider Eddie Delahoussaye.

“I really liked working for [Delahoussaye], because he was a real polite man and he took good care of me,” said Leon, now 86 and for the last 20 years living on a 10acre spread tending tomatoes, corn, and pumpkins in a town called Potrero in San Diego County. “It gives me something to do besides horses.”

Call it a transformative moment.

But if it had been up to Delahoussaye, Leon would still be his valet, although Eddie retired in 2003.

“He didn’t want me to retire, but I couldn’t keep up with my work very well,” Leon said. “I would get $5 a mount, and if a rider would win, I’d get $10. On a good day, I’d make $80, but when I had Delahoussaye, I was making a little more, especially if he won a stake. I’d get a good bonus.

“I’d make maybe $300 or so from the jockeys, and that added to what the racing association would pay, I was making about $700 a week.

“I started galloping horses in 1948. My

­­“

A jockey can have the same valet for a long time, but his valet doesn’t necessarily saddle the horse his jockey is riding

”

Martin Pedroza wife, Juanita, went to high school in San Ysidro with Sherman. I rode a little with Art at Caliente before he went back east and we both galloped horses for Rex Ellsworth and Mesh Tenney. After 16 years, I retired as a valet in 1995.

“When I was a valet in the afternoons, I also exercised horses from 5:30 to 10 in the morning. Then I’d go to the jocks’ room at 11 as a valet, so there were times when I didn’t finish until 6 at night, making for a 12-hour day.”

Leon “did everything there was to do around the race track,” including exercising Thoroughbred greats such as Swaps and Vigors, and serving as assistant trainer to the late Bill Currin.

But valets do much more than get off their rear. They lend a trusting ear.

“Valets are part of the team,” said perennial Southern California riding king Rafael Bejarano. “Jockeys really need them because they help with the saddle, making sure it has the correct weights; prepare our colors (silks) and pants; clean our boots; and have the goggles and helmet all set for us. They make it easy on the jockey to be ready for the next race.”

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

71

RACING having served jockeys from Italy and England when they ride in Southern California. “I would say it’s the European Connection, but mostly French,” he said. “I enjoy the work, but it’s getting harder and harder the older I get, that’s for sure, and I’m 68 now.

“I’ve been a valet for almost 20 years. I get to the room around nine, 9:30, because most of our work is before the first race in the form of preparation, getting water buckets, folding laundry from the previous day, having all the helmets ready, the boots clean.

“I leave sometimes an hour after the last race, so it can be a 10-hour day. I enjoy it, although on muddy days it’s never fun, but it comes with the territory.”

Typically, Sanchez has a similar schedule.

“I start 9:30 in the morning,” he said.

“As soon as my riders show up, I do their laundry and prepare everything for their first race, so I’m usually at the track three hours before that.

“During the races, I help saddle their horses and clean tack. After their last race,

­­“

When I was a valet in the afternoons, I also exercised horses from 5:30 to 10 in the morning

Luis Leon

A valet is a jockey’s “confidant,” says Mike Smith, pictured

Armando Sanchez has been tending riders’ needs for more than three decades.

He’s single, so being a valet is the focal point of his life, almost as fulfilling as taking care of his 84-year-old mother, Margarita.

Sanchez is a senior member of the Southern California valets, which include Manny Avila; Ozzie Ayala; Jordan Castaneda and his father, Rafael Castaneda; Bruno Delgadillo, cousin of jockey Agapito Delgadillo; Jaime Galindo; Augustin Lara; David Pineda; Ricardo Peniche; Michel Poincelet; David Rodriguez; Tony Rose; and Simon Sandoval.

Poincelet’s father, Roger, was an internationally accomplished rider who won more than 3,000 races in a long career on both the flat and, initially, jumps. He is regarded as one of the finest French jockeys ever.

In France, he won the Prix de l’Arc de 72

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

Triomphe three times (Coronation in 1949, the year Michel was born; Nuccio, 1952; and Prince Royal, 1964). Among his prestigious triumphs in Great Britain were the Ascot Gold Cup on Pan in 1951, the Epsom Derby aboard Psidium in 1961, the Epsom Oaks on Never Too Late in 1960, and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Vimy in 1955 and Right Royal in 1964.

After retiring from riding, Poincelet began training horses in 1971. He died in a Paris hospital on November 1, 1977, at the age of 57 after a long and painful illness.

When fellow Frenchmen Julien Leparoux and Florent Geroux have engagements in Southern California and join countrymen Brice Blanc and Flavien Prat, Michel Poincelet handles their needs, forming a French Connection that could outrun Popeye Doyle any day of the week.

But Michel does not discriminate, also

”

I have to wait another 30 or 40 minutes depending on whether the jockey rides in the last race or not to prepare laundry for the next day.”

Sanchez is an expert at picture framing, which he calls “a hobby, not a business,” although his peers have partaken of his wares. “When I was young I worked on picture frames in Mexico, and when I came to this country, I tried to decorate my house but framing was very expensive, so I decided to it myself.

“Trainers, jockeys, owners have all used my services and I really enjoy it, but it’s just a pastime. For me, it’s like playing golf.”

Born in Tijuana, the friendly and forthcoming Sanchez began his career in 1968 at Caliente, was an exercise rider for 25 years and the last valet for the gold standard of all jockeys, Bill Shoemaker.

“I’ve been a valet for the last 35 years,” Sanchez said. “I’m from the old school-Shoemaker, Delahoussaye, McCarron--and I’m very proud to have had that experience, because now it’s a new generation and it’s different.

“I started as a valet when I was 32; I’m going to be 63. I’m very happy being in the jocks’ room, even though it’s not the same as it was in the old days. Still, the new jockeys listen to the old valets. I call myself ‘The Last of the Mohicans.’

“I’m going to retire when I’m 65. Right

Stake Your Claim

to

Fame

PREAKNESS WEEKEND!

THE WORLD’S MOST-WANTED SILKS

NOMINATIONS CLOSE TUESDAY, MAY 9: —Friday, May 19—

$250,000 GUARANTEED BLACK-EYED SUSAN S.-GII Fillies, 3yo, 1 1/8 miles

$300,000 GUARANTEED PIMLICO SPECIAL-GIII 3&Up, 1 3/16 miles

$150,000 GUARANTEED ADENA SPRINGS MISS PREAKNESS S.-GIII Fillies, 3yo, 6 furlongs

DREFONG, 2016 $1.5M Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G-I) TOURIST, 2016 $2M Breeders’ Cup Mile (G-I)

$150,000 GUARANTEED ALLAIRE DUPONT DISTAFF-GIII F&M, 3&Up, 1 1/8 miles

$100,000 GUARANTEED JIM MCKAY TURF SPRINT (L) 3&Up, 5 furlongs (On the Turf)

$100,000 GUARANTEED SKIPAT STAKES (L) F&M, 3&Up, 6 furlongs

$100,000 GUARANTEED HILLTOP STAKES Fillies, 3yo, 1 mile (On the Turf)

—Saturday, May 20—

$1,500,000 GUARANTEED PREAKNESS STAKES-GI 3yo, 1 3/16 miles

$250,000 GUARANTEED LONGINES DIXIE-GII 3&Up, 1 1/16 miles (On the Turf)

$150,000 GUARANTEED GALLORETTE STAKES-GIII F&M, 3&Up, 1 1/16 miles (On the Turf)

$150,000 GUARANTEED MARYLAND SPRINT S.-GIII

NYQUIST, 2016 $2.4M Kentucky Derby (G-I) CLASSIC EMPIRE, 2016 $2M Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G-I)

3&Up, 6 furlongs

$200,000 GUARANTEED CHICK LANG STAKES (L) 3yo, 6 furlongs

$100,000 GUARANTEED JAMES W. MURPHY S. (L)

®

3yo, 1 mile (On the Turf)

$100,000 GUARANTEED THE VERY ONE STAKES (L) F&M, 3&Up, 5 frulongs (On the Turf)

$100,000 GUARANTEED LARC SIR BARTON STAKES

3yo (Non-winners of an open sweepstakes), 1 1/16 miles

PREAKNESS WEEK $100,000 TRAINER BONUS (CALL FOR DETAILS) The Maryland Jockey Club

pimlico

800-638-1859 • Fax 410-542-1221

Georganne Hale, Vice President, Racing Coleman "Coley" Blind, Stakes Coordinator

Don’t get left behind.

806.333.8589 www.SpeedSilks.com ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

73

RACING

The valet makes sure the jockey’s equipment is in good order

now, I only have a few riders, but I love what I’m doing. It’s not just about cleaning boots and cleaning tack. It’s being there for the riders and their needs, physical and emotional, whether they win or lose, and especially when they get hurt.”

And hurt they get. There is no other vocation in which an ambulance follows employees on their way to work every day.

In Thoroughbred racing, from the opening of the gate to beyond the finish line, an ambulance trails rider and horse.

Even the Wallendas walk the high wire without a net.

“When your rider gets hurt, you’re there for him, you take care of him,” Sanchez said. “On February 11, my rider, Bejarano, went down (when his mount suffered a fatal 74

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

injury). Luckily, Rafael wasn’t seriously hurt and missed only a few weeks, but last year he was out with injuries for six months, and I was so stressed I got shingles. I prayed for him, but you’re only human.

“Guys tell me I should retire, but the rules and regulations of my pension plan say I have to be 65. Right now, I have a lot of experience, but with age, I’m slowing down. You don’t have the stamina you had when you were younger. I know I can still do the job, but lately, I’m not as fast.”

Speed, fortunately, is not necessarily the prerequisite to being a valued valet.

Patience, endurance and understanding are major parts of the curriculum.

“First and foremost, there’s the safety issue,” noted 51-year-old Hall of Fame jockey

Mike Smith, who has 25 Breeders’ Cup victories, more than any other rider, and is the regular pilot of freshly anointed Eclipse champions Arrogate, Finest City, and Songbird, in addition to budding superstar Unique Bella.

Smith has one of the younger valets in 40-year-old Lara, a native of Mexico who has been at the helm for seven years. Also under his wing are Chantal Sutherland and Felipe Martinez.

“I’ve been a valet for seven years but around horses since I was 19,” Lara said. “I was a hotwalker and exercise rider before that. When jockeys need a shoulder to cry on, I’m there for them. It’s comforting and makes them feel better.”

Smith concurs. “Valets check your equipment every day making sure your webbings, your irons, your saddles, and your girths are in good shape,” he said.

“But beyond that, a valet is someone to talk with. He is a confidant. All jockeys go back to the same locker room together, and you don’t want to discuss your strategies or what happened in a race with another rider, because they might gain an advantage over you down the road or even get your mount.

“Jockeys spend a lot of time with their valet. When you’re down, they pick you up, and when you’re too high on yourself, they’ll pull you down a little bit.

“They keep you well-balanced. They become family. Their kids become your kids. You become Uncle Mike, so there’s much more to it than meets the eye, much more than providing physical services.”

A man once said, “Don’t do nothing in the daytime that will keep you awake at night.” Valets can ignore that credo. They can sleep easy.

When they find the time. n

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF RACING SATURDAY, AUGUST 12TH

EARLY CLOSING – SATURDAY, MAY 20TH ARLINGTON MILLION XXXV (GI) $1,000,000 GUARANTEED

Three-Year-Olds & Upward | One Mile & 1/4 (Turf)

BEVERLY D. (GI)

$600,000 GUARANTEED

Fillies & Mares, Three-Years-Old & Upward | One Mile & 3/16 (Turf)

SECRETARIAT STAKES (GI) $400,000 GUARANTEED

Three-Year-Olds | One Mile & 1/4 (Turf)

AMERICAN ST. LEGER (GIII) $250,000 GUARANTEED

Three-Year-Olds & Upward | One Mile & 11/16 (Turf)

CLOSING WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2ND PUCKER UP STAKES (GIII)

$100,000 GUARANTEED | Fillies, Three-Years-Old | One Mile & 1/8 (Turf)

BRUCE D. MEMORIAL STAKES

$75,000 GUARANTEED | Three-Year-Olds | One Mile For more information, please contact: Chris Polzin - Director of Racing & Racing Secretary

Telephone: 847.385.7738 | Facsimile: 847.870.6720 | www.ArlingtonPark.com

KERCKHAERT RACE PLATES

Surfaces as Soft as Nature

TM

GO THE DISTANCE LEGENDARY XT FRONT & RT HIND Beveled heels and sole relief with additional thickness for strength and wear on the track.

TRADITION SERIES Narrower shape than the Kings. Front and Hind patterns with a variety of toe grabs offer many options for Turf, Synthetic and Dirt tracks.

KINGS SERIES Wider base for good support. Front and Hind patterns with a variety of toe grabs offer many options for Turf and Dirt tracks.

·

·

· · · · · · · ·

Features: Seamless Resilient Cushioned Easy to Clean Anti-Fungal Anti-Bacterial Range of Colors Available Non-Slip Absorbs Shock Rubber Base Hygienic Self-leveling Fatigue Reducing National Certified Installers Applications: Stalls Pens Exam Rooms Aisle Ways Recovery Stalls Treatment Areas Surgery Areas Laboratories.

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

Use Liberty horseshoe nails for outstanding results.

FIND A DEALER NEAR YOU

·

www.abacussports.com 800 821 4557

Visit farrierproducts.com or call FPD at 1-800-468-2879.

VIEW THE BEST SHOES FOR RACE HORSES

farrierproducts.com/fieldguide/race

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

75

VETERINARY

76

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

GAIT ANALYSIS Dr Daniel Shaw performing a lameness examination

Lameness the Singapore way Monitoring gait

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

77

VETERINARY

The Singapore Turf Club

Although one of the most common issues affecting racehorses, lameness is also one of the hardest to quantify. A two-year study in Singapore aims to find out whether regular measurement of a horse’s gait can be used to predict musculoskeletal injury.

WORDS: Maria Fernanda Sepulveda Caviedes PHOTOS: Maria Fernanda Sepulveda Caviedes, SHUTTERSTOCK

B

ECAUSE I was born under a lucky star, I was offered the sensational opportunity to conduct a two-year long study in the beautiful, hyperefficient, and very hot island of Singapore. The study ‘Early detection of musculoskeletal injury in the Thoroughbred through monitoring of movement symmetry’ started in November, 2014, and is funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), and it was designed by Dr. Thilo Pfau together with professors Renate Weller and Kristien Verheyen from the Royal Veterinary College in London Traditional veterinary evaluation of lameness is subjective. Objective tools to document and measure specific forms of lameness and changes in gait are needed and will allow horses to be evaluated more consistently over time, looking for patterns of lameness developing during training.

It may also be possible to predict specific sites of injury or pain based on the patterns observed with gait analysis.

The idea behind this HBLB project was simple: follow as many Thoroughbreds in training as possible on a monthly basis for a year and a half, tracking their soundness

78

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

with a sensor-based gait assessment device at the Singapore Turf Club (STC), then correlate their medical history and their soundness/lameness in an attempt to determine which of the many gait parameters that are measured by the gait analysis system could be used to detect musculoskeletal injuries, ideally before they become clinically apparent.

The venue The Singapore Turf Club is a modern racetrack with an all-weather surface and

­­“

A couple of systems that detect very slight/ intermittent lameness have been developed and validated that can help vets to detect gait abnormalities

”

a turf track. The horses that regularly race there are stabled around it by the different trainers in similar stable blocks and are treated by the same vets at the STC veterinary clinic. Horses coming in and leaving the STC undergo stringent quarantine and veterinary checkups. Most HBLB-funded research is conducted in the U.K., but for this study Singapore was chosen because it was an environment with convenient logistics allowing to test a large number of horses in training, while at the same time reducing as much as possible the variables that may influence soundness and performance (i.e. track surface, veterinary treatments, weather, etc). Very importantly, however, the setup allows the testing to be carried out in a real life situation and not in a lab.

The gait analysis device Everybody who deals with horses knows that lameness is one of the main problems that affects racehorses, shortening their racing careers and causing the industry to lose a lot of money. Some lamenesses may be tricky to pinpoint and even the most experienced vet could have trouble localising lameness. As an answer to this, a couple of systems that detect very slight/ intermittent lameness have been developed and validated, and these can help vets use a more objective approach to detection and grading of lameness.

The machine used in the project uses inertial sensors, containing miniaturized accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers and aided by a GPS device.

These sensors can track movement in three dimensions and calculate the speed of the horse. These are readily utilized in the missile and drone industry … so we are talking about technology that is state-ofthe-art. The system is capable of detecting differences in gait symmetry (i.e. between

GAIT ANALYSIS Figure 2

Figure 3

a) Sound horse in front. There is symmetrical weight bearing on both fore feet

b) Lame horse on the left fore. There isn’t symmetrical weight bearing on both fore feet. The difference is of a few millimetres Figure 2: Output graph that shows a) a sound horse; and b) a horse with a slight asymmetry in gait on the left fore. The dark blue line is the average for each stride, and the grey area is the time that the foot is in contact with the floor, bearing weight. The scale on the left is in meters Figure 3: The gait analysis sensors are the size of a matchstick box.

the stance phases of right fore and left forelimb) in the order of millimetres, and is more sensitive that the human eye in picking up these small asymmetries (Fig. 2).

The sensors are the size of a matchstick box (Fig. 3) and are stuck to the horse simply using double-sided tape, or they can be placed in a Velcro pouch and attached to the tack, usually the surcingle and the headband on the bridle. For this study, the sensors were placed: one on the poll, one on the withers, another on the sacrum (tuber sacrale, or midline on the highest point of the croup), and one on each point of the hip (left and right tuber coxae) (Fig. 4).

The sensors were wired to a transmitter on a surcingle, which could then send all the data directly and instantaneously to a laptop via Bluetooth (Fig. 5). The practically feasible range between horse and computer is around 50m, so it is easy to record standing at one end of a trot-up while the horse handler (or “syce” as they are called in Singapore) trots a horse in hand.

art medical diagnostic equipment, and its vets are highly trained and extremely experienced.

The horses included in the study ranged in age and experience. Some were sound throughout while others became lame during the study, but all were in flat race training at recruitment.

The Singapore Gait Analysis Study At the beginning of this project, it was necessary to establish the repeatability of the gait measurement. Once we were sure that horses could be followed with the

Figure 5 Figure 5: Gait analysis data is sent directly and instantaneously to a laptop via Bluetooth

The trainers, vets and horses Sixteen trainers were recruited into the study on a voluntary basis and graciously allowed some or all of their horses to undergo gait analysis once a month. The vets of the STC veterinary clinic were closely involved in the project, especially Dr. Bronte Forbes, who helped coordinate many of the aspects of the data collection and treatments of the participating horses.

The veterinary clinic is supervised by Dr. Koos van der Berg and has state-of-theFigure 4: Sensors are attached at the poll, withers, croup and hips

Figure 4

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

79

VETERINARY Figure 6

b

­­“

The set up in Singapore allowed us to conduct a number of sub-projects.

We have compared the gait parameters generated for sound and lame horses over different surfaces

N

LLIO £4.3 MI

”

Figure 7

necessary repeatability, the study was fully underway. Monthly data collection sessions were arranged. Trainers were contacted a week before and coordinated with my visit. In the sweltering heat, the horses and their syces would be waiting for me in the shade. Then over an hour or two, the manic sequence of placing the machine on the horse, trotting it, taking the machine off, and checking the data kept going without stopping. Parallel to this, medical data for each horse was compiled. Data collection is now complete and, currently, the research team are in process of correlating the gait measurements to the diagnosed lamenesses.

In addition to the main study, the setup in Singapore allowed us to conduct a number of sub-projects. We have compared the gait parameters generated for sound and lame horses over different surfaces.

Data analysis is still under way and will ultimately help determine which surfaces aggravate or reduce a lameness. This could be helpful for vets to prescribe exercise on different surfaces during the rehabilitation process and also to choose the surface best suited for accentuating mild asymmetries in order to detect them during gait analysis (Fig. 6 and Fig. 7).

We also compared the output of the machine with the subjective visual lameness grading by the experienced racing vets. Once data analysis is finished, the aim is to relate the gait parameters recorded by the machine to the grades of the most commonly used lameness grading systems in Thoroughbreds. This will help making the gait analysis results more readily interpretable by racing vets.

Future goals The final analysis of the data generated during those 18 months is ongoing.

However, this project has demonstrated that it is feasible to perform regular gait analysis sessions in a training yard environment.

This study is the first step towards future work evaluating links between specific objective changes in gait symmetry and injury to be able to prevent serious injuries in Thoroughbreds in training or while racing. n Figures 6 and 7: Dr. Forbes trotting a horse over different track surfaces 80

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

N

LLIO £4.3 MI

NI

britishchampionsday.com

MONEY

EY ZE MON

LLIO £4.3 MI

Y

E MONE

LLIO £4.3 MI

LLIO £4.3 MI

N

NEY IZE MO

LLIO £4.3 MI

Y

E MONE

Y

E MONE

£4.3

IZ N IN PR MILLIO

LLIO £4.3 MI

4.3 M

SATURDAY

21 OCTOBER

QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY BRITAIN’S RICHEST RACEDAY

The QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup, Group 2 (NO PENALTIES) 3-y-o and up, 2 miles (3200 metres), round course

The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO), Group 1 3-y-o and up, 1 mile (1600 metres), straight course Prize Money £1,100,000

Prize Money £400,000 The QIPCO Champion Stakes, Group 1 3-y-o and up, The QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes, Group 1

1 mile 2 furlongs (2000 meters), inner flat round course

3-y-o and up, 6 furlongs (1200 metres), straight course

Prize Money £1,300,000

Prize Money £600,000 The QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, Group 1 3-y-o and up, 1 mile 4 furlongs (2400 metres), round course Prize Money £600,000

ENTRIES CLOSE 8 AUGUST

NEY

E MO IN PRIZ

N IN PR

IN PRIZ ILLION

£4.3 M

I N IN PR

IZ N IN PR

PRIZE LION IN L I M .3 4

Y

MONE N PRIZE

£4.3 M

training

82

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

HOOF CONDITIONING

Developing the twoyear-old’s foot ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

83

training

Transitioning to the track

I remember my first yearling and two-year-olds-in-training sales at Keeneland, Woodbine, and Tattersalls. To my untrained eye, and despite tracing backwards through the bloodlines, each and every horse appeared sound and fit, looking like a million bucks. Although few horses ever actually sold for that amount, every inch of those young racehorse wannabes was gleaming from nose to toes. Even their feet were buffed and polished as perfectly as a pair of Usher’s coveted shoes.

WORDS: Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc PHOTOS: Eclipse Sportswire, Shutterstock

P

OSSIBLY because young horses for sale are primped and preened to the gills, few potential buyers actually ever pick their feet up to inspect them. Instead, buyers tend to focus on joints and throats, using the extensive repository to review joint radiographs (X-rays) and scoping prospects’ throats.

“The horses in the September sales are simply glamorous, including their feet.

I would estimate that only 10% of buyers ever actually pick up at foot at those sales,” remarks Sam Christian, a Lexington-based farrier servicing several top-level operations such as Shadwell Farm.

In general, the expectation appears to be that if the throat and joints are clear and the young horse appears straight, their feet must also be in good condition. While some horses may have hidden surprises once their party shoes are removed (indicating that some of those fancy feet are in fact 84

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

simply mutton dressed as lamb), Mark Dewey, a highly sought-after racetrack farrier, attests this is not generally the case.

“Nowadays, most of the farm vets and farriers working on young Thoroughbreds for sale that I collaborate with, like Sam Christian, do a great job preparing these horses’ feet and straightening them out to maximize their sales value. Still, when they come to the track as two-year-olds, there is some work to be done,” says Dewey. Over the span of his 40-year career, Dewey has worked “behind the scenes,” so to speak, helping horses like Mucho Macho Man streak to success.

Dewey’s comment of course begs the question, what changes need to be made and how do these fancy feet hold up once they hit the track? Are young Thoroughbred feet properly prepared for meeting the grueling training schedule they must quickly become accustomed to, or are they simply… bling? As in, fashionable and attractive but with limited functionality?

Dewey says, “Most farriers on the farms have got the feet in decent shape by the time I see these young horses at the track.

The most problematic situation for me is that sales horses are shod to correct their limbs, to straighten them out. When I get them, I go back the other way and put their feet back in line with their limbs.

The farriers on the farm are trying to make them as straight as possible for sale, but that approach is not conducive to soundness down the line. If the horse has turned out knees then they need to have their feet turned out.”

Christian concurs with Dewey’s summation, saying, “I shoe for a completely different purpose than Mark. My purpose is to prepare young horses for sale, and for that purpose, the focus is on conformation.”

He adds, “I give 100% to getting a nice foot on the foal and giving each and every foal the best chance at a racing career.”

Christian examines foals for the first time anywhere between five days and two weeks of age. Right away, he watches them walk and identifies what problem(s) need addressing. Toeing in, for example, is a relatively common condition Christian sees and immediately takes steps to correct.

“I examine each foal every two weeks. It is amazing how quickly foals change and how quickly they can get away from you if you don’t assess them frequently. The greatest chance we have at correcting them is when they are young,” Christian explains.

Addressing underslung heels Once they get to the track, a major problem facing young Thoroughbreds in training is the heel. An underslung heel (referred to as underrun heel in some regions) is defined as a foot in which the angle of the horse’s heel is at least five degrees less than the angle of the toe. In a healthy hoof, the toe and heel angles should be very close.

In other words, the heels are low and the horse often appears as if he is standing on the bulbs of his heels.

“Farriers are frequently accused of cutting the heels off, contributing to the underslung heel, which is not true. We actually try to leave as much heel on as we can,” Dewey explains.

Recall that horses, like most humans, land heel first. Day in and day out during training, the heel takes a bit of a beating, which is only amplified during breezing and racing.

“It is hard to keep heel on horses when a thousand pounds keeps pounding down on such a small object,” summarizes Dewey, adding, “The reason horses get crush and underslung heel is because as it grows, the heel tends to roll in, then crushes. If that happens then we see lameness and heel abscesses.”

The goal, says Dewey, is to cut the toe, pull the shoe back, and actually grow the heel.

“As a blacksmith you need to find a

HOOF CONDITIONING balance between too much and too little heel, and it can be hard to recognize when a heel is going to roll over and crush,” Dewey admits.

The “thin” Thoroughbred foot Another factor causing strife for some trainers and farriers is the inherent “thin” nature of the Thoroughbred foot. Their thin walls and soles combined with standard hazards of their profession put them at risk for bruises, quarter cracks, lameness, and lost training days. Dewey notes, however, that this isn’t a new problem.

“The Thoroughbred industry has long been faulted for breeding horses with bad feet, and I don’t feel like this statement is true. I see the same feet today that I saw 40 years ago,” Dewey says.

After decades of dealing with so-called thin Thoroughbred feet, farriers have amassed an armamentarium to better trim, shoe, and balance, including glue-on shoes.

“As these young horses get going, we like to use glue-on shoes to avoid the nails.

These shoes provide the benefits of a bar shoe without the actual bar,” notes Dewey.

On the flip side, sometimes it’s better to go rogue and pull the shoes entirely.

If you’re not convinced about the potential benefits of dipping your horses’ toes in the sand… or dirt, all-weather, or turf…take a peek at Bill Casner. The owner, former trainer, and breeder is well known for keeping horses barefoot, including Well Armed, who won the $6 million 2009 Dubai World Cup by 14 lengths. For more information on Casner’s philosophies, refer to Issue 38 of North American Trainer (available at http://trainermagazine. com/articles/bill-casner-breeder-ownertrainer/2015/10/26?rq=billcasner).

Trainer Wayne Rice, also a proponent of going barefoot, previously pointed out that some surfaces might not be as suitable for barefoot horses as others. For example, Rice, a regular at Keeneland (which replaced its synthetic surface with “nextgeneration dirt” in 2014), reportedly shoes his horses when on the dirt but prefers to go barefoot on the synthetic tracks at Woodbine in Toronto and Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Dewey and Christian are also no strangers to horses going barefoot.

“Not every horse needs to have his shoes taken off, but in some cases it could be a good idea to take shoes off for a short period of time,” Dewey notes.

The example Dewey provided described a horse that was not overtly lame but just not striding out, strongly suggesting that the feet were the root of the problem.

“When you take the shoes off these horses, they usually get worse for three or four days, then slowly get better. It can take anywhere from two to four weeks or more to improve, and if the horse is good you can leave them like that for a while. When you do finally put shoes back on, we usually get a good four or five months before they start

getting sore again. That said, not all horses will do this…club-footed horses for example will not be able to go without shoes,” describes Dewey.

“The trick is, trainers need an experienced farrier to help make this kind of decision,” he advises.

If the shoe fits…

Neal McLaughlin, assistant trainer to his brother Kiaran, agrees with both Dewey and Christian that finding the right fit for a horse must be approached on a caseby-case basis, treating every horse as an individual. Further, McLaughlin believes that the blacksmith, both at the farm and track level, must be included as part of the horse’s caretaking team with minimal micromanagement.

“I view myself as a facilitator between the veterinarian and blacksmith, and together we change horses,” says McLaughlin. “It is only through experience that I learned

­­“

As a blacksmith you need to find a balance between too much and too little heel, and it can be hard to recognize when a heel is going to roll over and crush

Mark Dewey

”

to hire qualified people and let them do their job. A trainer’s relationship with their blacksmith is not like an employeeemployer where you are dictating what you want them to do.”

McLaughlin adds, “Sometimes it’s easy to blame the blacksmith for anything that goes wrong. A lot of us in this game, we have big egos. We think we have all the answers, and I’ve learned the hard way through lots of head-butting and mistakes that hiring skilled people and creating a team is the best way to go. Wayne [Lukas] was a team guy and Kiaran came under him and learned that as well. Sometimes you need to be patient because when it comes to feet, it sometimes gets worse before it gets better.”

“Neal is excellent with horse’s feet. Has a good an understanding of what [farriers] do. After working together for 15 years, he understands why I want to do something and knows to be patient,” says Dewey.

Putting the best foot forward “Despite having completely different purposes in terms of shoeing, we all work together, even when a horse gets sent back to the farm for some time off,” summarizes Christian, adding, “Keeping young horses sound is far from formulaic.”

In other words, finding the right group like McLaughlin, Dewey, and Christian who are all focused on best practices and collaboration, is much like the classic “Footprints in the Sand” poem. The best trainers assemble an elite group of caregivers to carry the young, developing horse, leaving only one set of footprints in the sand until that horse is ready to create his own footprints. n ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

85

Anti-Doping Agency; Louis Romanet, chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities; and Frank Stronach, founder and honorary chairman of The Stronach Group.

International delegates descend on D.C. for Second Pan Am Conference The first Pan American Conference, held June 2015 to coincide with the 146th Belmont Stakes, was announced in October 2013 by The Jockey Club, the breed registry for Thoroughbreds in North America, and O.S.A.F., the South American organization for the development of Thoroughbreds, to promote communication and collaboration among racing nations, particularly the Americas.

More than 300 representatives from more than 27 countries converged on New York City for the two days of business presentations and social and networking events focusing on the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

“The first Pan American Conference was a tremendous success. Attendees were exposed not only to expert

information about racing, but also to social events that enabled them to commingle with the experts and other professionals in the Thoroughbred industry who recognize the importance of hearing and seeing what racing officials in other parts of the world are doing to grow the sport,” said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating office, The Jockey Club.

“As an added bonus, they also got to witness American Pharoah become U.S. racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner.”

Topics in 2015 included anti-doping, globalization, and marketing of horse racing. Among the speakers were David J. Stern, commissioner emeritus of the National Basketball Association; David Howman, director general of the World

The second Pan American Conference, which will be held in Washington, D.C., May 17 – 20, 2017, will also include prominent international personalities, and they will discuss topics such as racetrack and facility design, international racehorse ownership, racing on television, and marketing to attract new fans.

The Jockey Club and the Latin American Racing Channel (LARC) are co-hosting the conference, which concludes with the 142nd running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, May 20, 2017.

Among the speakers and presenters for this year’s conference are Joe Gorajec, former executive director of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission and noted leader on racing integrity; Todd Gralla, director of Equine Services, Populous; Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment Group; and Jon Miller, president, Programming, NBC Sports.

As the keynote speaker, Stronach Group Chairman and President Belinda Stronach will detail the organization’s vision and outlook on its racing ventures and recap the inaugural running of the Pegasus World Cup, the world’s richest horse race. She will also give her take on the challenges and opportunities for racing both domestically and internationally.

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern addresses 2015 Pan Am Conference.

The organization and agenda for the conference are under the aegis of the same team as that of the first Pan American Conference: Horacio

Esposito, the director of LARC and special advisor to the president of O.S.A.F.; Pablo Kavulakian, director of LARC; and Gagliano. The Stronach

South American constituents but also for the numerous delegates who attend from other parts of the world.”

Group will also play a major role in support of the conference, especially on Preakness day.

“Collaboration of racing and breeding for the American continents has been our main goal since the inception of our company 10 years ago. We foresee this second conference as an active forum to exchange knowledge, experience, and a vision for the future of racing,” said Kavulakian.

“Thoroughbreds from South American countries continue to enhance their reputation in the breeding shed and on the racetrack and they compete successfully throughout the world,” said Esposito.

“This conference will be educational not only for our various Latin and

Sponsors include Longines, The Stronach Group, LARC, Betfred, Jockey Club del Peru, Keeneland, O.S.A.F., Jockey Club Argentina,

Samuel & Guillermo Liberman, P.M.U., The Jockey Club, The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc., InCompass, Equibase Company, America’s Best Racing, and The Jockey Club Technology Services Inc. “The Stronach Group realizes the importance of industry collaboration, domestically and internationally, and we are proud to lend our support to yet another industry conference,” said Mike Rogers, president of The Stronach Group’s Racing and Gaming Division. “We are equally excited to have these delegates experience the second leg of Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.”

For more information about the 2017 Pan American Conference and to register, visit panamdc2017.com.

The 2017 Preakness Stakes Celebration Dinner will be held Thursday, May 18, at the National Museum of Natural History.

Photo: Blake Patterson

The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown Here are some “fun facts” about the Preakness Stakes and its unique traditions courtesy of Maryland Jockey Club. Visit preakness.com/preakness-tradition.

The Woodlawn Vase Created by Tiffany and Company in 1860 as a trophy for the now defunct Woodlawn Racing Association, the Woodlawn Vase is presented each year to the winning Preakness owner. An assessment in 1983 of $1 million easily makes its silver design the most valuable trophy in American sports. Until 1953, winners were awarded possession of the vase until the following Preakness. That all changed when A. G. Vanderbilt’s Native Dancer won it but his wife did not want to take on the immense responsibility of the vase’s safekeeping. Now the winning owner is awarded a $30,000 sterling replica on a permanent basis while the perpetual is on display at The Baltimore Museum of Art and brought to Pimlico under guard for the annual running of the Preakness.

The Painting of the Weather Vane As soon as the Preakness winner has been declared official, a painter climbs to the top of the replica Old Clubhouse copula to paint the weather vane. He applies the colors of the winner’s silks to the jockey and horse, which will remain there until a new winner is declared in the next year’s Preakness. The practice began in 1909 after the original building’s arrow-shaped weather vane was struck down by lightening. To replace it, the Maryland Jockey Club commissioned an ornamental ironworker to forge a vane in the form of a horse and rider. It was christened that spring by coating it with the colors of the silks of that year’s winner, Effendi, and has continued ever since.

Late Bloomers Black-Eyed Susans, declared the state flower by the Maryland legislature in 1918 and the Preakness flower in 1940, do not bloom until June in Maryland. It is said the Susan’s flower usually has 13 petals, which is taken to symbolize the 13 original colonies, of which Maryland was one. The flower reproduces the state’s black and yellow colors.

INDUSTRY

Anatomy of a Training Agreement Why owners and trainers need to put it in writing

88

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

TRAINING AGREEMENT

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

89

INDUSTRY

A new owner with a promising Thoroughbred is looking for a good trainer.

She inquires at the track and is referred to a trainer that has a reputation for developing winners. The two meet at the stable and agree to fees, veterinarian and farrier care, race commissions, and schedule a date and time to begin training. Is this a done deal? Unfortunately for many owners and trainers, it is.

WORDS: PETER J. SACOPULOS, ESQ. PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK

T

ypically, a handshake “formalizes” the discussion and nothing is reduced to writing. Such deals leave owners in uncertain and unclear positions should a dispute arise. And they leave trainers vulnerable to clients that refuse to pay a day rate they “said they would,” or who refuse to pay additional charges because they incorrectly assumed those charges were included in the trainer’s fee. These “handshake deals” are ripe with risk, yet I see them frequently. They are especially common with private owners and stables and, surprisingly, even with high profile trainers.

One reason for their ubiquity is that there has been very little case law in this area. So far. Recent litigation regarding commission and “industry standard” may be the harbinger of a turning tide. Trainerowner breakdowns like this one, as well as other disputes and misunderstandings, may be avoided by taking a straightforward and practical step: create a written trainer’s agreement. It clarifies everything in black and white, and adds a level of validity to the agreement. Additionally, it is not difficult or expensive to do.

Why you need a written agreement What if a truck spooks a horse and the

owner cannot be reached to approve emergency care for a laceration? What recourse does a trainer have if an owner stops paying the monthly bill? And, how can owners avoid surprise charges they thought were included in the trainer’s fee?

A well-written agreement addresses issues such as these, as well as many others.

New owners frequently contact me with a story that goes something like this: “The trainer told me he would train my racehorse for $75 a day. I did the math, and figured it was going to cost me $2,250 a month. But now I’m also getting bills for routine vet and farrier services. What is my recourse?”

What the new owner often does not realize is that in addition to the trainer’s day rate, he or she is responsible for regular veterinarian and farrier bills. Additionally, many new racehorse owners also do not understand that there is a fee for the pony rider, the private or third-party veterinarian who administers Lasix before the race, as well as fees for the jockey.

These are reasons to have a written agreement that is signed by both parties prior to beginning training services. The trainer agreement is important both from the standpoint of defining liability and establishing and clarifying expectations.

Defining Trainer’s Liability – Trainers are subject to the Absolute Insurer Rule. That rule, of which the owner should be made

aware, states that the trainer is absolutely liable when a horse is entered into an official race and tests positive for prohibited medications or substances or when test results reveal permitted medications in excess of the maximum allowed levels. When such a positive test result occurs, it is prima facie evidence of a violation of the trainer responsibility rule. To this end, the trainer’s agreement should include a provision that requires the horse that is the subject of the agreement be tested for all foreign substances, therapeutic and otherwise, prior to being transferred to the trainer. This is important to assure that the trainer does not take possession and responsibility of a horse that has previously received or been administered a foreign substance that may result in a positive test result and a violation of the Absolute Insurer Rule. In addition, there should be a clear understanding and written provision defining liability coverage for damage caused by the subject horse(s) to person and property. Typically, the trainer secures the liability policy and, in many cases, should list the owner as an additional insured. An additional concern is coverage for the equine athlete. The trainer, unless he or she has an ownership interest, does not have an insurable interest in the horse. As such, if the horse is to be insured for purposes of mortality, the policy will likely be the responsibility and expense of the owner. This too should be defined in the written trainer’s agreement.

Defining Services and Expectations – The specific services to be supplied by the trainer require clear definition. The trainer’s agreement should define “who pays for what.” If the owner places more than one horse in training with the trainer and the agreement differs from horse to horse, then separate agreements are recommended. The primary purpose of a trainer’s agreement is to provide clarity. Each item not contemplated by the day-rate needs to specify which party is responsible. These additional costs may include veterinarian fees, farrier fees, and costs for administration of Lasix by a private or third-party veterinarian as well as the cost of having the horse ponied from the paddock to the gate and jockey fees. Additionally, expectations as to liability and associated coverage need to be defined for the owner, the trainer, and as to potential third-parties.

What to include in the trainer’s agreement Although each training agreement is unique, there are key standard components to these agreements. The Training Agreement Checklist in the table opposite provides a list of the most common components to include, with details that will assist trainers in developing an agreement. After having the agreement reviewed and finalized by an attorney, the final document may become a template that is customized to each client. Owners, too, will find this checklist useful when 90

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

TRAINING AGREEMENT reviewing these agreements.

All provisions of a training agreement are important. However, the following four provisions or areas are key and are often the cause of conflict: 1. Fees and Payment. Clearly, this is a critical topic for both parties. Specify the details of the daily rate, what is included, and what is not included. Explain payment terms and timelines as well as how delinquent payments are handled.

Additionally, be specific about the form of payment be it cash, check, or transfer.

For convenience and reporting ease, I recommend that owners establish a track account, from which payment may be transferred to the trainer. By doing so, at the end of the meet, the bursar’s office will provide a report of all transactions, saving the owner, trainer, and accountant time and energy at tax time.

2. Authorization for Emergency Care.

This is in the best interest of the horse’s well-being. Many veterinarians and farriers require written authorization prior to treating a horse. Authorization for treatment of a horse whose owner is not physically present should be part of the agreement and may specify treatment to and including a specific dollar amount.

Also, include a clause authorizing the trainer to obtain emergency care if he or she is unable to contact the owner.

3. Insurance. Owners should expect their trainer to carry liability insurance that covers personal injury and property damage.

A common policy includes coverage limits of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 per property damage for acts of the horses. Additionally, if the owner elects to insure the horse for mortality, that too shall be included, and clearly state that in the event a horse expires or is euthanized, all insurance proceeds shall be paid to the owner.

4. Liability. No matter how careful or experienced, many things are simply out of the trainer’s control. The trainer’s agreement often includes a provision that the trainer is not liable for sickness, disease, theft, or death or injury arising out of the boarding or training of the animal except in the event of willful negligence. This protects the trainer from events he or she cannot control, and the owner in the case that the trainer is, indeed, negligent. There are often state-specific requirements for this clause.

Consult an attorney who understands the requirements in your state. The trainer’s agreement should also contain a provision whereby the owner agrees that he or she has not administered nor caused any foreign substance to be administered to the horse prior to transfer. In the event that any foreign substance was administered, then the precise substance/medication, dosage, and date of administration must be provided to the trainer at the time of transfer. Additionally, it is recommended the horse be tested, both blood and urine, at the time of transfer to assure the trainer

TRAINER’S AGREEMENT CHECKLIST PARTIES. The names of all parties involved – owner(s) and trainer(s).

HORSES. The full names of all horses that will be trained under the agreement.

Include insured amounts, carriers, and contact information for each.

OWNERSHIP. Describe the ownership, title/registration, and lease/management disposition of each horse. The name and address of the individual, entity, or syndicate holding full title and registration should also be listed.

PAYMENT FOR TRAINING SERVICES. Describe the trainer’s base fee, per day, plus any additional fees and expenses that may be required (and which will be detailed later in the agreement). State that the daily rate x 30 days is billable to the owner at the end of the billing period, which is typically one month. A good agreement lists what is included in the fees, payment terms, and payment methods. (i.e., check, credit card, transfer, etc.) It can also state that fees may change subject to written notice.

AUTHORIZED AGENT. This essential component ensures that the trainer is the authorized agent who may contact a veterinarian or farrier to arrange for services.

Typically, a maximum, per incident approval amount is specified in the contract. The clause should indicate that the trainer has the authority to authorize emergency care in the case that the owner is not available, and a maximum amount that the trainer may approve without owner consent.

INSURANCE. Describe the coverage and limits of the trainer’s liability insurance, which covers harm to people and property. However, as a general rule, a trainer’s liability policy typically does not protect the owner against losses due to fire, theft, death, etc. arising from injuries or accidents. (See INDEMNIFICATION, below.)

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION. This section holds the trainer harmless for equine sickness, disease, theft, death, or injury arising out of the boarding or training of the animal – except in the event of willful negligence. There are often state-specific requirements for this clause. It is recommended that an attorney who understands state requirements be consulted.

ACCEPTANCE. This provision makes it clear that the contract is not effective until both the owner and the trainer have signed.

VETERINARIAN AND FARRIER CARE. The trainer agreement should include a provision that states the trainer is authorized to arrange for routine care, such as vaccinations, Coggins test, dental care, hoof care, etc. List all services that the trainer is authorized to schedule. The agreement should also state that the trainer is authorized to approve emergency care and surgery, if the owner is not available, up to a certain amount. Specify this amount in the contract.

COMMISSIONS. Clarify whether the owner and/or trainer share in race winnings or for facilitating the sale of a horse, and if so, the commission percentage. For race winnings, clarify whether there is a variance in the percentage if it is a claiming race, a stakes race, or an allowance race.

BILLING. Specify when bills are due (typically, within 30 days of billing date), and if interest is charged for overdue balances.

LIEN. This provides an important protection to trainers, when owners are delinquent in their payments. The clause should explain that if the owner fails to pay his/her bills, after a certain amount of time (say, 45 days), the trainer has the right to attach a lien to the horse, in the form of a liveryman lien or adjuster lien, and may ultimately, having secured the lien, sell the horse to recover losses.

INSURANCE. Specifies who is responsible for insuring the animal, and at what coverage amount.

TERMINATION AND WAIVER. Clarifies how the agreement may be terminated. In most cases, the agreement has a 30-day termination provision, after a written notice is provided. does not run afoul of the absolute insurer rule and thereby, potentially jeopardize his or her career and livelihood.

Training agreements do not have to be lengthy and complicated. In fact, many of the trainer’s agreements I have developed for clients are only a few pages long. That said, these documents do need to be complete

and clear. Trainers, use the guidance and checklist provided to draft an agreement and have it reviewed by an attorney. Owners, make sure any agreement you are presented with is complete and understandable. Once both parties have agreed to the terms and signed the training agreement, each should retain a copy of the executed version. n ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

91

INDUSTRY

Pennsylvania-bred Fast And Accurate

Keeping it all together!

The Pennsylvania Breeding Fund PHBA is responsible for all aspects of the administration, promotion and development of the Pennsylvania Breeding Fund, and maintenance of the official registry of PA-Bred racehorses and Pennsylvania stallions. A not-forprofit organization, the PHBA represents and serves the dues-paying members in every aspect of Pennsylvania’s Thoroughbred breeding industry.

PHOTOS: Mary Whalen, Nikki Sherman/PTHA

Breeding has its privileges PA-Breds have preferred starter status in all overnight races at Parx, Penn National and Presque Isle, with the exception of certain races whereby specific conditions outline additional preferences, such as certain turf races and starter handicaps.

In these races, PA-Bred preference is 92

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

general to the sub-groups of entrants.

Lucrative stakes races restricted to PABreds are regularly offered throughout the year at Parx, Penn National and Presque Isle.

regarding Pennsylvania’s Breeding Fund Program.

For additional information, contact the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.

Questions and answers regarding the fund

How does a horse become eligible to participate in this program?

Here are some frequently asked questions

A Thoroughbred foal born in the State of

PHBA Pennsylvania and registered as such with the Jockey Club is eligible for PennsylvaniaBred registration with the PHBA if one of the following conditions is met: For foals of 2017 and thereafter, the dam of the foal resided continuously in Pennsylvania since November 1 of the year of conception through foaling.

The dam of the foal was purchased at a public sale after November 1 of the year of conception and brought into Pennsylvania within 14 days of the date of purchase and remained continuously through foaling.

During the year of foaling, the foal or its dam spent at least ninety (90) days in the state.

The dam of the foal arrived after November 1 of the year of conception, foaled in Pennsylvania and was bred back to a registered PA stallion standing in Pennsylvania and the dam of the foal resided 90 consecutive days during the year of foaling.

Does the location of the sire affect a horse’s status as a registered PA-Bred?

Unlike some states, Pennsylvania has no ‘breed-back’ requirement or similar rule relating to a covering stallion. However, PA-Breds sired by registered Pennsylvania stallions earn significantly larger awards for their breeders.

What is the procedure for registering a PA-Bred?

Reference www.pabred.com for forms or contact the PHBA. Fill out the form completely and accurately, including the signature of the breeder of record. Return the form, along with the required W-9 form, copy of the Jockey Club certificate and correct fee to the PHBA. That’s all there is to it! The registration will remain in effect for the rest of the horse’s life.

How much does PA-Bred registration cost?

PHBA members pay $50 for applications postmarked within 365 days of the foaling date; $100 for applications postmarked by December 31 of the yearling year. Fees for non-PHBA members are $125 and $250 respectively.

Registration applications beyond December 31 of the yearling year are considered Late Applications for Registration.

Please note there is a late, non-refundable $500 registration fee with a mandatory 10 day waiting period prior to entry.

What about the owner bonus program?

The Pennsylvania-Bred owner bonus program rewards the owners of PABreds finishing first, second or third in designated overnight races at Parx, Penn National and Presque Isle. Bonuses are a designated percentage of purse shares and are considered part of a horse’s official earnings. Bonuses are deposited directly into owners’ accounts when purses are released. The sum of the bonus and the original purse share provides the basis for breeder and stallion awards earned.

Do Pennsylvania-based stallions earn awards also?

Yes! When a registered PA-Bred, by a registered Pennsylvania stallion, finishes first, second or third in any pari-mutuel race in the state, an amount equal to 10 percent of the purse share plus any PA-Bred owner’s bonus (stallion award is paid to the stallion owner or assigned designee).

registered and remains valid for life. Reregistration is necessary only if: 1. The stallion leaves Pennsylvania to stand in another state, excluding the Southern Hemisphere, and subsequently returns, or 2. More than 50 percent of his ownership changes

If a stallion is relocated from Pennsylvania to stand elsewhere, are awards still paid?

Yes – A stallion owner or designee will be paid awards earned by any registered PA-Breds conceived during the stallion’s effective term of registration.

How and when are awards paid?

What is the definition of a ‘registered Pennsylvania stallion’?

Breeder and stallion awards are processed monthly by the PHBA. Recipients are notified of their pending award, usually within 30 days after the end of the month in which it was earned; payment should be received within another 60 days. PABred owner bonuses are paid at the time of purse release and are deposited directly into owners’ accounts at the particular track.

A registered Pennsylvania stallion is a Thoroughbred stallion who stands regularly in Pennsylvania and is registered as such with the PHBA.

When ownership of a PA-Bred or a Pennsylvania sire changes, who receives the awards?

How does one register a Pennsylvania stallion?

PHBA provides applications which should be completed by the stallion’s owner and returned to the PHBA along with the $500 registration fee by February 15 of the breeding season or before he breeds his first mare, or $1,000 paid by December 31 of that year, and a required W-9.

Is the stallion then registered for life, or must this process by repeated annually?

Unless major changes occur, registration takes effect at the beginning of the breeding season of the year in which the stallion was

The breeder of record remains the same no matter who subsequently owns the horse; thus, the breeder continues to receive any applicable breeder awards. PA-Bred owner bonuses are paid to the horse’s licensed owner at the time the bonus was earned.

A stallion owner receives awards earned by eligible PA-Breds conceived during his tenure as owner and continues to do so if the stallion is sold, even if the stallion is no longer at stud in Pennsylvania.

Can out-of-state residents participate in the Pennsylvania breeding program?

Yes – There are no residency requirements for owners and/or breeders. n

How are the breeder awards calculated?

The breeder of a registered PA-Bred receives an award whenever that PA-Bred finishes first, second or third in any pari-mutuel race in the state. For PA-Breds sired by registered Pennsylvania stallions, the award (PA-Sired breeder award) amounts to 40 percent of the purse earned plus any PABred owner’s bonus. For those sired by outof-state stallions, the award (non-PA-Sired breeder award) is 20 percent.

Hector Caballero and Roxbury N Overton ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

93

SUPPLIERS GUIDE

EQUINE PRODUCTS

Surfaces as Soft as Nature Features: Seamless · Resilient · Cushioned · Easy to Clean · Anti-Fungal Anti-Bacterial · Range of Colors Available · NonSlip· Absorbs Shock Rubber Base · Hygienic · Self-leveling · Fatigue Reducing· National Certified Installers Applications: Stalls · Pens · Exam Rooms · Aisle Ways · Recovery Stalls

Call • 800 821 4557 www.abacussports.com ISSUE 33 – SUMMER 2014 $5.95

www.trainermagazine.com

Manufacturing tools to enable the fusion of equine science and sports

Manufacturer: Faster than racing speed Horse Treadmills, Circular Horse Exercisers, Portable and Standard Stocks, Large Muck Carts, Plastic Stall Gates, Steel Horse Scales, Portable Horse Scales, Roof Structures and Stable Grids.

EquiGym® LLC Contact: Leonie Seesing | Cell: 859 621 7723 Skype: equigym00 | E-mail: leonie@equigym.com

www.equigym.com

94

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

NEXT ISSUE ADVERT BOOKING DEADLINE Call 1-888-218-4430 or visit anderson-co.com/nat for further details

SUPPLIERS GUIDE

STABLE AND TRACK EQUIPMENT The RevitaVet Poll Cap™ An excellent tool for the nervous horse.

Simply place it over the poll, under the halter, and you’re good to go.

WORKS ON: Stiffness / Headaches Stress / Teeth grinding / Behavioral issues Head tension & head tilting / Frontal sinuses

Equipro Mfg. Ice Boots and Bandages Telephone: 562-396-6684 Website: www.equipro.com Items mfged: ● Ice boots ● Ice boot suspender ● Leg Wraps

To order, call 1.800.279.1479 or visit online at www.revitavet.com It’s only $395 + a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee!

Ship worldwide 5547 E Carita St Long Beach, CA 90808

EQUINE PRODUCTS

Legendary RT Hind

WHY PROFESSIONAL FARRIERS CHOOSE KERCKHAERT ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Better First Nail Position Good Nail Hole Spacing Heel Bevels Wider Sole Relief Stronger Aluminum Sandblasted Finishing on the Hoof Side

Legendary XT Front

VIEW THE BEST KERCKHAERT SHOES FOR RACING ON FPD'S MOBILE FIELD GUIDE FOR FARRIERS

Liberty Race Nails are a perfect fit for Kerckhaert Race Plates.

www.farrierproducts.com/fieldguide/race

FIND A FARRIERPRODUCTS™ DEALER NEAR YOU

Visit www.farrierproducts.com or call FPD at 1-800-468-2879.

ISSUE 44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

95

SID FERNANDO

T

RAINED by Mark Casse, the son of Pioneerof the Nile’s classic aspirations had looked bleak earlier in the season.

He’d run third in his highly anticipated season debut, the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on February 4, behind Irish War Cry and Gunnevera – a surprising result, not so much because he lost to two good horses, but because he was well back in third place and didn’t offer much of a challenge. A heavy favorite in the race, Classic Empire had shown none of the fighting spirit in the Holy Bull that had characterized his two-year-old campaign, which had begun early – he’d successfully debuted over four-and-a-half furlongs on May 4 at Churchill Downs – and included close but battling victories in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. In the latter race, he’d repelled the highly regarded Not This Time by a neck after a furious fight in the stretch, with the pair finishing seven-and-a-half lengths clear of Practical Joke, the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner. The Juvenile was the type of performance that was defining the ethos of the champion, though he did win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland by three lengths.

This pugilistic impression had enabled Classic Empire to compile a record of four wins from five starts at two. His only “loss” last year, in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, was a “DNF,” or “did not finish,” the result of his rider falling off at the start. Classic Empire appeared to be more like Nyquist, the previous year’s juvenile champion who also had a reputation for fighting out finishes, than American Pharoah, the two-year-old champion from 2014 who appeared far superior to his contemporaries. Together, Nyquist and American Pharoah have started a mini trend of two-year-old champions going on to classic success at three, and Classic

­­“

Training for Classic John C. Oxley’s champion two-year-old colt Classic Empire made both a literal and figurative come-from-behind run to put his name back into the Kentucky Derby picture when he won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, a $1 million classic prep with 100 Derby points to the winner, at Oaklawn Park on April 15.

Empire resembles them in one way or another.

There have been plenty of recent juvenile champs that haven’t made the transition to classic winners at three – Shanghai Bobby, Hansen, Uncle Mo, Midshipman, and War Pass are a few examples – but Classic Empire, despite being an early juvenile colt, has a pedigree similar to American Pharoah’s and one that suggests he’ll be even better this year as the distances increase. His sire, Pioneerof the Nile, ran second in the Derby and is a son of Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, himself a son of Derby winner Unbridled. At stud, Pioneerof the Nile got the 2015 Triple Crown winner in his second crop.

There are other similarities to American Pharoah. Classic Empire and American Pharoah are both out of Storm Cat-line mares. Classic Empire’s broodmare sire, Cat Thief, by Storm Cat, was third in the Derby and won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1999. American Pharoah’s broodmare sire, Yankee Gentleman, also by Storm Cat, was a speedier horse whose lone stakes win came at six furlongs.

If the surface reading of their pedigrees gives Classic Empire the edge in stamina, this is further bolstered by the class of his female family. Classic Empire’s fifth dam, William Haggin Perry’s foundation mare Alanesian, was a font for class and a daughter of the influential Alablue. Alanesian’s daughter, the Princequillo matron Quillesian, who is Classic Empire’s fourth dam, produced Perry’s champion three-year-old filly Revidere; the third dam, Forever Waving,

by Hoist the Flag, was bred by Claiborne, Perry’s partner. The long story short:

there’s depth and class and a combination of speed and stamina in this family, and a classic victory for Classic Empire would make him an outstanding stallion prospect.

Ironically, both American Pharoah and Classic Empire were under the gun to make the Derby. The former suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss the Juvenile, and his trainer, Bob Baffert, needed every day from then to the Arkansas Derby to put the finishing touches to American Pharoah’s Derby preparations.

Likewise, Casse has had to retool Classic Empire’s preparations since the Holy Bull, and we’ve since found out the colt has had a foot abscess, a back issue, and some mental challenges to overcome. Regarding the latter, there was evidence before the Holy Bull that the colt wasn’t quite right as he sweated and fretted before the race, and afterwards it was well publicized that he had balked at training.

Casse’s expert horsemanship, like Baffert’s, saved the day. Casse moved the colt to a new location, Winding Oaks; treated Classic Empire’s mind and body; and got Classic Empire to Oaklawn ready to run. And the colt won in the manner we’ve come to expect from him – not by a flashy eight lengths, like American’s Pharoah’s Arkansas Derby, but by a half-length.

The race should set him up well up for the Kentucky Derby, which is the goal for any owner of a top three-year-old. Oxley is lucky. He won the Derby with Monarchos in 2001, and he knows there are financial rewards for winning the classic. But he also knows there’s only one Kentucky Derby, and it’s the race everyone wants to win. n

The long story short: there’s depth and class and a combination of speed and stamina in this family, and a classic victory for Classic Empire would make him an outstanding stallion prospect 96

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 44

”

TRACK–RECORD–SETTING GRADED STAKES WINNING

SON OF GIANT’S CAUSEWAY OUT OF A CHAMPION DAUGHTER OF THEATRICAL (IRE)

NIAGARA

CAUSEWAY GIANT’S CAUSEWAY-THEORETICALLY,

BY THEATRICAL (IRE)

Sire of promising 3YO colt DUROCHER, winner of two straight on turf at Gulfstream, including a score by 2 1/2-lengths on 4.9.17 running a mile in 1:36 3/5.

Sire of 2016 $100,000 Stakes Performer and 8-time winner LOGAN CREEK ($117,822) and stakes-placed HELLO PEOPLE ($46,739).

Outstanding sire of multiple allowance winner • YOU SHOULD BE HERE ($138,993), • CAUSE I’M GOLD ($47,821), • AS GOOD AS GOLD ($57,546), • ELSENORDELOSCIELOS ($64,050), etc.

STUD FEE: $2,500

BUCK POND FARM DOUG ARNOLD

n

VERSAILLES, KY

859.873.4081

North American Trainer ISSUE 44 (MAY 2017-JULY 2017)

Bred and/or R aced by

DENA SPRINGS

298 709 246

Blacktype Winners Have Won

Blacktype Races including

ISSUE 44 MAY 2017-JULY 2017 $5.95

Graded Stakes Wins

www.trainermagazine.com

ANTONIO SANO in profile

Success Where It Counts

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE Publishing Ltd

ADENA SPRINGS Dermot Carty (416) 518-1449

www.AdenaStallions.com

KENTUCKY: Awesome Again Capo Bastone City Wolf Fort Larned Ghostzapper Macho Uno Mucho Macho Man North Light Point of Entry CANADA: Giant Gizmo Hunters Bay Milwaukee Brew Rookie Sensation Silent Name Silver Max Singing Saint Sligo Bay

17-1351 BT Wnrs/GSWs Bck Cover & Dig Spr Summer.indd 1

4/24/17 4:21 PM

Tweaking training decisions Thinking outside the box

Frank Stronach Exclusive interview

His plans for the future

Compounding pharmacies Does faking it pay?