The Horsemen's Journal - Fall 2022

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DEPARTMENTS

HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

FEATURES

Complicated

More Challenges

due to start Jan. 1

Anatomy of an Outbreak

Issues related to contagious disease and illness can be managed with a proper biosecurity plan at the racetrack

Fan the Flame

Kids to the Cup initiative

large group of racing industry

NATIONAL HBPA 3380 Paris Pike Lexington, KY

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MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

CORPORATION

Horsemen and horsewomen continue to express concerns and objections to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) along with its self-proclaimed “Authority.”

Valid concerns arose from the registration process and the lack of transparency, knowledge and experience of those at the helm of putting HISA into action. Objections also have been made about the attempt to tax and control all aspects of Thoroughbred racing and the uninformed, inappropriate proposed rules and enforcement proposals being put forth by what is being called the “Authority.”

Who decided it was the “Authority”?

Recently, I had the opportunity to be in New Orleans for a set of appointments. While there with the Louisiana HBPA, I had the honor of having lunch with a large group that included Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. During our time together, he encouraged all of us to challenge the labeling of the Authority and went on to say that this entity is actually a corporation. A corporation is defined as a legal entity, separate and distinct from its owners. Under the law, corporations possess many of the same rights and responsibilities as individuals. They can enter contracts, loan and borrow money, sue and be sued, hire employees, own assets and pay taxes. Aside from its declaration as a nonprofit, the HISA Authority seems more like a corporation in my mind, and I agree with Attorney General Landry.

PRESIDENT/ CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD Dr. Doug Daniels

SECRETARY/ TREASURER Lynne McNally

EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Hamelback

The corporation under HISA has only exhibited arrogance and a lack of experience in all matters related to the Thoroughbred racing industry. So who deemed it the Authority? As I now see it, the HISA Authority violates common sense and the basic rights we enjoy as citizens of the United States while also violating the states’ rights. The Authority has failed thus far to prove it can do anything better than the states’ already established racing authorities that it seeks to sidestep and replace, thus it is failing on the basis for its creation and existence and it is not exhibiting that it is the collective authority in Thoroughbred racing.

The corporation created under HISA continues to demand registration and compliance when in fact there are still unknown HISA rules and regulations yet to be provided to Thoroughbred industry participants and stakeholders. The Authority has governed thus far by fear and intimidation. It also is leading the way in hypocrisy, which is clearly illustrated by its demand for information and transparency by covered persons during the registration process, yet the HISA corporation provides no transparency with regards to its own governance, operations, detailed budget, rule-making or decision-making processes. The Authority also exemplifies the cliché, “do as I say, not as I do,” all while threats for noncompliance include fines, suspensions and even preventing participation.

This approach lacks common sense and a legal basis and, at best, represents a violation of public policy, individual rights, due process and constitutionality. I realize HISA is the current law, but there continue to be questions related to the constitutionality of this law. Without question, there is significant opposition from many stakeholders in the Thoroughbred racing industry, despite what continues to be written in the industry’s press.

The HISA Authority is trying to exist on both sides of the fence. On one side, the corporation wants to be a private nonprofit entity, and on the other side, it assumes the power to levy and tax those involved in Thoroughbred racing and the production of that industry’s product—a Thoroughbred race. Yet Authority appointments and hirings are unregulated and uncontrolled, all while having taxing authority.

The Authority—in its audacity, arrogance and a presumed right to an open checkbook funded by Thoroughbred industry participants—continues to propose rules doomed to fail due to its lack of knowledge and experience. We have seen that with its backtracking on the HISA horseshoe and crop rules. The Authority even has attempted to force a racetrack to hire a HISA veterinarian, which legally cannot be done. Proposed rules and regulations have been submitted without a fair comment period and then rubberstamped by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) only to cause much confusion and interference with racing. To my knowledge as of this letter, we believe no draft regulations have been submitted to the FTC for the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program. Furthermore, the Authority cannot continue to act with no oversight such as picking its own program effective date. I do not understand how it can arbitrarily make such a change on its own. If it can simply change its own rules without consequence, where else will it decide to not follow rules set by Congress? I fear this is a bad precedent for the HISA corporation to act outside its authority.

To date, the HISA corporation has exhibited a failure to consider comments received from knowledgeable and experienced industry groups and individuals, only to recently declare it needs a horsemen’s advisory committee. Too little too late? You decide. I ask affiliates and individual members of the HBPA to rally behind the National HBPA’s continued request to members of Congress for delayed implementation of the entire Act to January 1, 2024, or later. I believe if an 18-month delay were granted, it would allow changes to be made based on the input of true industry participants.

In the very near future, we are hopeful bipartisan House legislation will be introduced that delays the implementation of HISA by passing a simple, common-sense bill that updates the program effective date in the Act. We will continue to fight for this delay of further implementation in order to initiate substantive changes to rules that are currently proving to be overly burdensome and unfair to our members. While we know we will not always be correct, we do know there is overwhelming support for our pushback on HISA and the corporation making the regulations. The horsemen are the Authority in this industry, and we need to make sure the HISA corporation understands this fact.

SINCERELY, ERIC J. HAMELBACK

HBPA

AFFILIATES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - AFFILIATES

Dr. David Harrington, Alabama

Robert Hutton, Arizona

Bill Walmsley, Arkansas

James Miller, Charles Town

Kim Oliver, Colorado

Chris Vaccaro, Finger Lakes

Jim Watkins, Illinois

Joe Davis, Indiana

David McShane, Iowa

Rick Hiles, Kentucky

Benard Chatters, Louisiana

Jason Uelmen, Michigan

Pete Mattson, Minnesota

Jami Poole, Mountaineer Park

Garald “Wally” Wollesen, Nebraska

Anthony Spadea, New England

Roy Manfredi, New Mexico

Joe Poole, Ohio

Joe Offolter, Oklahoma

Ron Sutton, Oregon

Sandee Martin, Pennsylvania

Mike Dini, Tampa Bay Downs

David Ross, Virginia

Pat LePley, Washington

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

The Horsemen’s Journal, Volume 69 #3.

Postal Information: The Horsemen’s Journal (ISSN 0018-5256) is published quarterly by the National Horsemen’s Administration Corporation, with publishing offices at P.O. Box 8645, Round Rock, TX 78683. Copyright 2022 all rights reserved.

The Horsemen’s Journal is the official publication for members of the Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, a representative association of Thoroughbred owners and

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. Kimberly Brewer Dr. Clara Fenger Jacob Machin Jessica Paquette Jen Roytz

Peter J. Sacopulos Dr. Thomas Tobin

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Benoit Photo

Breeders’ Cup/Eclipse Sportswire Coady Photography

Coglianese Photo

Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation Gulfstream Park

Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club

NYRA

Dustin Orona Jessica Paquette Jen Roytz Lydia Williams

STAFF Tom Law Editor

P (859) 396-9407 hj@hbpa.org

Michelle McShane Advertising Director

P (515) 508-1811 info@hbpa.org

Limb Design www.limbdesign.com Graphic Design

THE HORSEMEN’S JOURNAL

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Gwen Davis/Davis Innovation

trainers. HBPA is a non-profit 501(c)6 Kentucky corporation. Members receive The Horsemen’s Journal as a benefit of membership paid by the national office from affiliate dues. Annual non-member subscriptions are $25. Single-copy back issues, if available, are $7. Canadian subscribers add $6. All other subscriptions outside the U.S. add $20 payable in U.S. funds. To order reprints or subscriptions, call (859) 259-0451.

The HBPA National Board of Directors has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessary in the transaction of the public business required of the association. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and/or advertisers and do not necessarily represent the opinion or policy of the publisher or HBPA board or staff. Query the editor prior to sending any manuscripts.

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LEADING

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AUTUMN IN THE BLUEGRASS THIS YEAR MARKS THE RETURN OF THE BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TO KEENELAND RACE COURSE.

Godolphin, Moores Earn TOBA National Honors

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Godolphin operation, which swept the outstanding owner and breeder titles for 2021 at the Eclipse Awards, pulled a similar double at the 37th Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association National Awards Dinner in early September at Keeneland.

Godolphin won National Owner of the Year, presented by 1/ST, and National Breeder of the Year at the awards ceremony held at the Keeneland Entertainment Center. Godolphin earned more than $70 million in purses globally in 2021 and in North America won 84 races and racked up more than $17.4 million in purses as an owner. Godolphin’s earnings as a breeder exceeded $20.7 million in 2021.

Godolphin homebreds accounted for all of the operation’s 30 stakes wins, including 23 graded stakes victories in 2021.

“It’s a wonderful honor to be able to represent Sheikh Mohammed this evening as the owner and the breeder of the year,” Godolphin USA Director of Bloodstock Michael Banahan said from the podium, according to BloodHorse “It is his dedication and love of the horse that drives him to assemble a broodmare band and a stallion roster that helps him compete at the highest level of the sport.

“Sheikh Mohammed has given us the tools to help achieve these results of national owner and breeder of the year,” Banahan continued. “He enthusiastically follows the results of these wonderfully gifted equine athletes. Then these results are achieved through the countless hours of hard work of our team at Godolphin USA.”

Godolphin was one of several operations honored over a two-day stretch, along with the National Small Breeder of the Year and the State and Canadian Breeders of the Year. The state and Canadian honors were handed out at a September 9 luncheon at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud the day before the awards dinner.

The mother-daughter team of Angie and Sabrina Moore was announced as the winner of the National Small Breeder of the Year for the second straight year.

The Maryland-based team bred 2021 Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Knicks Go. Foaled and raised at the Moores’ GreenMount Farm in Maryland, Knicks Go retired after this year’s Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup with a record of 10-4-1 in 25 starts and earnings of $9,258,135. The 6-year-old son of Paynter stood his first season in 2022 at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

The finalists in the national owner, breeder and small breeder categories also were honored during the awards dinner. The other owner finalists were

Klaravich Stables, Juddmonte, Hronis Racing and the partnership of China Horse Club and WinStar Farm. The other finalists for breeder were Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings and the partnership of Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding. The other small breeder finalists were Gail Rice and J&J Stables.

The late Dr. J. David “Doc” Richardson was honored posthumously with the TOBA Industry Service Award. Going forward, the award will be named in honor of Richardson, an owner and breeder for more than 50 years who served on countless industry boards and charitable endeavors including as chair of TOBA and the American Graded Stakes Committee.

Other major awards handed out included the National Broodmare of the Year title to Indian Miss, the dam of champion male sprinter Mitole and Grade 1 winner Hot Rod Charlie; the Cot Campbell Partnership of the Year to Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg; the Robert N. Clay Award presented by Equine Land Conservation Resource to Charles Fenwick Jr.; and the Rood & Riddle Sport Horse of the Year to Argyle (Office Hours).

—Tom Law

2021 State and Canadian Breeders of the Year, Sponsored by Coolmore: Arkansas Breeder of the Year—McDowell Farms (Bill and Mary McDowell)

California Breeder of the Year—Lovacres Ranch (Terry Lovingier)

Canada Breeder of the Year—Sam-Son Farm

Canada Small Breeder of the Year—Terrance Greer and Brandon Greer

Florida Breeder of the Year—Live Oak Stud (Charlotte C. Weber)

Indiana Breeder of the Year—Justice Farm (Greg Justice)

Iowa Breeder of the Year—Allen Poindexter Kentucky Breeder of the Year—Godolphin Louisiana Breeder of the Year—P. Dale Ladner and Brett Brinkman Maryland Breeder of the Year—Robert Manfuso and Katharine Voss Minnesota Breeder of the Year—Lothenbach Stables

New Jersey Breeder of the Year—Law Legacy Stables (Joel Weiner)

New Mexico Breeder of the Year—Crystal Springs (Estate of R.D. Hubbard)

New York Breeder of the Year—Chester and Mary Broman

North Carolina Breeder of the Year—Elizabeth Muirhead Oregon Breeder of the Year—Nirvana Farm (Andria Mengucci)

Pennsylvania Breeder of the Year—Joe-Dan Farm and George Chestnut South Carolina Breeder of the Year—Franklin Smith Sr. Texas Breeder of the Year—Lisa Kuhlmann

Virginia Breeder of the Year—Morgan’s Ford Farm (Wayne and Susie Chatfield-Taylor)

Washington Breeder of the Year—Rainbow Meadows Farm (Petra Lewin)

CHAMPION 3-YEAR-OLD COLT AND TRAVERS AND BELMONT STAKES WINNER ESSENTIAL QUALITY HELPED FLY THE FLAG FOR THE AWARDWINNING GODOLPHIN OPERATION IN 2021, WHILE SABRINA AND ANGIE MOORE WERE HONORED AS NATIONAL SMALL BREEDER OF THE YEAR FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR DURING THE TOBA NATIONAL AWARDS DINNER IN SEPTEMBER.

NYRA

ECLIPSE

SPORTSWIRE

Transcripts from 70th Round Table Available

Official transcripts and a video replay from the 70th annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing are now available at jockeyclub.com.

The August 14 conference in Saratoga Springs, New York, featured presentations by Lisa Lazarus, chief executive officer of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, who provided an update on the first six weeks of enforcement of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). Lazarus also discussed plans for the authority and the status of rules for the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, which goes into effect January 1, 2023.

Lazarus’ keynote address was complemented by an address from Senate Majority Leader Charles E. “Chuck” Schumer (D-NY).

Dennis Madsen, head of racing for the Swedish Horseracing Authority, presented on Scandinavia’s rule that prohibits crop use.

Dr. Lauren Stiroh, managing director of NERA Economic Consulting, reviewed her preliminary findings from an analysis of economic trends in

Thoroughbred racing and breeding with a specific focus on declines in the foal crop.

Tom Rooney, president and chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, talked about the organization’s work in Washington, D.C., to benefit all industry stakeholders.

John Penza, the director of international investigations at 5 Stones intelligence and a former special agent for the FBI, was interviewed by James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club, in a discussion about his experiences as an investigator.

Shannon Kelly, executive director of The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation, spoke about issues facing the industry’s workforce and how the foundation assists those in need.

Carl Hamilton, president of The Jockey Club Information Systems and chair of BloodHorse, delivered information on the activities of The Jockey Club. Stuart S. Janney III, chair of The Jockey Club, presided over the conference and focused his closing remarks on the lawsuits regarding HISA.

T.I.P. Announces Non-Competition Award Winners

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) announced the recipients of its two non-competition awards, the T.I.P. Thoroughbred of the Year and T.I.P. Young Rider of the Year, for 2022.

Thoroughbred of the Year recognizes a Thoroughbred that has excelled in a non-competitive career, such as equine-assisted therapy or police work, and includes a $5,000 grant to the nonprofit organization associated with the horse or, if no organization is associated with the horse, to a horse-related charity chosen by The Jockey Club.

The 2022 Thoroughbred of the Year is River, a 22-year-old mare registered with The Jockey Club as Teen Dancer. River works as a therapy horse at CORRAL, a nonprofit that assists adolescent girls in high-risk situations through a long-term holistic program of equine therapy and education. River’s main responsibility is helping young women learn to trust her and to stay emotionally regulated throughout the ups and downs of a close relationship. River raced seven times with two wins, one second and one third, winning $7,500.

“Like so many of our youth, River was rejected time and time again from her foster homes; it wasn’t until she came to CORRAL that she found her forever home,” said Joy Currey, founder and executive director of CORRAL Riding Academy. “Now she helps young women find a place they can call their home away from home where they can access their bright, bright futures. River’s intense spirit matches well with our rigorous college-preparatory environment and teaches our girls that they are capable of so much more than the world expects of them.”

The young rider award, which recognizes riders 18 or younger (as of January 1, 2022) who own or lease a Thoroughbred for use in 4-H, Pony Club or other activities, was awarded to Ashlynn Riley, Andie Sue Roth and Erika Williams. The winners receive a $5,000 award to be applied to the college of their choice or to participation in an event that furthers their equine involvement.

Riley, who turned 18 in April, owns and events George, registered name Mr Pappagiorgio, a 2009 Thoroughbred gelding that retired from the track in 2012 after four starts. Riley is a T.I.P. ambassador and will use her award to help with tuition for her online veterinary technician program at Penn Foster University and for training with George.

Roth is 17 and rides dressage on her Thoroughbred Blue, registered name Cape Royal, an 11-year-old gelding that ran 24 times. A Paralympic hopeful, Roth plans to use her award to continue training with Lisa Hellmer, the U.S. Para Dressage Development Coach, in Ocala, Florida.

Williams, 18 as of January, owns and rides Troy, a 10-year-old who made five starts under the name House of Troy. Williams plans to use her award to ship Troy from California to her college in Kentucky.

RIVER, A 22-YEAR-OLD MARE REGISTERED WITH THE JOCKEY CLUB AS TEEN DANCER WHO WORKS AS A THERAPY HORSE WITH ADOLESCENT GIRLS, EARNED THE 2022 THOROUGHBRED OF THE YEAR TITLE FROM THE THOROUGHBRED INCENTIVE PROGRAM THAT ALSO HONORED YOUNG RIDERS ASHLYNN RILEY, ANDIE SUE ROTH AND ERIKA WILLIAMS.

THE

CORRAL

TAMARA

JILL WILLIAMS

DERITH VOGT

ASHLYNN RILEY

ANDIE SUE ROTH

ERIKA WILLIAMS

McLaughlin, ‘Mattress Mack’ Among NTWAB Honorees

TNational Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) will honor lifelong horseman and former leading trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, owner and breeder Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and four others during its 62nd annual Awards Dinner at Malone’s Prime Events in Lexington, Kentucky, Wednesday, November 2.

McLaughlin, who has quietly battled multiple sclerosis for more than two decades, will receive the Bill Mooney Award for displaying courage in the face of tremendous adversity. Born and raised in Lexington, McLaughlin was introduced to racing through longtime friend Greg Burchell. He worked for Burchell’s father, Jim, and other trainers before landing a job with Hall of Fame conditioner D. Wayne Lukas in the mid-1980s. McLaughlin left Lukas’ operation in 1992 to become a jockey’s agent, working with the late Chris Antley for about a year until taking a job as private trainer for the Maktoum family in Dubai.

McLaughlin later split time between Dubai and the United States, and his long association with Shadwell Farm, Godolphin Racing, Darley and other Maktoum operations produced dozens of major stakes victories. He won 41 Grade 1 stakes and trained eight millionaires from 1995 into 2020, including Hall of Famer Invasor and $3.9 million earner Frosted. He retired from training in early 2020.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive this award,” said McLaughlin, who currently works as a jockey’s agent for Luis Saez.

McLaughlin joins four prior Mooney winners—the award’s namesake who died in 2017 after a long battle with cancer, retired jockey Joy Scott, retired jockey and owner Rene Douglas and horsewoman Martine Bellocq.

“It’s remarkable the way he’s handled the adversity of MS all these years;

you wouldn’t even know it,” said McLaughlin’s longtime friend, colleague and former Lukas protégé Todd Pletcher. “He’s met it head on, never relinquished his pursuit of excellence, whether it was training and now as an agent for Luis.

“I’m sure it’s a lot more difficult than he makes it look,” Pletcher continued. “The way he’s attacked it and never let it slow him down is admirable. I’m sure there are days that it’s not easy, but you’d never know it. He always has a smile on his face and is happy to be there. Overall, he’s a terrific person, with a great family. And he’s been a good friend, a good husband, a good parent to his kids. All the things you would want, and he’s a good role model for everyone.”

McIngvale, widely known as “Mattress Mack” for the television personality he long ago adopted as owner of a hugely successful chain of furniture stores in Texas, will be honored with the Mr. Fitz Award for typifying the spirit of racing. McIngvale is one of the most visible personalities in racing through the tireless promotion of his stallion, Runhappy, the 2015 champion male sprinter. McIngvale’s philanthropy and generosity during regional crises have brought him widespread praise, while several massive wagers on racing and sporting events in recent years also have brought him a measure of attention as someone willing to roll the dice in the name of free enterprise and charity.

The NTWAB also will honor Barbara Livingston, chief photographer for Daily Racing Form, with the Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service to racing; Chris Lincoln, an Eclipse Award winner who served as longtime producer and host of ESPN’s Racing Across America and Racehorse Digest programs in the 1980s and ’90s, with the Jim McKay Award for career excellence in broadcasting; and turf writers Mike Welsch and Tom Pedulla with the Walter Haight Award for career excellence in turf writing. HJ

Miles Ahead Earns Claiming Crown Horse of the Year Honor

The now 5-year-old gelding Miles Ahead lost his first start back in 2019 by 43 lengths but went on to prove trainer Eddie Plesa’s belief that he was a good horse. It just took some time. That patience was paid back in spades as the gelding won four races in 2021, including Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3 Smile Sprint Invitational Stakes and the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit Stakes three races later to earn honors as the 2021 Claiming Crown Horse of the Year. The honor is voted on by the National HBPA’s Industry Awards Committee chaired by Todd Mostoller from the Pennsylvania HBPA.

Miles Ahead was recognized at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s National Awards Dinner September 10 at Keeneland Race Course. The Claiming Crown—designed to give the blue-collar workhorses that dominate American race cards their own championship day on the lines of the Breeders’ Cup—is sponsored by the National HBPA, TOBA and the host track.

instead of living up to his name he was more like miles behind as he lost contact with the field early to finish last by 43 lengths in a $50,000 maiden claiming sprint on turf.

“During the course of getting him prepared to run as a 2-year-old, he never showed anything,” Plesa said. “So I put him on the turf with the idea that if this horse is going to make it, it’s going to be on the turf because he sure doesn’t show anything on the dirt. Needless to say, he ran horrible.”

Off that, Plesa felt secure putting Miles Ahead in a $12,500 maiden claiming race on dirt—the bottom rung on the racing ladder at Gulfstream Park. He won by 12 1/4 lengths.

“He kind of woke up,” Plesa said. “I wasn’t scared of anybody claiming him. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure he was worth $12,500 at that time. The rest is what you see on paper.”

Miles Ahead stamped himself as a solid $25,000 claimer and starter allowance horse and kept advancing in 2021—winning a starter allowance, narrowly losing a $60,000 handicap to the accomplished Diamond Oops and then defeating that $1.4 million earner while capturing the Smile Stakes. A trip to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap didn’t work out, but Miles Ahead came back and won the December 4 Claiming Crown Rapid Transit under Paco Lopez by 1 1/4 lengths over Legal Deal. The Kentucky-bred son of Competitive Edge started his 5-year-old season with two more victories, capped by the $150,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes before his sale.

National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback said Miles Ahead epitomizes what the Claiming Crown and the Claiming Crown Horse of the Year were created to recognize.

“The committee zeroed in on Miles Ahead and felt as if the horse and the connections were indeed the ones to be recognized for their accomplishments,” Hamelback said. HJ

Eligibility Requests Due for Claiming Crown

Eligibility requests and a $200 administrative fee per horse per race are due October 22 for the 24th running of the Claiming Crown scheduled for November 12 at Churchill Downs.

“Any time you get national attention, it’s an honor,” Plesa said. “We’re all tickled to death about it. Listen, this is a tough industry. When you’re recognized by your peers and you’re given an award, it kind of makes you puff out your chest a little bit. In the game of horse racing, if you’re batting 20 percent that’s supposed to be great. This sport has something to it that supersedes success as far as making it to the winner’s circle. That’s what makes this sport of ours so great.”

Miles Ahead was purchased in 2019 for $175,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March 2-year-olds in training sale by the Florida-based Plesa and the ownership partnership of David Melin, Leon Ellman and Plesa’s wife, Laurie. After Miles Ahead won 11 of 21 starts and $435,725 for the partnership, they accepted an offer this spring to sell the gelding, who now races for Jay Em Ess Stable and is trained by Kentucky-based Paul McGee. For his new connections, Miles Ahead finished second to Aloha West in July in the Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes and won the Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes in midSeptember at Churchill Downs.

But long before all of this was that inauspicious start to his career, when

The Claiming Crown will be run at Churchill for the first time this year and held just a week after the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland Race Course.

The Claiming Crown’s eight races will be worth $1.05 million in purses. In addition, registered Kentucky-breds will compete for an extra $10,000 to $25,000 in KTDF supplements.

The races are being staged as starter allowances instead of stakes, which means horses will be able to run on Lasix.

MILES AHEAD, WINNER OF LAST YEAR’S CLAIMING CROWN RAPID TRANSIT (ABOVE) AND THE GRADE 3 SMILE AT GULFSTREAM PARK, EARNED CLAIMING CROWN HORSE OF THE YEAR HONORS FROM THE NATIONAL HBPA’S INDUSTRY AWARDS COMMITTEE.

COGLIANESE

PHOTO

ATTENTION

OWNERS

FARM MANAGERS

S SEASON DONOR FORM FOR 2023 BREEDING SEASON

• ALL foals born in 2024, regardless of what state they are foaled in, are eligible to nominate to our 2026 ITBOA Stallion Futu rity for two year olds and 2027 Stallion Stakes for three year olds. (3 yo race will have a filly AND a colt/gelding division)

• EASY one time nomination of only $200 for the foals to nominate; which means MORE of your foals will be eligible to run in a Black Type race. 2022 Stallion Futurity, Stallion Stakes & Stallion Filly Stakes had total purses of $276,868!!!

• The ITBOA will mail nomination forms to ALL breeders with a foal by your stallion

• The opportunity to receive $15,000 to the Stallion Donor with our Stallion Incentive Bonus Program, $165,000 paid out so far!!!

• All sale prices will be kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL between the buyer, the seller and the ITBOA.

• Seasons will be sold online through www.thoroughlybred.com, ending on December 12th. Only E Bay like website dedicated to the thoroughbred industry!

• Donations are not split with the season donor and/or stallion owner. Only 100% donation seasons accepted.

• Bidding will begin at $500 unless a higher reserve is set. Any reserve must be in writing. Reserves are defined as “the minimum a season may be sold for”.

•

Proceeds from the season’s sale will be solely designated to the ITBOA Stallion Futurity & ITBOA Stallion Stakes

• YOU decide if to allow a Breed Back if no foal in 2024.

• NO ENTRY FEE

• You can provide up to five pictures to be used on website and provide a link to the stallion ’s page and/or farm website.

*Breed Back To Each Stallion Standing Farm 2023 Stud Fee State Yes or No?

*This will allow a breed back in 2024 if the mare does not conceive, aborts the fetus, or does not produce a live foal which s tands and nurses in 2024. Applicable only if the stallion is standing at the same farm in 2024.

It PAYS to donate to the ITBOA Stallion Auction:

Time,

s Tribe by Sharp Azteca and Miss Peach by Dominus won the 2022 ITBOA Stallion Stakes Races.

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

Horsemen have a habit of taking care of their own. If someone was sick or down on his luck, they “passed the hat,” taking up collections, which is a time-honored tradition among racetrackers.

It was in 1940 in New England that a group of committed horsemen brought into existence what is now known as the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. From this meager beginning the National HBPA has developed into an organization representing the horsemen’s interests on a myriad of issues.

Today, there are nearly 30,000 owner and trainer members throughout the United States and Canada focused on a common goal—the betterment of racing on all levels.

With this purpose in mind, we welcome and encourage all horsemen to join the National HBPA, and we urge our members to take an active role in the direction and policies of our organization. It is our members who make a difference. We horsemen are the National HBPA.

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

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

One. Helping Many.

“TCA’s support of the Thoroughbred Makeover has helped thousands of horses get a solid foundation of retraining after racing.”

Jen Roytz, Retired Racehorse Project

“TCA’s grants provide financial assistance to our food pantry that serves all the backstretch workers.”

Chaplain Humberto Chavez, New York Racetrack Chaplaincy of America

“TCA’s grants have allowed us to rehome thousands of Thoroughbreds throughout the years.”

Bev Strauss, Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue

Please consider a donation today.

P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, Kentucky 40591 | TCA.org | (859) 276-4989

Thoroughbred Charities of America provides grants to approved organizations working to help Thoroughbreds, backstretch, and farm workers.

FAN

Tthan it does now. When a bunch of horse-crazy teenagers befriended each other on the AOL horse racing message boards, most of our parents thought nothing of it.

While I may not remember what I had for lunch last week, I can tell you with the utmost certainty that Merv Huber’s favorite horse was Sandpit. For Susie Raisher, it was Flanders and Silver Charm. Emily Shields?

Desert Stormer. I can’t see Catinca’s name deep in a pedigree and not think of Nikki Sherman. The list goes on and on, and I know that whenever they all see Graeme Hall or an obscure reference to Blazing Sword, they think of me.

Those AOL message boards were where we found a community with a shared passion—the Thoroughbred racing industry. None of us were born into the sport, but we were watching from the sidelines, consuming every bit of content we could find on the growing world wide web. It also connected us to Kids to the Cup, the brainchild of prominent owner-breeder Trudy McCaffery with a goal of introducing a younger generation to the Sport of Kings.

as socially awkward weirdos,” said Merv Huber, who now works as the senior director of digital growth at Scientific Games and produces the morning line at Colonial Downs. “Our passion for horse racing was not shared by peers our age in our neighborhoods or schools. We found our most meaningful companionship on the AOL message boards where we connected with peers scattered across the country who shared our passion for horse racing. It was a vibrant and thriving online community. “Kids to the Cup brought us together in person for the first time, solidifying lifelong friendships, almost all of which endure even today, more than 20 years later.”

“Without Kids to the Cup, I have no idea how I would have gotten involved in the industry,” said Emily Shields, now the social media producer at TVG. “It was beyond getting my own feet in the door; it also helped show my parents, who were extremely concerned about my love for racing, that the sport was more than seedy characters gambling all day and night.

COGLIANESE

PHOTO

KIDS TO THE CUP INITIATIVE PRODUCED A LARGE GROUP OF RACING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

TRADITION OF SUCCESS

Since 1973, Race Track Industry Program graduates have been united by passion–for the horse, for racing, for making their own mark. This passion and drive connects them long after the degree has been earned and careers have been launched. From winning Triple Crowns to running racetracks, managing bloodstock enterprises to calling races, RTIP alumni are leading the industry. Become a part of this legacy.

Race Track Industry

“Through Kids to the Cup, I had the opportunity to speak with some of the world’s best trainers, and I even got to walk up with a horse of John Sadler’s once for a race and see the whole process of getting ready, saddling and sending the horse out with the jockey just as if I were part of the team,” she continued. “The hands-on experience we had was life-changing and something we couldn’t have gotten without being born into the sport in some way. I’m so very proud of all the kids that went through that program and ended up working in the sport.”

Imagine our shock when we received an email that we had won an allexpenses-paid trip to the 1999 Breeders’ Cup at Gulfstream Park. Imagine further the shock from our parents as we approached them to tell them a stranger on the internet would like us to fly to Florida and go to a racetrack with them. Somehow it all worked out, and Trudy’s idea was put into motion with the help of John DeSantis.

That first Kids to the Cup was the start of everything for me.

I vividly remember walking into (old, beautiful, magnificent) Gulfstream for the first time and immediately knowing this sport was going to be it for me. I was 15 and knew that somehow this was where I was meant to be.

In hindsight, as an adult working in the industry full time and understanding that the pace of things at the racetrack is never really slow, the thing that amazes me most is how generous everyone was with their time.

Caton Bredar took endless time out of her busy schedule to help shepherd us around, patiently answering every question we could come up with. And there were many. It has been a great honor as an adult to get the chance to work on occasion with someone I not only admired so much as a teenager but someone who was so gracious and so supportive from the very beginning.

I think often of Todd Pletcher. This was the beginning of his rise to the top of the trainer standings, and he was never too busy to welcome us into his barn.

THE

JESSICA PAQUETTE AND MERV HUBER, GRADUATES OF KIDS TO THE CUP, LANDED VARIOUS JOBS IN RACING INCLUDING THIS PAST SUMMER AT COLONIAL DOWNS.

JESSICA PAQUETTE PHOTOS

RAIN CAN’T DAMPEN THE SPIRITS OF KIDS TO THE CUP MEMBERS (FROM LEFT) SUSIE RAISHER, JESSICA PAQUETTE, RYEN HANNA, NIKKI SHERMAN AND ROBIN TAN AT THE 2003 BELMONT STAKES.

LYDIA WILLIAMS PHOTO

JESSICA PAQUETTE PHOTOS

He willingly unleashed a gaggle of horse-crazy teenagers to wander through his shed row, patting rising star after rising star. Years would pass, and as we got older (and got driver’s licenses), we often would appear at his barn randomly to visit our favorite horses, and he always had time to take a few minutes for us.

Kids to the Cup opened the most important door for me—the one to the Suffolk Downs press box. Through kindness from the editorial team at Thoroughbred Times, this wannabe journalist was granted press credentials to cover the Massachusetts Handicap. T.D. Thornton, on the busiest day of his entire season, welcomed a neon-green teenager into the press box and unleashed me on the facility. From the second I walked across that catwalk for the first time, I knew I was home.

There will never be enough words to thank Johnny D. Even as the years went on and Kids to the Cup ended and Trudy passed away, he remained our biggest fan and our biggest supporter. Knowing he was in our corner, wherever the sport took us, has been one of the greatest gifts and longest lasting impacts of Kids to the Cup.

“When I say I wouldn’t be here without Kids to the Cup, I’m never quite sure if I mean here in racing or here on the planet,” said Susie Raisher, a longtime social media specialist who currently works as a social media coordinator and photographer in New York. “The effect it had on my life was profound. As a person who grew up with zero family involvement in the industry, it showed me things I never would have experienced otherwise, opening doors in the process. It helped my parents understand the industry and that there were paths forward within it. And it made connections. Yes, there were connections between the elite of the sport and a bunch of kids, connections that last to this day. But in the days before the term ‘social media’ was even coined, it connected us. So many of my favorite people in the world are in my life because of Kids to the Cup. It gave me a way forward in an industry I love, but it also gave me the people that made moving forward possible. It’s been more than 22 years since my first Kids to the Cup trip, and my gratitude only increases.”

The greatest testament to the legacy of Kids to the Cup is how successful it was. It did not just create fans; it created a generation that has gone on to work in the Thoroughbred industry in a wide range of roles. Kids to the Cup alums are working in the industry to this day in every capacity—as trainers, in the media and at racetracks.

Many of us have remained close friends. Those friendships have spanned decades at this point, and the shared camaraderie of growing up together and finding our way in this sport side by side is priceless. Now, we are all decades removed from being called kids, and it is our duty to honor Trudy’s legacy and continue to find ways to make the sport more accessible for the next generation. HJ

THE HORSEMEN’S

KIDS TO THE CUP CO-FOUNDERS TRUDY MCCAFFERY (FAR RIGHT) AND JOHN DESANTIS (YELLOW JACKET) LEAD A TOUR OF THE SANTA ANITA PARK STABLE AREA.

BENOIT PHOTO

BENOIT

PHOTO

THE LATE BOB LEWIS (RED SWEATER) DISCUSSES THE INS AND OUTS OF RACING WITH MEMBERS OF KIDS TO THE CUP.

KIDS TO THE CUP ATTENDEES, ALWAYS READY WITH CAMERAS IN TOW, CONTINUE IN RACING TODAY THROUGH VARIOUS ROLES.

JESSICA PAQUETTE PHOTO

More Challenges

Complicated obstacles await HISA medication regulations due to start Jan. 1

BY CLARA FENGER, DVM, PHD, DACVIM; PETER J. SACOPULOS, JD; KIMBERLY BREWER, DVM, MSC; JACOB MACHIN, MS; AND THOMAS TOBIN, MRCVS, PHD, DABT

The industry is bracing itself for a seismic shift in the regulation of medications in Thoroughbred racing as a major deadline quickly approaches. The long-awaited Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) standards for medi cation and anti-doping control as well as the adjudication process are expected to be in effect January 1, 2023.

HISA recently posted the version submitted to the Federal Trade Commis sion on its website, and clearly as much in-depth knowledge and understanding of racehorses and horsemanship went into this set of regulations as were put into the so-called racetrack safety regulations that went into effect July 1.

The rules and adjudication process are outlined in the “Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Protocol” (Series 3000), “Prohibited List” (Series 4000) and “Arbitration Procedures” (Series 7000). These rules were developed by HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Committee, comprised

of six members, of which no member is an equine pharmacologist and only one has ever been a veterinary practitioner with racetrack experience.

The mandate for the ADMCl section of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (the Act) can be found in 15 U.S. Code §3055(b) and requires, among other things, that “(1) Covered horses should compete only when they are free from the influence of medications, other foreign substances, and methods that affect their performance; (2) Covered horses that are injured or unsound should not train or participate in covered races, and the use of medications, other foreign substances, and treatment methods that mask or deaden pain in order to allow injured or unsound horses to train or race should be prohibited.”

The ADMC Committee far exceeded this mandate in crafting its regulations. Substances are banned well beyond their ability to “influence performance” or “allow unsound horses to train or race.” The term “covered horse” includes all horses between their first published work and retirement. While many can read

the list of prohibited substances and agree that “yes, that shouldn’t be in a racehorse,” a covered horse includes not only racehorses but horses on layup, horses that have had surgery and horses in the recovery period after surgery. Many of the substances that really have no use in a horse actively training and racing have very important value in horses on layup. The many years that have gone into the development and modification of the Association of Racing Com missioners International (ARCI) medication standards, during which numerous veterinary pharmacologists and chemists provided input, have been completely ignored. In contrast, the ADMC Committee scrapped the ARCI standards in favor of a new program based on zero tolerance.

Substances are broadly divided into “banned”—or prohibited in horses at all times, both in and out of competition—and “controlled”—or permitted out of competition. Almost all substances are regulated at the limit of detection. Detection of banned substances are equine anti-doping rule violations, and detection of controlled substances are equine controlled medication rule violations. The assignment of any given substance into these categories is presumably based on several factors. The most important factor that the ADMC Committee considered was not the mandated “influence performance” or “allow unsound horses to train or race” but rather whether the substance is FDA-ap proved. A second factor was the possible effects of the various substances were they present in an animal at a level sufficient to produce a response. The actual amount of the substance found in the animal is irrelevant, with few exceptions.

The banned substances are further divided into S0 through S6 categories (although S3 substances are included in the S1 category). The S0 category was probably intended to be a catch-all category for designer drugs, possibly doping agents imported through covert channels. However, as written, it includes many substances that are in common use, such as vitamin C. In its attempt to close loopholes where true doping could occur, HISA has made the majority of medi cations currently in use for treating and managing conditions of racehorses il legal. Apparently, it was much simpler to ban everything, leaving a small, short list of legal substances. The subcategorization of banned substances into S0 through S6 is apparently intended for the penalty phase. Controlled therapeutic medications are included in the S7 category.

The key points of the 3000, 4000 and 7000 rule series are:

(1) Everything they can identify in a lab test and a lot of things they can’t are considered a violation at any level in a post-race sample with few exceptions.

(2) The identification of any and all substances at any level (with a few ex ceptions) in a post-race sample results in disqualification of the horse.

(3) The most severe category of substances that are banned, the S0 category, includes vitamin C.

(4) In addition to potential trainer penalties, an S0 violation can make a horse ineligible to race for 14 months.

(5) All supplements are banned within 48 hours of racing or working.

(6) Any trace of corticosteroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (subject to very low screening limits) are banned during works in addi tion to races, so horses cannot be worked within two to three weeks of most corticosteroid injections or within three to four days of any bute, banamine, Ketofen or DMSO.

(7) The HISA categorization of substances is considered valid regardless of any science to support their position and cannot be legally challenged.

(8) No withdrawal times are provided, only detection times based on as few as two horses.

(9) The defense of environmental contamination only will be accepted if the horseperson can prove where it came from, and there is no burden of proof on HISA;

(10) HISA has 10 years to charge a horseperson for anti-doping rule violations and two years to charge them with a controlled medication violation, but the horseperson has only 14 days to build their defense.

The Category S0: The Most Egregious of Doping

The S0 substances are defined in HISA Rule 4111 as:

Any pharmacological substance that (i) is not addressed by Rules 4112 through 4117, (ii) has no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for veterinary or human use, and (iii) is not universally recog nized by veterinary regulatory authorities as a valid veterinary use is prohibited at all times.

The entire S0 category of substances reflects a gross misunderstanding of what is legal to administer to an animal. FDA approval does not indicate whether a drug is legal to use, dispense or administer but rather indicates only the marketing status of the drug and whether the labeling can indicate a drug claim. Drugs are legal to be purchased, dispensed and administered if they are manufactured in facilities registered with the FDA and listed with the FDA or compounded and labeled according to the pharmacy board regulations of the state in which they are sold. This was determined by the Drug Listing Act of 1972. All FDA-approved and FDA-listed products are produced in FDA-inspected manufacturing facilities, and their labels are reviewed by the FDA, guaranteeing the strength, quality, purity and potency. By the inclusion of FDA-listed products in the S0 category, almost all vitamins and many drug products in common use are suddenly categorized alongside some of the most egregious forms of doping imaginable. Substances that are common components of feed and many contaminants of hay also fall into this category.

Despite the emphasis on FDA approval, 109 FDA-approved substances are in the HISA S0 category. Of these, 15 FDA-approved substances are in therapeutic use in equine practice. A brief review of the veterinary literature and published equine formularies reflects the use of these substances. Based on the severe proposed penalty of up to a 14-month ineligibility period (suspension) for any horse demonstrated to have been administered an S0 substance, no substances with a valid therapeutic use should ever be in the S0 category. A short layup could inadvertently turn into the retirement of an otherwise sound and healthy horse.

Several primary metabolites of controlled therapeutic substances from the S7 category are included in the S0 list. If the S7 substance does not warrant an S0 penalty, there is no place for its primary metabolites on the S0 list. Why these have been included may be from lack of true pharmacological knowledge on the part of the ADMC Committee or intentional entrapment.

The scheduling of many substances as S0 that are commonly used in the breeding process is troubling. Female racehorses are commonly bred and then continue to race up to four months of pregnancy. The scheduling of all breed ing-associated medications, such as deslorelin, into the S0 category would effectively bring this practice to a halt.

Many preanesthetic and anesthesia induction agents and other medica tions used during anesthesia and surgery are in the S0 category. Further, all long-acting sedatives in use to keep horses safe during the perioperative period are effectively banned. A simple surgery to remove a chip fracture, usually accompanied by a six- to eight-week respite from racing, could readily be turned into a 14-month ineligibility period because of an innocuous administration of a therapeutic medication for the purpose of maintaining the health and welfare of the animal.

The 14-month racing ineligibility period for a horse administered any sub stances in this category is particularly severe. This provision adversely impacts the health and welfare of the horse by either preventing the horse from receiving the most appropriate therapy or preventing a horse from being in training for 14 months after being inadvertently administered one of these common, legal substances. Training during the critical 2- and 3-year-old years of a horse is essential to build the proper bone density and strength to withstand the rigors of racing. Even if an owner is willing to lay up a horse for 14 months, this time frame will place that horse at higher risk of catastrophic injury by at least

preventing training with fast workouts for a protracted period and possibly even delaying the horse’s starting age to 4 years or older. Further, there is no evidence that any doping substances have any effects that persist beyond, at most, about four months. A 14-month period of ineligibility for a horse is simply excessive beyond any wild theory of safeguarding integrity.

Specified Substances

The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians have perennially lobbied the ARCI Model Rules Committee for rational thresholds and adjudication of dietary and endogenous substances. It is encouraging that HISA recognizes the exis tence of substances that may be present in forage or otherwise may contam inate the environment of the horse by establishing the category of “Specified Substances.”

This designation and the characteristics that place a substance into this category are not defined or explained in any approved or draft HISA regulation but are comprised of substances that are “subject to more flexible sanctions” (Rule 4010). The governing body of international horse showing, Fédération Equestre Internationale, defines specified substances as “substances which are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance.”

JIM MCCUE/MARYLAND JOCKEY CLUB

The recognition that contamination of a horse with dietary and endogenous substances reflects no fault on the part of the horseperson is forward progress in the regulation of horse racing. Unfortunately, this category remains problematic. The Specified Substance Rule (3224) requires that, for the horseperson to bear “no significant fault” for the presence of a specified substance in the horse, it is the horseperson’s responsibility to identify the source of the specified substance. This is concerning because by the time that a positive is called, there is often no hay, feed or supplement left to test and employees may have moved on. In particular, the HISA enforcement agency may call a positive on a banned substance for up to 10 years after the race and on a controlled substance for up to two years after the race (Rule 3090). This pro vision precludes the horseperson from conducting a meaningful investigation. Further, even when notified in a reasonable time frame, the source of the exposure to the substance remains unidentified.

In every case in which a substance is identified in a horse, the horse is disqualified, irrespective of the amount that might be found in the horse (Rule 3221). A simple weed in the hay incapable of causing levels in the animal that might “influence performance” or “allow unsound horses to train or race” will represent an automatic disqualification. Any legal challenge to such a disqualification is not permitted (Rule 3113) because the validity of the prohibited list is not subject to any legal challenge. This is particularly concern ing because of the considerable number of errors, omissions and inconsistencies in the first draft of the Prohibited List Technical Document (dated July 21, 2022).

Endogenous Substances

Substances that are both produced by the animal’s own body (endogenous) and can be exogenously adminstered must be regulated by thresholds that are determined by widespread testing of normal popu lations. Two substances included on the S0 Prohibited List (diisopropylamine and dimethyltryptamine) and one substance on the S1 Prohibited List (dihydrotestosterone) are produced by the animal’s own body. One S4 substance (levothyroxine, or thyroid hormone) is on the prohibited list without a screening limit. Three substances included on the S7 Controlled list (morphine, hydrocortisone and prednisolone) are produced by the animal’s own body and are associated with a threshold, although the scientific data underlying those thresholds are not provided by HISA. The presumption of scientific validity applies in the case of endoge nous substances (Rule 3113), preventing the horseperson from providing evidence that the presence of one of these substances stems from endogenous production by the horse.

The presence of thyroxine on the prohibited list is particularly concerning for the health and welfare of the horse. This substance has been brought up for consideration repeatedly as a prohibited substance at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and been turned down. It is simply not considered to be a perfor mance-enhancing substance. In human sports, studies have shown that thyroxine supplementation into the abnormally high range impairs athletic performance.

Thyroxine has long been used as a therapeutic medication in equine medicine for anemia, anhidrosis and tying up, all conditions described in peer-reviewed papers. Thyroxine is also a key hormone required for normal bone remodeling in response to exercise. Restricting the use of thyroxine in horses may increase the risk of musculoskeletal injury. Regulators have pushed such a ban for several years because of a paper that showed an increased rate of cardiac arrhythmias in horses receiving 10 times the usual dose. This dosing rate, which is not in regular use among horsepersons, is clearly excessive and increases the resting thyroxine level above the normal range. The usual veterinary practice of testing thyroxine levels after insti tuting treatment to make sure supplementation is not excessive is sufficient to protect against this risk. Any alternative regulation of thyroxine threatens the musculoskeletal health of the horse.

Dietary Substances:

The Specified Substances Conundrum

Dietary substances are those that can be detected in the animal’s blood or urine from their natural presence in hay or feed. The HISA S0 category includes 13 dietary substances, of which only two are associated with screening limits and eight are listed as specified substances. The HISA S1 category has

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two dietary substances, neither of which have screening limits or are specified substances. The HISA S7 category has 16 dietary substances, of which 10 are associated with a threshold and 10 are included as specified substances. This means that simply by feeding hay or grain, a horse may be disqualified and a horseperson penalized.

The screening limits adopted by HISA are taken from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, but additional screening limits could have been adopted from jurisdictions in the U.S. For example, Pennsylvania provides in-house screening limits for well-recognized plant-sourced glaucine and lobeline. Provisional screening limit recommendations exist in the scientific literature for others, including aminorex (75 ng/mL urine), synephrine (50 ng/mL urine) and cathinone (10 ng/mL urine).

Environmental Substances

The federal government has long recognized that environmental exposure to illegal substances must be handled through screening limits, which are deter mined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and published in the Federal Register as the “HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs.” For example, these guidelines provide screening limits for substances like morphine and methamphetamine below which an airline pilot is permitted to fly. The concept of zero tolerance is simply impossible to embrace because low levels of cocaine and methamphetamine are present on currency in circulation. Horses are subject to contamination of their environment, including veterinary pharmaceuticals, human pharmaceuti cals, human recreational drugs and even by-products of manufacturing. Drugs or medicines taken or administered to humans or animals that are eliminated in the urine at a high level, remain stable in the environment and are readily absorbed by the mucus membranes or gastrointestinal tract are environmental substances. Substances in human or animal topical products or administered by mouth to horses also are highly susceptible to being taken up by horses in trace amounts close to racing because of their presence on feed tubs, hay nets and even the cobwebs of the barn.

Based on the establishment of the Specified Substances category by HISA, the ADMC program recognizes that inadvertent environmental exposure can and does occur, resulting in positive tests. Substances that qualify as environmen

tal, like methocarbamol, methamphetamine and atenolol, are overlooked in the brief HISA Specified Substances list. Some human medications may be iden tified in groundwater at levels in the nanogram per milliliter range, exceeding the levels at which a positive may be called in a racehorse. These substances cut across all of the HISA Schedules (S0–S7) and include equine therapeutics, human therapeutics and human recreational substances. With the ever-in creasing sensitivity of drug testing in racing, all environmental substances that are readily detected in water, reflect stability in the environment or commonly present in human topical products should be included as specified substances. Evidence supports that adverse analytical findings are randomly occurring, have no impact on the performance of the horse and serve only to fuel bad publicity for the industry.

Dr. Scott Stanley, a member of the ADMC Committee, suggested recently that a “non-prosecutorial ‘initial review’ first take place before any regulatory action occurs, if indeed environmental contamination appears a genuine pos sibility,” which is the only possible way to address all such adverse analytical findings.

In very few cases have stalls been swabbed or tested for contamination with environmental substances, a procedure that should be conducted in every case in which a positive for an environmental substance is identified. There should be forensic investigation of laboratory findings, such as the identifica tion of the parent esters of substances in the case of steroids, the co-identi fication of other plant alkaloids in the case of alkaloid identification and the determination of the presence of both glucuronidated and non-glucuronidated metabolites in urine. Drug testing of barn employees of the trainer, racetrack and test barn as well as the swabbing of stalls for drug testing all should be standard procedures in the investigation of adverse analytical findings. Integrity in racing should not mean a conviction at any cost but rather a good-faith effort to determine the facts and truth.

As with dietary substances, screening limits consistent with environmental contamination should be considered for all environmental substances. HISA could have adopted interim limits from existing equine drug testing laborato ries that have in-house screening limits for some environmental substances. Further, the scientific literature provides screening limit recommendations, including cocaine (as benzoylecgonine), methamphetamine, dextromethorphan (as dextrorphan) and dexamethasone.

Periods of Ineligibility:

In the Interest of Health and Welfare?

The period of ineligibility, or suspension, of a horse includes that horse not being allowed to participate in high-speed workouts. These workouts are re quired for the development and maintenance of appropriate bone density. Both cartilage and bone respond to the mechanical stimulus of exercise, and forced layup periods in sound, healthy horses will cause atrophy of the cartilage and demineralization of bone. Layup periods as short as two months are associated with a higher rate of injury when the horse returns to training. Despite these well-recognized facts, HISA imposes periods of ineligibility on a horse of up to 14 months for medication violations. Since all S0 substances are banned and this category includes many therapeutic medications used in horses, innocent medication administrations could result in ineligibility periods of up to 14

months, placing horses at increased risk of injury. Rule 3233 goes even further; while the ineligible horse cannot participate in a workout during the suspen sion, for reinstatement purposes, it can participate in a timed workout in order to be removed from the veterinarian’s list. Since most horses would ordinarily work as many as five or six times at increasing speed and distance increments before any trainer would schedule a vet’s list workout, this provision places horses at even higher risk of injury. Not only do they provide for the covered horse’s first workout off a layoff to be a fast workout over a long distance but HISA encourages it.

Hay, Feed and Water Only During the 48 Hours Before Racing

HISA goes beyond what any sports regulatory body imposes on its participants. There are thousands of pages of scientific literature in the fields of optimal sports supplements and nutrition for the health and welfare of the athlete, and WADA includes only a few ingredients on its banned list. The maintenance of health in the absence of medications always has been attained through nutrition. Rule 4211 restricts the administration of all substances other than “feed, hay, and water” (which are undefined) within the “race period,” or 48 hours before racing, with only a few exceptions. The exceptions up to 24 hours before racing are orally administered vitamins, anti-ulcer medications, licensed vaccines, unsupplemented isotonic electrolyte solutions (electrolyte pastes prohibited), antimicrobials, antiparasitics and altrenogest (Regu-Mate) in fillies.

HISA recognizes the importance of controlling the horse’s reproductive behavior by permitting altrenogest in fillies and mares up to 24 hours before racing. It fails to recognize that sexual behavior on the part of the male horse is equally disruptive and even dangerous in the racing environment. The application of menthol (Vicks VapoRub) to a stallion’s nares is a commonplace practice of good horsemanship to prevent him from detecting and reacting to pheromones from mares. This practice is banned in the HISA regulations.

Supplements or feed additives during the 48 hours pre-race are prohibited unless the covered person establishes that the supplement is incapable of having an action or effect on one or more of the following:

(1) the blood system [unsure if this means the hematopoietic system]

(2) the urinary system

(3) the cardiovascular system

(4) the digestive system

(5) the endocrine system

(6) the immune system

(7) the musculoskeletal system

(8) the nervous system

(9) the reproductive system

(10) the respiratory system

Since feed is undefined in the HISA regulations, this provision may or may not make complete feed illegal in the last 24 to 48 hours. Vitamins are permit ted to be fed up to 24 hours before racing, but a quick glance at the label of any complete horse feed, such as Purina Race Ready, reveals added vitamins E, A and D; thiamine; and beet pulp, purported to “enhance performance” right on the Purina website. A simple Google search on oats reveals that oats are a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Technically, even oats within 24 hours of a race are a HISA violation.

Health conditions of horses that are managed through nutrition include anhidrosis, tying up, allergies and even exercise-induced pulmonary hemor rhage. Preventing the management of a horse’s health in the last 48 hours before racing does nothing to protect the integrity of racing or the health and welfare of the horse. More than one researcher and more than one feed company have dedicated years of research to identifying how nutrition can manage certain conditions such as inflammatory airway disease and recurrent tying up in the absence of medications. With a single stroke of the pen, HISA has wiped out years of research progress on understanding these conditions in horses. The ultimate disposition of those horses will be understood only when these regulations go into effect.

THE HORSEMEN’S

Series 7000:

Completely New Arbitration Procedure

HISA’s new medication rules and how violations are adjudicated represent a radical departure from the current system.

Currently, the first hearing is before the stewards. These findings can be appealed to a hearing on the merits of the case by a state-appointed adminis trative law judge and then appealed to the commission. Finally, a horseperson has the right to appeal to a district court. This system is abandoned in favor of a far more costly system of adjudication for the covered person without a guaranteed right to, in some instances, a hearing on the merits or a review by the ultimate administrative authority, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

This new adjudication system is based on arbitration, which is the process of submitting, for determination, a disputed matter to a person selected in a matter provided by law or agreement. The arbitrator should be a “disinterested person, chosen by the parties to the dispute in question, for the purpose of hearing their contentions and giving judgment between them.”

The arbitration process set forth in Rule Series 7000 does not follow this generally accepted definition of the arbitration process because the parties involved don’t select the arbitrator. Instead, the arbitrator is selected and ap pointed by HISA without any input by the covered persons. The arbitrator is not disinterested. Despite the unilateral election and appointment of the arbitrator, the covered person is required to pay half the cost of arbitration.

The adjudication of equine anti-doping (EAD) and equine controlled medi cation (ECM) rule violations follow parallel paths. Alleged EAD violations will be adjudicated by the arbitral body while allegations of ECM and alleged violations of Rule 3329 (Status during Provisional Suspension or Ineligibility) and Rule 3510 (Other violations under the Protocol) will be adjudicated by a member of the internal adjudication panel (Rule 7020[a][b]).

HISA and its Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (the agency) control the selection and appointment of arbitration and internal adjudication panel members, and the covered person has no right to object to the selection of the arbitrator. In matters of EAD violations, the arbitrator is appointed by the ar bitral body and in ECM and other violations by the internal adjudication panel. The qualifications for a HISA arbitrator or internal adjudication panel member are surprising. There is no minimum education, training or experience. They are required to complete only two hours of HISA-approved continuing education annually. By contrast, certified arbitrators are required to complete an online program created annually for the arbitrator continuing education training requirement or attend any American Arbitration Association International Centre for Dispute Resolution-sponsored conference and must have extensive experience and higher education. HISA arbitrators, who are appointed for fouryear terms, are not required to have completed any formal arbitration training or education before being appointed nor are they required to have membership in an arbitration body or association such as the American Arbitration Associa tion or the National Academy of Arbitrators. They are not required to have any arbitration experience. This same lack of education, training and experience applies to those on the internal adjudication panel. However, panel members are not precluded from serving on the panel concomitantly with their service as an association or state steward. Yet, one serving in both capacities has an

inherent conflict of interest.

The agency initiates an EAD action via the arbitral body (Rule 7060[a]) and initiates an ECM action via the internal adjudication panel (Rule 7060[b]). In the case of an alleged EAD violation, the matter proceeds to a merits hearing described below. ECM violations are handled considerably differently (Rule 7060[b]). In the case of an alleged ECM violation, although the covered person may request a hearing, the internal adjudication panel does not have to grant a hearing. It may decide, in its sole discretion, to determine the matter based solely on the written submissions without a hearing if the panel considers itself sufficiently well-informed to render a decision on written submissions alone (Rule 7060[b]). Should the panel member, in their sole discretion, decide not to conduct a hearing, the covered person’s path forward is an unguaranteed request for review to the FTC. The covered person may face an alleged ECM violation and not be afforded a hearing until they are before a U.S. Court of Appeals at a cost of $30,000 to $50,000. (Rule 7060[b] and Rule 7110[b]).

Rule 7070 provides that the agency, after charging a covered person with a violation, may bring new, different or additional charges. In such cases, the arbitrator or internal adjudication panel member has the discretion and authority to decide (1) if the additional charges will be consolidated with the pending alleged allegations, or (2) heard separately. If the arbitrator or internal adjudication panel selects the latter, the covered person faces exponentially higher costs of arbitration, experts, discovery, appeal, etc. Rule 7070 does not provide for the covered person to object to the arbitrator or the internal adjudi cation panel member’s decision in this regard. This is another example of the evisceration of the covered person’s right to due process.

Adjudication Process

The agency initiates proceedings in both alleged EAD and ECM violations (Rules 7170 and 7180). The arbitral body or the internal adjudication panel then appoints an arbitrator, or the panel assigns an arbitrator or panel member. The appointed representative is required to communicate with the parties within 72 hours of being appointed (Rule 7130).

EAD Violations

In matters involving alleged EAD violations, when the agency determines that a violation has occurred, the covered person will be notified in writing with an EAD notice (Rule 3245). The agency has 10 years from the date of the alleged violation to make this determination (Rule 3090). When the EAD notice involves an adverse analytical finding, the covered person is afforded an oppor tunity to provide an explanation within a “short deadline set by the Agency.”

If, after the agency receives the covered person’s explanation, it still believes that an anti-doping rule violation has taken place, it issues a charge letter (Rule 3248). Upon receipt of the charge letter, the covered person has up to seven days to request a hearing. After the hearing has been requested, the covered person has 14 days to file a prehearing submission with the arbitral body. This two-week period is the time allotted for the covered person to find a lawyer, identify experts and conduct whatever investigation is necessary for the identification of the source if a specified substance is involved.

The written submission is limited to 30 pages, which arguably will include all of the documentation and evidence that the covered person intends to use in

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their defense. By comparison, the written submission provided to an adminis trative law judge under the current system could exceed 200 pages. For further comparison, a party to an action in federal court typically is provided several months to secure an expert and submit that expert’s report. If evidence is not in cluded in that 30-page submission, it cannot be introduced into evidence later.

The agency’s prehearing submission is due 14 days later. The covered per son is not entitled to file a reply submission. If there is not an adverse analytical finding, the agency files first, doing so within 14 days of the requested hearing, followed by the covered person’s prehearing submission being due within 14 days thereafter. There is, however, a distinction: In cases involving EAD violations that involve a non-analytical violation or a violation of Rule 3229, the agency is entitled to file a reply, and the covered person is not.

The hearing must take place within 60 days from the request for hearing. Therefore, the covered person has a very limited and compressed timeline to conduct discovery, which would include serving interrogatories, making requests for production of documents and scheduling depositions. However, the arbitrator may extend the deadlines in exceptional circumstances or if agreed to by both parties.

ECM Violations

The process for adjudication of alleged ECM violations differs. Rather than 10 years, in the case of an EAD, the agency has two years to charge the horseperson. Another significant difference is that a hearing on the merits is not guaranteed. Instead, the internal adjudication panel member may decide the case on written submissions exclusively. If the panel member orders written submissions and the matter involves ECM or other violations arising from an

adverse analytical finding, the covered person’s written submission is required to be filed within seven days of the requested hearing, which is now an even more compressed timeline to hire an attorney, identify experts and potentially conduct a full investigation of the possible source of a specified substance.

The agency’s written submission is due seven days thereafter. In the event the matter does not involve an adverse analytical finding, the agency files its written submission first, within seven days of the request for hearing, and the covered person’s written submission is due seven days thereafter.

Rule 7250 provides that the HISA arbitrator or internal adjudication panel member has wide discretion in conducting the hearing. For example, the arbitrator or internal adjudication panel member determines the relevancy of evidence and whether requested documents must be provided. In addition to determining the admissibility, relevance and materiality of evidence offered, including hearsay evidence, they may exclude evidence they deem irrelevant (Rule 7260). The arbitrator or internal adjudication panel member may issue subpoenas for witnesses and documents (Rule 7260). They may not issue subpoenas for depositions because “depositions are not in keeping with the expedited nature of the Arbitration Procedures.” Again note that the arbitrator or internal adjudication panel member is empowered under Rule Series 7000 without any minimum requirements of education, training or experience.

Cost of Adjudication

For the Thoroughbred trainer, Rule Series 7000 creates a financial mountain that is high and steep. In addition to a trainer needing to retain counsel to defend and represent their interests, and to locate an expert witness to testify, this series of rules presents new and additional costs. Most significant is the

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cost of arbitration, of which the covered person must pay half. The average hourly rate for an arbitrator is $500 per hour. Therefore, the combined cost of defending a Series 7000 violation may well be in excess of $1,000 per hour.

Rule Series 7000 does not include any provision for mediation.

Mediation is an informal process in which an independent neutral mediator assists the parties in resolving their differences. Mediation is generally a far less expensive and more expedient method of resolution. Mediation, like arbitration, is a method of alternative dispute resolution. Most federal and state courts require mediation in all civil disputes.

Finally, there is the issue of the record in the arbitration process under Rule Series 7000. Rule 7230 states that if the covered person or the agency

wants a stenographic record, a request for the same must be made no later than seven days prior to the hearing. If the covered person makes this request, they are responsible for the cost. This means the covered person has the additional and necessary cost of the reporter’s service, which is selected by the agency, and the cost of the transcript. The court reporter will charge an hourly rate that may well exceed $100 per hour, and there is an additional cost per page for the transcript. These rules are silent as to how the covered person would effectuate an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals without a transcript. Yet, given the lack of consideration of the constitution al rights of the covered person under HISA, that may be the precise reason for this rule. HJ

THE

KEENELAND

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What is it?

Are

OWNERS’ & TRAINERS’ LIABILITY PROGRAM

What Does It Cover?

How Much Does It Cover?

natomy of an Outbreak

Managing Biosecurity at the Racetrack

By Jen Roytz

Imagine this all-too-common scenario: A new horse enters the barn, whether via claim, private purchase or coming in off a layup or from a breaking farm. The horse appears bright and healthy, has a normal temperature and transitions into the day-to-day routine of the stable.

JEN ROYTZ

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BALANCING THE MANAGEMENT OF SICK HORSES AND PROTECTING THE REST OF THE STABLE CAN BE MITIGATED WITH A BIOSECURITY PLAN.

What if several days after arriving the horse seems a bit dull? Maybe it has a low-grade fever or displays symptoms such as discharge from its nose, a cough or abnormal manure texture. You pull blood and do a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nasal wash or swab, and the results come back positive for a communicable disease, such as equine herpesvirus, equine influenza or strangles. Perhaps the horse has a change in consistency or amount of manure presented that requires a fecal culture for the assessment of enteric or intestinal infectious agents, such as salmonella, E. coli or coronavirus. How do you manage the sick horse while also protecting the health of the rest of your stable?

Obviously, your first inclination is to limit the potential for exposure of other horses to the index horse by instituting quarantine and isolation measures

for the affected individual. But what about the horses that have already been exposed? How do you accurately assess your stable’s risk of exposure?

Did the positive horse drink out of the same bucket as other horses as it was cooling out? Are other horses in direct proximity or in stalls next to the index horse exhibiting any symptoms? Did the horse use the same bit, tack or shank as other horses? Was it ponied to or on the track? Did it touch its nose to any other horses’ noses or to surfaces that other horses also could have touched? Did the nozzle of the hose touch the horse’s water bucket and then any other buckets?

Looking at the situation through an even wider lens, how did the horse contract the illness? Was it exposed at its previous stable or maybe on the trailer or van ride from there to the track? What other horses at that farm or on the van ride were exposed? Did any of the horses share feed tubs, water buckets or hay nets? What other horses from your own stable were exposed and then shipped out, potentially communicating the disease to new locations? Did any grooms, riders, farriers or other personnel touch the horse and then touch other horses in other barns without washing their hands?

The list of potential risk scenarios for infection is seemingly endless. It is, in essence, the anatomy of an outbreak. Similar to what the world has experienced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most effective strategies to stop the spread of any disease is contact tracing.

For those facing a potential outbreak without the consideration of biosecurity protocols, not only can working through this scenario feel daunting but it also can lead to thousands of dollars in vet bills and related disease detection and prevention costs associated with disinfecting procedures, materials for controlling spread of disease and additional follow-up testing, not to mention loss of revenue due to days of missed training and competition.

DISEASE PREVENTION:

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR HORSES

We’ve all heard the adage “an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure,” and there is definitely truth to that line of thinking. It is much easier and less expensive to proactively prevent illness and outbreak than it is to deal with treating sick horses and working reactively to contain a communicable disease.

The easiest and most effective way to protect your stable from an infectious disease outbreak is to consult with your veterinarian to ensure all of your horses are up to date on all recommended vaccinations (a list of vaccination guidelines based on a horse’s age and risk level can be found on the American Association of Equine Practitioners website) as well as to ensure that any horse shipping into your barn is current on all appropriate vaccinations prior to their arrival. While being current on vaccinations cannot entirely mitigate the risk of disease, in the face of an outbreak situation the added protection will undoubtedly minimize the severity and recovery of exposed individuals in a barn, allowing for a more rapid return to work and training.

“If you’re not current on your vaccines, your herd immunity goes down, and it’s easier for viruses like herpes and influenza to spread and overwhelm your entire barn,” said Dr. Robert Holland, one of the world’s leading respiratory and infectious disease experts. “If your barn herd is up to date on their vaccinations and one gets sick, your viral load will be lower due to the resistance the vaccinations provide, and your risk of spreading the disease through the entire barn goes down.”

Holland is often brought in as a consultant when outbreaks occur at equine competition venues and farms throughout North America and internationally. With a veterinary degree from Mississippi State College of

How do you manage the sick horse while also protecting the health of the rest of your stable?

Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D. in virology from the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, he has a deep understanding of the pathology and containment of infectious diseases.

Educating your staff about proper biosecurity practices and having routine protocols in place often can be the difference between one or two horses getting sick and an entire shed row enduring an outbreak.

Thankfully, there are some easy and effective ways to minimize the risk of a disease outbreak in your barn:

• Take and record each horse’s temperature daily as part of its normal care routine and consult with your veterinarian if any horse’s temperature rises above 101.5 degrees.

• Disinfect all equipment after each use (especially things like bits, shanks/lip chains, twitches and anything else that comes in contact with or near a horse’s mouth or nose) in a Nolvasan solution or other disinfectant dip that kills common viruses.

• Keep hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes in each grooming box and ask grooms to clean their hands between horses.

• Do not allow horses to touch nose to nose.

• Make sure each horse only drinks out of its water bucket (no communal water buckets in the shed row as horses cool out).

• Do not allow the nozzle of the hose to come in contact with the water bucket or water’s surface as water buckets are being filled.

• Ask guests in your shed row, including farriers, veterinarians and anyone else who may be visiting multiple barns, to wash their hands before petting or handling any horses.

• Whether moving into a new barn or moving individual horses in and out, thoroughly clean and disinfect stalls prior to moving horses into them.

• Be careful to consider the potential for additional spread of infectious particles of disease with the use of pressure-washing equipment.

• Maintain good ventilation and airflow in the barn or shed row, even during winter months.

“At the track, you often get it in your head that since you don’t have a full quarantine barn, there’s no way to quarantine, but that’s really not the case,” Holland said. “Doing little things to separate the individual can make a big difference in disease spread, such as using separate tools for the sick individual, from rakes and pitchforks to grooming caddies and whatnot, and wearing gloves whenever handling that horse. Don’t take that grooming caddy, put it down in one stall, then take it and put it down in the next, as it can transfer germs. Also, dispersing your 2-year-olds among older horses rather than grouping them together can help mitigate the spread of disease, as older horses won’t get sick from many of the things that can affect younger horses whose immune systems are still developing.”

Another useful tool available to horsemen and women is the AAEP’s Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) website and smartphone app.

The EDCC is a national initiative that identifies and reports on equine disease outbreaks throughout the country. Functioning in a similar manner to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the EDCC is designed to seek and report real-time information about infectious and contagious disease outbreaks.

You can sign up for EDCC alerts via email and also follow the Facebook and Twitter pages for confirmed disease reports state by state. Visit equinediseasecc.org to check for outbreaks by state, time frame and specific disease type. The website also offers information on specific training or competition venues that, due to heightened risk factors at their facility or in their geographic region, have instituted additional precautions, protocols or sanctions for horses shipping to or from their facility.

THE

MAKING SURE HORSES DRINK OUT OF THEIR OWN WATER BUCKET—WITH NO COMMUNAL WATER BUCKETS IN THE SHED ROW WHEN HORSES COOL OUT—IS ONE WAY TO MINIMIZE DISEASE OUTBREAK. JEN ROYTZ PHOTO.

JEN ROYTZ

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YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR EDCC ALERTS VIA EMAIL AND ALSO FOLLOW THE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER PAGES.

JEN ROYTZ

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WHEN ILLNESS DOES OCCUR

While vaccinations and proactive biosecurity measures will drastically reduce the incidence and severity of illness throughout one’s stable, there is no failsafe when it comes to preventing illness.

When you or your staff first notice a horse presenting symptoms of illness, it is important to do several key things to contain the disease and minimize its threat to others.

First, isolate the horse as best as you can. Assign a lead shank to that horse, putting a piece of tape or other identifying tag on it to show that it should not be used on any other horse. The same goes for grooming supplies, feed tubs, water buckets, hay nets, etc. Disinfect the equipment and buckets daily, if not more frequently. Make sure your staff knows to handle or touch that horse last after handling other horses and to wash their hands after any interaction.

Next, update your vet on the situation. Be sure to have information such as temperature fluctuations and a timeline of the presentation of symptoms. Your vet likely will perform a collection of diagnostic tests, such as a complete blood count and chemistry and, in the case of respiratory presentations such as coughing and discharge from the nose, PCR sampling with a nasal swab or wash to identify the pathogen type and stage of progression.

Also, be sure to discuss with your veterinarian which other horses could potentially be exposed and why.

If the horse tests positive for a communicable disease, review your biosecurity procedures with your staff, reminding them of the key ways listed above that pathogens can spread through a barn or to other barns.

If the index horse recently shipped in from another barn or facility, it is a professional courtesy to alert the facility of the situation as well as the transport company that shipped the horse.

“It is important that if a horse that has recently come into your barn comes up sick, make the appropriate calls to get an accurate history on the horse—where it has been, how it has traveled and what its vaccination history is,” Holland said. “Get a temperature log every day on every horse and temp the sick horse multiple times a day, logging the temperature each time, to stay on top of incremental changes. Assign the sick horse its own set of equipment— pitchfork, rake, shank, twitch and so on.”

As the index horse and any other affected horses recover, one good rule of thumb is that for every day of fever above 102 degrees and accompanying symptoms, two days of rest or hand walking should be considered to allow for healing while continuing to monitor attitude and appetite.

In the case of respiratory disease, one must consider the time for full recovery of the airways and possibly lungs if secondary infections have occurred. With respect to intestinal conditions, care must be taken to allow for the return of normal flora in balancing the gut environment of any affected horse, particularly when considering the impact stress can have on symptoms recurring.

“In dealing with infectious diseases, especially in an environment like the racetrack, it’s the little things that truly can make the biggest difference,” Holland said. “Vaccinations are key, and that cannot be underscored. It’s not if you’re going to have a communicable disease come into your barn but when. A conversation with your veterinarian before an outbreak occurs to go over what best practices they suggest for your individual situation can give you peace of mind and give your barn and herd protection when illness occurs.” HJ

DISINFECTING EQUIPMENT AFTER EACH USE AND KEEPING HAND SANITIZER AND DISINFECTANT WIPES IN EACH GROOMING BOX ARE OTHER WAYS TO MANAGE A POTENTIAL OUTBREAK.

JEN ROYTZ

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In dealing with infectious diseases, especially in an environment like the racetrack, it’s the little things that truly can make the biggest difference.”

DR. ROBERT HOLLAND

ARIZONA HBPA

Horsemen Helping Horsemen

The Arizona Downs meet was just about complete before the deadline for The Horsemen’s Journal. I can’t share the meet leaders but can tell you it was a great season. Even though it seemed to rain every day all summer, the staff at Arizona Downs did a fantastic job dealing with Mother Nature.

The horsemen at Arizona Downs showed plenty of generosity throughout the meet; here are three major examples of “Horsemen Helping Horsemen”:

1) A camper trailer of trainer Tim Gleason’s caught on fire. His wife, Wanda, was sleeping inside, luckily was awakened, escaped outside and quickly found paramedics who grabbed fire extinguishers and put out the fire. Even though the trailer was totally destroyed, the quick action by paramedics Sam Weiss and Caesar Aaroya stopped the fire from spreading and igniting nearby propane tanks. Several horsemen gathered and helped the Gleasons gather their personal belongings and took all their clothes to the laundry. Another horseman let them use his trailer until they could find a replacement. A couple of weeks later, the HBPA, American Quarter Horse Association, chaplaincy and Arizona Downs put on a fundraiser dinner with auction items, a 50-50 raffle and donations, raising several thousand dollars.

2) We had a terrible accident in which exercise rider Jessie Guillen was riding a 2-year-old that reared and flipped over, landing on top of the rider. Jessie lay motionless on the track, and again paramedic Caesar Aaroya quickly responded. After evaluating Jessie’s condition, Aaroya immediately ordered life flight to fly him to Phoenix to the trauma center. Horsemen are currently organizing a silent auction to help the family with expenses.

3) Arizona racing is lucky to have three ladies—Mary Tate, Ashlee Wolf and Cynthia George—who patrol the livestock sales to make sure no racehorses end up going to Mexico. They recently rescued the Thoroughbred Who’s Hot. His story follows below.

Who’s Hot: It’s Not His Fault, Part 1

On Saturday, August 6, 2022, a post was made by a fellow horseman on the private Arizona Horseracing Bulletin Board about a sale listing at a local auction. Arizona Livestock Auction in Buckeye, Arizona, had several horses listed for sale, one of which was a Thoroughbred that had raced at local tracks including Arizona Downs and Turf Paradise. Horsemen familiar with the horse, named Who’s Hot, made comments about his easygoing behavior and gentle demeanor. Who’s Hot had not raced in Arizona for two years, with his last start coming at Turf Paradise in March 2020. He had been rehomed by his owner/ trainer and now had resurfaced at an auction.

While reading the comments, Arizona horsewoman Mary Lee worried that this particular horse, if not purchased by Wednesday, August 10, would be on his way to slaughter in Mexico. Mary is the founder of the Facebook group

Retiring Racehorses–Southwest, which she had originally started in the Pacific Northwest due to many off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) being purchased by kill buyers for bottom dollar and landing in horrific situations. This Facebook page helps to rehome off-track Thoroughbreds for second careers and create soft landings for these incredible athletes. Her rehoming services have helped hundreds of horses find their second career for a small 10 percent commission.

The threat of such an unacceptable ending for this wonderful horse started the ball rolling to get him the retirement he deserves.

There are many people with big hearts in this industry who care wholeheartedly about the horses and will do whatever it takes to make things right for OTTBs. It’s extremely important for awareness to be brought to light about livestock auctions. Kill buyers lurk everywhere and prey on those that need to make a quick dollar. They are here in Arizona. It is our responsibility as horsemen to make sure our horses find the best path when they leave the racetrack.

Who’s Hot: It’s Not His Fault, Part 2

Who’s Hot is safe! When the ball starts rolling to save one of our own, an amazing process comes together. Mary Lee contacted the seller and made arrangements for purchase, and payment was made with personal funds. Mary reached out to me, Cynthia George, to arrange the transportation.

Unfortunately, when horses are purchased on such short notice, you must rescue first and then arrange for proper veterinary care. As of August 10, Who’s Hot was being transported by Lee Peterson to a local Arizona horsewoman’s boarding facility, where he will be in an isolated pen. He will receive excellent care. Arizona Downs’ Debi Ferguson has provided an isolated stall for Who’s Hot so he may be transported safely back to Arizona Downs to be evaluated by the track veterinarian to ensure he is in good health.

Arizona Downs General Manager Mike Weiss has provided the bedding for his stall so he truly has a soft landing. Once he arrives, Who’s Hot will start the rehab process so he may find a permanent home.

Who’s Hot is underweight and in need of proper hoof care but appears to be in good health.

Who’s Hot: It’s Not His Fault, Part 3

Hot has made his way to Arizona Downs. He made it with the help of Ashlee Eileen Wolf, who donated to the cost of fuel for his transportation by Lee Peterson. Our racing family has pulled together in amazing ways for this horse.

Tom Auther, owner of Arizona Downs, has reimbursed the purchase price to Mary Lee so when this horse is sold for a second career, those funds can be the start of a rescue fund. Tom also donated funds for grain and other supplies. Vince and Jacque Guerra brought alfalfa, a fly mask and some much-needed love.

WHO’S HOT BEFORE WHO’S HOT CURRENT

BREATHE EASY

FLAIR® STRIPS REDUCE EIPH

WHAT IS EIPH?

EIPH (exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage), also known as “lung bleeding”, is the presence of blood in the airways during or after exercise. It is a silent injury that can go undetected because it occurs deep within the lungs. Only 5% of horses with EIPH show blood at the nostrils. Essentially all horses are affected by some degree of EIPH during intensive exercise.

WHAT CAUSES EIPH?

EIPH is caused by rupture of the fragile pulmonary capillary membrane (PCM) that separates the blood from the airways. Within the lung, both high blood pressure (to meet exercise demands) and high vacuum pressures (needed to inhale large volumes of air) stress the PCM, causing it to rupture and blood to enter the airways.

FLAIR Strips Make Breathing Easier & Reduce EIPH

• The Strips provide a spring-like force that supports the nasal passages overlying the nasal valve — the narrowest part of the equine airway.

• Supporting this area reduces the narrowing of the nasal passages during exercise — reducing the resistance to breathing.

• Reducing resistance is the key to making breathing easier.

• Using a FLAIR Strip can be compared to drinking from a wide diameter straw rather than a narrow straw — it's much easier to get what you want!

CLINICAL STUDIES PROVE FLAIR STRIPS REDUCE EIPH

...While both FUR [furosemide/Lasix] and the NS [nasal strip] reduced EIPH severity, the NS was equally as effective as FUR during maximal running to fatigue... Thus the NS should be considered as a viable, nonpharmacological alternative to FUR for the treatment of EIPH during strenuous race conditions.

Electron microscope view of a red blood cell spilling out of a ruptured PCM

McDonough,

of Furosemide and the Equine Nasal Strip on Exercise-Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage and Time-to-Fatigue in Maximally Exercising Horses.”

Dr. Butler will be doing the necessary vet work, and Arizona HBPA’s Leroy Gessmann will pay the cost of vet treatment as well as any other necessary service. Jason Perkins donated farrier service. Stacy Campo also contributed hay. John Deming will be doing dental, and Carrie Fales donated to the cost of that service. Sharlyne Chavez, Kody Kellenberger and Freddy Alvarez also reached out with offers of help. Our racing family is amazing and dedicated to saving our industry and protecting our equine athletes. Updates on donations will be posted as they come in.

I want to add a special thank you to Nancy Polito, who provided Who’s Hot with the first stop on his journey to a better life.

Who’s Hot: It’s Not His Fault, Part 4

Who’s Hot has settled into his new accommodations at Arizona Downs in his quarantine stall. He has been visited by many horsemen. He talks to all of them and is very happy to receive attention. Dr. Butler donated complete vaccinations, pulled blood for Coggins and performed a health check. Her opinion was very positive on his rehab and will provide Mary Lee with a write-up on his condition.

Who’s Hot had pea gravel in his manure that he is passing. He will be put on a psyllium supplement to help with that along with other things that will help him on his journey. It’s very sad that a horse gets so hungry that they feel the need to eat rocks. Sharlyne Chavez will bring a new halter so he doesn’t have to wear a broken hand-me down. Joyce Long made a generous cash donation as did Kody Kellenberger. Anderson’s Feed sent up four sacks of pellets so Who’s Hot will have plenty to eat. It appears that this horse has been through more than one sale. Mary noticed more than one spot of glue where sale tags had been placed, and Dr. Butler shared the same opinion.

Who’s Hot is going down the right path to a happy future.

Who’s Hot: It’s Not His Fault, Part 5

Who’s Hot has already started gaining weight in his first week. He got front shoes from Jason Perkins. He had his teeth done by John Deming. He will be released out of quarantine as well. KStorm Photography will be taking beautiful sale pictures when rehab is complete. He is on his way to a really good life.

CHARLES TOWN HBPA

Art Collector Defends Title in Charles Town Classic

Art Collector, a year removed from a lengthy battle with Sleepy Eyes Todd, fended off a similarly long threat from locally trained, undefeated West Virginiabred gelding Muad’dib to win the $1,000,440, Grade 2 Charles Town Classic Stakes August 26 at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

The two hooked up early in the three-turn race and ran basically side by side the entire 9 furlongs. Muad’dib appeared to put a nose in front of Art Collector, the 1-2 favorite in the field of eight, as the field came across the finish line for the first time. Rounding the second turn, Art Collector and jockey Luis Saez reasserted their class and held a slim lead the second time down the backstretch.

Entering the final turn, Art Collector edged away and was a clear winner through the final furlong. Muad’dib, a 5-year-old by Fiber Sonde, upheld the local honor by hanging around for second, a neck in front of Mind Control with Officiating fourth.

“I was almost a little surprised that Art Collector was on the lead,” winning trainer Bill Mott said. “We thought it was a good possibility that two horses inside of us would show speed, and it was the hometown horse that showed all the speed. He hung in there with us and finished up the race very well. It was a good race for him. He was 10-for-10 coming into the race. If you win 10 in a row, you’re a good horse. And we were able to beat him tonight.”

Society raced to a dominant 6 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks, improving to 4-for-5 and winning her first graded stakes for owner and breeder Peter Blum and trainer Steve Asmussen.

West Virginia Breeders Classics

The brainchild of National Football League Hall of Famer and West Virginia native Sam Huff, the West Virginia Breeders Classics is a one-night event with a year-round impact. In addition to races showcasing the best West Virginiabreds, the Breeders Classics includes a gala and golf tournament as well as charitable donations to important local and statewide organizations. The 36th West Virginia Breeders Classics will be run Saturday, October 8, at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

For more info, email wvbcmbn@frontier.com.

Charles Town HBPA’s Darla Gaige Honored at TIEA

Congratulations to Darla Gaige, the administrative assistant of the Charles Town HBPA, who was a finalist in the Administrative Award category of Godolphin’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.

Charles Town HBPA Brings Jockey Experience to County Fair

The Charles Town HBPA brought the thrill of racing to the Jefferson County Fair with its Virtual Reality Jockey Experience, featuring 360-degree footage filmed during live races at Charles Town. Participants of all ages had the opportunity to put on the VR headset and see a race through a jockey’s eyes, from the mud-caked goggles to the thrill of winning.

VR AT JEFFERSON COUNTY FAIR

Photo by Frances Karon

COLORADO HBPA

Record Purses at 2022 Arapahoe Park Meet

Bally’s Arapahoe Park finished its season with record purses after two increases this meet. The track has had five purse increases in the past two years due to strong wagering both on Arapahoe Park and on racing outside of Colorado via advance deposit wagering platforms, which pays back into Arapahoe purses.

In addition to multiple bumps to overnight races, the latest purse increase also included significant raises to stakes at the end of the meet. The Gold Rush Futurity, historically the meet’s marquee event, was run in two gender-restricted divisions for $75,000 apiece. The Butch Gleason Classic for older horses at 1 1/8 miles was worth $50,000. The remaining American Quarter Horse stakes— the Cherry Creek, Lucille Rowe and Mile High—received $20,000 to $25,000 increases for their futurity and derby finals.

An extra date was added October 1, bringing the season to 43 days. Closing day was October 4.

IOWA HBPA

Prairie Meadows 2023 Racing Season

We are beginning to work with Prairie Meadows on the 2023 racing season. The main objectives are to maintain as high a purse structure as possible, maintain racing days and maintain racing opportunities.

We also will be discussing post-time changes and other improvements to the stabling situation at Prairie Meadows for Thoroughbred horsemen.

We are early in the discussions and believe our racing schedule will be similar to our 2022 schedule, but please stay in touch with some of the ways outlined in “Iowa HBPA Office Hours and Information” to keep up to speed on the latest developments regarding the 2023 season.

Iowa HBPA Office Hours and Information

When the 2022 race meet ends at Prairie Meadows, the offseason office hours go into effect.

The hours will be Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can contact the Iowa HBPA at (515) 967-4804 or via email at info@iowahbpa.org.

To keep up-to-date on news and issues occurring in Iowa, you can find us on our Facebook page, Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Inc.; follow us on Twitter @IowaHBPA; and sign up to receive our emails at info@iowahbpa.org. Also, you can check out our redesigned website at iowahbpa.org.

KENTUCKY HBPA

President’s Message, August 26

Not a day goes by that I do not field questions regarding HISA. It continues to be a source of concern and frustration. Generally, horsemen are agreeable to uniformity in medication and testing, but HISA’s approach thus far has left us all confused, starting with the registration process. Initially, we were all informed that everyone must register, including stable employees. Then it changed to just “covered individuals,” including owners, trainers, veterinarians and jockeys. However, when the day of reckoning was upon us, we learned that many of the covered persons were not registered. A gradual registration is acceptable, but

perhaps it would have been better to inform everyone of the plan.

The issue with shoes became another false start. First, HISA intimated that no toe grabs were acceptable. Implementation would be initiated August 1. Following a meeting with several horsemen, the rule was revised to allow toe grabs on the rear shoes. We understand blacksmiths, in preparation of the former edict, had already made necessary costly arrangements to be in compliance.

Most notably, the KHBPA was contacted by a respected attorney who stated, “I’ve discovered intolerable, and in my estimation, unlawful requirements being imposed on horsemen as registrants. For example, by using HISA’s website to ‘register,’ a horseman agrees to give up all of his/her rights to go to court, to assert a claim for damages and to indemnify HISA from liabilities, including attorney’s fees and expenses.”

At this juncture, following a National HBPA meeting at which attorneys explained, in detail, a lawsuit filed by various HBPAs, the Jockeys’ Guild, Louisiana attorney general, racing commissions in Louisiana and West Virginia and other interested parties, the Kentucky HBPA Board of Directors decided to join the lawsuit preventing enforcement of HISA’s regulations.

HISA’s proposed medication control protocols and lack of adequate due process protections have created the largest outcry from horsemen. Once again, we have been advised as follows: “The two problematic rules are specifically Rule 3361 and Rule 7060(b), which say basically the same thing—that a due process hearing before neutral arbiters is ‘discretionary’ when it comes to a horseman being charged with a ‘controlled medication’ violation. The proposed rule appears to violate 15 USC 3057(c)(3)’s requirement for ‘adequate due process.’”

Another proposed rule prohibits the use of Lasix during the training of 2-year-olds and stakes horses.

I read with interest comments by Joe Gorajec, a longtime executive director of the Indiana Racing Commission and past chairman of the Racing Commissioners International: “Unlike state racing commissions, which are statutorily mandated to conduct [their] business in full view of the public, HISA as a non-public entity has chosen to operate away from public view. This practice raises issues and concerns not only of transparency but also of competency.”

Good luck in your racing endeavors, Rick Hiles KHBPA President

HBPA College Day a Success at Ellis Park

The Kentucky HBPA teamed with Ellis Park July 31 for its most successful HBPA College Day with about 200 full-time students participating.

Ellis Park site controller Marc Estrada and the track’s director of marketing, Allie Sclafani, were instrumental in the planning and execution of the event, with a bigger budget split equally between Ellis Park and the horsemen. Every race featured a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship and a separate drawing for an iPad mini and AirPods wireless earbuds. To create more winners, we also gave away a $150 Mastercard gift card and swag bag with every race.

But everyone was a winner, with Ellis Park/Kentucky HBPA College Day ball caps given to all full-time students who signed up. The final drawings were limited to students working in the racing industry or whose parents work in the industry.

The Kentucky Equine Management Internship program’s Leslie Janecka and the University of Louisville College of Business Equine Industry Program’s Terri Burch assisted with the event and were on hand to speak with students.

While Kentucky and Indiana colleges, universities and vocational programs dominated the registrations, the participants also included students who attend Arizona State, Auburn, Florida Southern College, University of Tampa, University of South Carolina and Western Governors College in Utah. Murray State led the Kentucky colleges with 22 signees, while Indiana was headed by the University of Southern Indiana’s 32 students.

Meeting Focuses on HISA Issues

The Kentucky HBPA also staged an in-person and virtual horsemen’s general meeting June 20 focusing on the rules of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) that were scheduled to go into effect July 1. More than 150 people, the vast majority horsemen, attended what turned into an almost three-hour meeting in Churchill Downs’ Aristides Lounge, with another 130 watching live on YouTube and 120 more on a Zoom call.

At Churchill’s invitation, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus participated in person, fielding questions and providing her perspective. Kentucky HBPA President Rick Hiles led the meeting with National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback, National HBPA General Counsel Peter Ecabert and Kentucky HBPA Executive Director Marty Maline also on the dais.

Horsemen brought up a variety of concerns, including the ultimate cost of implementing and funding the HISA corporation, as well as many of the proposed rules trainers felt were unworkable or not in a horse’s best interest.

—Jennie Rees

ELLIS PARK’S HBPA COLLEGE DAY IN LATE JULY DREW STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

Erin Shea

Lazarus preached inclusion and transparency and giving the HISA corporation time to get things right. If she didn’t have an answer, she promised horsemen to have someone from HISA get back with them within 48 hours. She also broke the news that Marc Guilfoil, at the time the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, would be joining HISA.

Hamelback and Ecabert questioned HISA’s commitment to transparency and inclusion and detailed the alarm bells signaling that HISA was not prepared to launch July 1.

“One of the biggest takeaways from and since that meeting was the lack of follow-up,” Hamelback said weeks later. “That was promised, and you can see on the video it was verbalized that they would follow up. They kept giving the answer ‘We’ll have to get back to you on that,’ and they still haven’t. That meeting just drove home how ill-prepared they were to launch by July 1, as mandated by Congress.”

Along with Hamelback, Kentucky HBPA board member Jason Barkley and fellow trainers Michelle Lovell, Mike Tomlinson and Ron Moquett spoke eloquently and passionately, leading Steve Byk to have each of them on his popular weekday satellite-radio show to further discuss HISA and the horsemen’s meeting.

“Though our horsemen were animated, they remained respectful and listened to what Ms. Lazarus was saying,” Maline said. “The participation we had both in person and virtually shows how concerned horsemen were about exactly how HISA was and is being implemented.”

The entire meeting can be viewed on the Kentucky HBPA’s YouTube channel, with the Hamelback and trainer interviews with Byk archived at stevebyk.com/ broadcast/month/2022-06/ on June 21 and 22.

—Jennie Rees

horsemen.” To join, all you need to do is fill out our membership card and fax, mail or email it back to us. For more information, please visit our website at kyhbpa.org and click on “Become a Member.”

LOUISIANA HBPA

Delta Downs

The 2022–2023 Thoroughbred meet at Delta Downs runs from October 5 to February 25, 2023. The February 4 Louisiana Premier Night again headlines the meet and features approximately $900,000 in purses for Louisiana-breds. On November 4 and 5, Delta Downs will offer open 3-year-old stakes going 1 mile for $100,000. Older horses also will compete in 1-mile stake with $100,000 guaranteed purses in the Treasure Chest for fillies and mares November 11 and the Delta Mile November 12.

Delta Downs will resume night racing this upcoming season after racing daytime last Thoroughbred season. First post will be 4:55 p.m. CT. For additional information, contact the Delta Downs racing office at (888) 589-7223.

Evangeline Downs

The 2022 Quarter Horse meet at Evangeline Downs runs from October 5 to December 20.

The HBPA Is You

The HBPA, established in 1940, is an organization of owners and trainers, approximately 40,000 nationally in 23 states and Canada and more than 6,000 in Kentucky. The association is governed by a board of directors consisting of owners and trainers volunteering their time and elected by the membership every three years. The HBPA is committed to working for the betterment of racing on all levels.

The HBPA represents owners and trainers on several fronts:

• The HBPA negotiates with each racetrack regarding purse structure, equitable share of simulcast revenues, overall track safety, sanitation and security.

• The HBPA provides benevolence to horsemen in need, education and recreation programs to the backstretch and various insurance packages that include—free of charge to members—fire and disaster insurance. Visit one of the fully staffed HBPA offices at the currently running racetrack in Kentucky for details.

• The HBPA works in conjunction with the chaplaincy program and the Kentucky Racing Health and Welfare Fund to provide support and benefits for horsemen.

• The HBPA supports scientific research and marketing initiatives on a regional and national level to help promote interest in Thoroughbred racing.

• The HBPA is at the forefront in litigation and legislation on issues involving horsemen’s rights with regards to interstate simulcasting, proprietary rights, casino gambling, therapeutic medication, sports betting and many other areas of concern to horsemen.

How Can I Join?

You are invited to drop into the HBPA office to meet the staff and learn more about current projects and how you can get involved in helping to improve the industry. There are no membership fees. Remember that this is your organization. Become an active participant and one of the “horsemen helping

The trials for the Louisiana Million Futurity will be conducted Friday, November 18, with the estimated $1 million Futurity final Saturday, December 17. The trials for the LQHBA Breeders’ Derby will be conducted November 19 with the final slated for December 17. Estimated purse for the Derby is $250,000. An exciting Louisiana-bred race program will include three Champions Day races each with a $100,000 purse December 17. For additional information, contact the Evangeline Downs racing office at (337) 594-3022.

Fair Grounds

Historic Fair Grounds will conduct its 151st Thoroughbred racing season starting November 18 and concluding March 26, 2023. Fair Grounds is known as one of the best winter destinations for the top owners, trainers and jockeys in our industry. Some of the notable dates for the upcoming meet start with the Thanksgiving Day card, which is an annual tradition for the people of New Orleans. Louisiana Champions Day spotlights the best of our state program December 10. The first point races of the Road to the Kentucky Derby series will be run December 26. The next series for 3-year-olds will be held January 21, with the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes and the Silverbulletday Stakes highlighting a card that includes four other stakes. Fair Grounds will offer 65 stakes races totaling approximately $8.8 million, with 29 stakes races for Louisiana-breds worth approximately $2.275 million. For more information, contact the racing office at (504) 948-1288.

Louisiana Downs

The 2023 Louisiana Downs Quarter Horse meet runs January 5 to April 1. The meet will feature the Mardi Gras Futurity (G2), restricted to Louisianabreds. The 2022 rendition featured a $394,690 purse. The 2022 LQHBA Yearling Sale consigned 573 yearlings and grossed more than $8 million. Owners and breeders will be on hand to view schooling races and watch many of these now 2-year-olds begin their careers at Louisiana Downs.

The Grade 2 Louisiana Downs Futurity featured a purse of $324,288 in 2022, and the trials featured the debut of Jes an Angel, who became the

75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 175,000 100,000 50,000 25,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 50,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 75,000 75,000 100,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 150,000 100,000 100,000 250,000 400,000 300,000 150,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000 100,000 100,000 300,000 500,000 400,000 1,000,000 100,000 100,000 75,000 75,000 75,000

THOROUGHBRED RACING SEASON

STAKES RUNNING CONDITIONS DISTANCE / SURFACE

HAPPY TICKET STAKES (LA)

BIG WORLD STAKES (LA)

DONOVAN L. FERGUSON MEMORIAL STAKES (LA)

MONTE MAN STAKES (LA)

SCOTT’S SCOUNDREL STAKES (LA)

JOSEPH R. PELUSO MEMORIAL STAKES (LA)

THANKSGIVING CLASSIC PAN ZARETA STAKES

MAGIC CITY CLASSIC KUDZU JUVENILE LOUISIANA CHAMPIONS DAY (LA)

LA CHAMPIONS DAY LADIES TURF

LA CHAMPIONS DAY JUVENILE LA CHAMPIONS DAY SPRINT

LA CHAMPIONS DAY LADIES SPRINT LA CHAMPIONS DAY LASSIE LA CHAMPIONS DAY CLASSIC LA CHAMPIONS DAY TURF

LA CHAMPIONS DAY STARTER

LA CHAMPIONS DAY LADIES STARTER

ROAD TO THE DERBY KICKOFF DAY

TENACIOUS STAKES - LISTED

RICHARD R. SCHERER MEMORIAL STAKES

BLUSHING KD STAKES

GUN RUNNER STAKES

UNTAPABLE STAKES

BUDDY DILIBERTO MEMORIAL STAKES - LISTED

JOSEPH E.”SPANKY” BROUSSARD MEMORIAL STAKES

SUGAR BOWL STAKES

LETELLIER MEMORIAL STAKES PAGO HOP

WOODCHOPPER - LISTED

LA FUTURITY (BOYS) (LA)

LA FUTURITY (GIRLS) (LA)

BOB F. WRIGHT MEMORIAL STAKES (LA)

GARY P. PALMISANO MEMORIAL STAKES (LA)

NELSON J. MENARD MEMORIAL STAKES

ROAD TO THE DERBY DAY

LECOMTE STAKES - GRADE III

SILVERBULLETDAY STAKES - LISTED

DUNCAN F. KENNER STAKES

LOUISIANA STAKES - GRADE III COL E.R. BRADLEY STAKES - LISTED

MARIE G. KRANTZ MEMORIAL STAKES (LISTED)

LOUISIANA DERBY PREVIEW DAY

MINESHAFT STAKES - GRADE III

RISEN STAR STAKES - GRADE II

RACHEL ALEXANDRA STAKES - GRADE II

FAIR GROUNDS STAKES - GRADE III

COLONEL POWER STAKES

ALBERT M. STALL MEMORIAL STAKES - LISTED MARDI GRAS STAKES

LOUISIANA STALLION OF THE YEAR HALF OURS STAKES (LA)

LOUISIANA BROODMARE OF THE YEAR

“BUTTERCUP’S SONG” STAKES (LA)

BLACK GOLD STAKES

EDWARD J. JOHNSTON MEMORIAL STAKES (LA) RED CAMELIA STAKES (LA)

ALLEN LACOMBE MEMORIAL STAKES

LOUISIANA DERBY DAY

TOM BENSON MEMORIAL STAKES

COSTA RISING STAKES (LA)

MUNIZ MEMORIAL CLASSIC - GRADE II

NEW ORLEANS CLASSIC - GRADE II

FAIR GROUNDS OAKS - GRADE II

LOUISIANA DERBY - GRADE II

CRESCENT CITY DERBY (LA)

CRESCENT CITY OAKS (LA)

STAR GUITAR STAKES (LA)

SHANTEL LANERIE MEMORIAL STAKES (LA) PAGE CORTEZ STAKES (LA)

1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 98th 57th 12th 32nd 32nd 32nd 17th 32nd 32nd 32nd 1st 1st 58th 17th 15th 2nd 2nd 17th 58th 73rd 63rd 39th 38th 60th 56th 1st 1st 4th 79th 31st 70th 77th 37th 28th 38th 51st 43rd 37th 33rd 55th 79th 1st 1st 65th 43rd 47th 16th 9th 13th 31st 98th 56th 110th 51st 18th 13th 3rd 2nd

3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

2YO FILLIES

3YO/UP 3YO/UP 2YO

3YO/UP

3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES 3YO/UP 2YO

3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

2YO 3YO/UP 3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

2YO FILLILES 3YO/UP 3YO/UP 3YO/UP

3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

3YO/UP 3YO/UP

3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

2YO

2YO FILLIES 3YO/UP 3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES 2YO

2YO FILLIES

3YO FILLILES

3YO

2YO COLTS & GELDING

2YO FILLILES

4YO/UP FILLIES & MARES 4YO/UP 4YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

3YO

3YO FILLIES

4YO/UP 4YO/UP 4YO/UP

4YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

4YO/UP 3YO

3YO FILLILES 4YO/UP 4YO/UP

4YO/UP FILLIES & MARES 4YO/UP FILLIES & MARES 3YO

3YO FILLIES

3YO 3YO/UP 3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

3YO FILLILES

4YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

3YO/UP 4YO/UP

4YO/UP

3YO FILLILES

3YO

3YO

3YO FILLIES

4YO/UP

4YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

3YO/UP FILLIES & MARES

*(T) DENOTES TURF COURSE. TURF DISTANCES ARE APPROXIMATE.

6 FURLONGS

1 MILE 70 YARDS

1/2 FURLONGS

FURLONGS

MILE 70 YARDS

1/2 FURLONGS

FURLONGS

1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

MILE

1/2 FURLONGS

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

6 FURLONGS

6 FURLONGS

FURLONGS

FURLONGS

1 1/8 MILES

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

5 1/2 FURLONGS

5 1/2 FURLONGS

1 1/16 MILES

5 1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

1 1/16 MILES

1 MILE 70 YARDS

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

1 MILE 70 YARDS

FURLONGS

FURLONGS

1 MILE* (T)

1 MILE* (T)

FURLONGS

FURLONGS

FURLONGS

FURLONGS

1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

1 1/16 MILES

1 MILE 70 YARDS

5 1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

1 1/16 MILES

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

1 1/16 MILES

1 1/8 MILES

1 1/16 MILES

1 1/8 MILES* (T)

5 1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

5 1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

1 MILE 70 YARDS

1 MILE

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

1 MILE* (T)

1 MILE* (T)

1 MILE* (T)

1 1/16 MILES* (T)

5 1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

1 1/8 MILES* (T)

1 1/8 MILES

1 1/16 MILES

1 3/16 MILES

1 1/16 MILES

1 MILE 70 YARDS

1 1/16 MILES

1 MILE 70 YARDS

5 1/2 FURLONGS* (T)

DENOTES TURF COURSE. TURF DISTANCES ARE APPROXIMATE.

fastest qualifier for the $3 million, Grade 1 All American Futurity. The Louisiana Downs Futurity (formerly run as the Harrah’s Futurity) began the career of AQHA champion Trump My Record.

A new race in 2023 is the $50,000-added Mardi Gras Oaks restricted to accredited Louisiana-bred 3-year-old fillies.

MINNESOTA HPBA

Canterbury Meet Ends Strong; Stable Area Construction Begins

Canterbury Park recently concluded a strong meet. It wasn’t all that long ago when a $1 million day was cause to celebrate. This year, there wasn’t a single day that didn’t include handle in excess of $1 million. Likewise, Canterbury shattered its previous single-day handle record by almost $1 million when more than $4.7 million was bet on the Northern Stars Turf Festival. Canterbury has become known for its excellent turf course, and fans across the country have taken notice.

The end of the 2022 meet marked the beginning of a new era in Canterbury history. As the curtain came down on the meet, construction began in and around the stable area as a 19,000-capacity amphitheater will become reality in 2024. As some barns are removed, new state-of-the-art barns will be installed. The entire process will take two years to complete as Canterbury continues with its exceptional mixed-use development plan.

We conclude our Minnesota update with a special thanks to Meghan Riley, founder of Furlong Learning, and Sally Mixon, founder of Abijah’s on the Backside. Three years ago, they each presented a vision on serving the backstretch committee.

With Furlong Learning, it was the creation of a tutoring program for both children and adults, which includes distance learning when Canterbury closes for the year and the folks in the stable area move on to other racetracks. Adults also benefit with English-as-a-second-language courses.

With Abijah’s on the Backside, retired Thoroughbreds are used in equinebased psychotherapy. This therapy has been used successfully with members of the military and police in addressing post-traumatic stress disorder. The therapy transcends any one group, as children and various individuals from the stable area have found solace and perspective via these special horses.

MOUNTAINEER PARK HBPA

Skippylongstocking Makes the Grade in $500,000 West Virginia Derby

The plan for Daniel Alonso’s Skippylongstocking worked to perfection August 6 at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort when the 3-year-old Exaggerator colt who had been competitive in two Triple Crown races broke through with his first stakes victory in the $500,000, Grade 3 West Virginia Derby.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Skippylongstocking in his previous start finished third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes after dueling with eventual fourthplace finisher We the People for about a mile and a quarter. Joseph freshened the colt a bit before he returned to the work tab in July at Saratoga Race Course.

Joseph picked the West Virginia Derby for Skippylongstocking’s return, and from the far turn to the finish, it turned into a battle between the two colts that did the early work in the Belmont.

We the People, a Constitution colt owned by WinStar Farm, Bobby Flay, Siena Farm and CMNWLTH and trained by Rodolphe Brisset, again grabbed the

early initiative in the West Virginia Derby with Skippylongstocking second, never worse than 1 1/2 lengths behind. We the People, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., set an honest pace on a track rated sloppy with 6 furlongs in 1:11.50.

Skippylongstocking, ridden for the first time by Edwin Gonzalez, ranged up outside the leader on the far turn. The winner gradually edged clear of a stubborn We the People to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:48.11. Simplification, who raced in third throughout, finished 4 3/4 lengths behind favored We the People.

The winner paid $9.80 as the fourth choice.

Skippylongstocking, who doubled his career earnings to $672,600, was purchased for $37,000 at the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales April 2-year-olds in training sale. The colt provided Alonso, who has been a Thoroughbred owner since 2015, with his first graded stakes win.

“This is huge,” said Alonso, who was part of a large group in the winner’s circle. “It’s our first graded stakes win, and we’re looking forward and we’ll see what happens. Maybe we’ll take a shot at the big boys.”

WV Governor’s Stakes One of Three for Cox

Though the Brad Cox-trained Home Brew finished fourth in the West Virginia Derby after a troubled start, Cox had another banner day at Mountaineer. As was the case in 2018, Cox won three stakes including the $200,000, Grade 3 Governor’s Stakes.

All three were ridden by Paco Lopez, who came in from Monmouth Park for five mounts, all trained by Cox.

Juddmonte Farms’ homebred Fulsome capped it off with a 1 1/4-length score in the Governor’s Stakes. The 4-year-old Into Mischief colt was sixth but never far back in a bunched field and took over at the top of the stretch. The time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.48, and the winner paid $3.40.

Fulsome, a three-time Grade 3 winner before his first trip to Mountaineer, now has four, and he cleared the $1 million mark in earnings.

“Paco rode a good race,” said Cox assistant Ricky Giannini, who usually handles the duties on West Virginia Derby Day. “He didn’t have him too far back even though the horse likes to drop back early. Sometimes when he gets clear he loses focus, but Paco said he didn’t. He’s just a notch below the Grade 1-type of

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING GETS FIRST STAKES WIN IN THE WEST VIRGINIA DERBY (G3)

horses, but he’s very honest and consistent.”

Cox also won the $75,000 West Virginia Senate President’s Cup for fillies and mares at 1 mile and 70 yards with Adventuring and the $75,000 West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker’s Cup for 3-year-olds and up at 1 mile and 70 yards with Price Talk. Both races were taken off the turf.

Godolphin homebred Adventuring hadn’t raced since December 2021 but had been working regularly at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile filly has now won on dirt, turf and synthetic.

Five-year-old Price Talk, a gelded son of Kitten’s Joy owned by Gaining Ground Racing, was claimed for $80,000 in June and followed up with a nearmiss second in an allowance optional claiming at Horseshoe Indianapolis for his new connections.

“It was a good race off the layoff,” Giannini said of Adventuring’s effort. “She broke her maiden in an off-the-turf race last year. Paco said she wasn’t flat, but she didn’t accelerate like she has on the turf. We’re looking at a race at Kentucky Downs for her. Hopefully there are bigger and better things for [Price Talk]. There is a restricted race at Kentucky Downs for him. He has improved a lot since we got him.”

Though four races were transferred to the main track from the turf because of heavy showers in the morning, total pari-mutuel handle on the nine-race Mountaineer program was $2.26 million, up 29.2 percent from 2021.

NEBRASKA HBPA

Nebraska Racing Updates

Nebraska horsemen are pleased to share that we have a signed contract with Fonner Park for 37 live race days in 2023. Fonner will kick off its live meet two weeks earlier than normal beginning Friday, February 10, and run through Saturday, May 6.

Big changes are underway for Nebraska racing as we opened our first casino, WarHorse Lincoln, in partnership with Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Our interim casino hosts slots machines and our simulcast facilities. We are especially proud of the continued focus on our simulcast customers with special horse player rewards, designated parking and other amenities for our longtime customers. We look forward to a full casino with hotel and table games opening in 2024.

With this new source of revenue, we are focusing our efforts on track renovations at Lincoln Race Course. We are tentatively planning to run eight days in Lincoln on our newly rebuilt track in 2023. Lincoln Race Course will be renamed Legacy Downs as a nod to the generations of Nebraska horsemen who have worked so hard to keep racing alive and well in Nebraska and to our children and grandchildren who will run at Legacy Downs in the days and years ahead.

NEW ENGLAND HBPA

Live Thoroughbred Racing May Soon Be Restored In New England

The key that opened the door for the development of a new state-of-the art racetrack in Massachusetts is the August 1 passage of a bill to authorize sports betting in the state. Now that the governor has signed the bill and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) is moving forward quickly to implement sports betting, Commonwealth Racing is ramping up.

Richard Fields, the former owner of the shuttered Suffolk Downs,

and Armand Janjigian, a longtime Thoroughbred owner and breeder in Massachusetts, are the principals of Commonwealth Racing, and the group is heavily invested in New England racing.

“We have been working with Richard Fields and Armand Janjigian; they have already secured the land,” said Anthony Spadea Jr., New England HBPA president. “We are 100 percent supportive of any group of horsemen that are looking to build a racing facility. At this time, they are the only ones who have come to us and asked for our help.”

In 2021, the same ownership group proposed developing the $25 million Agricultural and Equine Center in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, where Janjigian and his family have deep roots, with a 1-mile dirt track and 7-furlong turf course, but the town voted down changing the necessary zoning laws, and the project fizzled.

This plan for a new racetrack, which is to be situated in a central Massachusetts town that Spadea has not disclosed, would need approval of local residents.

The bill provides for 15 licenses for fixed sports betting locations, and existing in-state racetracks, casinos and slots parlors are granted the rights to apply for one of the licenses and partner with two mobile sports betting platforms. Moreover, it stipulated that any new racetrack operating under the state’s current racing and simulcasting legislation will be given the grant for one of the sports betting licenses.

“Our members have worked tirelessly during the legislative session to speak directly to legislators about how critical the racing industry is in Massachusetts,” said Spadea. “We are grateful to the leadership in the House and Senate for taking the time to understand and appreciate that the sport we love is also a means to protect our farms for haying and breeding and an important source of economic development and jobs in rural Massachusetts.”

Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC (SSR), the former owner of Suffolk Downs, sold the property to a major real estate developer in 2017 but retained the racing and simulcasting licenses and has continuously operated the simulcasting business on-site.

There has been no live racing in New England since June 30, 2019, when the New England HBPA hosted the last of its limited racing festivals on a few summer weekends. There were eight days of racing and the average daily purse distribution was around $500,000 in 2019.

Spadea said that plans to build the new equine facility are on track and moving forward with alacrity.

“We would have preferred passage of this legislation sooner in the session, but like championship racing, the Legislature took this right to the wire and crossed the finish line just in time,” he said.

To start, those plans call for turf racing exclusively and a limited number of days in a boutique meet, likely in the fall.

Purses for live racing are supplied by the state’s racehorse development fund, which is fueled by a percentage of the profits from the two in-state destination resort casinos and lone slots machine facility at the Penn National Gaming Inc.-owned Plainridge Park Casino, which is also the sole live harness racing track.

Officials of Penn National, SSR and the two in-state casinos—MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor—informed the MGC that they are in the process of expanding their business models in Massachusetts to include sports betting.

While the Massachusetts Senate has continually tried to strip money out of the racehorse development fund over the years and divert it to the general fund, the revenue stream derived from sports betting will be a boon to the racetracks.

“We know we can do a festival-style race meet,” said Spadea.

The New England HBPA and Commonwealth Racing reportedly negotiated a purse agreement, and the ownership group intends to apply to the MGC, which regulates all racing and gaming in the state, for a live Thoroughbred racing license as soon as this fall. Applications were due by October 1.

In related news, now that New Hampshire has authorized historical horse racing machines at licensed facilities in the state, Churchill Downs Inc. is proceeding with the acquisition of the most lucrative charitable gaming operation in the state. Chasers Poker Room, located in Salem, sits on the state’s southern border with Massachusetts.

New Hampshire, previously home to the now-defunct and demolished Rockingham Park, is the only state in the union to have historical horse racing without any live racing. Chasers is located directly across the street from where the racetrack once stood.

—Lynne Snierson

Stakes with I Recall scoring a game head victory over her rival under jockey Angel Stanley.

The win was I Recall’s second straight stakes score and her sixth lifetime victory from 20 starts for her owners and breeders John Bourke and Lowell Allen. Bourke also trains the 5-year-old Misremembered mare, who has now earned $216,572.

Defending champion Dougie D Oro was a repeat winner of the Honey Jay Stakes under Ricky Feliciano, defeating three-time Ohio Horse of the Year Altissimo. Jerry Sparks owns and trains Dougie D Oro, who covered the 6 furlongs in 1:09.22 in winning for the ninth time in 15 starts while sending his career earnings to $318,275.

I Wanna Win did just that, scoring an easy 8 1/4-length victory over Forewarned in the day’s final stakes, the 1 1/4-mile Governor’s Buckeye Cup. Malcolm Franklin rode the winner for trainer James Jackson. I Wanna Win, a 6-year-old gelded son of I Want Revenge, is owned by his breeder, Elkhorn Oaks Inc. He has won 10 of 40 starts and earned $382,227.

OHIO HPBA

Best of Ohio Series at Thistledown

Thistledown hosted the second leg of the Best of Ohio series August 13, a pleasant overcast afternoon featuring a large on-track crowd.

The annual Best of Ohio series features five $100,000 stakes for Ohio-breds at each of Ohio’s three Thoroughbred tracks. Belterra Park hosted the first leg of the 2022 Best of Ohio series June 3.

Patricia’s Hope LLC’s Back to Ohio was a 5 ½-length winner of the Miss Ohio Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, which kicked off the stakes action on the Thistledown Best of Ohio program. Back to Ohio, a Midshipman filly purchased for $385,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales April 2-year-olds in training sale, stalked the early pace before taking command at the top of the stretch in the Miss Ohio. She drew off under Jareth Loveberry and covered 6 furlongs in 1:10.28. Larry Rivelli trains Back to Ohio, now a winner of all three starts to date. Lady Lottie, who defeated runner-up Back to Ohio in the Tah Dah Stakes in July but was disqualified to sixth, finished second in the Miss Ohio.

Fair and Square was a front-running 4 ¼-length winner over stablemate Grand Isle in the Cleveland Kindergarten for trainer Tim Hamm. Jeffrey Sanchez rode Fair and Square, a 2-year-old chestnut son of Super Saver who covered the 6 furlongs in 1:10.84 for his third win in four starts for owners and breeders WinStar Farm and Blazing Meadows Farm.

I Recall and R Three Angels battled throughout the 1 1/8-mile Pay the Man

Fall Meeting at Mahoning Valley

Mahoning Valley Race Course kicks off its 45-day fall meeting Saturday, October 22. The meet runs through Friday, December 30.

The meet will be highlighted by the Best of Ohio program Saturday, October 29, and the $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint Stakes Monday, November 21.

Racing will be conducted on a Monday through Thursday schedule each week, with special Saturday programs during the meet and the closing card on Friday. Post time for the Monday through Friday cards will be 12:45 p.m. with the Saturday cards featuring a 12:15 p.m. first post.

OKLAHOMA HBPA

Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma Board Appoints Election Committee

The TRAO board has appointed three people to the election committee: Bill Anderson, Randy Oberlander and Dr. Joe Alexander. General guidelines to nominate trainers or owner/trainers to the board are as follows: The nomination process begins October 1. Nominations shall be submitted to the election committee via phone or email. Nominations close October 15 in the TRAO board room after nominations have been taken from the floor.

Requirements for Membership on the Board

The trainer or owner/trainer must have at least 20 Thoroughbred starts at an Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission-licensed racetrack during the previous 12 months. The following is the complete TRAO elections and voting bylaws:

Article VII Elections and Voting

Section 1. Elections of Board of Directors.

Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected as follows:

(A) Owner members of the Board shall be elected for a three-year term beginning in 2022 through 2024;

(B) Breeder members of the Board shall be elected for a three-year term beginning in 2022 through 2024; and

(C) Trainer and Owner/Trainer members of the Board shall be elected for terms beginning in 2023 through 2025;

Section 2. Supervision of Elections.

Each Association election shall be conducted under the supervision of the Board of Directors and an Election Committee consisting of three (3) members of the Association who have been in good standing for at least three (3) years and who are appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors.

The Election Committee shall be responsible for conducting the election in accordance with the Bylaws and any rules of the Board of Directors. The members of the Election Committee may be candidates in the election. The Board of Directors shall employ an independent firm or individual, who or which shall be known as the Election Director, to supervise the mailing, opening, and counting of the ballots and certification of the results.

Section 3. Elections.

(A) The Election Committee shall nominate at least two (2) candidates for each office who are Members in good standing of the Association.

(B) The Election process shall begin during the fourth quarter of each election year.

(C) The Election Committee shall hold one or more meetings prior to the close of nominations. At each meeting, nominations from the floor will be accepted if a nominee receives the endorsement of not less than three (3) members present at the meeting, including the nominator and two (2) seconds, or is accompanied by a petition signed by no fewer than forty (40) members of the Association who are eligible to vote in elections and are in good standing.

(D) Notice of the nominating process and pending election shall be given, starting not less than thirty (30) calendar days prior to the general election, by all of the following, if available:

1. Announcement over an Oklahoma racetrack’s stable area public address system (which is conducting a live thoroughbred race meeting or a mixed-race meeting in which thoroughbreds are competing).

2. General notice posted at each office of the Association, at the stable gate/track security office of each operating and/or open racetrack in Oklahoma, an office where entries are taken at each racetrack in Oklahoma with a thoroughbred race meeting in progress.

3. Publication of notice in the Association newsletter or other industry circulated publication(s).

(E) Such notice shall inform the Members of their right to nominate candidates, the methods of doing so, date of election and all other information necessary to inform each Member about the nomination and election process.

Section 4. Candidates.

(A) The Executive Director or a designee shall notify each candidate of his or her

nomination by telephone, facsimile, electronic mail, or certified mail as soon after the nomination as reasonably possible.

(B) Within fifteen (15) calendar days of the mailing to each candidate of notice of nomination for office, said candidate shall complete and mail to the attention of the Executive Director at the Association’s Principal Office an affidavit (the “Candidacy Affidavit”) on a form furnished by the Association stating that:

1. Candidate is eligible for the position for which nominated;

2. Candidate has read the requirements of these Bylaws respecting elections and candidates, agrees to be bound by them, and will obey any decision of the Board of Directors concerning the election;

3. Candidate will serve if elected, remain qualified for the position during the term of office, and observe and not violate the conflicts of interest provisions in these Bylaws;

4. Candidate (or spouse or immediate family of same) is not a member, officer, director, beneficial owner, employee, representative, agent, or subject to the direction or control of an Organization Licensee, a business operated at a racetrack, the OHRC, any other equine organization(s) that may have a stated purpose in conflict with operation and purposes of this Association, or any other associations of Thoroughbred Horsemen that has a stated purpose in conflict with the operation or purposes of this Association; and

5. If a Candidate is otherwise in any way affiliated with an official breed registry (thoroughbred or non-thoroughbred) or other organization subject to audit or regulation by the OHRC, the Candidate is not an officer, director, committee member, agent, or employee of such official breed registry or other organization that has the ability to establish policy or influence the official position or direction of such official breed registry or other organization. Withstanding the foregoing, a Candidate faced with an apparent conflict may make themselves eligible without first obtaining Board approval by resigning (or, if applicable, having their spouse or immediate relative resign) his or her position with any such organization, association or group prior to the Candidate being placed on the ballot, upon providing satisfactory proof of such resignation to the Board of Directors.

Section 5. Electioneering; Candidacy Affidavits; and Protests.

(A) No activity commonly referred to as “political activity” or “electioneering” shall be allowed after the last general nominating meeting for an election. No campaign material, other than the biographical and policy statement mailed by the Association, shall be permitted except for oral solicitation of votes by in person-to-person conversation. No candidate may authorize, condone, or knowingly permit any articles, statements, or pictures about him or her to be published which could be construed as campaign material for “electioneering” or “political activity” in any publication after the last nominating meeting before the election. There shall be no distribution of marked sample ballots, nor any placard or banner endorsing any candidate or slate of candidates. If any political activity, electioneering or distribution of campaign material occurs on behalf of a candidate in violation of this section with the authority or consent of a candidate, said candidate may be disqualified (a) as a candidate for any office in the election, or (b) from taking office if the election has been completed, or (c) that portion of the election in which a violation occurred may be re-conducted. The Board of Directors seated prior to or during said election, who are not candidates for an office involved in a possible violation of this section, shall have full authority to determine the validity of any such violation and the manner in which the election for said office will proceed.

(B) A candidate for office may also send via electronic or certified mail to the

attention of the Executive Director at the Association’s Principal Office with the candidate’s affidavit, a biographical and policy statement of not more than three hundred (300) words within the same time limits required for the Candidacy Affidavit. The candidate expressly authorizes the verification of information, use, and publication of this statement as the candidate’s official statement to the Association, but such statement otherwise shall not be issued, disseminated, or used by the Association other than by enclosing a copy with the ballot. The candidate further expressly authorizes the staff of the Association to compile a brief biographical statement for the candidate if the candidate fails to provide one on a timely basis.

(C) The Executive Director or designee shall maintain a list of all persons nominated, and keep all Candidacy Affidavits, biographical and policy statements, and the current membership roll of the Association.

(D) A protest of a candidate or an election must be in writing and sent by certified mail to the attention of the Executive Director at the Association’s principal office. No protest of a candidate or an election will be accepted that is postmarked after seven (7) calendar days following the announcement of election results. The burden shall be on the protestant to prove that a protest is timely. Each protest shall contain a complete and definite statement of the facts that constitute the alleged violation. The protestant must be prepared to substantiate the protest by sworn testimony, witnesses, or other relevant evidence. All expenses of any kind whatsoever incurred by the protestant and those persons charged with violating any election rules shall be assumed and paid personally by said persons. No expenses of any kind will be assumed or paid by the Association on behalf of any candidate for office or protestant.

(E) The lodging of a protest of an election or of a candidate shall not affect the status of an elected Director until such Director has been removed by a majority vote of the non-contested elected Members of the Board of Directors.

(F) Write-in Candidates are not permitted. If a ballot is cast that includes the name of a person who was not nominated in accordance with these Bylaws, the entire ballot shall be declared null and void.

Section 6. Manner of Voting.

(A) Voting shall be by secret ballot. All voting and election procedures shall be supervised by the Election Committee and the Election Director in accordance with the Bylaws of the Association and written policies of the Board of Directors. The Election Committee and Election Director may be randomly checked by the Association’s auditors or by designated independent firms or individuals.

(B) Not less than thirty (30) and not more than sixty (60) calendar days prior to an election, the Election Director shall mail, in an envelope bearing the Election Director’s return address, to the last known address of each Owner, Trainer, Owner/Trainer, or Breeder who is determined to be eligible to vote, the following voting material:

1. A ballot;

2. An envelope marked “BALLOT” capable of being sealed;

3. The approved biographical and policy statement of each candidate (if available);

4. A return envelope addressed to the attention of the Election Director, that shall have a space in the upper left-hand corner for the signature and the typed or printed name of the individual member or entity, and that shall have the word “Ballot” and the name of this Association appearing on its face. Said return envelope shall be sent by U.S. mail, postage paid, or shall be marked to indicate that postage will be paid by addressee.

5. The Election Committee may recommend to the Board, and the Board may adopt such other policies and procedures as deemed necessary to

ensure that all eligible members, who are in good standing and desiring to vote in the election, are afforded the opportunity to vote including, but not limited to: (a) at least one posting two weeks after the ballots are mailed and at least three days before ballots are due to the Association and/or horsemen’s bookkeeper office operating a thoroughbred race meeting in progress (and such other locations deemed most appropriate) of a current “mail return list” of returned ballots, (b) the forwarding returned ballots with forwarding addresses to the intended recipient, if applicable, and (c) upon request the forwarding of duplicate ballots to recipients who are willing to verify that ballots were not received by them. (Duplicate ballots will be marked as “duplicate” on all envelopes and registered as a duplicate at time of counting by the Election Director.)

(C) The Executive Director or a designee shall obtain a current list of names and addresses from the horsemen’s bookkeeper at each racetrack in Oklahoma of all Owners and Trainers who started a thoroughbred horse in Oklahoma during a live race meeting that was conducted during the twelve (12) calendar months prior to October 1st of the election year. The Executive Director or a designee may also utilize information available at the OHRC to obtain additional names and addresses of such Owners, Trainers, Owner/ Trainers, and Breeders if not provided by the horsemen’s bookkeepers. The Election Director shall use said list(s) in compiling the latest available addresses of the Association’s owners and trainers, who are members in good standing, and/or who (1) have raced under their individual names, for mailing of ballots, or (2) in case of partnerships, corporations, syndicates or other multiple ownerships, a single ballot shall be mailed to the address of the managing partner of each entity. Each entity shall have only one vote regardless of the number of licensed owners, partners or syndicate members making up such partnership, corporation or syndicate. The person responsible for the day-to-day management of a multiple ownership entity

CUSTOM

Pavesafe • Trac-Roll • Vet-Trac

shall have the sole voting authority of the entity; however, any licensed owner or owner/trainer who is a member of a multiple ownership entity, but also starts a horse in his own name, separate from any such entity, shall be entitled to his or her separate vote. The Executive Director or designee shall maintain, on a current basis, the Association’s membership roll. Prior to the mailing of ballots, the Executive Director or a designee, or such other duly authorized Association representative shall use reasonable efforts to confirm the identity and address of each member eligible to vote; however, the responsibility for accurate identification and addresses for members lies with the members. The Executive Director or a designee shall provide the latest list of Association members determined to be eligible to vote along with the latest membership roll to the National Association’s secretary upon request of the National Association.

(D) The Executive Director, the Election Director, or other duly-authorized Association representative shall present voting material to any eligible member in good standing, in person, who requests the same in person, on the grounds of not having previously received said voting material by mail. Upon receiving the voting material, the member shall be required to sign a receipt acknowledging said material was not previously received and otherwise has not voted in the subject election.

(E) The Election Director shall alphabetize the return envelopes complying with the ballot instructions upon receipt, and shall segregate any non-complying return envelopes for review by the Election Committee. On or after the deadline for receiving ballots, the Election Committee and the Election Director shall conduct a verification of eligible return envelopes at the premises of the Association or the location the Election Director chooses with the approval of the Board of Directors, prior to transmittal of the return envelopes to the designated independent vote tabulator for opening and tabulation. The purpose of the verification procedure is to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that only one ballot is cast by each eligible voter/ member/entity in good standing since performance of such verification procedure by the independent vote tabulator would be unduly burdensome and expensive. The verification procedure shall be governed by the Bylaws and rules of the Board.

(F) All ballots that are received by the Election Director prior to the close of business on the day named for the election shall be considered timely. NO BALLOT ENVELOPES SHALL BE OPENED BY THE ELECTION COMMITTEE OR ANYONE OTHER THAN THE DESIGNATED ELECTION DIRECTOR. The outside of the return envelope shall be inspected for the member’s printed label, which shall be checked against the Association’s current membership list of eligible voters. The Election Director shall have the discretion to accept any return or ballot envelope, which substantially complies with the ballot instructions, the Bylaws and any rules of the Board, and shall have the discretion to reject any return or ballot envelope that does not meet the “substantial compliance” standard and/or is believed to be untrustworthy or fraudulent in any respect. Upon completion of the verification procedure, the Election Director shall bundle, seal and maintain custody for a period of not less than thirty (30) calendar days (or until the final determination of any timely protest) any “rejected” return envelope, ballot envelope or ballot. The Election Director shall bundle, seal and maintain the verified ballot envelopes for tabulation with instructions regarding the manner of tabulation of the votes (i.e., the number of votes that the voter is allowed to cast for each position and the voiding of all ballots in a single sealed ballot envelope if more than one ballot is contained therein). The Election Director shall sign a Verification of Eligible Ballots, setting forth the number of “rejected” ballots and/or return envelopes along with the reason(s) for each “rejection,” and the number of verified ballot envelopes. Members, Candidates, and Directors shall not attend the counting; however, the

Association’s Executive Director and necessary Association employees shall be allowed to attend the counting.

(H) For any election of a Director should there be no nomination to oppose an incumbent running for re-election, the election committee will verify all eligibility requirements outlined in the bylaws to be presented to the Board President allowing all incumbent candidates be elected by acclimation.

Article VIII Officers

Section 1. Election of Officers.

At the first meeting after an election, the Board shall elect a President from the members of the Board. The Board may elect other Officers of the Association at that time or another time as determined by the Board. The Board may choose to hold the Election of Officers by secret ballot during the meeting.

You can submit nominations starting October 1 by contacting one of the election committee members below:

Dr. Joe Alexander, (405) 747-4244

Email: foxlair.farm.6516@gmail.com

Bill Anderson, (405) 659-3806

Email: hydryjenbill@netscape.net

Randy Oberlander, (405) 812-0359

Email: osbstables@sbcglobal.net

TRAO Office, (405) 427-8753

Nominations end October 15.

PENNSYLVANIA HBPA

Notice of Inactive Accounts

The Pennsylvania HBPA announces inactive accounts in the horsemen’s bookkeeping account at Penn National Race Couse. In accordance with the live racing agreement, Penn National furnished a list of accounts that have been inactive for a period of four years. The names on those inactive accounts are set forth below.

Holders of inactive accounts should contact the Pennsylvania HBPA at P.O. Box 88, Grantville, PA 17028, by telephone at (717) 469-2970 or by fax to (717) 469-7714.

All inactive accounts that remain unclaimed one year after the date of this publication will be paid to the Pennsylvania HBPA’s Benevolent Fund.

Country Hill Farm, Inc.; Craig B, Singer; Triple Tree Stable; Michael Hew; Dierdre Pianto; Steven S. Zoine; Alley, Shane and Alley, Kit; James D. Branham; TLC Thoroughbreds; Alley, Shane, Alley, Kit and Freedom Stables, Inc.; Mountain View Racing LLC and Hooper Racing Stable LLC; Richard L. Lister; Cal MacWilliam and Neil Teitelbaum; Michael E. Stouffer and Rock Bottom Ranch; Edgar Bayeh; John Jacob McAllister; Englehart, Jeffrey S., Fiumera, Frank and Roys, Richard; VeVerka, Steven R. and Dymond, Amanda; Tim Szynskie; American Dreamer Stable & Gumpster Stable LLC; Jagger Inc. and James C. Wolf; Frank J. Menarde; David Cobb; Snowden, Jr., Hal E. and Diamant, Eli; The Harp Racing Stable; Myron R. Wilson and Runnin Shoes Stable; Armata Stable; Four Stars Stable LLC; Fawkes Racing, Inc. and Stetler, Donald A.; Laurie A. McDowell; Squire Thoroughbreds LLC & James G. Miller Jr; Joe M. Thomson; Selman Shaby; Luis Carvajal Jr; Blu Horse Shoe LLC; Leah Petro; Janet Peterson; Shack Baby Productions, LLC; John A Rispoli; Brown, Jr., Howard R. and Rubenstein, Mark; Fantasy Lane Stable; Sookdeen Pasram; Marvin Factor; Tobey L. Morton; Joseph Albanese and Richard Pesce; Marie Maelfait; Steve Tiam Fook and Dennis Wildman; Thomas S Rice; Plaza, Alberto and Sosa Sandoval, Valeria; Socorro, Inc.; Mangini, Mario O. and Herdazay - Nelbel Stables; John O’Meara; Jennivieve Burton; R3 Racing; Ryan McGowan; Armenia Racing Stables, Inc.; Hooper Racing Stable LLC; Run-A-Way Racing Stables; William H. Kelly and Howard R Brown Jr; Douglas Gillis; McLean Racing Stables; Greycross Stable LLC; Anthony J Bardaro;

The Unstable Stable LLC; Randy Bayley; Letitia Anderson and Gerald Iverson; Ottaviani, Donald A. and Doreen and Feist, Jack and Lorrie; Larry N. Brafman; Alexis Biasotto; Point Blank Racing Stables, LLC; Randall & Teresa Hillson and Roy D. Houghton; Michael Dilger; Michael Leach; Felix Susi; Calico Jack Stables; Rich Dalone Stable; Jerson S. Tejeda; Jacqeline Savoye; Sean Massey; Gary R Katz; Monticule LLC; Leonard H. Pivnick; Adam Staple and Jalin Racing Stable; Franklin G. Smith Sr; Elizabeth Mateo; Michelle S. Sharp; Jordan V. Wycoff; Leonard Klinghoffer; Shirley Wheeler; Rase Stables; Lester I Joseph; Stephanie S. Beattie; 717 RACING STABLE; Unadilla Stable; Ryehill Farm; O’Sheas Racing LLC and Twilight Racing LLC; Gazzier, Kristy and Khalaf, Farhat W.; Bessie Steinmetz; Carlson Family Limited Partnership; Hooties Racing LLC; Brett Tahajian; Jeremiah Kane; Michael J. Miller; Richard C. Granville; Rising Sun Racing Stables, Inc. and Sola Del Gloria Stable; Freedom Racing LLC, Alley, Shane and Alley, Kit; No Empty Seat Stable; Flying Pheasant Farm, LLC; Brent Zeiders; Mike Anderson Racing LLC; Amanda Dymond; Stanley J. Trzcinski; Gladys Martinez; Carla Murphy; William Quirk; Laughing Rabbit Stable, LLC; Pheasant House Farm; Buckingham Farm and Morgan’s Ford Farm; Ruberto Racing Stable, Inc.; Donald Dean; Desert Notion Thoroughbreds LLC; Charles Felton; Stella F. Thayer and Linda B. Miller; Sabina Abell; Robert Verratti; Ted Hoover; Kathleen Athanasopoulos and Jackie Acksel; Johnny Lall; Nancy Mazzoni; Ioannis Kolibos; Ponies & Poker LLC; Jill E. Auwarter; Hassig, Steve and McEnroe, Michael; Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds LLC; Heather Campbell; John Wames and Kevin Halbleib; Leonard J Rubacha; Somraj Singh; Jose Santiago Palacios; Mildred B. Ventriglio; MC Stable, LLC and Van Sant, Maria Claire; Lori Lockhart; Rodney T. Eckenrode and William J Solomon; East West Stables; Tatham, Deborah W. and Morris, Margaret A,; High Risk Stable; New Spice Stable; Lee Loebelenz; Benjamin W. Perkins Sr.; Silver Willow Racing; Equine Prep Management; Arthur G. Shopf; Donald L. Brown, Tena Brown and Michael J. Morrow; Wasabi Ventures Stables and Kenwood Racing; Ghost Ridge Farms LTD.; Treblanna Stable; Richele Grieb & DASL Stable; Nicholas Bozakis; John KoIb and Matthew Groff; Joseph Klausa; Robert L. Moser; Sure Shot Stable; Bone, Robert D., and Singh, Somraj; Burton J. Butker; Daniel M. Ryan; Leopoldo Murillo Ortega; Kantarmaci Racing, LLC and Serdar Ortac; DJ McMahon; The Players Group, Reis, Mary Beth and Reis, Gary; Dan Haines; Heather Hollahan; Michael T. Joos; Bryan R. Baker; Michael Baughman; S & G Racing Stable; Black Oak Farm and Jon Hanisch; Poindexter Thoroughbreds LLC; Mark Hoffman and Jagger Inc.; BC.W.C. Racing; In For A Penny Stable; Daniel H Conway, Jr.; Goodwin Farm; Haralabos Maravelias; Armand De La Perriere; Thomas Porter; Ken M. White; Lynch Racing LLC and Keenan, Tom; Bill Starnes; Long View Stables; Steven R. VeVerka; Angela B. Coombs; ET Black Stable, Frank Giammarino, and Joseph G. Cinquemani; Chesney, Stephen and Hoffman, Cory S.; Ocean View Stable; Joanne Morales Bonilla; Neil Kovar; William A. Smith Jr.; P T Racing; Dan Hayden; Randy McGlinn

WASHINGTON HBPA

2022 WHBPA Election Results

Eleven nominees—10 from the nominating committee and one from the floor—were presented at the Washington HBPA’s 2022 Election Nominating meeting June 3. The meeting marked the first time since the incorporation of the Washington HBPA that the required number of starts for owner candidates was lowered from five to three. The change for eligibility was long overdue, with a reduced number of owners and racing dates since the bylaw was adopted.

The Washington HBPA is fortunate to have a group of die-hard owners and trainers willing to serve the membership.

“It isn’t always fun and popular to serve on the board, especially during tough times,” said Washington HBPA Executive Director MaryAnn O’Connell. “This group of individuals work amazingly well with each other, always striving to improve racing in Washington State for all participants. They don’t all agree on every topic but always come to consensus as a unified board. I’m glad the majority of them are willing to serve another term since it was difficult to find people willing to run.”

After the nominating meeting, 12 nominees submitted an affidavit of candidacy as required by the bylaws. All but one candidate was confirmed to have met the eligibility requirements. Owner director nominee Mike Pattison was found to be short of eligibility by a fraction of one start for one of the two required years. This left 11 candidates for 11 positions. A week later, owner director Bill Nicklos withdrew his candidacy for the next term. Owner director David Israel did not seek another term.

Here are the candidates for the 2022–2025 Washington HBPA Board of Directors:

President Nominee: Pat LePley*

Owner Director Nominees: Jack Fabulich* Debbie Pabst Sue Spooner* Keith Swagerty* OPEN

Trainer Director Nominees: Robbie Baze* Greg Moore* José Navarro* Tom Wenzel* Blaine Wright* *incumbent board member

The board of directors will institute the bylaw procedure for election by acclamation at its September meeting, a procedure utilized when the number of eligible candidates is less than or equal to the number of board positions available. They also will discuss filling the open owner director position for the next term. The new board will begin a three-year term of service one week after the original election date (September 26).

Thank You to 2019–2022 Board of Directors

The Washington HBPA staff would like to acknowledge and thank President Pat LePley and 2019–2021 board members Jack Fabulich, David Israel, Bill Nicklos, Keith Swagerty, Sue Spooner, Robbie Baze, Greg Moore, José Navarro, Tom Wenzel and Blaine Wright for their service to the horsemen and association over the past term. Added thanks to Jeff Metz, who served on the board for four years until he resigned in 2019.

Each is to be commended for donating their time and talents to represent horsemen and strengthen the industry. The staff commends and wishes to express gratitude to the 2018–2022 board of directors who served an unexpected four-year term due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The professional and cooperative manner in which the board educated themselves, discussed issues and demonstrated a genuine trust in each other and in the WHBPA staff is appreciated.

A genuine thank you to outgoing board members Bill Nicklos and David Israel for their service.

Seventh Annual Memorial Walk

A group of 25 people walked from the quarter chute to the winner’s circle August 28 to memorialize Emerald Downs owners, breeders, horsemen and family members who left us during the past year. After a moment of silence and the playing of Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You,” 45 names were read by Backstretch Chapel board member Jill Hallin.

—MaryAnn O’Connell and Lanna Allen

Hallin started the memorial walk in 2016 after the Emerald Downs stable area was shaken by a series of unexpected deaths, including that of a young trainer, Monique Snowden. Hallin and those who attended that first walk realized the healing power of coming together to collectively remember, grieve and talk about loved ones and friends. Realizing the walk’s benefit, the organizers collectively decided to make it an annual event.

Thanks to Hallin, Jody Parmenter, Joanie Hutchison and Karen Worthington for organizing and helping with this year’s memorial walk. A special expression of gratitude goes out to Emerald Downs Chaplain Gilbert Aguilar, who led the group in prayer and read some comforting words from his favorite book.

Other stakes winners on the Champions Day card were Mike Phillips’ Zippin Sevenz in the $75,000 Emerald Distaff Stakes, WilWin Stable’s You’re the Cause in the $75,000 Muckleshoot Derby and Saratoga West and Steve and Letha Haahr’s Tiz a Macho Girl in the $75,000 Washington Oaks. Complicate won the special $40,000 allowance race, which received an extra $10,000 purse enhancement from management, for horses nominated but not drawn into the Longacres Mile.

Griffin Place Shines at WTBOA Summer Sale

A colt from the first crop of Sir Prancealot bred and consigned by Griffin Place LLC sold for $85,000 to highlight the successful 55th Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association summer yearling and mixed sale August 23 at Emerald Downs.

Sold as Hip 80 and a half brother to 2021–2022 stakes winner Slack Tide, the sale-topping colt was purchased by PT Syndicate #1 of San Mateo, California.

Champions Day Provides Thrilling Racing

Following a recent trend around the country, Emerald Downs management decided to run four of its biggest races on a single card in 2022.

Mile Day and Derby Day have been replaced by Champions Day. Since Emerald Downs no longer reports attendance numbers, it’s difficult to compare from previous Longacres Mile Days, but the crowd was big and enthusiastic.

The 10-race card August 14 featured four full-field stakes and a top-notch allowance with horses that did not get into the Longacres Mile. The day didn’t disappoint the betting public, horsemen and owners. One trainer in the stable area called Champions Day “a day for the little guy, and that made it fun.”

Total handle was $3,205,784, the second largest in track history and exceeded only by $3,250,016 on the 2011 Longacres Mile card.

Slew’s Tiz Whiz collared Papa’s Golden Boy in the final strides and scored a 2 3/4-length victory in the 87th running of the $150,000 Longacres Mile. Slew’s Tiz Whiz won the Northwest’s most historic race in 1:34.46 as the 3-1 second choice under Jose Zunino. Tom Wenzel trains Slew’s Tiz Whiz for owner K D Thoroughbreds, nom de course for Darlyne Krieg of Oak Harbor, Washington. Slew’s Tiz Whiz is the first Washington-bred since Stryker Phd in 2015 to win the Mile. The 4-year-old bay gelding by Slew’s Tiznow was bred by Karl Krieg, Darlyne’s husband, who passed away from cancer in 2019.

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Officials reported sales on 68 of the 76 horses through the ring for $1,219,700, up 7.6 percent from the 2021 sale. Average price of $17,677 rose 24.7 percent from 2021’s $14,175, and the median rose 20 percent to $12,000. The sale also provided new homes for 11 broodmares, including a three-inone package for a 7-year-old Atta Boy Roy mare and her suckling colt by 2022 Washington leading sire Conveyance, who the mare was bred back to.

The sale’s leading consignor, Terry and Mary Lou Griffin’s Griffin Place LLC, also sold for themselves or as agent Hip 46, a Midshipman colt out of Washington champion Bella Mia, for $79,000, and Hip 34, a son of hot freshman sire Sharp Azteca for $70,000. Both colts were purchased by Dave Staudacher of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Griffin Place also consigned Hip 56, a Grazen colt purchased for $62,000 by the successful longtime local partnership of John and Janene Maryanski and Gerry and Gail Schneider; Hip 4, a Grazen filly out of multiple Washington champion Lady Rosberg, purchased by California trainer Andy Mathis for $47,000; and Hip 24, a Tapizar filly who went to prominent local trainer Blaine Wright, agent, for $46,000. The Griffins brought 10 yearlings to the sale and sold them for $474,000. HJ

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