Month: March 2021

Dr. Slovis’s Six Tips on How To Prevent & Treat EHV-1 In Your Horses

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by haygardpractice – March 3, 2021

Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) causes respiratory disease, abortions and neurological disease. Transmission occurs via the respiratory system, with droplets of the virus being spread by mucus via snorting, coughing and human contact.

If you are in a high-risk area where there’s a greater incidence of EHV-1 cases, the following tips may help ensure your horse is protected from infection. These precautionary strategies come directly from Dr. Nathan Slovis, DACVIM, at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. As an Internal Medicine Specialist and the Infectious Disease & Biosecurity Director, he has implemented the current Infectious Disease and Equine Emergency Response Programs at Hagyard.

 

  1. Start monitoring your horse’s temperature twice daily. Even if your horse has not been exposed, start recording their temperature now to understand what their normal baseline temperature is. A horse’s temperature will usually spike prior to shedding significant amounts of the virus, and typically anything greater than 101.5oF should be considered a fever. If a fever is noted, you should isolate the horse to the best of your ability until a veterinarian can assess. It is recommended that any horse with a fever have both a whole blood sample and nasal swab submitted for PCR assessment for EHV-1 and EHV-4.

 

  1. Limit exposure to any stressful situations that are not necessary. Examples include elective surgeries and other medical procedures. Minimizing stress will help protect the immune system so it can better fight off infection.

 

  1. If your horse requires the use of corticosteroids, either systemically or intraarticularly, consult your veterinarian to see if it is feasible to stop administration. The continued use of corticosteroids can suppress the immune system and could hinder their ability to effectively fight off an infection.

 

  1. Increase biosecurity measures since humans can inadvertently spread the infection on their hands, grooming equipment, etc. EHV-1 can survive on inanimate objects like halters, lead ropes, and tack, but is easy to kill on surfaces with disinfection. Therefore, these simple biosecurity measures can help stop the spread:
    • Wash or sanitize your hands between interacting with each horse.
    • Take care when filling water buckets and feed tubs – neither the hose nor the feed scoop should have contact with the bucket or tub.
    • Minimize the use of shared equipment, disinfecting tack (bits, bridles, etc.) between horses. Items like water buckets and feed tubs should not be shared.

There are a multitude of safe and effective disinfectants available. A few I recommend are a 1:4 ratio of bleach to water, or accelerated hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants (like RescueTM) since they are safe for both human and animal use.

 

  1. Keep your horse up to date with their EHV vaccine schedule. If you horse has not been vaccinated against EHV three months prior to travelling into an area that has a high incidence of EHV, then I would recommend vaccinating your horse. If you are in a high-risk area, consult your veterinarian about the use of vaccines that have a high antigenic load for herpes virus so you can get a robust immune response. Remember, there is no vaccine on the market that can prevent the neurological form of EHV-1. The goal of vaccinating is to reduce the severity of clinical signs and reduce shedding of the EHV-1 virus if a horse does get sick.

Some inactivated vaccines with the highest number of antigens for virus neutralization include Calvenza®, Pneumabort-K® and Prodigy®. Other vaccines like Rhinomune® are a modified live vaccine, and also have a high virus neutralization response.

 

  1. If your horse is exposed or gets sick, contact your veterinarian to see what course of action they recommend. As mentioned, diagnosis requires the detection of the virus from either whole blood or nasal swab samples via PCR testing.

If you are in a barn with a horse that has EHV-1, the use of the antiviral drug valacyclovir may decrease virus shedding and may help your horse from acquiring the infection. Veterinarians have also discussed the use of lysine to theoretically reduce viral replication. Horses can be administered safely 12 grams orally once daily in their feed. This has not been proven to prevent neurological forms of EHV-1.

In the neurologic form of EHV-1, the virus interacts with the blood vessels that supply the spinal cord. This inflammation in the blood vessels can cause a stroke-like event (blood clot), resulting in decreased blood flow to that portion of the spinal cord. To potentially prevent this from happening, veterinarians may prescribe anticoagulants like aspirin and/or heparin to prevent this from happening if your horse becomes clinical.

 

To learn more about EHV-1, Dr. Slovis recommends referring to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) website for accurate information: https://aaep.org/guidelines/infectious-disease-control/equine-herpesvirus-resources.

 

About Hagyard Pharmacy: Hagyard Pharmacy is a full-service equine pharmacy located in Lexington, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute and its 140+ years of equine veterinary experience, making it the number one name in equine health. This affiliation gives Hagyard Pharmacy a unique perspective in providing compounds, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, and supplements to the equine industry. This has led to the development of innovative products, such as the Resolvet line products that is inspired and developed by pharmacists to address specific needs for equine supplements and performance aids. The Resolvet line includes Relyne GI for gastric support, Reflex HA for joint support, Revyve digestive support, Relyte HA electrolyte paste, Relieve intestinal adsorbent, Repair hoof oil, and Resolve antimicrobial spray. For more information, visit hagyardpharmacy.com and resolvet.com.

About Hagyard Equine Medical Institute: With more than 50 veterinarians and 145 years behind it, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute is the oldest and one of the largest private equine veterinary practices in the world. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, the facility, located across the street from the Kentucky Horse Park, boasts superior ambulatory services, the world-renowned Davidson Surgery Center, McGee Medicine and Fertility Centers, Hagyard Laboratory, Hagyard Sports Medicine & Podiatry Center, and hyperbaric medicine facilities. For more information, visit hagyard.com. 

Offspring Turns Tables in Red Camelia

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Homebred Upends Ladies Turf 1-2 Finishers Room to Finish, Net a Bear

 

Offspring with Brian Hernandez, Jr. aboard captures the 45th running of the Red Camelia Stales at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography; / Lou Hodges, Jr.

 

Oak Tree Stable’s homebred Offspring took advantage of a race flow that played to her strengths, got first run on defending champion Net a Bear, and easily held that rival at bay for a 1 ¾-length win in Saturday’s $60,000 Red Camelia for state-bred fillies at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. The win helped make amends for her third-place finish as the favorite behind Room to Finish and Net a Bear in the local Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf in December.

Brian Hernandez Jr. kept Offspring (3.20-1) in close attendance to a dawdling early pace, as Marywood got loose and carved out tepid fractions of 25.10 and 50.65. Meanwhile, even-money favorite Room to Finish was a compromised fifth along the rail early and Net a Bear took all the worst of it, as she settled in last in the field-of-8. The tempo quickened entering the far turn. Marywood came under fire and Offspring was produced 4-wide while taking dead aim on the leader, with Room to Finish taking an inside route and Net a Bear rallying widest of all. Offspring took charge in deep stretch as Marywood relented and Net a Bear closed fastest of all to secure the place by a half-length over the game pacesetter, with Room to Finish a disappointing sixth. Offspring finished the about 1-mile distance in 1:39.80 over a firm Stall-Wilson Turf Course.

“We were able to get the perfect trip from the outside,” Hernandez Jr. said. “We were able to slide over to the 2-path and here on this grass course it makes a big difference to save all the ground as much as possible and that’s what we were able to do today. It makes it easy when you have a filly like her that was taking me there the whole way.”

Oak Tree Stable bred Offspring, a 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, but sold her at auction for $130,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company June 2018 Two-Year-Olds & Horses of Racing Age Sale. She went 3-for-13 for trainer Carlo Vaccarezza , which included a pair of state-bred optional-claiming wins over the Stall-Wilson in March of 2020, then struggled in a pair of off-the-board finishes in Kentucky last September and October.

Trainer Joe Sharp claimed her for her breeders for $62,500 at Keeneland in October with an eye to the state-bred grass stakes this winter in New Orleans and Offspring rewarded her old but new connections with a strong third here behind Room to Finish and Net a Bear in the Ladies Turf. She hit the board in a pair of off-the-turf races here in January and February but clearly relished getting back to the Stall-Wilson while moving her lifetime mark to 4-for-17.

“She’s really just had tough luck with the weather this meet and we obviously know grass is her preferred surface,” Sharp said. “She’s just an honest mare that’s made a living all winter off-the-turf and making he best of bad situations. I was happy for her to be able to get the stakes win that she needed for her future.”

Room to Finish couldn’t double up on her Ladies Turf win over her two biggest rivals while running for the fourth time at the meet for trainer Wayne Catalano. The 6-year-old daughter of Giant Oak was also second in the open Marie Krantz Memorial in January and entered off an eighth-place finish in the open Albert M. Stall Memorial March 6. Room to Finish hugged the rail much of the way in the Red Camelia under Adam Beschizza but couldn’t deliver her patented late run behind the slow early fractions.

“The pace didn’t help,” Beschizza said. “She’d rather be held together than having to chase her. I was happy and comfortable where I was but they just didn’t come back to me. She was beaten fair and square.”

Fair Grounds Announces Third Purse Increase Of The Meet

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Continued Strong Business Prompts Another Daily Bump

New Orleans (March 3, 2021) – For the third time in the 2020-21 meet, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots has announced a 10% purse increase across the board. Much like the first two, the boost was inspired by strong simulcast handle. The purse increase, which includes both open races and Louisiana-bred races, goes into effect for the final 13 days of the meet, beginning with the Thursday, March 11 card. The draw for that card is Thursday, March 4.

“Our handle has continued to be strong, and we are pleased to be able to raise purses for the third time this meet,” Fair Grounds’ racing secretary Scott Jones said. “We’d once again like to thank the owners, trainers and fans who have been supporting our day-to-day racing product. $60,000 for a maiden special weight pot is a very competitive number to get to.”

Jones also indicated that the purses for all of the non-stakes races carded for the Saturday, March 20th Louisiana Derby Day card will be bumped up to $75,000 apiece. In addition, in order to accommodate the NBC broadcast, post time on that day has been pushed back to 11:20 a.m. CT.To make up for the weather related February 11th cancellation, Fair Grounds has also added Wednesday, March 24th, to the live racing calendar.

The Great One, A True Heart Horse For Coteau Grove Farms

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The Great One | Benoit

By Christie DeBernardis

Horses often hold a special place in the hearts of their breeders. After all, the breeder is almost like the parent as they are the ones who bring that horse to life and give them their start in the world. But, some horses are a little extra special to their creators for one reason or another and GII San Felipe S. contender The Great One (Nyquist) is one those for his breeders Keith and Ginger Myers of Coteau Grove Farms in Sunset, Louisiana.

In 2008, the Myerses started their broodmare band with eight mares purchased at the Keeneland November Sale. The first of those eight to foal was a mare named Character Builder (Coronado’s Quest), who they bought for $65,000 in foal to El Corredor. The resulting foal, who was the first born on Coteau Grove Farms, was Little Ms Protocol, the dam of The Great One.

Read TDN Article

More than 120 Horses Consigned to Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale

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The catalogue is now available for the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale with more than 120 head consigned to the auction set for Wednesday, April 7, at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. The under tack show will be held Monday, April 5, at Lone Star, which co-sponsors the sale with the Texas Thoroughbred Association. 

 

“After being forced to cancel last year’s 2-year-old due to COVID-19, we are very pleased to get back on track this year, especially with the excitement from the increased overnight purses in Texas and the strong stakes schedule coming up at Lone Star Park,” said Tim Boyce, sales director.  

 

First-year sires Klimt, Practical Joke, Lord Nelson, Gormley and Midnight Storm lead a strong stallion list, along with Texas freshman stallions Texas Chrome and Eagle. National and international sire power should be enticing to all buyers with Bernardini, California Chrome, Honor Code, Kitten’s Joy, Maclean’s Music, Malibu Moon and Street Sense among those represented. As usual, offspring of many of the Southwest’s top sires are in the sale, including Bradester, Custom for Carlos, Den’s Legacy, Half Ours, My Golden Song and Star Guitar.  

 

The mailing of catalogues was delayed due to February’s winter weather in Texas, but copies are expected to mail next week. The complete catalogue is now online, and as the sale approaches photos will be posted along with videos following the under tack show. Online bidding will again be available, and interested bidders can register now. 

 

For more information, go to www.ttasales.com. 

March Calendar of Events

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 Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association would like to share the following list of dates of interest to Louisiana horsemen and women.

Brought to you by Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and  Whispering Oaks Farm. Click images to link to more information

March 3

  • Accredited Louisiana Bred Champions Ballots due in LTBA office. This is a firm deadline. Ballots received after March 3rd will not be counted.

March 6

  • Allen Lacombe Memorial S, Fair Grounds
  • Red Camellia S, Fair Grounds

March 14

  • Daylight Savings Time starts – change clocks ahead one hour

March 15

  • Deadline for Louisiana Horse Spring foal photos

March 17

  • St. Patricks Day

March 17-18

  • Ocala Breeders’ Sale, March Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale

March 19

  • Evangeline Downs Stall Applications Due

March 20

  • March Equinox, Spring Begins

March 20

  • Louisiana Derby Day, New Orleans Fair Grounds: Tom Benson Memorial S., Costa Rising S., Crescent City Derby, Crescent City Oaks, G2 Muniz Memorial H., G2 New Orleans H., G2 Fair Grounds Oaks, G2 Louisiana Derby

March 27

  • Star Guitar S., Fair Grounds
  • Shantel Lanerie Memorial S., Fair Grounds

March 28

  • Palm Sunday

 

Would you like to sponsor a newsletter? Reach @ 2,500 readers.

Please contact Linda 985-386-0360, linda@louisianabred.com or Roger 504-947-4676, roger@louisianabred.com for cost and availability.

Do you have a date pertaining to Louisiana-breds that you would like included in an upcoming calendar? Please contact Linda 985-386-0360, linda@louisianabred.comor Roger 504-947-4676, roger@louisianabred.com for consideration.

 

Any questions or need more info call

Roger A. Heitzmann III, Secretary/Treasurer

Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association

504-947-4676

Daughter of Louisiana Stallion Gemologist, Horologist Named New Jersey-Bred Horse of the Year

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Multiple graded stakes winner Horologist has been named 2020 New Jersey-bred horse of the year and champion older female by the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey.

Owned by partners There’s A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms, and David Staudacher, Horologist started her championship campaign in California with trainer Richard Baltas and was later transferred to the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in June. Under Mott’s supervision, Horologist won the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park and the Beldame Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park. She also finished second in the Nellie Morse Stakes at Laurel Park and was third in the La Troienne Stakes presented by Oak Grove Racing and Gaming (G1) at Churchill Downs.

The daughter of Gemologist  out of Cinderella Time (by Stephen Got Even), finished 2020 with $345,334 in earnings. She has won seven of 20 career starts and earned $715,439. Holly Crest Farm bred Horologist in New Jersey.

 

Read BloodHorse Article

“Jus” In Time In Dixie Poker Ace

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Brian.Nadeau@fgno.com

Asmussen Trainee Jus Lively Transfers Dirt Form to Stall-Wilson Turf

Jus Lively with jockey Adam Beschizza aboard captures the 41st running of the Dixie Poker Ace Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

New Orleans (February 27, 2021) – Pine Knoll Farm’s homebred Jus Lively may have been perceived as a dirt specialist, but he showed he’s got some chops on turf too when he closed strongly and held off Treys Midnight Moon by a half-length in Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots $60,000 Dixie Poker Ace.

Jus Lively, the 4-1 second-choice, settled in seventh under Adam Beschizza as Maga Man cut out slow fractions of 24.08 and 49.41 and set a measured pace over a firm Stall-Wilson Turf Course. The winner began a wide advance towards the leaders off the far turn and was followed by Treys Midnight Moon as Maga Man gamely dug in and was still clear in midstretch. The top pair looked to be on even terms in deep stretch but Jus Lively repelled the bid to pull clear over Treys Midnight Moon, who was three quarters of a lengths ahead of Maga Man. Jus Lively completed the about 1-mile distance in 1:38.87. The heavy 1.10-1 favorite Ninety One Assault never got a clear run and finished fourth.

Beschizza, who pledged 10% of his earnings on the day to New Vocations Louisiana Division in Covington, La. facility, was impressed with the tenacity of Jus Lively in the stretch.

“He dug real deep today and he’s just a solid animal that loves racing,” Beschizza said. “I had an absolute faultless trip and once we got inside the sixteenth (pole) the horse headed him and he really showed some guts today.”

Jus Lively, a 5-year-old son of Paddy O’Prado, had been stakes-placed three times over the past two years for trainer Steve Asmussen, though every one was on dirt, which made the win in the Dixie Poker Ace result a bit more surprising. Though he did break his maiden over the local turf in January 2019, Jus Lively was a well-beaten eighth to Ninety One Assault in last year’s Dixie Poker Ace, his only other go on turf. He didn’t run for the rest of the year and then resurfaced at Delta Downs in November, running second in the B-Connected. He followed up with a third in the local Louisiana Champions Day Classic, and entered Saturday’s assignment off a nose second in an off-the-turf optional-claimer here February 6.

Jus Lively is now 6-for-12 lifetime and won his first stakes in the Dixie Poker Ace. Asmussen’s longtime assistance Scott Blasi gave credit owners Dr. Jay and Ellen Addison for helping Jus Lively deliver, with a very patient approach.

“We thought his grass race last year was a just a throwout and wanted to run him back in this race,” Blasi said. “He’s got a ton of breeding for the grass. Dr. Jay and Ms. Ellen take such good care of this horse. They gave him time off in the summer, and brought him back for this meet. I’m just so happy to see it pay off for them.”

Paul Braverman and owner-trainer Tom Morley were the first to pledge 10% of Saturday’s purse earnings to New Vocations’ Louisiana division. Their defending champion Ninety One Assault, a state-bred star who had won 7-for-10 over the Stall-Wilson, never found a seam inside and couldn’t deliver his usual stretch run under Shaun Bridgmohan. The 8-year-old son of Artie Schiller entered off a title defense in the local Louisiana Champions Day Turf December 12, but never got a chance to stretch his legs in an unlucky trip.

“They slowed it down up front and he jumped in the bridle down inside and I had no other choice but to go forward with him,” Bridgmohan said. “I could never go right to get out. I was just bottled up from the poles and they were stacked up right in front of me. There was just nowhere to get out.”