Category: Paulick Report

Bramlage: Racing And Training 2-Year-Olds Reduces Their Risk Of Injury – Here’s Why

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by Natalie Voss

 

Before most horse racing jurisdictions shut down across the country and threw the economic balance of the sport into question, the industry’s biggest problem was its need to reduce racing and training fatalities. Veterinarians and scientists are still learning about the causes of catastrophic injuries and, so far, it seems there may be a number of risk factors at play in any given injury.

One theory that many people have offered over the years is that the practice of allowing horses to race at two years old is either the direct cause of early breakdowns or predisposes horses to serious injury later. Many such hypotheses equate training and racing a 2-year-old with putting an elementary school-aged child into the Olympics. For more than two decades, the sport has heard calls to put an end to 2-year-old racing. Those calls have been renewed recently, as some fans have seen the racing shutdown as a good time to reevaluate and modify its structure and improve equine welfare.

 

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Research In Action: Finding Better Treatments For Placentitis

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by Natalie Voss

 

Placentitis is the sneaky foe of many a breeder or broodmare manager. The condition can arrive with no calling card, or such mild symptoms that they’re easily missed. By the time a pregnant mare’s caretakers are aware of it, it’s often too late to save the foal.

It’s been the leading cause of pregnancy loss, especially late pregnancy loss, in horses for years.

Dr. Margo Macpherson, professor emeritus at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has been one of many researchers trying to figure out how to stop it in its tracks.

Should Radiographs Of Hooves Be Part Of Requirement For Auction Repositories?

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by Denise Steffanus

 

“No hoof, no horse” is an axiom all horsemen know well. If a horse has a hoof problem, it’s going to affect performance, no matter how fit and healthy the horse.

Despite the importance of a horse’s feet, sales companies do not list feet X-rays in their “required views” for the repository. Required views, as specified by “Keeneland Repository Digital Requirements for 2018 September Yearling Sale,” are 38 radiographs (horses of racing age) or 36 radiographs (all other horses) showing specific aspects of the knees, fetlocks, hocks, and stifle, taken within 21 days prior to the sale. The most common issue buyers look for in joint X-rays is a defect in the cartilage, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD).

In horses purchased to race, past trauma to the hoof such as a chip or a fracture may not make the horse lame at auction, but it could become an issue once the horse is in training. Broodmares with chronic hoof conditions could require costly special treatments to keep them comfortable, with the threat of the condition possibly worsening with each pregnancy, limiting their reproductive years.

 

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Desormeaux Has Back-To-Back Riding Triples After Stewards Issue Alcohol-Related Ruling

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In 2004, after 18 years as a professional jockey, Kent Desormeaux was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He was 34.

Desormeaux’s induction into the Hall was earned after winning three Eclipse Awards, two Kentucky Derbies, a Preakness and setting a North American record for wins in a season. In 1989, Desormeaux rode a whopping 598 winners. It ranks as one of most unbreakable records in the world of sports.

Now age 53, Desormeaux on Saturday displayed that Hall of Fame form with a master class in the saddle at Santa Anita. With an ideal ride stalking the pace in the opener, plus two exquisitely timed rallies from last on the back-half of the 10-race card, he finished with three wins on the 10-race card.

 

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Per HISA Recommendation, Churchill Meet Will Be Moved To Ellis Park Beginning June 10

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by Paulick Report Staff

 

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) recommended to Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) that racing be temporarily suspended to allow for additional comprehensive investigations into the cause of recent equine fatalities at the track; CDI has agreed with and accepted this recommendation.

Churchill Downs Incorporated announced Friday that the it will suspend racing operations at Churchill Downs Racetrack beginning June 7, 2023, through the remainder of the Spring Meet, scheduled to run to July 3. Live racing at Churchill Downs will be conducted as scheduled this weekend on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4. The remainder of the race meet will be relocated to Ellis Park Racing & Gaming in Henderson, Ky., beginning on Saturday, June 10.

“HISA’s highest priority is the safety and wellbeing of equine and human athletes competing under our jurisdiction,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Given that we have been so far unable to draw conclusions about the cause of the recent equine fatalities at Churchill Downs, and therefore have been unable to recommend or require interventions that we felt would adequately ensure the safety of the horses running there, we made the decision to recommend to CDI that they temporarily suspend racing at Churchill Downs while additional reviews continue. We know that CDI and the KHRC share our goal of ensuring safety above all else, and we appreciate their thoughtfulness and cooperation through these challenging moments. We will continue to seek answers and work with everyone involved to ensure that horses are running safely at Churchill Downs again in the near future.”

 

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Bramlage: Racing And Training 2-Year-Olds Reduces Their Risk Of Injury – Here’s Why

louisianathoroughbred

by Natalie Voss

 

Before most horse racing jurisdictions shut down across the country and threw the economic balance of the sport into question, the industry’s biggest problem was its need to reduce racing and training fatalities. Veterinarians and scientists are still learning about the causes of catastrophic injuries and, so far, it seems there may be a number of risk factors at play in any given injury.

One theory that many people have offered over the years is that the practice of allowing horses to race at two years old is either the direct cause of early breakdowns or predisposes horses to serious injury later. Many such hypotheses equate training and racing a 2-year-old with putting an elementary school-aged child into the Olympics. For more than two decades, the sport has heard calls to put an end to 2-year-old racing. Those calls have been renewed recently, as some fans have seen the racing shutdown as a good time to reevaluate and modify its structure and improve equine welfare.

The problem, according to Dr. Larry Bramlage, top orthopedic surgeon and Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, is the halt of 2-year-old racing and training wouldn’t be a net gain for welfare or fatality rates – it might actually be a loss.

 

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David Hooper, Longtime Racing Official and Executive, Passes

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David Elliott Hooper, 88, of Georgetown, Texas, passed away peacefully on Monday after after a long battle with cancer.  As in life, his beloved wife Martha was by his side.

Hooper was born on Jan. 3, 1935, to Raymond and Doris Hooper in East Rutherford, N.J. After attending the United States Naval Academy through an appointment from Congress (1953-56), he completed his studies by graduating from University of Pennsylvania as part of the class of 1961.

After graduating with a degree in International Relations, Hooper began a storied career in the horse racing industry that spanned over 60 years.  He held many regulatory positions, including executive secretary of the Illinois Racing Board, and served as a steward at the state and racetrack levels in eight states. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Pete Pedersen Award from the Racing Officials Accreditation Program, which recognizes professional excellence, integrity, and benevolent consideration in the performance of their duties. Often referred to respectfully as “Judge,”  Hooper was regarded widely as being fair in his stewardship and interactions with fellow horsemen, while prioritizing the ethics of the game and safety of the jockeys.  He retired in 2020, his final position as steward at Canterbury Park in Minnesota.

 

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Buffer Against Gastric Ulcers: Feed Hay Before Hitting The Road

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by Paulick Report Staff

 

Offering a horse hay before he’s transported can lower the risk of gastric ulcer development before long-distance trailer rides, reports The Horse.

An Italian study has found that horses that don’t eat before getting on a trailer for longer-distance hauls are more likely to have reduced plasma oxidant levels, as well as to develop ulcers. The correlation between transport and fasting has a marked increase on stomach ulceration – more than just fasting alone, the scientists determined.

Hay ingestion before the trip helps absorb stomach acid, protecting the horse’s stomach. Eating hay also allows more antioxidants to be released into the bloodstream, balancing out free radicals, which can have physiological impacts on the body (like developing ulcers).

 

 

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Texas Racing’s Future Remains Uncertain; Several Stakeholders Hoping To ‘Find A Way To Participate With HISA’

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by Paulick Report Staff

Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, Texas

With simulcasting unavailable due to ongoing disputes with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, Sam Houston Race Park saw total handle down nearly 93 percent this year, from over $101 million in 2022 to about $6.39 million in 2023, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News.

Purse levels have remained fairly steady, thanks to a state sales tax on equine products, but several Texas stakeholders shared their concerns with the TDN for the industry’s future.

“We have some serious concerns about the direction that Texas Thoroughbred racing is headed given the resistance to participate with HISA,” Jeff Hooper, chairman and CEO of Texas’ Highlander Training Center, told TDN. “We’re certainly not saying HISA is 100% hitting on all cylinders. [But] we feel that it is in Texas’s long-term best interests to find a way to participate with HISA.”

 

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Desormeaux Patriarch, Founder Of Acadiana Downs Bush Track, Dies At Age 80

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Harris Desormeaux

Harris Desormeaux died at age 80 on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center in central Louisiana. The father of Hall of Fame jockey Kent and multiple Grade 1-winning trainer Keith, Harris Desormeaux was also the founder of the well-known Acadiana Downs bush track.

“My husband was the one who had a dear love of horses, and our first argument after we married was over a horse,” Harris’ wife, Brenda Desormeaux, told the Chicago Tribune in 2008. “He was in college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and working two jobs as a lab technician and a security guard. I was a secretary getting my PHT — putting hubby through [school].

“One day he came home and told me he had bought a Quarter Horse. I said: ‘You did what? Where are we going to put it and where are we going to find the money to feed it?’ Somehow we found the money to rent a stall and feed it. I never cared much for horse racing, but it’s part of the Cajun culture. Kent’s interest was piqued when his dad had the racetrack.”

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