Category: Paulick Report

The Change Ahead: Void Claim Rules Will Soon Become National, Via HISA

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by Natalie Voss

 

On July 1, the first round of new regulations are scheduled to go into effect as a result of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). HISA will seek to bring about the uniformity in medication, testing, and safety regulation and enforcement which so many in the racing industry have asked for in recent decades.

As the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority fights multiple lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the new organization, it remains to be seen when, whether, and how it will implement new rules. It has been made clear by those working for the Authority so far that it will not be a night-to-day change between June 30 and July 1, 2022, especially since the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2023. There will also be a phase-in process for its Racetrack Safety Program, which in many ways will seek to codify best practices suggested by the NTRA’s Safety and Integrity Alliance and the Association of Racing Commissioners International.

Assuming the Authority is able to bring about this change, there are a few jurisdictions and racetracks that will be in for a rude awakening. In this series, we take a look at where American racing stands now with key parts of the new regulations. What do we know about the history behind new rules? How have some states fared after implementing safety rules voluntarily? What has stopped some jurisdictions from adopting these changes on their own? 

 

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Horsemen’s Groups, ARCI Issue Scam Alert Over Claiming Scheme

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by Paulick Report Staff

 

A multi-state fraud alert has been issued by the Association of Racing Commissioners International over a claiming scam. The state racing commissions have involved federal and state law enforcement agencies, according to the ARCI.

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association posted the following alert on Facebook:

“Horsemen are advised that a woman who last week was licensed as an owner by the Maryland Racing Commission has been caught scamming trainers. Maryland racing officials were notified by an executive at Louisiana Downs Casino and Racing that two trainers were scammed by Helena Issa, the licensed owner. She is said to be working with a man whose name was not available.

 

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Colic Surgery In Foals: More Optimism For Positive Outcomes May Be Warranted

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Owners of foals needing an operation for obstruction of the small intestine should be optimistic about the outcome, a new study shows. Knowledge of colic surgery survival rates is important to horse owners making surgical decisions.

Dr. Sara Erwin reviewed the records of surgical colic cases from five academic referral hospitals in the United States to directly compare foal and adult horse survival rates following colic lesion surgery. In the past, lower survival rates have been reported in foals than adults when the affected horse has severe colic lesions which obstruct small intestine blood flow.

The scientists assessed 41 cases of foals six months and younger and 105 cases of adults between two and 20 years old. They discovered that 24 of 25 foals (96 percent) and 66 of 75 adults (88 percent) who recovered from surgery for a strangulating obstruction survived to be discharged from the hospital.

 

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The Delta Downs Infield Is Marty’s World

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by Joe Nevills

 

If you’re a horse racing type with a Facebook account, you’ve probably seen the video.

An alligator is seen ambling across the dirt path that goes through the infield at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. A nearby horse is understandably unsure what to make of the reptile, ultimately deciding to spin around as the handler tries to maintain control and get the horse to the paddock for an upcoming race.

The caption for the video, posted on Facebook by Joe Allen, an assistant trainer for Richard Lane, reads, “It’s Marty’s world. We just live in it.”

 

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Mineral Content Of Pasture Affects Hoof Composition In Foals

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by Kentucky Equine Research

 

Sampling of soil, pasture, and hoof capsules occurred in two periods. The first happened in summer and fall when all foals, between one and six months of age, were still nursing their dams; the second occurred after weaning when foals were nine to 12 months old. Forty-one foals were used in the preweaning period, 28 in the postweaning period.

All foals used in the study were Criollo, a South American breed revered for its tractability, soundness, and stamina under saddle. Mature height tends to be between 14 and 15 hands, and most are considered easy keepers. Foals were born and raised on five farms in Brazil. Mares and foals grazed native pastures consisting primarily of bahiagrass, kaimi clover, blanket grass, dallisgrass, and bermudagrass, though hundreds of other pasture species were likely part of the grazing landscape. They received no concentrate or mineral supplementation.

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Texas Racing Commission Threatens To Shut Down Racing Over HISA Oversight

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by Ray Paulick

 

The Texas Racing Commission has said pari-mutuel wagering will not be conducted at Texas racetracks on live or simulcast wagering if the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority asserts control over regulatory supervision on July 1, 2022, as scheduled.

The Paulick Report obtained a copy of a May 20 letter to HISA chief executive officer Lisa Lazarus from Amy F. Cook, executive director of the Texas Racing Commission, in which Cook asked to be provided “specific dates, races, and horses that the Authority intends to regulate … within the jurisdiction of Texas.”

Cook cited the Texas Racing Act in stating that “no pari-mutuel wagering is permitted for live or simulcast export wagering for races our Commission does not supervise. Accordingly, there will be no such pari-mutuel wagering or simulcast wagering in Texas on those dates which the Authority asserts jurisdiction.”

 

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Breakin’ All The Rules: ‘Spicy’ Louisiana-Bred OTTB Ready To Tackle Her First Kentucky Three Day

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by Chelsea Hackbarth

 

Breakin’ All The Rules and Ellen Doughy-Hume at the Kentucky Horse Park on Tuesday, April 26
The youngest Thoroughbred competing at this weekend’s Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in Lexington, Ky., will be the 8-year-old mare Breakin’ All The Rules.

Last October, the 16.3 hand daughter of Due Date and her longtime partner, owner/rider Ellen Doughty-Hume, received the Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue Award for being the highest-placed American Thoroughbred at the CCI3*-L during the inaugural Maryland Five Star event at Fair Hill. They placed 13th on a double clear cross country round, adding only a single rail to their dressage score of 33.9.

“She’s a pretty phenomenal mare,” said Doughty-Hume, herself a multi-year veteran of the Kentucky Three Day’s highest level with Sir Oberon, a ⅞ Thoroughbred (their best finish was 14th in 2019). “She absolutely loves jumping and cross country, she’s really brave and has such natural scope and talent.”

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Louisiana Commissioners Lengthen Penalties For Trainers In Zilpaterol Cases

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‘This Is No Mistake’: Louisiana Commissioners Lengthen Penalties For Trainers In Zilpaterol Cases

by Natalie Voss

Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La.

Racing commissioners in Louisiana took penalties for zilpaterol overages one step farther in a lengthy meeting April 26, extending the already-significant suspensions handed out by stewards a few weeks earlier.

The commission considered eight positives from trainer Rosendo Valdez, four from Lanny Keith, four from Manuel Pizana, three from Manuel Macias, and two from Fernando Lopez. The overages were part of a flood of recent zilpaterol positives in the state.

Zilpaterol is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in horses. Instead, it is a drug approved for use in beef cattle to promote weight gain and lean muscle mass. It’s commonly administered as a feed-through product when given to cows.

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HISA: Shoeing Rules In Effect July 1 Will Prohibit Traction Devices, Including Toe Grabs

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by Paulick Report Staff

 

Thoroughbred farriers will be restricted by new rules when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s nationwide regulations go into effect on July 1, 2022. The regulations focus primarily on the traction devices farriers will be permitted to apply to Thoroughbred horseshoes, according to the American Farriers Journal.

All rules in the HISA Racetrack Safety Program were approved by the Federal Trade Commission on March 4, 2022.

 

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Courvilles: Pointing A One-Eyed Rebel Toward The Kentucky Derby Dream

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by Ferrin Peterson, DVM

Clay Courville aboard Un Ojo

Trainer Ricky Courville never hesitated to send a young man to do a job that might typically be associated with an older person.

Kevin Moody of Cypress Creek Equine had made a last-minute decision to run Un Ojo in the Feb. 26 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The Grade 2 Rebel offered a $l million purse and 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, enough to ensure a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. The stakes could not have been higher for Courville, a trainer who had never won a graded stake.

Still, the Louisiana-based conditioner could not possibly travel to Arkansas for the major Derby prep. He was tending to his wife, jockey Ashley Broussard, as she recovered from a broken leg. On the same day as the Rebel, he had one horse entered at Fair Grounds, another at Delta Downs. And, like so many outfits, his 31-horse operation was scrambling for help.

 

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