Articles from the European Trainer Magazine archive - available to read online.
On February 27th, the United States Congressional Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection conducted a day-long hearing on drugs in sports. Discussion of one of the topics, anabolic steroids in horseracing, triggered the typical, knee-jerk reaction by the horseracing industry: heaven help us if there's federal intervention.
(26 June 2008 - Issue Number: 6)
It's come to this. The Maryland racing industry starts and ends at the same place, the same date, the same issue – the voters' booth come November. The slots referendum – the denouement – will decide once and for all whether Maryland will attain slots to help staunch the losses of horses, horsemen and handle to neighboring states.
Sean Clancy (26 June 2008 - Issue Number: 6 )
Trainers at the main French training base, Chantilly, have gone green and are soon to be the envy of their contemporaries around the world with a ground-breaking manure-disposal project. Faced with piles of manure, the bane of all trainers' lives, Chantilly professionals are working together to launch a pioneering scheme which looks set to solve all their problems and at the same time reap both environmental and financial rewards. The 10-million euro project, which should be operational towards the end of 2009, is at the cutting edge of technology and consists of using a process of methanization to convert the waste into electricity which will then be sold to the EDF (French Electricity Board), and into heat which will be used locally.
Katherine Ford (26 June 2008 - Issue Number: 6)
Working as a groom between his junior and senior years in college, Corey Johnsen wagered his entire week's salary on a horse in his care in hopes of earning his second-semester tuition. Decades later, Johnsen, now president and part owner of Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Kentucky, gambles on the success of a turf-only course accommodating shippers-only with just a six-day annual race meet. Will it be a winner? If uniqueness were a guarantee of success, Kentucky Downs, hard by the Tennessee border, would be a huge overlay. It is billed as the nation's only European-style turf course but General Manager John Goodman modifies this slightly and perhaps best expresses its essence: "It's English racing meets the county fair.
Ken Snyder (10 July 2008 - Issue Number: 9)
Read MoreWhen lifelong horsemen Nancy and Harvey Vanier were married in 1960, state racing programs were barely in the discussion phase.The concept of millions of dollars allocated specifically to and for horses bred or raced in a particular state was at least a decade away.The closest thing to an Illinois-bred was Nancy herself.
Caton Bredar (10 July 2008 - Issue Number: 9)
While catastrophic fractures are relatively rare - less than 2 percent
of all horses racing worldwide sustain them - they account for nearly 80
percent of racing-related fatalities. Even with advances in modern
veterinary medicine, fracture diagnosis can often be elusive. What if a
simple blood test could reveal a fracture or a predisposition to one
before it became a crisis?
Kimberly French (10 July 2008 - Issue 9)
Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is an increasingly common problem
in the Thoroughbred racehorse, causing a range of symptoms from
depression to aggression, and often impacting negatively on performance.
Diagnosis is sometimes difficult, although there are methods by which
they can be swiftly identified and treated. Equine gastric ulcers are
graded on a scale of 0 to 4 where 4 is the most severe. A grade of 2 or
more is clinically significant and usually warrants treatment. The
primary objectives of treatment of equine gastric ulcers are to
facilitate healing and relieve symptoms. This can be accomplished by the
use of antacids, histamine receptor antagonists or acid pump
inhibitors. Ulcers are an issue - especially for racehorses- as they can
be a source of chronic pain, leading to reduced appetite, loss of
condition and sometimes colic. The clinical signs of the problem are
often intermittent, and can vary tremendously depending on the horse and
the types of discipline they compete in.
Rachel Queenborough (10 July 2008 - Issue 9)
When I visited Audra and Tom Busteed in Cork freak gales were ravaging the coastline. Tranquil was hardly the best word to use; yet down at the bottom of the steep four furlong woodchip gallop, set within a wooded glen, was a peaceful stream in which many a Cheltenham hero had paddled as it carried its first ever rider. Slow, calm, meandering; oblivious to the storm of the outside world. This is indeed the tranquil nursery of Tom Busteed, the master tutor of the horse.
Lissa Oliver (European Trainer - issue 22 - Summer 2008)
Read MoreThe world has gone gambling mad, and perhaps it will hit us harder than most people anticipate in coming years. There is fierce competition out there, for the betting pound, the gambling euro and the wagering dollar. Therefore, this is not a good time for horseracing to lose its share of the gambling pot.
Geir Stabell (European Trainer - issue 22 - Summer 2008)
Read MoreResearch studies have shown that warming up prior to competition is an important factor in preparation to enhance performance and potentially reduce injury risk. When it comes to cooling down, research shows that active cooling down is more beneficial than passive cooling down.
Nicole Rossa (European Trainer - issue 22 - Summer 2008)
Read MoreKentucky Equine Research (KER) has maintained a prominent international presence in the nutrition research community for the past 20 years. Research trials have been conducted at the company’s research farm since the late 1980s, and results of this research have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and proceedings of scientific conferences.
Mark Llewellyn (European Trainer - issue 22 - Summer 2008)
Read MoreFor all professionals associated with the training and competition of horses under the rules and regulations of racing the choice of which feed products to use has never been greater, and the range appears to grow on a daily basis. This is especially true of the plethora of dietary supplements (otherwise known officially as complementary feeds) available.
Dr Catherine Dunnett & Dr Mark Dunnett (European Trainer - issue 22 - Summer 2008)
Read More
Love him or hate him - odds are against indifference - trainer Sir Mark Prescott needs little introduction. The unapologetic Prescott isn't bothered whichever the sentiment, as he is very much his own man and comfortable - some might say all too much so - in his own skin.
Frances Karon (European Trainer - issue 22 - Summer 2008)
Read MoreTHIS IS A SCANNED IN ARTICLE - FROM OUR PRE DIGITAL DAYS!
This article first appeared in North American Trainer - May 2008 - issue 8
Street Sense's dramatic, decisive victory in last year's Kentucky Derby restructured a lot of perceptions about winning the Run for the Roses. Not only could a Breeders'Cup Juvenile winner return the following spring to capture the first leg of the Triple Crown, but he could make his final prep for Churchill Downs' dirt track on a synthetic one.
Bill Heller (26 June 2008 - Issue Number: 8)
Nuclear scintigraphy or 'bone scanning' attempts to take lameness
diagnosis one stage further by predicting rather than just diagnosing
fractures. It is an imaging technique that searches for an increase in
bone production and thus can often pinpoint the cuase of minor lameness
problems before they become catastrophic injuries.
James Tate (26 June 2008 - Issue 6)
The TRM trainer of the quarter award has been won by Judi Hicklin. Judi
and her team will receive a TRM product portfolio worth in excess of
$1,500. The portfolio will consist of TRM tack bags and saddle pads as
well as a large selection of the world famous TRM product range.
Bill Heller (10 July 2008 - Issue Number: 9)
The TRM Trainer of the Quarter goes to John Balding. The success at the Meydan Stakes was remarkable on many different levels, not least because it was the first British victory of the 2008 Dubai International Racing Carnival at the 53rd attempt.
James Crispe (European Trainer - Issue 21 / Spring 2008)
The Head family has a history steeped in horseracing, just as horseracing has a history steeped in Heads. Their dominance began in France in the late 1800’s with Alec’s jockey-turned-trainer grandfather Willie, a British expat. Alec’s father, also Willie, was a highly successful jumps jockey and dual purpose trainer in France.
Frances Karon (European Trainer - issue 21 - Spring 2008)
Read MoreSteve Hobby's breakout meet at Oaklawn Park this spring may not include a
training title, but Hobby was conceding nothing in late March when he
trailed defending Oaklawn champion Steve Asmussen, the runaway national
leader in both victories and earnings, by just two wins, 21-19.
Bill Heller- (26 June 2008 - Issue Number 6)
