The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act: Review, analysis and concern

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THE HORSERACING INTEGRITY AND SAFETY ACT: REVIEW, ANALYSIS AND CONCERNBy Peter J. SacopulosFor nearly a decade there has been an effort to have national legislation that governs Thoroughbred horse racing. The first major effort began in 2011, when the Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act of 2011—an attempt to amend the Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act of 1978—was introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM). This bill was not successful. Another effort was advanced when, in 2015, Representative Andy Barr (R-KY) and Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) introduced the Thoroughbred Horseracing Integrity Act. That same year, Representative Joe Pitt (R-PA) introduced the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (the first HISA). It too failed to pass. Fast forward to 2020: the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is introduced by Representatives Barr and Tonko and passes in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 29, 2020. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) then introduced corresponding legislation in the Senate that was approved. On December 28, 2020, President Trump signed into law a government funding bill and COVID-relief package. Tucked away into this massive omnibus bill was the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA).Since that time, there has been considerable reporting on HISA. Several issues have dominated the discussion of this new legislation. Those include the elimination of furosemide (also known as Lasix) on race day in two-year-olds and Stakes Thoroughbreds for the first three (3) years and, ultimately, in all Thoroughbreds after that. A second issue receiving attention is how the new federal bill that places the United States Anti-Doping Association (USADA) at the head of the recently established Horse Racing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority will be funded. Additionally, there has been and continues to be discussion of whether the HISA, which presently only governs Thoroughbred racing, will ultimately include both Standardbred and Quarter Horse racing, as well. However, there is a section of the HISA that is critically important to those in the Thoroughbred industry that has received limited discussion. That is Section 1209 of the HISA. For three primary reasons, Section 1209 of HISA is of particular concern for horsemen. First, it truncates the horsemen’s constitutionally protected right to due process. Second, instead of replacing the state system(s) of regulatory enforcement, the HISA creates a second system of review and enforcement for alleged medication and track safety violations that results in both additional expense and redundancy. Finally, the HISA, as presented, guarantees a multitude of constitutional challenges. Section 1209 of HISA entitled “Review of Final Decisions of the Authority” outlines the disciplinary process. Under the current systems, when a licensee elects to contest an alleged medication or safety violation, the dispute proceeds through an administrative law process followed by a judicial process. Specifically, in most jurisdictions, the licensee accused of violating a medication or safety rule or regulation is first provided the opportunity to present a defense/response to the Stewards at a Stewards’ hearing. If the Stewards’ ruling is not favorable to the licensee, he or she may appeal that decision. The appeal of the Stewards’ ruling is typically conducted by a state regulatory appointed administrative law judge (ALJ). The ALJ conducts a hearing on the merits and, in doing so, receives testimony and evidence from both the horseman/woman and the Commission. This is referred to as a merits hearing. At the conclusion of the merits hearing, the ALJ issues findings of fact, conclusions of law and a recommendation for a penalty or for no penalty. Either party may then appeal the decision/recommendation of the ALJ to the state commission for final administrative review. The ruling of the state commission, which in most jurisdictions constitutes the final stage of the administrative process, may also be timely appealed. It is at this juncture that the resolution process shifts from an administrative proceeding to a judicial proceeding via the filing of a petition for judicial review. Section 1209 of the HISA presents a departure from the current state regulatory system.The process for hearing and review set forth in Section 1209 of the HISA begins with the “Authority.” The HISA defines the Authority as a private, independent and self-regulated non-profit corporation, comprised of nine members. When a medication or safety violation is identified by the Authority, an investigation commences. If the Authority concludes a violation has occurred, then the Authority determines sanctions and, in doing so, files notice of the sanctions with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It is unclear whether these nine members will sit in judgment as “the Authority” for the initial stage of an alleged violation or whether a sub-committee of the Authority will do so. Section 1209 is also unclear as to whether the proceeding before the Authority is a hearing on the merits or not. This is critical to the horsemen because such a hearing establishes the record of the proceedings should the matter be appealed. What is clear is that the Authority replaces the current Stewards’ hearing in the present context of state commission proceedings. Section 1209 of the HISA does provide for the right to appeal a noticed civil sanction by the Authority. Within 30 days of the notice of sanction being filed by the Authority with the FTC, the sanctioned party may file an Application for Review of the Authority’s decision. If an appeal is taken, the dispute is submitted to an ALJ. Pursuant to Section 1208 of the HISA, the ALJs are to be “impartial hearing officers,” although the HISA ALJs appear to be employees or agents of the FTC. This is significant to horsemen because the ALJ that conducts the merit hearing and rules on the admissibility of evidence and testimony, and ultimately issues findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a recommended penalty, will apparently be an employee of the FTC. In short, one side selects, appoints and pays the ALJ. That side is not the horsemen but rather the FTC. Considering the great lengths to which the HISA defines and prohibits “Conflicts of Interest” this makes this provision difficult, at best, to square with legislation that contains a specific “Conflict of Interest” provision, that being Section 3(E) of the HISA.If either party is dissatisfied with the ALJ’s decision, they may then file an Application for Review with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC may accept or \deny the application for review (appeal). This is significant. Should the Commission refuse an application for review, then the ALJ’s decision shall constitute the final decision of the Commission without further proceedings and may then be appealed to a federal court of law. Should the FTC accept an Application for Review and issue a ruling in connection with that application, that ruling constitutes a final ruling and is appealable. Whether the Application for Review is rejected by the FTC or, alternatively, accepted by the FTC and ruled upon adversely to the licensee, there is a right to a timely appeal to the United States Court of Appeals. Title 5, Chapter 7 of the United States Code provides for judicial review of agency action. Similar to a party petitioning for judicial review of a state agency’s decision before a state court, 5 USC § 702 entitled “Right of Review” provides that: “a person suffering legal wrong because of agency action, or adversely affected or aggrieved by agency action within the meaning of a relevant statute, is entitled to judicial review thereof….” See 5 USC §702. The scope of review, set forth in 5 USC § 706, is also similar to a petition for judicial review before a state court. This means the federal court will not retry the case on the merits. Instead, as is the case in most state court proceedings involving a petition seeking review of an agency’s final order, the federal court’s authority in reviewing a final order of the FTC is limited to: “…(1) compel agency action unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed; and (2) hold unlawful and set aside agency action, findings, and conclusions to be found to be- (A) arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law; (B) contrary to constitutional right, power, privilege, or immunity;(C) in excess of statutory jurisdiction, authority, or limitations, or short of statutory right; (D) without observance of procedure required by law;(E) unsupported by substantial evidence in a case subject to sections 556 and 557 of this title…or otherwise reviewed on the record of an agency hearing provided by statute; or(F) unwarranted by the facts to the extent that the facts are subject to trial de novo by the reviewing court….”Also similar to state court proceedings, parties subject to a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals have the right to timely appeal. The court of last resort and final forum for appeal from an adverse decision issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals is the United States Supreme Court. Section 1209 of the HISA is of further concern to horsemen because it will result in additional expense and creates a redundancy regarding the review process. The HISA provides that the Authority will sit in review of alleged medication and track safety violations. However, non-medication and non-track safety violations will continue to be regulated, reviewed and enforced by state regulators/agencies. In short, there will be two paralleling systems. Proceedings before the Authority will be governed by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Federal Trade Commission Regulations, the Administrative Procedures Act, and the Federal Rules of Evidence. If the licensee or “Covered Persons” is also accused of a non-medication or non-track safety violation, contemporaneous with a matter before the Authority, then that review process will proceed before a state agency and be governed by state administrative regulation, state rules of evidence and state regulatory rules. Therefore, a Thoroughbred trainer facing both medication violations and non-medication/non-track safety violations will be forced to navigate two paralleling disciplinary systems resulting in redundancy and additional expense to all involved. Further, these two paralleling systems of litigation may occur in different states. For example, the non-medication and non-track safety violations will be addressed by state regulators in the state in which the violation occurred. Medication and/or track safety violations will initially be heard by the Authority, likely in a different state. An initial Application for Review by an FTC-appointed ALJ, and a subsequent Application for Review may well be held at its offices in Washington, D.C. Further application for review will be heard before one of the 11 U.S. District Court of Appeals, more likely than not located in a state other than where the alleged violation occurred and, should there be a final appeal, that would occur before the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. In summary, and to be clear, the HISA does not replace the entire review and enforcement function of the state commission. It does so only with regard to medication and track safety issues.The HISA is guaranteed to face multiple constitutional challenges by covered persons, horsemen associations, as well as constitutional “watchdog” groups. These are four anticipated constitutional challenges. First, that the HISA violates the Non-Delegation Doctrine of the United States Constitution. The Non-Delegation Doctrine provides that Congress is prevented from delegating legislative authority to any other entity. Second, that HISA violates the Appointment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Appointment Clause requires that appointments to public agencies be made only by the Executive Branch as set forth in Article II of the Constitution. Third, that HISA violates rules prohibiting Anti-Commandeering. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that Congress “may not issue direct orders to the governments of the states.” Congress may not commandeer the State’s offices or those of their political subdivisions to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program.The fourth anticipated constitutional challenge involves the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The fourteenth amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees both procedural and substantive due process. Procedural due process requires the right to reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner. Substantive due process requires that there must be a rational relationship between a legitimate governmental purpose of a regulation (such as protecting the integrity of racing) and the means chosen for that desired end (the rules governing racing). The licensee/protected person’s due process rights, under the HISA, are at best, truncated. This is because the allegation of a medication and/or safety violation will be heard, on the merits, by an ALJ that is an employee, selected by, appointed by and paid by the overseeing regulatory agency—that being the FTC. Further, very, very few of those participating in horse racing will have the appetite or resources to appeal an ALJ’s findings of fact, conclusions of law and recommended order (assuming the FTC declines review) to a U.S. Court of Appeals. This is because such a legal proceeding costs thousands and thousands of dollars in fees. In short, due process is effectively eliminated by Section 1209, and the licensee/covered person is left with the “choice” of “take the deal” offered by the regulators. Additionally, the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits an economically self-interested private actor from wielding regulatory power over private parties. The first constitutional challenge to the HISA which seeks declaratory and injunctive relief was filed on March 15, 2021, less than 100 days after the HISA was signed into law, a group of representative associations formally challenged the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The party plaintiffs include the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and its affiliate organizations in Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Also joining in as a plaintiff is the Mountaineer Park Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. This cause of action names as defendants the seven members of the Nominating Committee for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, those being Jerry Black, Katrina Adams, Leonard Coleman, Jr., Nancy Cox, Joseph Dunford, Frank Keating, and Kenneth Schanzer. Also named as defendants are the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, Inc, the FTC, the Acting Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, and the three Federal Trade Commissioners. This claim has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The plaintiffs seek an order declaring that the HISA delegates legislative authority to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority in violation of the Non-Delegation Doctrine and that the HISA violates the Appointment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Further, their action seeks a ruling and finding that the HISA violates the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution because it provides the economically self-interested actors the power to regulate their competitors. Finally, the plaintiffs, by way of their complaint, seek a court order enjoining or prohibiting the defendants from taking any action to implement the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020. The HISA, should it survive anticipated constitutional challenges, will have a major impact on those in the horse racing industry. Stay tuned. It is likely that HISA will remain a centerpiece of discussion and debate in our industry for the next several years.

By Peter J. Sacopulos

For nearly a decade there has been an effort to have national legislation that governs Thoroughbred horse racing. The first major effort began in 2011, when the Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act of 2011—an attempt to amend the Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act of 1978—was introduced by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM). This bill was not successful. Another effort was advanced when, in 2015, Representative Andy Barr (R-KY) and Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) introduced the Thoroughbred Horseracing Integrity Act. That same year, Representative Joe Pitt (R-PA) introduced the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (the first HISA). It too failed to pass.

Fast forward to 2020: the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is introduced by Representatives Barr and Tonko and passes in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 29, 2020. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) then introduced corresponding legislation in the Senate that was approved.

Senator Mitch McConnell and member groups representing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act meet at Keeneland, August 2020.

Senator Mitch McConnell and member groups representing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act meet at Keeneland, August 2020.

On December 28, 2020, President Trump signed into law a government funding bill and COVID-relief package. Tucked away into this massive omnibus bill was the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). Since that time, there has been considerable reporting on HISA. Several issues have dominated the discussion of this new legislation. Those include the elimination of furosemide (also known as Lasix) on race day in two-year-olds and Stakes Thoroughbreds for the first three (3) years and, ultimately, in all Thoroughbreds after that.

President Donald J. Trump signs the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 which included the incorporation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, December 2020.

President Donald J. Trump signs the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 which included the incorporation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, December 2020.

A second issue receiving attention is how the new federal bill that places the United States Anti-Doping Association (USADA) at the head of the recently established Horse Racing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority will be funded. Additionally, there has been and continues to be discussion of whether the HISA, which presently only governs Thoroughbred racing, will ultimately include both Standardbred and Quarter Horse racing, as well. However, there is a section of the HISA that is critically important to those in the Thoroughbred industry that has received limited discussion. That is Section 1209 of the HISA. For three primary reasons, Section 1209 of HISA is of particular concern for horsemen. First, it truncates the horsemen’s constitutionally protected right to due process. Second, instead of replacing the state system(s) of regulatory enforcement, the HISA creates a second system of review and enforcement for alleged medication and track safety violations that results in both additional expense and redundancy. Finally, the HISA, as presented, guarantees a multitude of constitutional challenges. Section 1209 of HISA entitled “Review of Final Decisions of the Authority” outlines the disciplinary process. Under the current systems, when a licensee elects to contest an alleged medication or safety violation, the dispute proceeds through an administrative law process followed by a judicial process. ….

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Scientific research quantifies the impact different pads have on the horse's performance

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[Headline]Scientific research quantifies the impact different pads have on the horse’s performance [Standfirst]The use of pads under the saddle has been common for years, but now scientists are using dynamic testing technology to discover how well they really work [INTRO]In everyday yard situations where multiple horses use the same saddle, putting one or more pads under has been seen as a way of providing cushioning and comfort for the horse, or even relieving pain. However, there has never been any research in racehorses to demonstrate whether this reduces saddle pressures or provides comfort. Furthermore, there is limited scientific evidence to suggest which type of pad is most effective. A recent study suggests that, depending on the material and design, using a pad beneath the saddle might not always achieve the desired pressure-relieving effect. And using multiple ineffective pads under the saddle might not only be a waste of time and money, but it could potentially cause areas of high pressures, compromising the horse’s locomotor apparatus and affecting race performance.  [CROSSHEAD] Material matters[FIGURE 1] caption:Peak pressure of more than 35kPa were recorded in two of the three pads. Peak pressure of >35 kPa can cause compression of the capillaries, leading to soft tissue and follicle damage (ischemia) which, in extreme or prolonged cases, results in white hairs, muscle atrophy, skin ulcerations and discomfort. A recent published study evaluated saddle pressure distribution in sports horses using pads made from sheepskin, viscose gel and a medical-grade closed-cell foam. When using a gel pad, the peak and mean pressures increased in the front region of the saddle in trot and canter. This is possibly due to the gel’s lack of ability to dissipate shear forces compared to wool or foam. Similar findings were seen in a pilot study of thoroughbreds galloping at half speed over ground. The same dynamic testing was used (see Technology & Anatomy panel) to compare the forces and peak pressures under polyfill pads, as well as viscose gel and medical-grade closed-cell foam. From the initial trials, the overall forces recorded were significantly higher than those seen in the sports horse study. This seems reasonable, given the difference in locomotion and speed (see Speed & Force panel).  Preliminary findings show the forces were 75% lower, and peak pressures were 65% lower under the medical-grade closed-cell foam pad than those recorded under the gel pad. Interestingly the polyfill pad, which deforms to the touch, reduced the forces and peak pressures by 25% and 44% respectively compared to the viscose gel pad.  The role of the pad is to act as a dampening layer between the horse and the saddle, reducing pressures and absorbing the dynamic forces which occur during locomotion.Based on findings from the sports horse study, and initial findings from the racehorse study, it appears that the medical-grade closed-cell foam pad is superior in its effectiveness at acting as a pressure-reducing layer between the saddle and the horse.  [CROSSHEAD] Pressure to perform Reducing saddle pressures improves gallop locomotion. Horses will still perform when asked, despite areas of high pressures induced by the saddle and pad; but they develop a compensatory locomotor strategy in an attempt to alleviate any discomfort.  To increase speed, a galloping horse will either increase stride frequency or increase stride length. Both mechanisms can be used, but the horse will have a natural preference. Published pressure studies have shown that stride length is increased when saddle pressures are reduced. Now, new research is underway quantifying whether a stride frequency approach, which has higher peak forces, could be a compensatory strategy in response to discomfort caused by pressure.  Forces are influenced by speed and weight and are produced when the hoof comes in contact with the ground. At racing speeds of 38 mph, the hoof hits the ground approximately 150 times a minute. Stride frequency is an important consideration because a study has suggested that horses have around 100,000 gallop strides before the soft tissues fail. Therefore, any reduction in loading cycles (number of strides) could potentially help reduce injury risk.  Harder, faster, longerEvery stride impacts the horse’s joints, causing wear and tear (see Speed & Force panel), so fewer longer strides is the preference for optimum training efficiency. Although horses have a naturally imprinted option, the pressure studies demonstrate that they switch between the two in response to certain extrinsic factors, such as high saddle pressure. Our task as trainers is to optimise the horse’s locomotor efficiency by removing any impediment that might force it to adopt the shorter-stride compensatory gait. We speculate that equipment which increases pressure (such as an unsuitable design of saddle, bridle, girth or saddle pad) will be counterproductive because it may encourage an increase in stride frequency and compromise natural locomotor efficiency.  [CROSSHEAD] Contouring is key[FIGURE 2] caption: A saddle pad that is shaped to follow the contours of the back is able to maintain better spinal clearance under the saddle when galloping. In both studies, the saddle pads that were designed to follow the contour of the horse’s back and withers performed better than those that were flat with no shaping. Furthermore, pads with a midline seam connecting the two sides were able to maintain traction and position, providing spinal clearance even at speed. In contrast, pads that were flat without any contouring or with no central webbing seam were observed to slip in response to the horse’s movement, drawing down against the spine under the saddle. This was seen even when the pads were pulled up into the saddle channel before setting off. Quality vs quantityIn an attempt to improve comfort, it’s standard practice to use multiple pads under an exercise saddle. However, adding more shapeless padding can lead to instability and potentially saddle slip.  This feeling of instability can encourage the jockey to overtighten the girth in an attempt to keep the saddle still. One study demonstrated a relationship between increased girth tension and a reduced run-to-fatigue time on a treadmill, indicating that girth tension can affect the breathing of the galloping horse.  In addition, bulk under the saddle puts a feeling of distance between the horse and rider. This compromises the close contact feel and balance all jockeys strive to achieve and hinders the lowering of the jockey’s centre of mass relative to the horse.  Age concernIt’s worth noting that the ability of a material to absorb pressure can be significantly compromised with use and washing, as well as changes in climate. As some materials age, they degrade and lose any initial shock-absorbing qualities. For example, wool loses its ‘crimp’ over time and becomes less effective, so a well-used wool pad may not absorb as much pressure as a new one. The medical-grade closed-cell foam used in the saddle pad studies was developed to prevent capillary damage in bed-ridden hospital patients and the pressure relieving properties are not affected by extremes of weather or machine washing. Saddle systemIt is becoming clear that the saddle, pad and girth operate best when they are viewed as a complete system. When choosing a pad, it’s worth bearing in mind that these pressure studies were carried out under correctly fitted saddles with wide channels and ample spinal clearance. The benefits of a pressure-relieving pad are diminished by a badly fitting or poorly designed saddle with a narrow channel and limited spinal clearance. Likewise, trainers who are experiencing the performance gains associated with advances in saddle design will not reap the full benefits of a pressure-relieving saddle if the fit and effectiveness are compromised by poorly performing pads underneath. [PANEL] Speed & force [FIGURE 3] caption: The hoof exerts a force against the ground, and the ground exerts a force against the hoof, which is transferred through the muscles and tissues of the forelimb. In gallop, the forelimbs have to support two-and-a-half times the horse’s body weight with every motion cycle (stride). In each motion cycle, a fast-moving front foot interacts with the stationary ground and, as the hoof comes to an abrupt halt, the forelimb has to absorb these forces. The forces are transmitted through the soft tissues and muscles to the thoracic vertebrae in the region where the saddle and jockey are positioned. These thoracic vertebrae in front of T16 (the anticlinal vertebra) are responsible for force transmission from the forelimbs, head and neck. The horse’s back does not just have to deal with the large forces from the forelimbs (and hindlimbs) but also the dynamic forces of the jockey, which can be in excess of two-and-a-half times the jockey’s body weight. As speed increases, so do pressures beneath the saddle and pad. There’s a 5% pressure increase when the walk speed rises by 10%, and in trot it goes up to 14%. As the racehorse is travelling at a faster pace the forces involved are inevitably increased and, at gallop with the jockey ‘up in his pedals’, approximately 80% of his weight is focused on the front part of the saddle—the T10-T13 region (see Technology & Anatomy panel). If the saddle pad draws down along the spine during locomotion and creates restrictive pressure, this will interfere with muscle activation and force transmission, potentially causing the horse to adopt the compensatory short-stride gait.The horse will not only need more strides to cover the same distance, but it will also experience more forelimb loading every stride due to the increased speed of each cycle.Studies are ongoing into the long-term impact of this extra limb loading, but we speculate it will potentially result in poor performance and increased risk of injury.[END PANEL] [ PANEL] Stability in Motion[FIGURES 4a,b,c caption: The three axes of rotation]The spine rotates in three directions, providing stability, forcing transmission and generating power efficiently. Lateral bending – left to right Flexion-extension – up and down Axial rotation – rolling one side to the other For optimum locomotor efficiency, the vertebral column needs to be dynamically stable. Stability is the combination of strength and suppleness; it isn’t stiffness. The muscles in the back and neck must be strong so they can support the spine but flexible enough to allow the necessary range of movement and transmission of the dynamic forces required during locomotion.Studies have shown that when the saddle and rider are stable and symmetrical, the horse’s back can stabilise through the cranial thoracic spine at T13 (see Technology & Anatomy), allowing the efficient transfer of forces from the hindlimb.A saddle pad that is causing pressure is likely to compromise this dynamic stability. From a preliminary study, it appears that high pressures are associated with increased spinal instability. This instability is likely to cause the horse to seek a compensatory locomotor strategy and adopt a posture where the back is stiffened. Previous research has shown that back function and gallop kinematics are compromised by a stiffened spine.[END PANEL] [PANEL] Technology & Anatomy[FIGURE 5] caption:  Pressure mapping and 3D motion capture are used to quantify the effects of saddle pads on performance at gallop on the track. Thanks to extensive research, scientists now have a greater understanding of the importance of the area around the 10th-13th thoracic vertebrae (T10- T13). This is the location of a high concentration of muscle activity related to posture and movement. Repeated studies have demonstrated how pressure at T10-T13 compromises the locomotor apparatus of the horse and consequently performance. Relieving pressure here affects the mechanics of the whole back, allowing the transfer of propulsive forces from the hindlimb, creating increased power and longer stride length.  Testing equipmentResearch teams employ pressure mapping (using a mat with 128 sensor cells on each side of the spine) and 3D gait analysis (using Inertial measuring units) to show precisely how changes in pressure affect spinal movement. The measuring units (IMUs) quantify flexion-extension, axial rotation and lateral bending.  The combination of these state-of-the-art measuring systems allows researchers to prove that relieving pressure has a direct effect on spinal kinematics. Long-term trials using pressure testing and gait analysis have demonstrated that back discomfort associated with pressure can affect the development of the horse’s posture, gallop stride and potentially long-term back health. [END BOX OUT] FURTHER READINGR Murray, Journal Equine Vet Science 2019 81 102795 K von Peinen, Vet Journal 2010 538 650-3 S Latif, Equine Vet Journal 2010, 42 630-6 R MacKechnie-Guire, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 2020ML Peterson, Racing Surfaces white paper, http://www.racingsurfaces.org/bulletins  2012

By Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire

The use of pads under the saddle has been common for years, but now scientists are using dynamic

testing technology to discover how well they really work.

In everyday yard situations where multiple horses use the same saddle, putting one or more pads under the saddle has been seen as a way of providing cushioning and comfort for the horse, or even relieving pain.

However, there has never been any research in racehorses to demonstrate whether this reduces saddle pressures or provides comfort. Furthermore, there is limited scientific evidence to suggest which type of pad is most effective. A recent study suggests that, depending on the material and design, using a pad beneath the saddle might not always achieve the desired pressure-relieving effect. And using multiple ineffective pads under the saddle might not only be a waste of time and money, but it could potentially cause areas of high pressures, compromising the horse’s locomotor apparatus and affecting race performance.

MATERIAL MATTERS

Peak pressure of >35 kPa can cause compression of the capillaries, leading to soft tissue and follicle damage (ischemia) which, in extreme or prolonged cases, results in white hairs, muscle atrophy, skin ulcerations and discomfort. A recent published study evaluated saddle pressure distribution in sports horses using pads made from sheepskin, viscose gel and a medical-grade closed-cell foam. When using a gel pad, the peak and mean pressures increased in the front region of the saddle in trot and canter. This is possibly due to the gel’s lack of ability to dissipate shear forces compared to wool or foam. Similar findings were seen in a pilot study of Thoroughbreds galloping at half speed over ground. The same dynamic testing was used (see Technology & Anatomy section) to compare the forces and peak pressures under polyfill pads, as well as viscose gel and medical-grade closed-cell foam. From the initial trials, the overall forces recorded were significantly higher than those seen in the sports horse study. This seems reasonable, given the difference in locomotion and speed (see Speed & Force section). Preliminary findings show the forces were 75% lower, and peak pressures were 65% lower under the medical- grade closed-cell foam pad than those recorded under the gel pad. Interestingly the polyfill pad, which deforms to the touch, reduced the forces and peak pressures by 25% and 44% respectively compared to the viscose gel pad. The role of the pad is to act as a dampening layer between the horse and the saddle, reducing pressures and absorbing the dynamic forces which occur during locomotion. Based on findings from the sports horse study, and initial findings from the racehorse study, it appears that the medical-grade closed-cell foam pad is superior in its effectiveness at acting as a pressure-reducing layer between the saddle and the horse.

Screenshot 2021-04-23 at 10.51.34.png

PRESSURE TO PERFORM

Reducing saddle pressures improves gallop locomotion. Horses will still perform when asked, despite areas of high pressures induced by the saddle and pad; but they develop a compensatory locomotor strategy in an attempt to alleviate any discomfort. To increase speed, a galloping horse will either increase stride frequency or increase stride length. Both mechanisms can be used, but the horse will have a natural preference. Published pressure studies have shown that stride length is increased when saddle pressures are reduced. Now, new research is underway quantifying whether a stride frequency approach, which has higher peak forces, could be a compensatory strategy in response to discomfort caused by pressure. Forces are influenced by speed and weight and are produced when the hoof comes in contact with the ground. At racing speeds of 38 mph, the hoof hits the ground approximately 150 times a minute. Stride frequency is an important consideration because a study has suggested that horses have around 100,000 gallop strides before the soft tissues fail. Therefore, any reduction in loading cycles (number of strides) could potentially help reduce injury risk.

• Harder, faster, longer

Every stride impacts the horse’s joints, causing wear and tear (see Speed & Force section), so fewer longer strides is the preference for optimum training efficiency. Although horses have a naturally imprinted option, the pressure studies demonstrate that they switch between the two in response to certain extrinsic factors, such as high saddle pressure.

image001 (4).jpg

Our task as trainers is to optimize the horse’s locomotor efficiency by removing any impediment that might force it to adopt the shorter-stride compensatory gait. We speculate that equipment which increases pressure (such as an unsuitable design of saddle, bridle, girth or saddle pad) will be counterproductive because it may encourage an increase in stride frequency and compromise natural locomotor efficiency.

CONTOURING IS KEY

In both studies, the saddle pads that were designed to follow the contour of the horse’s back and withers performed better than those that were flat with no shaping. …

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Roarers - surgery for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy -impact and outcomes

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ROARERS - surgery for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy – impact and outcomes Safia Barakzai BVSc MSc DESTS Dipl.ECVS  Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), more commonly known as ‘roaring’, ‘laryngeal paralysis’ and ‘laryngeal hemiplegia’ is a disorder affecting primarily the left recurrent laryngeal nerve in horses >15hh. This nerve supplies the muscles that open and close the left side of the larynx. The right recurrent laryngeal nerve is also now proven to be affected, but only very mildly, thus affected horses very rarely show signs of right-sided dysfunction.   Horses with RLN become unable to fully open (abduct) the left side of their larynx. During exercise they then make abnormal inspiratory noise due to collapse of both the vocal fold(s) and the left arytenoid cartilage (figure 1), and airflow to the lungs can become severely obstructed in advanced cases. There is a proven genetic component to RLN, but in many cases the disease progresses over months or years. The age at which clinical signs become apparent is highly variable. Foals can show endoscopic and pathologic evidence of RLN, but some horses do not develop clinical disease until >10 years old.  Severity of disease can be reasonably estimated using endoscopy in the resting horse (grades 1-4), but the gold standard for assessing this disease is endoscopy during exercise, when the high negative pressure—generated when breathing—test the affected laryngeal muscle, which is trying its best to resist the ‘suction’ effect of inspiration (Fig. 1). During exercise, RLN is graded from A to D, depending on how much the left side of the larynx can open (Table 1).   Figure 1: Horse undergoing exercising endoscopy to ascertain how the left arytenoid performs when the airway is under pressure. Inset photos show resting (top) and then exercising endoscopy (bottom) of a larynx with grade D arytenoid collapse (green arrow) with additional deformation of the arytenoid cartilage shape and bilateral vocal fold collapse (red arrows). Laryngeal grade at exerciseDefinitionAppearance of larynx endoscopicallyAFull abduction of the arytenoid cartilages during inspiration BPartial abduction of the affected arytenoid cartilages (between full and the resting position) CAbduction held at the resting position DCollapse into the contralateral half of the rima glottidis during inspiration Table 1: Grades A-D of laryngeal abduction during exercise. Figures c/o F. Rossignol. Treatment of RLNTraditionally, left-sided ventriculocordectomy (‘Hobday’/ventriculectomy plus vocal-cordectomy surgery) and laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’) surgeries have been used to treat the disorder, depending on which structures are collapsing and how severely. The intended use of the horse, the budget available and other concerns of the owner/trainer also come into play. New techniques of providing a new nerve supply (‘re-innervating’) to the affected muscle are now being trialled in clinical cases. Pacing the muscle with an implanted electronic device has also been attempted in research cases.   VentriculocordectomyVentriculocordectomy is commonly now referred to as a ‘Hobday’ operation; however, the ‘Hobday’ actually only refers to removal of the blind ending sac that constitutes the laryngeal ventricle. Currently, surgeons tend to remove the vocal cord as well as the ventricle, because it is vocal cord collapse that creates the ‘whistling’ noise. It is a relatively straightforward surgery to perform with minimal risks and complications for the patient. In the last 15 years, there has been a shift to performing it in a minimally invasive way, using a diode laser under endoscopic guidance in the standing sedated horse rather than with the conventional method, via an open laryngotomy incision on the underside of the neck with the horse under a general anaesthetic. However, transendoscopic laser surgery is technically difficult with a very steep learning curve for the surgeon. All ventriculocordectomies are not equal (Fig. 2) and for both laser and ‘open surgery’ methods, incomplete resection of the fold can leave behind enough tissue to cause ongoing respiratory noise and/or airway obstruction after surgery.1,2,3   Figure 2: Two horses after ventriculocordectomy surgery. The horse on the left has an excellent left-sided ventriculocordectomy, with complete excision of the vocal fold tissue (black arrow). The right cord is intact, but the right ventricle has been removed (‘Hobday’). The horse on the right has bilaterally incomplete vocalcordectomies, with much of the vocal fold tissue left behind (green arrows).    Sports horses, hunters and other non-racehorses were often previously recommended to have a ventriculocordectomy performed rather than a laryngoplasty, even if they had severe RLN. This decision was often made on the grounds of cost, but also due to fear of complications associated with laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’ surgery). A new study has shown that for horses with severe RLN, a unilateral ventriculocordectomy is actually extremely unlikely to eliminate abnormal noise in severely affected horses, because the left arytenoid cartilage continues to collapse.3  The authors recommended that laryngoplasty plus ventriculocordectomy is a better option than ventriculocordectomy alone for all grade C and D horses if resolution of abnormal respiratory noise and significant improvement of the cross sectional area of the larynx are the aims of surgery.3   Advancements in laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’) surgery Laryngoplasty is indeed one of the most difficult procedures that equine surgeons perform,  and suffice to say that with such an advanced surgery, using a registered specialist veterinary surgeon that has considerable experience in airway surgery will likely minimise the chances of a negative outcome. Laryngoplasty surgery has an unjustified poor reputation in my opinion, but major improvements have occurred in the last few years. The persistently coughing horse with regurgitation of food from its nostrils after laryngoplasty should be a thing of the past. Refinements to the surgical technique of laryngoplasty, better knowledge of the anatomy around the arytenoid cartilage and new surgical methods to deal with dysphagic horses (coughing/nasal discharge) after laryngoplasty surgery all contribute to this.   Laryngoplasty was traditionally performed under general anaesthesia, however Rossignol et al. 4 first described the technique in standing sedated horses in 2015, and most upper airway surgeons now perform laryngoplasty with the horse standing (Fig. 3), as long as the patient is amenable. Results in standing cases have been equivalent to those performed under general anaesthesia.4  Figure 3: Laryngoplasty (tie-back) being performed in standing sedated horses.  Complications after laryngoplastyGradual loss of surgical abduction (opening) of the larynx occurs in 100% of cases to some degree after laryngoplasty. The average post-operative long-term loss of abduction is 1 grade1,2 (out of 5 grades), and this degree does not significantly affect the long-term result. However, in some cases, more profound abductory loss does occur. Although a wider degree of abduction logically creates a larger cross section of the airway, it has been shown that in UK National Hunt horses, there is no significant difference in racing performance of horses that had moderate (Grade 3 of 5) post-operative abduction compared to those with wide (Grades 1 and 2) abduction.5 It would appear that providing stability to the left arytenoid cartilage is the most important factor in removing respiratory noise and improving airway function, and not simply the degree of abduction present.   In the majority of horses, respiratory noise during exercise is significantly improved after surgery, but some ongoing respiratory noise is not uncommon. Until recently, noise was often blamed on ‘failure’ of the tieback surgery. However, the first papers1,2,6 showing results of exercising endoscopy in horses after laryngoplasty have been eye opening and indicate that other noise-causing abnormalities are often present in horses after laryngoplasty.  These include right vocal fold collapse, soft palate issues and ary-epiglottic fold collapse.  True surgical failure (i.e., an unstable and non-abducted cartilage) is definitely associated with noise but is fairly rare. The conclusion of these three studies was that a) exercising endoscopy is absolutely key to investigate such cases and b) in many cases, post-operative noise can be improved further with a relatively simple standing surgery rather than having to repeat the tie-back. Preliminary results of an ongoing study funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board correlating sound recordings of horses after laryngoplasty with grade of abduction after laryngoplasty shore up these findings.7    Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing food) and coughing are uncommon after laryngoplasty, but occasionally horses can be severely affected; and the cough becomes so bad that it does affect the horse’s quality of life (approx. 3.5% of cases).8  In mild cases that only cough during exercise, withholding feed from horses for several hours prior to exercise can be a simple way to successfully manage them. In the past, the only way to manage a severely coughing horse after laryngoplasty was to surgically remove the sutures that hold the larynx open.  This should be left as long as possible after the initial surgery to allow adhesions to form and keep the abducted arytenoid in an open position. Suture removal is reported to fully resolve coughing in two thirds of cases.8 Once the suture is removed, 50% of cases will experience significant loss of abduction of the left arytenoid cartilage8 (i.e., any benefit of the laryngoplasty may be lost). A new alternative to suture removal is to surgically section any adhesions that have formed around the suture which may have ‘adhered’ the cranial oesophageal diverticulum to the other tissues around the suture, causing distortion of this top part of the oesphagus. Because the suture is not removed, the left arytenoid stays in the open position. This method certainly does relieve clinical signs of coughing in some cases, but it is not known yet whether this is a useful long-term resolution or whether new adhesions will form over time. The simple recent anatomic description of the cranial oesophageal diverticulum9 is probably the most groundbreaking revelation, which has decreased the incidence of post-operative coughing after tie-back surgery. With surgeon education about the anatomy of the upper oesophageal diverticulum, it is easy to avoid this structure and thus drastically reduce risks of both post-operative dysphagia/coughing and surgical site infection. Another new and exciting minimally invasive solution for horses that cough after laryngoplasty has also recently been described by Professor Ducharme from Cornell University. It is suitable for horses that have a ventral glottic defect (i.e., the left and right arytenoids meet during a swallow), but food may enter the trachea through the gap where the vocal cordectomy(ies) has been performed. The procedure involves bulking of this area with a solid ‘filler’ material, injected under endoscopic guidance, and has shown very promising outcomes in the first cases. Results have not been published at the present time.   Treatments that restore function of the weakened laryngeal muscleSeveral research groups  are searching for a more physiologic method of restoring function of the muscle that controls laryngeal opening (crico-arytenoideus dorsalis muscle, or CAD). In the past, grafts consisting of a piece of strap muscle, and the nerve that supplies it has been implanted in the affected CAD.10 This technique works well in theory but is very technically challenging, and it seemed that only a few surgeons worldwide had success with it. Using an electronic pacemaker implanted in the horse’s neck (functional electrical stimulation, or FES) to stimulate the abductor branch of the recurrent laryngeal nerve has been shown to be successful in small numbers of experimental cases.11-13 There appear to be unresolved issues with high cost and with keeping the electrodes in place. For racehorses, the pacer could potentially be interfered with externally and used to manipulate racing performance, thus approval from regulatory bodies seems unlikely. These factors have prevented these implants being used in clinical cases, in the UK at least.   Direct re-innervation of the diseased CAD muscle with a cervical nerve implant14 has shown good preliminary results in clinical cases, particularly those with less severe RLN. When re-innervation and electrical pacing are combined, results are thought to be more reliable (J Perkins personal communication), and this is probably the best bet for the future. As for any novel surgical technique, questions still remain for the success rate of re-innervation procedures, including the degree of abduction that can be obtained (usually only partial abduction is achieved) and the loss of muscle mass is likely to occur when the horse is rested for any period of time, because higher speed exercise is required to ‘pace’ the cervical nerve.   In summary, our assessment and understanding of current treatments for RLN is ongoing. Refinements to surgeries, including understanding why complications/failures occur and how best to treat them are evolving fast. In the near future, more functional treatments will hopefully become more affordable and available, but like all new surgical techniques, long-term results in large numbers of clinical cases need to be evaluated before the true ‘success’ rate is known.  ReferencesDavidson, E.J., Martin, B.B., Rieger, R.H., Parente E.J. (2009)  Exercising videoendoscopic evaluation of 45 horses with respiratory noise and/or poor performance after laryngoplasty. Vet. Surg 39, 942-948.Barnett, T.P., Dixon, P.M., Parkin, T.D.H. and Barakzai, S.Z. (2011) Long-term exercising video-endoscopic examination of the upper airway following laryngoplasty surgery: A prospective cross-sectional study of 41 horses. Equine Vet J. 45,,593Barakzai S.Z., Wells, J., Parkin, T. Cramp, P. (2019) Overground endoscopic findings and respiratory sound analysis in horses with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy after unilateral laser ventriculocordectomy. Equine Vet J. 51, 185-191 Rossignol F, Vitte A, Boening J, Maher M, Lechartier A, Brandenberger O, Martin-Flores M, Lang H, Walker W, Ducharme N. (2015) Laryngoplasty in standing horses Vet Surg 44 341-347 Barakzai, S.Z., Boden, L.A. and Dixon, P.M. (2009b) Postoperative race performance is not correlated with degree of surgical abduction after laryngoplasty in National Hunt Thoroughbred racehorses. Vet. Surg. 38, 934-940. Leutton, J.L. and Lumsden, J.M. (2015) Dynamic respiratory endoscopic findings pre and post-laryngoplasty in Thoroughbreds. Equine vet. J. 47, 531-6Barakzai S.Z., Parkin, T. Cramp, P. Ongoing HBLB research study.  Correlation of arytenoid abduction and other exercising endoscopic findings with respiratory noise in horses after laryngoplasty.   Fitzharris LE, Lane JG, Allen KJ. (2019) Outcomes of horses treated with removal of a laryngoplasty prosthesis. Veterinary Surgery. 48, 465-72. Brandenberger O, Pamela H, Robert C, Martens A, Vlaminck L, Wiemer P, Barankova K, Van Bergen T, Brunsting J, Ducharme N, Rossignol F (2016) Anatomical description of the boundary of the proximal equine esophagus and its surgical implications on prosthetic laryngoplasty in horses. Veterinary Surgery 45:6 E1-E22. Fulton, I.C., Anderson, B.A., Stick, J.A., Robertson, J.T. (2012). Larynx. In: Equine Surgery. Eds. Auer, J. and Stick, J.A. Pub. Elservier, St Louis, Missouri. Pp 592-623.Ducharme NG, Cheetham J, Sanders I, Hermanson JW, Hackett RP, Soderholm LV, Mitchell LM. (2010) Considerations for pacing of the cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle by neuroprosthesis in horses. Equine Vet J. 42(6):534-40. Cheetham J, Perkins JD, Jarvis JC, Cercone M, Maw M, Hermanson JW, Mitchell LM, Piercy RJ, Ducharme NG. (2015) Effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Denervated Laryngeal Muscle in a Large Animal Model. Artif Organs. 39:876-85. Cheetham J, Regner A, Jarvis JC, Priest D, Sanders I, Soderholm LV, Mitchell LM, Ducharme NG. (2011) Functional electrical stimulation of intrinsic laryngeal muscles under varying loads in exercising horses. PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e24258. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024258. Rossignol F, Brandenberger O, Perkins JD, Marie JP, Mespoulhès-Rivière C, Ducharme NG. (2018) Modified first or second cervical nerve transplantation technique for the treatment of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy in horses. Equine Vet J.  50,457-464. 

By Safia Barakzai

Recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), more commonly known as “roaring”, “laryngeal paralysis” and “laryngeal hemiplegia” is a disorder affecting primarily the left recurrent laryngeal nerve in horses >15hh. This nerve supplies the muscles that open and close the left side of the larynx. The right recurrent laryngeal nerve is also now proven to be affected, but only very mildly, thus affected horses very rarely show signs of right-sided dysfunction. Horses with RLN become unable to fully open (abduct) the left side of their larynx. During exercise they then make abnormal inspiratory noise due to collapse of both the vocal fold(s) and the left arytenoid cartilage (Fig. 1), and airflow to the lungs can become severely obstructed in advanced cases. There is a proven genetic component to RLN, but in many cases the disease progresses over months or years. The age at which clinical signs become apparent is highly variable. Foals can show endoscopic and pathologic evidence of RLN, but some horses do not develop clinical disease until >10 years old. Severity of disease can be reasonably estimated using endoscopy in the resting horse (grades 1-4), but the gold standard for assessing this disease is endoscopy during exercise, when the high negative pressure—generated when breathing—test the affected laryngeal muscle, which is trying its best to resist the “suctio”’ effect of inspiration (Fig. 1).

Horse undergoing exercising endoscopy to ascertain how the left arytenoid performs when the airway is under pressure. Inset photos show resting (top) and then exercising endoscopy (bottom) of a larynx with grade D arytenoid collapse (green arrow) with additional deformation of the arytenoid cartilage shape and bilateral vocal fold collapse (red arrows).

Horse undergoing exercising endoscopy to ascertain how the left arytenoid performs when the airway is under pressure. Inset photos show resting (top) and then exercising endoscopy (bottom) of a larynx with grade D arytenoid collapse (green arrow) with additional deformation of the arytenoid cartilage shape and bilateral vocal fold collapse (red arrows).

During exercise, RLN is graded from A to D, depending on how much the left side of the larynx can open (Table 1).

• Treatment of RLN

TABLE 1: Grades A-D of laryngeal abduction during exercise. Figures c/o F. Rossignol.

TABLE 1: Grades A-D of laryngeal abduction during exercise. Figures c/o F. Rossignol.

Traditionally, left-sided ventriculocordectomy (“Hobday”/ ventriculectomy plus vocal-cordectomy surgery) and laryngoplasty (“tie-back”) surgeries have been used to treat the disorder, depending on which structures are collapsing and how severely. The intended use of the horse, the budget available and other concerns of the owner/trainer also come into play. New techniques of providing a new nerve supply (“re-innervating”) to the affected muscle are now being trialled in clinical cases. Pacing the muscle with an implanted electronic device has also been attempted in research cases.

• Ventriculocordectomy

Ventriculocordectomy is commonly now referred to as a “Hobday” operation; however, the “Hobday” actually only refers to removal of the blind ending sac that constitutes the laryngeal ventricle. Currently, surgeons tend to remove the vocal cord as well as the ventricle, because it is vocal cord collapse that creates the “whistling” noise. It is a relatively straightforward surgery to perform with minimal risks and complications for the patient. In the last 15 years, there has been a shift to performing it in a minimally invasive way, using a diode laser under endoscopic guidance in the standing sedated horse rather than with the conventional method, via an open laryngotomy incision on the underside of the neck with the horse under a general anesthetic. However, transendoscopic laser surgery is technically difficult with a very steep learning curve for the surgeon. All ventriculocordectomies are not equal (Fig. 2) and for both laser and ‘open surgery’ methods, incomplete resection of the fold can leave behind enough tissue to cause ongoing respiratory noise and/or airway obstruction after surgery.

Two horses after ventriculocordectomy surgery. The horse on the left has an excellent left-sided ventriculocordectomy, with complete excision of the vocal fold tissue (black arrow). The right cord is intact, but the right ventricle has been removed (‘Hobday’). The horse on the right has bilaterally incomplete vocalcordectomies, with much of the vocal fold tissue left behind (green arrows).

Two horses after ventriculocordectomy surgery. The horse on the left has an excellent left-sided ventriculocordectomy, with complete excision of the vocal fold tissue (black arrow). The right cord is intact, but the right ventricle has been removed (‘Hobday’). The horse on the right has bilaterally incomplete vocalcordectomies, with much of the vocal fold tissue left behind (green arrows).

Sports horses, hunters and other non-racehorses were often previously recommended to have a ventriculocordectomy performed rather than a laryngoplasty, even if they had severe RLN. This decision was often made on the grounds of cost, but also due to fear of complications associated with laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’ surgery). A new study has shown that for horses with severe RLN, a unilateral ventriculocordectomy is actually extremely unlikely to eliminate abnormal noise in severely affected horses, because the left arytenoid cartilage continues to collapse.3 The authors recommended that laryngoplasty plus ventriculocordectomy is a better option than ventriculocordectomy alone for all grade C and D horses if resolution of abnormal respiratory noise and significant improvement of the cross sectional area of the larynx are the aims of surgery.3

Advancements in laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’) surgery

Laryngoplasty is indeed one of the most difficult procedures that equine surgeons perform, and suffice to say that with such an advanced surgery, using a registered specialist veterinary surgeon that has considerable experience in airway surgery will likely minimise the chances of a negative outcome. Laryngoplasty surgery has an unjustified poor reputation in my opinion, …

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Recruiting runners - the lengths racing secretaries are going to to field runners for their races

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By Bill Heller From New York to California, racing secretaries are working diligently to recruit horses, a task made significantly more difficult by the ongoing pandemic. “Everybody is struggling to get horses,” New York Racing Association Senior Vice-President of Racing Operations Martin Panza said. “Everybody has empty stalls. Tracks that were running five days a week, now are running three or four.” Del Mar Racing Secretary David Jerkens put it this way: “It’s always a challenge. Any racing secretary in the country will tell you it’s hard to land new inventory.” Panza and Jerkens are veteran executives who have seen good times and bad. Santa Anita’s Chris Merz began his first job as race secretary in February 2020. His timing couldn’t have been worse. “I think it was just before the pandemic,” Merz said. “You’re trying to come up with these ideas to get horses out here, and then you have the pandemic. Any plans get thrown out the window. Recruiting went out the window. You’re just trying to survive.” Thankfully, the New York Racing Association’s three tracks: Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga did survive, as did Santa Anita and Del Mar, which is the site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup. Yet the racing industry has shriveled considerably following the closing of Hollywood Park, the recent loss of Calder Raceway and, unless a miracle happens, Arlington Park. “If tracks such as Arlington go away, if you lose a city like Chicago and take a big track out of the picture, it hurts the industry,” Panza said. “They’re not going to build new tracks to replace Calder, Hollywood, Arlington Park. It’s sad what you lose, but it’s a sign of the times. The industry is changing so quickly. What maybe worked 15 years ago might not work today.” For smaller tracks, survival may depend on finding a niche. At Indiana Grand, Chris Polzin, who had been working at Arlington Park before moving to Indiana at the end of last October, was asked how his track competes with larger ones. “We race Monday through Thursday,” He said. “So we don’t really run against them. The big tracks gather all the attention. Who’s going to pay attention to us if we run on weekends?” In mid-March, a month before Indiana Grand opened its 2021 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meeting, Polzin said, “Our stalls are jam packed. We have 900 stabled. I’ve got a list of 140 stalls people want and there are none.” Mike Anifantis, the racing secretary at Prairie Meadows in Iowa, hopes his Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse meet, which runs from April 30 to September 26, will be smoother than 2020. “This year, obviously, is a little bit easier than last year,” he said. “We didn’t know when we were opening. This year, we’ve got 15 to 18 new trainers coming in and eight or nine people who couldn’t come last year. We start out with Thoroughbreds, then mixed breeds; both run on the same card.” Asked if it’s a challenge to survive, Anifantis replied, “It’s a challenge for sure.” Lone Star, which has both a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meeting, relies on its neighboring tracks. “We have a good circuit,” Lone Star Assistant Race Secretary Matt Crawford, a former trainer, said. “Sam Houston runs from January to April, then we start and run through July. Remington Park runs from August through December. We primarily get 75 to 80 percent of our horses from here. We get some horses from Oaklawn Park. We get some interest from Louisiana Downs, and it’s only a three-hour drive from Turf Paradise.” Asked about his hopes for this year’s meet, Crawford said, “We hope to be okay. It might be a little light the first couple of weeks. Around the first of May, we’ll start rolling pretty good.” Panza hopes that happens in New York despite the challenges all tracks are facing. “There’s a shortage of owners and a shortage of horses,” he said. “With the horse shortage, it takes a long time to recover or increase field size. We need dirt horses. If you add a trainer, you can add 40 to 50 horses. But there is some bright side to the industry to attract people. You have to look at the positives. Right now, the purses in Arkansas, Kentucky and New York are the highest purses we’ve ever seen. For New York, the purses we have for maidens, claimers and allowance races, hopefully, will attract owners.” Either way, the New York Racing Association didn’t stand pat, instituting The New York States Turf Bonus for its innovative Turf Triple series for three-year-old fillies, the Gr1 $700,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational at Belmont Park July 10th, the $700,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational August 8th and the Jockey Club Oaks at Belmont. NYRA inaugurated the Turf Triple in 2019. The New York Stakes Turf Bonus gives $315,000 to the owner and $35,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of the Belmont Oaks, Saratoga Oaks or Jockey Club Oaks who captures the Gr2 $750,000 New York Stakes, a mile-and-a-quarter stakes, the following year. The Flower Bowl Bonus awards $300,000 to the owner and $30,000 to the trainer of any previous winner of those three filly stakes who captures the Gr1 $600,000 Flower Bowl at 11 furlongs the following year. “We’re really trying to strengthen those stakes,” Panza said. “Let’s help our three-year-old races and guide those horses to come back to race in New York as a four-year-old. We’ve made a commitment to reestablish longer races. It makes sense to get horses ready for the Breeders’ Cup. The trainers we’ve talked to, they said this seems like a very good idea. New York has these big, great turf courses. We’re committed to longer distances. We’re trying to keep it alive in the United States. We’ve been fortunate to get Europeans to run in our biggest races.” NYRA is also continuing its ship and win program for horsemen based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and Oaklawn Park, and recently held its sixth popular Claiming Championship series. Horses stabled in Fair Hill, who register an official start (excluding stakes races) during the Aqueduct spring meet from April 1st through April 18th or during the Belmont Park spring/summer meet from April 22nd through July 11, will be credited with an $800 shipping stipend. First-time starters must have had three previous workouts at Fair Hill to be eligible. Horses who made their previous start at Oaklawn Park can receive a 30% purse bonus and a $1,500 shipping stipend for a start at either Aqueduct or Belmont. First-time starters are not eligible. NYRA’s Claiming Championship Series held March 27th at Aqueduct offered 10 stakes worth $620,000; each stakes named for the most popular claiming horses to run at Aqueduct: Videogenic, Caixa Electronica, Xtra Heat, Kelly Kip, Belle Gallantey, Peeping Tom, More to Tell, Sis City, Stud Muffin and Dads Caps. “It’s a really strong program,” Trainer Rob Atras said three days before the races. “I think it’s good to have the spotlight on these types of horses, too.” Atras was in that spotlight when his American Power captured the $80,000 Caixa Electronica Stakes. Additionally, NYRA has boosted its purses for the Belmont and Saratoga meets. Maiden purses will be $90,000, and allowance races start at $92,000. The claiming purses are substantial. Purses at claiming levels of $10,000, $16,000, $25,000 and $62,500 will be worth $28,000, $42,000, $55,000 and $80,000, respectively. Taken collectively, the NYRA programs reflect a huge commitment to lure horsemen for a single reason, one that Panza pointed out: “Trying to attract horses is tough.” On the other side of the country, Santa Anita and Del Mar are getting positively proactive. “We’re getting more aggressive,” Merz said. “Starting in May, we’re recruiting horses. David Jerkens and I are going to Kentucky, Churchill Downs and Keeneland. In the summer, we’re planning to go to Florida and New York. Whenever they open, we’re planning on being there.” Santa Anita’s new, aggressive approach to recruiting runners comes from the top. “It was loosely done before,” Merz said. “We’ve got some new leadership here at Santa Anita, Nate Newby. He said we need to do whatever we can to better the horse population here. Get our product the best it can be. He said, `The gloves are off. Do whatever you can do.’ The Breeders’ Cup is at Del Mar this year. Guys are looking to have a start here. The word is getting out.” Regardless, Merz and Jerkens are hitting the road. “California is an odd place,” Merz said. “It’s talked about as an island. The days of sitting back and hoping people come out here are gone. We want to see people face-to-face. That’s what we’re trying to do.” Merz, a 30-year-old graduate of the University of Arizona Racetrack Industry Program, is happy to take on that challenge: “This is something I’ve always wanted to do—to be a race secretary and make California racing the best it can be.” To that end, Santa Anita increased purses 10% and added a Sunshine Bonus for shippers that began on December 26. A $3,000 bonus was paid to the owners of any horses that started who had not raced in California the previous 12 months. There is also a 35% bonus to the owners of those shippers who finish first through fifth in their first start at Santa Anita. Santa Anita also raised overnight purses by $15,000 on the day of the Santa Anita Handicap (March 6) and joined with Del Mar to initiate the $1 million Wild West Bonus to any horse who sweeps three mile-and-a-quarter Gr1 stakes, the $400,000 Santa Anita Handicap, the $300,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita May 31, and the $750,000 Pacific Classic at Del Mar August 21. “Like anything, it’s going to take a little while to resonate,” David Jerkens said. “I think we have signature races out here. We were looking for a way to get horses to ship out here for dirt stakes. Many of our dirt stakes horses go East. We’re trying to work more in tandem with Santa Anita, to build the best overall horse population for California. The fact that we host the Breeders’ Cup is something that will work for us. Owners have been contacting me.” To further entice out-of-state horsemen to ship to California, Del Mar has increased its ship and win program, rewarding eligible horses who haven’t raced in California for at least 12 months and are not first-time starters with bonuses of 40% in grass races and 50% in dirt races—up from 20 and 20 last year. Additionally, Del Mar is allowing horses who raced at Santa Anita in May or June to remain eligible for the bonus. “Seventy percent of the horses that get the bonus are from local connections that are gearing up for Del mar and acquiring horses,” Jerkins said. Traveling across the country to recruit horses will be new for Santa Anita but not for Del Mar. “This is my eighth year, and we’ve done it every year,” Jerkens said. “We’ll talk to as many horsemen as we can. We’re always trying to improve the product. Our goal is to present what we’re offering, and we have a good story to tell.”

By Bill Heller

From New York to California, racing secretaries are working diligently to recruit horses, a task made significantly more difficult by the ongoing pandemic.

“Everybody is struggling to get horses,” New York Racing Association Senior Vice-President of Racing Operations Martin Panza said. “Everybody has empty stalls. Tracks that were running five days a week, now are running three or four.” Del Mar Racing Secretary David Jerkens put it this way: “It’s always a challenge. Any racing secretary in the country will tell you it’s hard to land new inventory.” Panza and Jerkens are veteran executives who have seen good times and bad.

Santa Anita’s Chris Merz began his first job as race secretary in February 2020. His timing couldn’t have been worse. “I think it was just before the pandemic,” Merz said. “You’re trying to come up with these ideas to get horses out here, and then you have the pandemic. Any plans get thrown out the window. Recruiting went out the window. You’re just trying to survive.” Thankfully, the New York Racing Association’s three tracks: Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga did survive, as did Santa Anita and Del Mar, which is the site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup. Yet the racing industry has shriveled considerably following the closing of Hollywood Park, the recent loss of Calder Raceway and, unless a miracle happens, Arlington Park.

“If tracks such as Arlington go away, if you lose a city like Chicago and take a big track out of the picture, it hurts the industry,” Panza said. “They’re not going to build new tracks to replace Calder, Hollywood, Arlington Park. It’s sad what you lose, but it’s a sign of the times. The industry is changing so quickly. What maybe worked 15 years ago might not work today.”

Screenshot 2021-04-23 at 13.54.35.png

For smaller tracks, survival may depend on finding a niche. At Indiana Grand, Chris Polzin, who had been working at Arlington Park before moving to Indiana at the end of last October, was asked how his track competes with larger ones. “We race Monday through Thursday,” He said. “So we don’t really run against them. The big tracks gather all the attention. Who’s going to pay attention to us if we run on weekends?”

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In mid-March, a month before Indiana Grand opened its 2021 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meeting, Polzin said, “Our stalls are jam packed. We have 900 stabled. I’ve got a list of 140 stalls people want and there are none.”

In mid-March, a month before Indiana Grand opened its 2021 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meeting, Polzin said, “Our stalls are jam packed. We have 900 stabled. I’ve got a list of 140 stalls people want and there are none.” Mike Anifantis, the racing secretary at Prairie Meadows in Iowa, hopes his Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse meet, which runs from April 30 to September 26, will be smoother than 2020. “This year, obviously, is a little bit easier than last year,” he said. “We didn’t know when we were opening. This year, we’ve got 15 to 18 new trainers coming in and eight or nine people who couldn’t come last year. We start out with Thoroughbreds, then mixed breeds; both run on the same card.”Asked if it’s a challenge to survive, Anifantis replied, “It’s a challenge for sure.”

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Lone Star, which has both a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meeting, relies on its neighboring tracks. “We have a good circuit,” Lone Star Assistant Race Secretary Matt Crawford, a former trainer, said. “Sam Houston runs from January to April, then we start and run through July. Remington Park runs from August through December. We primarily get 75 to 80 percent of our horses from here. We get some horses from Oaklawn Park. We get some interest from Louisiana Downs, and it’s only a three-hour drive from Turf Paradise.” Asked about his hopes for this year’s meet, Crawford said, “We hope to be okay. It might be a little light the first couple of weeks. Around the first of May, we’ll start rolling pretty good.”…

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#Soundbites - The Jockey Club just proposed limiting a stallion to 140 breedings a year. We asked breeders, owners and bloodstock agents: Is this a good idea?

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By Bill Heller

According to The Jockey Club, the number of mares bred in 2020 were down 12.5% in California, 7.6% in Florida, 5.3% in New York and 4.3% in Kentucky; while the number was up 7.0% in Pennsylvania, 3.4% in Louisiana and 3.3% in Maryland. The Jockey Club just proposed limiting a stallion to 140 breedings a year. 

We asked breeders, owners and bloodstock agents: Is this a good idea or bad? If it’s bad, then what’s the alternative? 

# John Harris - Harris Farms, California 

#Soundbites According to The Jockey Club, the number of mares bred in 2020 were down 12.5% in California, 7.6% in Florida, 5.3% in New York and 4.3% in Kentucky; while the number was up 7.0% in Pennsylvania, 3.4% in Louisiana and 3.3% in Maryland. The Jockey Club just proposed limiting a stallion to 140 breedings a year. We asked breeders, owners and bloodstock agents: Is this a good idea or bad? If it’s bad, then what’s the alternative?By Bill Heller *************************************Chad Schumer Bloodstock Agency, Louisville, Ky.I think it’s a good idea. I think as in most business, supply and demand is a major factor determining value. I’d admire the Jockey Club’s intent with regard to genetic diversification. I also agree with that concept that our Thoroughbreds has become brittle, very brittle. This is due to a higher concentration of in-breeding. *************************************Rob Whiteley, Liberation Farm, Califon, N.J. I’m very happy that the Jockey Club is taking action. 140 is a lot of mares. In 2020, there were nine stallions that bred over 200 in Kentucky, averaging 232 mares. That’s 2,088 top mares going to just nine stallions. I don’t think that’s good for the mare owners or for the long-term wellness of the industry to have huge books for a number of reasons. Mares need to be bred when they’re ready to breed. Spreading them out is important so that other stallions have enough runners to be competitive in the marketplace. Finally, whatever the number, stallion owners should be transparent in the number of mares their stallions breed. ************************************** Brent Fernung, owner, Journeyman Stallions, Ocala, Fla. It would be beneficial to regional breeders like me and everybody else. The industry’s changed considerably over the years. If one stallion breeds 250 mares, they’re taking out other people’s pools. I don’t know if you can legislate that. I guess we’ll find out because there are lawsuits about it. ************************************Mike Pons, Country Life Farm, Bel Air, Md. I can understand both sides. For my partners and clients, no limits helped stallions like Malibu Moon. He began in Maryland with us, and then moved to Kentucky in 2003. When Orb won the Derby, there was a tremendous interest in breeding to him. So I was for no limits then. Now, the Jockey Club ruling gives the small guy a chance. We have four stallions here, and they’re all graded stakes winners. The good stallions can come from anywhere. Diversity of pedigrees and different types of horses are needed to keep this industry going. *************************************John Harris, Harris Farms, California I think it’s a good idea, but it’s kind of academic in California. We rarely have stallions in California who breed over 140 mares. Some are over 100, but none over 140. 140 is quite a few. We breed horses here to race. The declining mares— that’s the tip of the iceberg. The problem in California is a lot of people aren’t making a lot of money racing here, and their interest starts to wane. ************************************Ken Ramsey, breeder and owner, Kentucky I have mixed feelings on it. I don’t believe in a lot of government control— the government telling a man what to do—but at the same token, I do think the breed needs more diversity. Everybody wants to breed to Tapit and Into Mischief. That dilutes the gene pool. I believe in free enterprise and letting the free market take its course. If I had to vote yes or no, I would favor putting the rule in. I think it’s a good thing for the sport for the future. I’m looking forward to the future. ***********************************Joe McMahon, McMahon at Saratoga Thoroughbred, New York I can understand the large farms' displeasure, but if we were to limit a stallion’s book to 140 or less, it would probably improve the market and the price we could get for seasons. As it is now, the large popular horses overflood the market, so that results in a lot of yearlings becoming non-profitable. That, with the shrinking of the gene pool, is not good for the industry as a whole.

I think it’s a good idea, but it’s kind of academic in California. We rarely have stallions in California who breed over 140 mares. Some are over 100, but none over 140. 140 is quite a few. We breed horses here to race. The declining mares— that’s the tip of the iceberg. The problem in California is a lot of people aren’t making a lot of money racing here, and their interest starts to wane. 



# Rob Whiteley – Liberation Farm, Califon, N.J. 

Rob Whiteley

Rob Whiteley

I’m very happy that the Jockey Club is taking action. 140 is a lot of mares. In 2020, there were nine stallions that bred over 200 in Kentucky, averaging 232 mares. That’s 2,088 top mares going to just nine stallions. I don’t think that’s good for the mare owners or for the long-term wellness of the industry to have huge books for a number of reasons. Mares need to be bred when they’re ready to breed. Spreading them out is important so that other stallions have enough runners to be competitive in the marketplace. Finally, whatever the number, stallion owners should be transparent in the number of mares their stallions breed. 

# Brent Fernung - Journeyman Stallions, Ocala, Fla. 

Brent Fernung

Brent Fernung

It would be beneficial to regional breeders like me and everybody else. The industry’s changed considerably over the years. If one stallion breeds 250 mares, they’re taking out other people’s pools. I don’t know if you can legislate that. I guess we’ll find out because there are lawsuits about it.





# Ken Ramsey – Breeder and owner, Kentucky 

I have mixed feelings on it. I don’t believe in a lot of government control— the government telling a man what to do—but at the same token, I do think the breed needs more diversity. …

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Alan Balch - Toast?

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Those of us of a certain age vividly remember Walter Annenberg, friend of presidents, Ambassador to the Court of St. James, master of Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, and publisher of Daily Racing Form. 

We tend not to remember his criminal father Moses (Moe) or the Chicago and Capone connections integral to the success of the racing wires and Form, leading to his imprisonment for evading over $20 million in U.S. taxes (in today’s currency). For those interested in the birth and ongoing life cycle of American racing, further research would be enlightening. 

Suffice it to say that our sport was once highly lucrative. An oligopoly, and even monopolistic in some respects. 

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Tycoon Warren Buffett, now styled “The Oracle of Omaha,” long ago teased his audiences by asking them to name the nation’s most profitable newspaper, having little advertising, costing the buyer a dollar when other papers cost a dime. He started out as a teen-aged publisher of his own tip sheet, was ruled off for not sharing his proceeds with the track operator—a student of “speed” vs. “class” handicapping. Most of those at his feet had no idea that he was talking about The Morning Telegraph, which was succeeded by the Form, of course. 

In the many decades since, Buffett’s investing led him far, far away from speed and concentrated on staying. He took a cue from the Annenberg son, whose Triangle Publications was founded on what Walter termed “essentiality.” Anyone seriously interested in business had to have The Wall Street Journal; in horse racing, the Daily Racing Form; in television, TV Guide. For the nation at large, two of the three were essential. Even the Form was essential, in the sense that no other sport, early on, permitted legal betting on its contests; any bet on a race, without critical information, was literally uninformed to a significant extent. In the early days, racing was undoubtedly America’s leading professional sport. 

Until recently, Buffett was a major investor in newspapers, and one of his first jobs, along with that track publishing stint, was as a paperboy. Over a decade ago, he bought 28 local papers for $344 million. In 1977, he had gotten The Buffalo News for $36 million. Lately, he sold all those at a loss, although financing terms of the transactions may make him better than whole in the long run. 

In a 2019 interview with Yahoo Finance, he described the evolution of newspaper publishing, along with the essential nature of local news and advertising, and how the business had changed. “It went from monopoly to franchise to competitive to ... toast.” Gulp. 

That racing and its place in the gaming universe also have been dramatically changing isn’t exactly a secret, right? Or unforeseen, long before now? New York OTB was authorized in 1970. The New York Lottery had begun in 1967. Out on the island of California, its state lottery was authorized by a vote of the people in late 1984. Despite its 50% takeout, giant payoffs to the brain-dead and a very few with real luck began luring our clientele away the next year. 

While we in racing haven’t exactly been asleep, maybe we’ve been dreaming ... that somehow this reality would never actually bite. And chew. That simulcasting, satellites, ADW and sports betting would see us through? And just exactly how would that work? Decades, literally, largely have been wasted. Racing’s leaders could have invested wisely in research, development, and acquisition, dedicated to competing successfully in the evolving world of gaming. There was a time when we should and could have better marshaled our financial resources for critical future orientation. 

Not to mention keen, deep appreciation for our unique selling proposition in the gaming world: the horse. 

The last time the North American foal crop was under 20,000, as it is now, was 1965, but then it was on an upward trend. That year, the average field size was stable at just under 9 horses per race. In 2019, it was 7.5, or a decline of 17%. Average annual starts per runner has declined from 11 in 1965, to barely over 6 in 2019, or about 45%. In California alone, 3,365 races were run in 1965; in 2018, 3,874. Make sense? 

Most industries use similar objective data to guide decision making and policies. We do not. Despite our fans’ mania over the most minute data to drive betting! Is it any wonder we face the most uncertain of futures? 

To make matters still worse, greater and greater numbers of the declining stock of horses are increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, leading to far less attractive betting contests for the public. Racing associations, governing bodies and horsemen’s organizations seem reluctant even to discuss, let alone act on, what the data present. For racing to have a serious chance to flourish again, stall limits on trainers must be gradually but increasingly implemented. A far broader distribution of horses among trainers is essential to growing field size and enhancing our fundamental game. The business reasons are starkly clear. 

But that’s only one essential tactic in what should be a strategy based on all the intellectual capital the entire industry can assemble. 

So, do I believe we’re toast? No, not necessarily ... racing will continue, survive and possibly thrive. 

However, true prosperity is only ours if we remember, no matter the obstacles, the fundamental reasons for our sport’s adaption to change through the centuries. Its foundation is the majesty and attraction of horses to the vast public, and the socialization our shared affection inspires. In turn, that requires vigorous commitment to equine welfare, allegiance to the principle of breeding a better, sounder horse, and genuine, loving, sincere observance of good horsemanship. 

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Jonathan and Leonard Green - D.J. Stable

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Jonathan & Leonard Green with jockey Joel Rosario after Jaywalk wins the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filies

Jonathan Green’s priorities crystalized for him at an early age. “I was probably eight or nine years old,” he said. “Our neighbor had a $5,000 claimer. He was racing at Monmouth Park, just minutes from our home. My dad took me. The horse won. I cashed a $5 ticket, ate a hot dog and got to go to the winner’s circle.”

Hooked for life.

Fast forward to college. “I went to Lehigh because Comcast showed Philadelphia Park,” he said. “I’d set up my classes to see the races. I took night classes.”

Now, at the age of 51, he is living his dream as the general manager of his and his father’s D.J. Stable—one of the largest racing and breeding operations in the entire country with more than 100 racing stock, foals and broodmares in five states. “As a family, we’ve really enjoyed it,” Jonathan said. “You have to treat it as a business, but it’s such a thrill to win a big race or sell a big yearling and enjoy it with your family. We’ve won more than 2,400 races and over 150 stakes.”

There is one race they covet winning. They’ve had one starter in the Kentucky Derby—a horse they owned in partnership with former Duke University basketball star Bobby Hurley, Songandaprayer, who set the fastest pace in the Derby’s long history: a half-mile in :44 86 and three-quarters in 1:09.25 before tiring to finish 13th in 2001. But the race they want to win most is the Haskell at Monmouth Park July 17th. “Our Kentucky Derby is the Haskell,” Jonathan said. “We’ve always wanted to run a good horse in the Haskell. We’ve never started a horse in it. The Haskell is a million-dollar race in our backyard…. We’ve done unorthodox things before.”

If Helium were to win a Triple Crown race, that would be tough to resist. That’s what’s classified as a good problem to have. And Lenny and Johnny are good at solving problems. They both succeeded in financing. “My father is 84, and he still works 70-hour weeks and loves every minute of it,” Jonathan said. “My grandfather, Abe, lived to be in his late 90s. He said, `Your mind is a muscle, and you must exercise it daily.’

Lenny is an accountant and CPA who explored the business side of horse racing before getting involved. “He wanted to explore the tax laws to see if there was a benefit for owning horses,” Jonathan said. “He remembered something about the tax codes. He studied it for eight, nine months. Doing that was about as exciting as it sounds.”

Lenny survived and dived in. “He found an industry that he enjoyed that he wanted to be a part of—one that had tax benefits,” Jonathan continued. “He was an athlete. He was a tennis player. He loved competition. In the late 70s, he was a minority owner of the New Jersey Nets.”

The Nets, in the American Basketball Association before it merged with the National Basketball Association, had an outstanding guard named Super John Williamson, who helped the Nets wins two ABA titles. “He was the first actual star I met,” Jonathan said. “He was very gracious. We named a horse Super John.”

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Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and Bill Strauss

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Five football-playing fraternity brothers seeking a way to stay connected after graduating from Brown University in Providence, R.I., did just that by connecting with two veteran Thoroughbred owners in Southern California. Now all of them are having the ride of their lives with their Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie.

“It’s astounding,” said Greg Helm, the managing partner of Roadrunner Racing, which owns 50% of Hot Rod Charlie after being convinced by bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neil to take a step away from claiming horses and take a shot with a yearling he liked. “Dennis has a good feel for the personnel groups that would fit together,” Greg said. “Thanks to him, we have a unique ownership.”

The world got a glimpse of this unique group immediately after Hot Rod Charlie won the Louisiana Derby. TVG’s Scott Hazelton was interviewing one of his owners, Bill Strauss, in the winner’s circle. Wildly enthusiastic and raspy after cheering his horse home, Bill fairly shouted, “This is what you get in the game for, to go to Kentucky on the first Saturday of May.” In the background, the brothers were jumping up and down on one another’s body as if they were, well, frat brothers playing boat racing—the beer chugging game they used to name their stable.

“We bring a youthful enthusiasm,” said Patrick O’Neil, the frat brother who is a nephew of Dennis and who bought Hot Rod Charlie as a yearling for $110,000, and his brother Doug, their trainer. 

What do the frat brothers get from their elder partners? “The best thing that happened from this is you get to meet a lot of great new people along the path,” Patrick said. “We are meeting so many amazing people in the world. We are attached to Greg and Bill, who have had very impressive careers. They became mentors to us.”

Working together? “We all have the same mindset about racing, about what’s important to us,” Greg said. “All the decisions that had to be made were unanimous and simple.”

Greg, a 73-year-old retired advertising agency owner, and his wife Glenna formed Roadrunner Racing with five other couples. At their golf club, they watched Hot Rod Charlie’s coming-out party in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, when he led late before finishing second by three-quarters to still unbeaten Essential Quality at 94-1. “They said they could hear the cheering miles away,” he said. “At 94-1, we were pretty pleased.”

His golf club, which had offered a special on its menu that afternoon—the Hot Rod Charlie (a spicy, crispy chicken sandwich)—made it a permanent lunch option. “They have a picture on the menu,” Greg said proudly.

He said of the partnership with Boat Racing, “We’re a pretty lively group ourselves. When you get around the Boat Racing people, it’s hard not to get further energized. We met all of them in New Orleans. That was fantastic. We all sat together, partied together and had lunch together.”

Now he has a horse that deserves a start in a Triple Crown race. “I can almost sleep,” he laughed. “It’s tough to get to sleep.”

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Ron Moquett - trainer of Champion Sprinter Whitmore

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By Bill Heller

Upon reaching the winner’s circle after the $2 million Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint on November 7th at Keeneland, Laura Moquett hugged her seven-year-old gelding Whitmore, telling him, “You’re a total badass.”

Talking about that moment a week later, she added, “That applies to my husband, too.”

She says that with justifiable pride in both. She is the co-owner, assistant trainer and galloper of Whitmore, who was seeking his first victory in his fourth start in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

If there was an equine dictionary and you looked up the word “rogue,” Whitmore’s picture would probably be there. He is the poster horse of bad behavior.

ALL ABOUT MOQUETT

Laura’s 48-year-old husband Ron, co-owner and trainer of Whitmore, has survived three years with atypical sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the lungs. Think you were scared about COVID? Ron hasn’t missed a step training his stable of 38 horses. “This ain’t nothing,” he said. “A lot of people got through worse than I got. I get to go to the barn. I get to do my job. I was wearing a mask before it became a fad.”

There’s a third member of this Whitmore team—former jockey Greta Kuntzweiler, now Whitmore’s breeze rider and an assistant trainer. Ron calls her a hippy. Greta laughs when asked about it. “He thinks I’m a hippy because I’m a Democrat,” she said.

Together, the Moquetts and Kuntzweiler reached that remarkable Breeders’ Cup moment when Whitmore won the Sprint by 3 ¼ lengths, thanks to a perfect ride by Irad Ortiz, Jr. Whitmore had peaked as a seven-year-old in his 38th career start—a testament to Ron’s conviction that doing right by the horse allows you to maximize success. Ron defers credit to his horse. “He tells me everything,” Ron said. “Every day. He’s honest, very honest. He’s very forthcoming with information on what he needs.”

That only matters if his trainer listens. Ron has been listening to animals his entire life. At a young age, he preferred the company of animals rather than people.

His mother died when he was four-years-old. “We went from place to place for a while,” he said. “We ended up with our grandparents. I gravitated to animals—any kind of animals. I didn’t care—dogs, cats, horses, chickens. An animal will never lead you astray. An animal is very honest. For whatever reason, they respected me, and I respected them. Without cats, dogs, horses and chickens, I would need a lot of therapy. That’s what I used for therapy. It’s where I got comfort. I like people, but I’d rather be with my animals.”

He built his life with horses. “A horse never lies to you,” he said. “If he’s afraid, he shows it. If he’s hungry, he shows it.”

And if that horse is Whitmore, he’ll kick you to hell if you touch him in the wrong place. Or at the wrong time. Or just for kicks. His specialty was a double-barrel kick. Ron can live with that because Whitmore also has an incredible amount of talent.

Ron was born near Blue Ribbons Downs, a Quarter Horse track in Sallisaw, Okla. Ron pursued his interest in horses at bush tracks. “We used to go on Sundays,” he said. “They would have racing on a 400-yard strip. We’d have big-name riders come in.”

Ron couldn’t get enough. “I worked at the gate,” he said. “I would get the horses ready to run. I’d help the trainers pony horses. My friend rode—that was my first introduction. They were gambling and riding. I just wanted to be with the horses. I thought that was cool as hell. I was probably 13.”

Then came a sobering realization. “There was nobody making money doing this,” he said.

So he began supplementing his income with toughman fighting. “It was kind of like a predecessor to Ultimate Fighting,” he said. “There are three one-minute rounds with 16-ounce gloves. The winner moves on. If you win five or six, you’d get up to a money fight. I did all right from 18 to 24. I didn’t do it all the time. It got to the point where other people were getting better. It got to where I was making money with horses; I didn’t have to do it anymore.”

That happened at Oaklawn Park, where he started training. “I was 22,” Ron said. “I lived in a tack room probably the first six months. That’s no different than a lot of people today. I was nobody special.”

Ron caught a huge break, landing a job working for trainer Bernie Flint. “Bernie was the perfect guy for me,” Ron said. “He allowed me to do everything and taught me a lot about handling different situations. He was always kind to the animals. For a claiming trainer, he was very kind. He’s 6-3, 300 pounds, an ex-cop. Bernie was a natural horseman. I was with him less than two years, and he showed me so much more than if I had gone to a big operation.”

Ron was about as far removed from a big operation as possible when he started his own stable, posting only one second and one third in seven starts in 1997. “How bad do you want it?” Ron asked. “Everybody loves it when you’re doing well with a barn full of great horses. Try doing it whenever you got a barn full of other people’s cast-offs. You don’t have a lot of money to fall back on. Mike Tyson said, `Everybody’s got a plan until you get punched in the face.’”

He had been literally punched in the face when he was a toughman fighting for years. He was able to abandon his second career when his numbers improved in his first full year of training in 1998 with five victories from 82 starters and $80,354 in earnings. In 1999, he had 12 wins from 141 starts with $259,385 in money. He was on his way.

“I just wanted it too bad to not keep doing it,” Ron said. “How are you going to make it? First, you have to have a love for the animal. Second, you have to have a hatred of money, because you’re not going to get it for a long time. I’ve been doing this for 20-something years, and I finally wound up winning a couple of them. The third thing is you got to be where you don’t require sleep. If you don’t love money, and you love horses, and you don’t sleep, then you’ve got a shot at becoming a trainer. It’s so hard. The game is frustrating and so hard.”

Having a partner helps navigate the tough times, and Ron has a 24-7 partner in Laura. Raised in Lawton, a small town in Iowa, she discovered her passion for horses as a child “I had my own horses at my house,” she said. “I was 16 when I started galloping. There’s a different way to look at the world through their eyes. I speak horse. It’s like a second language. They communicate with you through their body language.”

Ron was working for Bernie Flint when Laura got a job with him. She saw a kindred spirit. “He cares about horses,” she said. “He’s not in a hurry. He cares to get to the bottom. A team aspect comes into play.”

They married. “Roughly, it was in 2014,” Laura said. “I’m guessing. We’re both terrible about the anniversary.”

Breeze rider and assistant trainer Greta Kuntzweiler with Whitmore.

Breeze rider and assistant trainer Greta Kuntzweiler with Whitmore.

They weren’t too good at weddings either. They both arrived late separately for their ceremony. “We kind of live in the moment, which is great for horses,” Laura said.

Having a talented exercise rider is great for horses, too, and they have one in Greta, who won 555 races and $12,248,599 before stopping in 2015. “My business was slowing down, and Ron asked me if I would break and gallop,” she said. “Then Laura began teaching me assistant trainer stuff. It’s a great job. I love horses. I’m happy.”

She, too, was impressed with Ron’s horsemanship. “He’s a really smart guy with a good memory,” Greta said. “He can remember a horse. When he watches training in the morning, he knows his horses and other people’s horses. It’s a huge advantage. He’s a really good horseman.

“He likes to get horses, walk them around the shed row and take them to graze, and try to get into their heads. He wants to spend time with them. I’ve seen him load difficult horses on a trailer. He knows how to ask them to do something they don’t want to do. His wife is really good at that, too. They’re great horse people that I want to be around.”

But suddenly, in the spring of 2018, there was a question if Ron could ever be around his horses. He was diagnosed with atypical sarcoidosis. “What happens is, it attacks your lungs,” Ron said. “My breathing is compromised by one lung, which is working at 40 percent. But I feel great now, between active spurts. I have to be very careful with the COVID. If somebody with my condition gets it, then it’s a big deal.”

For a while, he worked exclusively from home. Now he trains partially from home, subject to the pandemic numbers. “That takes a lot of up-to-the-minute tedious information,” he said. “I get a text from the night watchman at 4 a.m. on how everyone ate and if they’re doing all right. I get leg charts. My assistants tell me how the horses feel after racing. I get charts rating horses’ works, 1, 2 or 3. If there is a checkmark on the rider, it means there’s something I need to talk to him about.

“I’m able to go to the barn, just not be around people. I check legs. There’s nothing like hands-on. You have to have horsemen at every station with hands-on. I want a groom who knows the difference. And my exercise riders know the difference. We figured out how to get everything done.”

Asked if it gets wearing, Ron said, “It seems like I’ve been doing it forever.”

ALL ABOUT WHITMORE

Whitmore challenged him before he got sick. The son of Pleasantly Perfect out of Melody’s Spirit by Scat Daddy was bred by John Liviakis in Kentucky. Liviakis sold Whitmore to the Moquetts’ Southern Spring Stables.

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Safer racetracks - We look at the measures taken by The Fair Grounds and Santa Anita took action to make their main tracks safer

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"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" so wrote Charles Dickens. For horse racing in 2020, it just wasn't where you would expect the best and worst, at least in a modern-day "Tale of Two Racetracks."To wit: Santa Anita began 2020 in the wake of a nightmare: 20 racing fatalities in 2019. The Fair Grounds in New Orleans, on the other hand, was on the cusp of two straight Januarys without a racetrack fatality. If you don't know the rest, you can probably guess what happened, 2020 being 2020: Santa Anita embarked on a record year in 2020 with zero fatalities on the dirt track and one less fatality in turf races than in 2019 [see sidebar]. Meanwhile, at the Fair Grounds—long known as having one of the best surfaces in America—six racetrack fatalities occurred in January, a number more than double the average for this month. Instantly, media attention focused on the Fair Grounds, interest made more acute, perhaps, by the highly publicized spate of fatalities at Santa Anita.Overlooked by a large portion of the media (perhaps conveniently, some would say) is the anomaly that January 2020 represented, not just for the Fair Grounds but also for Thoroughbred racing in America. In terms of catastrophic injury rate, the sport enjoyed the smallest rate of fatalities per 1,000 starts—1.53—in 2019. The Jockey Club created an Equine Injury Database (EID) in 2009, recording statistics and specifically compiling data from 14 leading tracks (including Santa Anita). In that first year, fatalities were 2.0 per 1,000 starts—the highest in the span of the 11-year-old EID. So what happened at the Fair Grounds? Dr. Michael "Mick" Peterson, executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, led a team of track management and, perhaps more critical, trainers with horses at the Fair Grounds to examine and analyze the track surface, particularly maintenance practices. Fatalities are multifactorial, and the intent was to address potential issues with the track surface. According to Peterson, unexpected and unpredicted rainfall during training hours occurred in January. Making matters worse, the rain—while amounting to maybe a half to three-quarters of an inch—fell for 45 minutes to an hour. Harrowed before training, the track surface was "open," as Peterson termed it, enabling water to penetrate the surface rather than run off. The result was a surface possibly over-saturated and potentially ripe for injuries and fatalities during races in the afternoon. Closing the door to this possibility meant closing the track if rain was expected or did fall during training and sealing or "floating it," which produces a flat surface for water to run off into the infield. If that sounds simple, it isn't. There are dozens of trainers with stalls full of horses each needing track time, either for leg-stretching gallops or, more importantly, workouts timed out a certain number of days before an upcoming race. Racehorses are athletes who absolutely have to get out of their stalls, and there are no days off. Weather can’t be a deterrent; they run in the rain, and they train in the rain. Stopping training to float and seal a racetrack—something commonly done between afternoon races—is uncommon during training hours and disruptive to trainers’ schedules. Simply put, trainers lose a hunk of training time if the track superintendent floats the surface during workout hours in the morning. Here is where, according to Peterson, the Fair Grounds achieved real success. A group of trainers met with Fair Grounds track manager Jason Boulet, track superintendent Pedro Zavala, and Peterson and basically said, "We're going to have to do that then," referring to track closure during training for surface sealing.For Peterson, Boulet and especially Zavala, this response from trainers with entries, races slated, and owners to whom they are accountable was as jaw-dropping as Santa Anita's zero dirt-track fatality statistic in 2020."It really was one of those perfect moments in interaction between track management and superintendent and trainers," said Peterson, who added, "It's hard to get up in the morning and not know which horses you can train. I was thoroughly impressed with the willingness of trainers to do that." Their only request was as much of a heads-up as possible to trainers if weather radar indicated rain looked likely. Track closure during training for floating was an option left on the table. It was part of “give and take,” as Peterson termed it, to enable trainers to send out horses needing a workout for an upcoming race ahead of a wet track. "If I'm a trainer, I know that I might lose the second half of training because they're going to shut it down and run the floats. Then I can train whatever horses I know I need to get out there in the first set."This is where the industry needs to go—the communication, being reasonable, recognizing the need for give and take at times."The cooperation of trainers at the Fair Grounds should not have been a surprise, given the history at the track. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 provides an anecdote that is very telling about the input of trainers into track conditions and management at this third oldest American racetrack.Katrina flooded the Fair Grounds and washed away the track surface. What replaced it was not nearly as good as pre-Katrina, according to regular Fair Grounds trainers. A group of them, principal among them Al Stall, provided a simple observation: "It was better with the darker sand," said Stall at the time, referring to reddish sand in the pre-Katrina surface.Peterson remembered Boulet calling him to report that trainers were convinced darker spillway sand from the nearby Mississippi River would bring the track back to what it was. "Jason said, 'I think they're crazy. I don't think the color matters,'" recalled Peterson with a laugh. "I said, ‘Jason what they are actually identifying is the little bit of iron oxide in the sand. It's hydrophilic and not hydrophobic, and you know what? I bet they're exactly right.’"In lay terms, hydrophilic means moisture-absorbing and not moisture-resistant (hydrophobic). Stall not only knew what the post-Katrina surface needed but where to find it. The New Orleans native drove Peterson and Boulet to different sand pits in the area, collecting samples of red sand. Peterson took it from there with something called X-ray diffraction testing to identify which source would be best.Sand, however, is far from the only reason for a Fair Grounds surface that was, arguably, the best and safest in America before last January. It is one part of many measures, initiatives and improvements implemented since the "Al Stall tour." And in what may be a shock to many in the media and public, those same measures are in place at other major U.S. racetracks. All account for the continuing decline in racetrack fatalities as recorded by The Jockey Club.The origin of the efforts was a safety initiative launched by Churchill Downs Incorporated in the wake of the breakdowns of Barbaro (2006) and then Eight Belles (2008) in Triple Crown races, according to Peterson. The initiative led to protocols for testing surface samples. At the Fair Grounds each year, testing takes place six weeks before the racing meet starts on Thanksgiving Day—the traditional opening day. "If the composition isn't right, by then we already have the material on-site to match target standards. Then what happens a few weeks before the race meet is we come in with ground-penetrating radar—the biomechanical surface tester—and go through every piece of equipment and test," said Peterson, who doubles as a professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering at the University of Kentucky. If the depth, literally and figuratively, of surface preparation and management is a surprise, a bigger one might be that 13 other leading tracks in America—again, including Santa Anita--perform the same testing to certify optimum track-surface composition. Separate from composition testing before a race meet is daily implementation of a Maintenance Quality System (MQS) with a breadth that is mind boggling. The Fair Grounds’ Zavala, as well as superintendents at the 13 other tracks, chart training times of all horses by workout length, make daily surface-depth or "cushion" measurements at as many as 16 different places on the racetrack and take moisture readings at 18 different spots. Data required in the MQS even calls for logging the speed of the tractors pulling harrows over the track and the direction they travel. The latest addition to the MQS arsenal for Peterson and racing is a new type of weather station that debuted at Keeneland during the fall meet and Breeders' Cup. It supplements daily reports summarizing data from the previous 24 hours of weather with improved real-time data. The objective is to counteract the effects of rapidly changing weather conditions like that experienced at the Fair Grounds last January. The benefits go beyond morning training with updates at, "say, the third race of a race day to enable adjustment for the fifth race by surface crews," said Peterson.The coronavirus, Peterson said, was a barrier to the expansion of MQS to new tracks but not expansion within racetracks already on board with the system. The new weather station is but one example. There is also a new integrated track tester that measures everything from all-important moisture content to something called dielectric constant. It provides improved real-time data to track superintendents on conditions at their specific track through a GPS.Can racing, through track surface improvements, continue to reduce catastrophic racetrack injuries beyond the 16% reduction over the last decade? Peterson is hopeful. "The endpoint I see on this is having in place a process for what they call in manufacturing continuous improvement where we don't just quit when we get a little better."The latest recorded racing fatality rate, again, represents the "best of times." With lessons learned at the Fair Grounds, protocols in the MQS and technology improvements in testing, there is potential that the best can become even better.[SIDEBAR"]A December 16, 2020, story in the Los Angeles Times attributed a reduction in the fatality statistics at Santa Anita Park in 2020 to a "combination of enhanced safety protocols and less racing because of shutdowns caused by the coronavirus.” The story added that "nearby fires could be considered factors [and track closures as a result] in cutting the death count by more than half."Here are the facts: 20 racing fatalities occurred at Santa Anita in 2019—13 on the dirt track and seven on the turf tracks--in 6,650 starts. In 2020, which saw 5,050 starters go to the post at Santa Anita, there were no fatalities on the dirt track and six on the turf surfaces. Averaging race fatalities for the number of starts per 1,000 starters, Santa Anita averaged .12 racing fatalities in 2020 and 3.01 in 2019. Averaging removes track closures due to COVID-19 and fires as criteria for the decrease. Also, the "death count" was reduced not by "more than half" but by almost two-thirds in racing fatalities in 2020 as compared to 2019. The numbers are conclusive: Safety protocols—and safety protocols alone—account for the reduction.

By Ken Snyder

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" so wrote Charles Dickens. For horse racing in 2020, it just wasn't where you would expect the best and worst, at least in a modern-day "Tale of Two Racetracks."

To wit: Santa Anita began 2020 in the wake of a nightmare: 20 racing fatalities in 2019. The Fair Grounds in New Orleans, on the other hand, was on the cusp of two straight Januarys without a racetrack fatality. If you don't know the rest, you can probably guess what happened, 2020 being 2020: Santa Anita embarked on a record year in 2020 with zero fatalities on the dirt track and one less fatality in turf races than in 2019 [see sidebar]. Meanwhile, at the Fair Grounds—long known as having one of the best surfaces in America—six racetrack fatalities occurred in January, a number more than double the average for this month.

Instantly, media attention focused on the Fair Grounds, interest made more acute, perhaps, by the highly publicized spate of fatalities at Santa Anita.

Overlooked by a large portion of the media (perhaps conveniently, some would say) is the anomaly that January 2020 represented, not just for the Fair Grounds but also for Thoroughbred racing in America. In terms of catastrophic injury rate, the sport enjoyed the smallest rate of fatalities per 1,000 starts—1.53—in 2019.

Sealing or floating a track produces a flat surface for water to run off.

Sealing or floating a track produces a flat surface for water to run off.

The Jockey Club created an Equine Injury Database (EID) in 2009, recording statistics and specifically compiling data from 14 leading tracks (including Santa Anita). In that first year, fatalities were 2.0 per 1,000 starts—the highest in the span of the 11-year-old EID.

So what happened at the Fair Grounds?

A harrowed track surface enables water to penetrate the surface rather than run off, causing over-saturation and potentially ripe for injuries and fatalities.

A harrowed track surface enables water to penetrate the surface rather than run off, causing over-saturation and potentially ripe for injuries and fatalities.

Dr. Michael "Mick" Peterson, executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, led a team of track management and, perhaps more critical, trainers with horses at the Fair Grounds to examine and analyze the track surface, particularly maintenance practices. Fatalities are multifactorial, and the intent was to address potential issues with the track surface. According to Peterson, unexpected and unpredicted rainfall during training hours occurred in January. Making matters worse, the rain—while amounting to maybe a half to three-quarters of an inch—fell for 45 minutes to an hour.

Harrowed before training, the track surface was "open," as Peterson termed it, enabling water to penetrate the surface rather than run off.

The result was a surface possibly over-saturated and potentially ripe for injuries and fatalities during races in the afternoon. Closing the door to this possibility meant closing the track if rain was expected or did fall during training and sealing or "floating it," which produces a flat surface for water to run off into the infield.

If that sounds simple, it isn't. There are dozens of trainers with stalls full of horses each needing track time, either for leg-stretching gallops or, more importantly, workouts timed out a certain number of days before an upcoming race. Racehorses are athletes who absolutely have to get out of their stalls, and there are no days off. Weather can’t be a deterrent; they run in the rain, and they train in the rain. Stopping training to float and seal a racetrack—something commonly done between afternoon races—is uncommon during training hours and disruptive to trainers’ schedules. Simply put, trainers lose a hunk of training time if the track superintendent floats the surface during workout hours in the morning.

Fair Grounds track superintendent Pedro Zavala uses a soil moisture meter to measure moisture content at different areas of the track surface.

Fair Grounds track superintendent Pedro Zavala uses a soil moisture meter to measure moisture content at different areas of the track surface.

Here is where, according to Peterson, the Fair Grounds achieved real success. A group of trainers met with Fair Grounds track manager Jason Boulet, track superintendent Pedro Zavala, and Peterson and basically said, "We're going to have to do that then," referring to track closure during training for surface sealing.

For Peterson, Boulet and especially Zavala, this response from trainers with entries, races slated, and owners to whom they are accountable was as jaw-dropping as Santa Anita's zero dirt-track fatality statistic in 2020.

"It really was one of those perfect moments in interaction between track management and superintendent and trainers," said Peterson, who added, "It's hard to get up in the morning and not know which horses you can train. I was thoroughly impressed with the willingness of trainers to do that."

Their only request was as much of a heads-up as possible to trainers if weather radar indicated rain looked likely. Track closure during training for floating was an option left on the table. It was part of “give and take,” as Peterson termed it, to enable trainers to send out horses needing a workout for an upcoming race ahead of a wet track.

"If I'm a trainer, I know that I might lose the second half of training because they're going to shut it down and run the floats. Then I can train whatever horses I know I need to get out there in the first set.

"This is where the industry needs to go—the communication, being reasonable, recognizing the need for give and take at times."

Screenshot 2021-02-24 at 12.12.38.png

The cooperation of trainers at the Fair Grounds should not have been a surprise, given the history at the track. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 provides an anecdote that is very telling about the input of trainers into track conditions and management at this third oldest American racetrack.

Katrina flooded the Fair Grounds and washed away the track surface. What replaced it was not nearly as good as pre-Katrina, according to regular Fair Grounds trainers. A group of them, principal among them Al Stall, provided a simple observation: "It was better with the darker sand," said Stall at the time, referring to reddish sand in the pre-Katrina surface.

Peterson remembered Boulet calling him to report that trainers were convinced darker spillway sand from the nearby Mississippi River would bring the track back to what it was. "Jason said, 'I think they're crazy. I don't think the color matters,'" recalled Peterson with a laugh. "I said, ‘Jason what they are actually identifying is the little bit of iron oxide in the sand. It's hydrophilic and not hydrophobic, and you know what? I bet they're exactly right.’" …

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Remembering Sunday Silence -30 years since he first entered the breeding shed. We look at the lasting legacy he has left on the racing world.

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For over a quarter of a century, there has been an air of inevitability within Japanese racing circles.Sunday Silence dominated the sire standings in Japan for 13 straight years from 1995 to 2007—his last championship arriving five years after his death. He was a true game changer for the Japanese industry, not only as a brilliant source of elite talent but as a key to the development of Japan as a respected racing nation. Any idea that his influence would abate in the years following his death was swiftly quashed by an array of successful sire sons and productive daughters. In his place, Deep Impact rose to become a titan of the domestic industry. Others such as Heart’s Cry, Stay Gold, Agnes Tachyon, Gold Allure and Daiwa Major also became significant sires in their own right. Added to that, Sunday Silence is also a multiple champion broodmare sire and credited as the damsire of 202 stakes winners and 17 champions.“Thoroughbreds can be bought or sold,” says Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm, which bought Sunday Silence out of America in late 1990 and cultivated him into a global force. “As Nasrullah sired Bold Ruler, who changed the world’s breeding capital from Europe to the U.S., one stallion can change the world. Sunday Silence is exactly such a stallion for the Japanese Thoroughbred industry.”Sunday Silence has been dead close to 20 years, yet the Japanese sires’ table remains an ode to his influence. In 2020, Deep Impact landed his ninth straight sires’ championship with Heart’s Cry and Stay Gold’s son Orfevre in third and fourth. Seven of the top 12 finishers were sons or grandsons of Sunday Silence. Another descendant, Deep Impact’s son Kizuna, was the nation’s leading second-crop sire. Deep Impact himself was the year’s top sire of two-year-olds.Against that, it is estimated that up to approximately 70% of the Japanese broodmare population possess Sunday Silence in their background. All the while, his influence remains on an upswing worldwide, notably via the respect held for Deep Impact. A horse who ably built on the international momentum set by Sunday Silence, his own sire sons today range from the European Classic winners Study Of Man and Saxon Warrior—who are based in Britain and Ireland—to a deep domestic bench headed by the proven sires Kizuna, Mikki Isle and Real Impact.In short, the Thoroughbred owes a lot to Sunday Silence.Inauspicious beginningsRoll back to 1988, however, and the mere idea of Sunday Silence as one of the great fathers of the breed would have been laughable.For starters, he almost died twice before he had even entered training.The colt was bred by Oak Cliff Thoroughbreds Ltd in Kentucky with appealing credentials as a son of Halo, then in his early seasons at Arthur Hancock’s Stone Farm.Halo had shifted to Kentucky in 1984 as a middle-aged stallion with a colourful existence already behind him. By Hail To Reason and closely related to Northern Dancer, Halo had been trained by Mack Miller to win the 1974 Gr1 United Nations Handicap.It was those bloodlines and latent talent that prompted film producer Irving Allen to offer owner Charles Englehard a bid of $600,000 for the horse midway through his career. Allen’s idea was to install Halo in England at his Derisley Wood Stud in Newmarket; and his bid was accepted only for it to be revealed that his new acquisition was a crib-biter. As such, the deal fell through, and Halo was returned to training, with that Gr1 triumph as due reward.Would Halo have thrived in England? It’s an interesting question. As it was, he retired to E. P. Taylor Windfields Farm in Maryland, threw champion Glorious Song in his first crop, Kentucky Derby winner Sunny’s Halo in his third and Devil’s Bag—a brilliant two-year-old of 1983—in his fourth. Devil’s Bag’s exploits were instrumental in Halo ending the year as North America’s champion sire, and within months, the stallion was ensconced at Stone Farm, having been sold in a deal that reportedly valued the 15-year-old at $36 million. Chief among the new ownership was Texas oilman Tom Tatham of Oak Cliff Thoroughbreds.In 1985, Tatham sent the hard-knocking Wishing Well, a Gr2-winning daughter of Understanding, to the stallion. The result was a near black colt born at Stone Farm on March 26, 1986.It is part of racing’s folklore how Sunday Silence failed to capture the imagination as a young horse—something that is today vividly recalled by Hancock.“My first recollection of him was as a young foal,” he recalls. “He was grey back then—he would later turn black. “I was driving through the farm and I looked into one of the fields and saw this grey colt running. The others were either nursing or sleeping, but there was this colt running and jumping through the mares. "We had a number of foals on the place at the time, and I wasn’t sure which one it was, so I rang Chester Williams, our broodmare manager. I said, ‘Hey Chester, who is this gray foal in 17?’ And he told me it was the Wishing Well colt. He was flying—he would turn at 45 degree angles and cut in and out of the mares. And I remember thinking even then, ‘well he can sure fly.’“Then on Thanksgiving Day later that year, he got this serious diarrhea. We had about 70 foals on the farm, and he was the only one that got it; we had no idea where he got it from. Anyway, it was very bad. I called our vet, Carl Morrison, and between 9 a.m. and midday, we must have given him 23 liters of fluids. “We really thought he was going to die, but Sunday Silence just wouldn’t give up. Obviously it set him back some; he was ribby for a few weeks. But I have never seen anything like it in a foal during 50 years at Stone Farm, and at Claiborne before then; and I remember thinking then that it was a spooky thing for him to get it and then to fight through it the way he did.”As Hancock outlines, Sunday Silence was very much Halo’s son—not just as a black colt with a thin white facial strip but as a tough animal with a streak of fire.Halo had arrived from Maryland with a muzzle and a warning. Confident that a muzzle was an overreaction, Stone Farm’s stallion men worked initially without it, albeit against Hancock’s advice. It wasn’t long until the muzzle went back on.Not long after his arrival, Halo ‘grabbed the stallion man Randy Mitchell in the stomach and threw him in the air like a rag doll.’“Halo then got on his knees on top of Randy,” recalls Hancock, “and began munching on his stomach. Virgil Jones, who was with Randy, starts yelling at Halo and hitting him with his fist. Halo let go, and they managed to get him off. “After that, the muzzle stayed on.”Sunday Silence possessed a similar toughness. Indeed, that mental hardiness is a trait that continues to manifest itself in the line today, although not quite to the danger level of Halo.“Sunday Silence had a lot of guts and courage, even then,” remembers Hancock. “I remember being down at the yearling barn before the sale and hearing this yell. It was from one of the yearling guys, Harvey. Sunday Silence had bitten him in the back—I’d never had a yearling do it before then and haven’t had one since.”He adds: “When he came back here after his racing days, we had a photographer come to take some shots of him. Sunday Silence was in his paddock, and we were trying to get him to raise his head. I went in there and shook a branch to get his attention. Well, he looked up, bared his teeth and started to come after me—he was moving at me, head down like a cat. And I said, ‘No you’re ok there boy; you just continue to graze’ and let him be.“He was Halo’s son, that’s for sure, because Wishing Well was a nice mare. Sunday Silence had a mind of his own, even as a yearling. I remember we couldn’t get him to walk well at the sales because he’d pull back against the bit all the time.”It was that mental toughness and the memory of Sunday Silence flying through the fields as a young foal that remained with Hancock when the colt headed to the Keeneland July Sale. Then an individual with suspect hocks—a trait that still sometimes manifests itself in his descendants today—he was bought back on a bid of $17,000.“I thought he’d bring between $30,000 and $50,000,” he says. “So when it was sitting at $10,000, I started bidding and bought him back at $17,000. I took the ticket to Tom Tatham out the back of the pavilion and said, ‘Here Tom, he was too cheap; I bought him back.’ And Tom said, ‘But Ted Keefer [Oak Cliff advisor] didn’t like him and we don’t want him.’ “I remember we had another one that was about to sell, so I just said, ‘Ok Tom,’ put the ticket in my shirt pocket, walked away and thought, ‘Well I just blew another $17,000.’ Another scrape with deathHancock then tried his luck at the two-year-old sales in partnership with Paul Sullivan. The colt was sent to Albert Yank in California and cataloged to the Californian March Two-Year-Old Sale at Hollywood Park, again failed to sell—this time falling to World Wide Bloodstock (aka Hancock)—on a bid of $32,000, well below his owner’s valuation of $50,000.“I told Paul and he said, ‘Well I’ll take my $16,000 then,’” recalls Hancock.So the colt was loaded up for a return trip to Kentucky. Then more ill luck intervened. The driver suffered a fatal heart attack while on a north Texas highway, and the van crashed, killing several of its load. Sunday Silence survived but was injured.“Sunday Silence was in the vets for about a week,” says Hancock. “He could hardly walk, and then Carl Morrison rings me and says, ‘Arthur, I think he’s a wobbler.’ I said, ‘What are you going to do?’ He said that all he could do was leave him in a paddock and see what happened. “So he left him out there, and about a week later, he rings me and says, ‘You need to come to barn 16 and see this Wishing Well colt.’ It was unbelievable. I went down there, and there he was, ripping and running around just like he was a foal. It was a miracle—a spooky thing.”Therefore Sunday Silence had already lived a pretty full life by the time he joined Charlie Whittingham in California. A true master of his profession, Whittingham handled over 250 stakes winners during his 49 years as a trainer, among them such champions as Ack Ack, Ferdinand and Cougar alongside the European imports Dahlia and Exceller. Appropriately, Cougar would go on to stand at Stone Farm, where he sired Hancock’s 1982 Kentucky Derby winner Gato Del Sol.“Charlie Whittingham had seen Sunday Silence in California and rang me to ask about him,” says Hancock. “I told him I’d sell him half to $25,000. And he said, ‘But you bought him back for $32,000.’ Well the year before, we’d had Risen Star [subsequent winner of the Preakness and Belmont Stakes] go through Keeneland for $250,000. Charlie had asked about taking half of him, but we had wanted $300,000, so said, ‘Sure you can buy half for $150,000.’ And he had declined. “I reminded him of that, and he chuckled and said, ‘Well I’d better take it this time.’”He adds: “Charlie was a brilliant horseman with a lot of experience. He was very smart. He had a sixth sense about horses. And he had great patience, like those great trainers do. Without Charlie, I don’t think Sunday Silence would have reached the level that he did. He just took his time with him.” Whittingham paid Hancock $25,000 for a half share in the colt and later sold half of that share to a friend, surgeon Ernest Galliard.Within no time, that looked a good bit of business. It is a fine reflection of the trainer and his staff, in particular work rider Pam Mabes, that Sunday Silence’s temperament was successfully honed. In Jay Hovdey’s biography of the trainer, the colt is likened to ‘Al Capone singing with the Vienna Boys Choir’—his morning exercise routinely punctuated by bad behavior.“They’d take him out every day before dawn,” recalls Hancock. “I remember he had a thing about gray lead horses. Every time he saw one, he’d just go after it. “Charlie called me one morning—4 a.m. his time; he’d always get to the barn at 4 a.m. I answered, thinking, What’s he doing calling me at this time? I said, ‘Hey Charlie, what you doing?’ He said, ‘Just waiting on the hill.’ I knew he had something on his mind. Then he said, ‘You know what, this big black son of a bitch can run a little’—Charlie was a master of the understatement.’” Brought along steadily by Whittingham, Sunday Silence romped to a 10-length win second time out at Hollywood Park in November 1988 and after running second in an allowance race, returned at three to win his first two races, an allowance and the San Felipe Handicap.While he was emerging as a potential Classic candidate on the West Coast, Ogden Phipps’ homebred Easy Goer was laying down the gauntlet in New York. A handsome red son of Alydar with regal Phipps bloodlines trained by Shug McGaughey, Easy Goer was evoking comparisons with Secretariat, capturing Gr1 Cowdin and Champagne Stakes at two before running out the 13-length winner of the Gotham Stakes in a record time early on at three. To many observers, he appealed as the likely winner of the Kentucky Derby, if not the Triple Crown.Indeed, theirs would become an East-West rivalry that would enthral racegoers during the 1989 season.The pair met for the first time in the Kentucky Derby. Sunday Silence, partnered by Pat Valenzuela, was fresh off an 11-length win in the Santa Anita Derby. Easy Goer, though, had won the Wood Memorial in impressive style and was therefore the crowd’s choice.Yet on a muddy track, Sunday Silence had the upper hand, winning with authority over an uncomfortable Easy Goer in second.“Of all his races, the Kentucky Derby stands out,” says Hancock. “We’d been fortunate enough to win it with Gato Del Sol and I’m a Kentuckian, so to win it again meant a lot.“It was an extremely cold day, it was spitting snow, and Sunday Silence was weaving all the way down the stretch. Yet he still won.” With many feeling that the track had not played to Easy Goer’s strengths, he was fancied to turn the tables in the Preakness Stakes. However, once again, Sunday Silence emerged as the superior, albeit following an iconic, eye-balling stretch duel.Easy Goer did gain his revenge in the Belmont Stakes, making the most of the 1m4f distance and Belmont Park’s sweeping turns to win by eight lengths. The Triple Crown was gone, but Sunday Silence would later turn the tables in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, where his ability to deploy tactical speed at a crucial moment turned out to be a winning move against his longer-striding rival.“The Breeders’ Cup just sealed everything—champion three-year-old and Horse of the Year,” says Hancock. “It was the great showdown. Chris McCarron was able to use him at just the right time and Easy Goer, with that long stride of his, was closing. It was a great race.”Crowned Horse of the Year, Sunday Silence underwent arthroscopic knee surgery which delayed his four-year-old return to June, when he won the Californian Stakes. A head second to Criminal Type in the Hollywood Gold Cup next time out brought the career down on a spectacular one.No takersPlans called for Sunday Silence to join his sire Halo at Stone Farm. A wonderful racehorse who danced every dance, there were grounds for thinking that Sunday Silence would be an asset to the Kentucky bloodstock landscape. But breeding racehorses even then also adhered to commercial restrictions, and as a cheap yearling with suspect hocks and an underwhelming female line, he did little to spark interest. This was in contrast to Easy Goer, who retired to much fanfare at Claiborne Farm.“We tried to syndicate him and called people everywhere—Kentucky, England, France, and the answer was always the same,” says Hancock. “It became apparent very quickly that people wouldn’t use him.“It was spread around the industry that he was a fluke, another Seabiscuit or Citation who could run but that would be no good at stud. It was said that he was crooked, which he wasn’t, and that he was sickled hocked, which he was as a young horse but grew out of. He was an ugly duckling that grew into a swan.“We had three people on the books to take shares and two that would send mares. Then I spoke to my brother Seth at Claiborne, and he had 40 contracts to send out for Easy Goer. “At the same time, Ronald Reagan changed the tax laws, and land suddenly became worth a lot less, as did shares in horses.”The Yoshidas had already bought into the horse and suddenly, Hancock was left with little choice.“At the same time, I got a call from a representative of Teruya Yoshida saying that Shadai would be interested in buying the whole horse,” he says. “They were offering $250,000 per share. I talked to a number of people about it—Bill Young at Overbrook Farm, Warner Jones, and they all said the same thing: that it was a no-brainer to sell. “At the end of the day, I had two contracts and three shares sold. I owed money. I had to sell.“The day he left, I loaded him up myself; and I don’t mind admitting that when that van went down the drive, I cried.”He adds: “Basically, the Japanese outsmarted everybody.” An immediate successOut of a first crop of 67 foals, Sunday Silence sired 53 winners. A total of 22 of 36 starters won at two, led by champion two-year-old Fuji Kiseki, whose success in the Gr1 Asahi Hai Futurity set the scene for events to come.A tendon injury restricted Fuji Kiseki to just one further start when successful in a Gr2 the following year. Yet that failed to stop the Sunday Silence juggernaut. Genuine and Tayasu Tsuyoshi ran first and second in the Japanese 2,000 Guineas and later dominated the Japanese Derby, with Tayasu Tsuyoshi turning the tables. Dance Partner also landed the Japanese Oaks. As such, Sunday Silence ended 1997 as Japan’s champion sire despite the presence of only two crops.That first crop would also come to include Marvelous Sunday, who led home a one-two for his sire in the 1997 Gr1 Takarazuka Kinen. In no time at all, Sunday Silence had sealed his place as a successor to earlier Shadai heavyweight Northern Taste.“I believe Sunday Silence was a stallion that possessed the potential to be very successful anywhere in the world,” reflects Teruya Yoshida. “We were just lucky to be able to introduce him to Japan as a stallion. “He changed the Japanese breeding industry completely, especially as he sired successful sons as race horses and stallions. Those sons have again sired successful grandsons.“It is extraordinary that one stallion had continued to produce good quality stallions over three generations. Today, it is said that approximately 60-70% of the Japanese broodmares have Sunday Silence in their female lines.”Another top two-year-old, Bubble Gum Fellow, emerged out of his second crop alongside a second 2,000 Guineas winner in Ishino Sunday and St Leger hero Dance In The Dark.Stay Gold, Sunday Silence’s first real international performer of note by virtue of his wins in the Hong Kong Vase and Dubai Sheema Classic, followed in his third while another Japanese Derby winner followed in his fourth in Special Week, also successful in the Japan Cup.And so it continued. In all, his stud career came to consist of six Japanese Derby winners (Tayasu Tsuyoshi, Special Week, Admire Vega, Agnes Flight, Neo Universe and Deep Impact), seven 2,000 Guineas winners (Genuine, Ishino Sunday, Air Shakur, Agnes Tachyon, Neo Universe, Daiwa Major and Deep Impact), four St Leger winners (Dance In The Dark, Air Shakur, Manhattan Cafe and Deep Impact) and three 1,000 Guineas winners (Cherry Grace, Still In Love and Dance In The Mood).While a number of those good Sunday Silence runners became fan favorites, there’s no doubt that the best arrived posthumously in the champion Deep Impact. A member of his penultimate crop and out of the Epsom Oaks runner-up Wind In Her Hair, Deep Impact swept the 2005 Japanese Triple Crown and another four Gr1 races, including the Japan Cup and Arima Kinen, at four. One of Japan’s most popular horses in history, he also ran third in the 2007 Arc.Fittingly, Deep Impact was also quick to fill the void left at Shadai by his sire’s death from laminitis in 2002.International acclaim The Japanese bloodstock industry during the mid-1990s was still relatively isolated from the rest of the world, better known certainly in Europe as the destination for a slew of Epsom Derby winners.Sunday Silence would change all that.As word of his dominance at stud grew, so did international interest. Teruya Yoshida was swift to capitalize. In 1998, he sent his homebred Sunday Silence filly, Sunday Picnic, to be trained in Chantilly by Andre Fabre. It was a successful endeavor as the filly won the Prix Cleopatre and ran fourth to Ramruma in the Oaks.By that stage, Shadai had also entered into a partnership with John Messara of Arrowfield Stud with the principal idea of breeding mares to Sunday Silence on southern hemisphere time. Again, the move proved to be a success. Out of a limited pool of Australian-bred runners, Sunday Silence threw the 2003 AJC Oaks heroine Sunday Joy, who would go on to produce eight-time Gp1 winner More Joyous, and Listed winner Keep The Faith, subsequently a Gp1 sire.Sheikh Mohammed also joined the fray, notably by sending a relation to Miesque, the Woodman mare Wood Vine, to Sunday Silence in 1998; the resulting foal, the Irish-bred Silent Honor, was trained by David Loder to win the 2001 Cherry Hinton Stakes at Newmarket.Silent Honor was the opening chapter of a successful association for the Sheikh with Sunday Silence that also came to include Godolphin’s 1,000 Guineas runner-up Sundrop, a JRHA Select Foal Sale purchase, and homebred Gp3 winner Layman.Layman was foaled in the same 2002 crop as the Wertheimer’s high-class miler Silent Name. Initially trained in France by Criquette Head-Maarek, Silent Name was a dual Listed winner before heading to the U.S., where he won Gr2 Commonwealth Breeders’ Cup for Gary Mandella.Similarly, patronage of Sunday Silence also reaped rewards for the Niarchos family as the sire of their influential producer Sun Is Up, subsequently the dam of their top miler Karakontie.At the same time, several Japanese-trained horses were advertising the stallion to good effect on a global scale, notably Zenno Rob Roy, who ran a close second in the 2005 Juddmonte International, and Heart’s Cry, who was third in the King George a year later.Sire of siresMeanwhile, it was becoming very apparent just how effective Sunday Silence was becoming as a sire of sires. Shadai was initially home to plenty of them, including the short-lived Agnes Tachyon, who left behind a real star in champion Daiwa Scarlet and Fuji Kiseki, the sire of champions Kinshasa No Kiseki and Sun Classique. Stay Gold’s successful stud career was led by the household names Orfevre, who ran placed in two Arcs and is now a popular stallion for Shadai and Gold Ship. Japan Dirt Derby winner Gold Allure became a leading dirt sire—his record led by champions Copano Rickey, Espoir City and Gold Dream. Manhattan Café is the sire of five Gp1 winners. As for Special Week, he sired champion Buena Vista and Gr1 winner Cesario, now regarded as something of a blue hen. Those sons still in production are entering the twilight years of their stud career, yet they remain a heavyweight group. Following the death of Deep Impact, the most popular is Shadai’s Heart’s Cry—an exceptional sire for whom an increasingly international profile consists of British Gp1 winner Deirdre, American Gr1 winner Yoshida and Japanese champion Lys Gracieux, the 2019 Cox Plate heroine. Fellow Shadai stallion Daiwa Major is well regarded as a fine source of two-year-olds and milers, and earned international recognition in 2019 as the sire of Hong Kong Mile winner Admire Mars. His stud record consists of six Gp1 winners.Neo Universe, best known as the sire of Dubai World Cup winner Victoire Pisa, and Zenno Rob Roy are also proven Gp1 sires as is Deep Impact’s brother Black Tide, the sire of champion Kitasan Black—himself also now based at Shadai.Without Deep Impact, Sunday Silence’s influence as a sire of sires would have been immense. Deep Impact, however, took matters to another level. To date, he is the sire of 47 Gp or Gr1 winners. They cover the spectrum, ranging from Horse of the Year Gentildonna to last year’s Triple Crown hero Contrail—one of six Japanese Derby winners by the stallion—and a host of top two-year-olds.Significantly, Deep Impact had been exposed to an international racing audience when third past the post in the 2007 Arc and that played out in a healthy level of outside support when he retired to Shadai for the 2008 season. For the Wildenstein family, that reaped major rewards in the form of their Poule d’Essai des Pouliches heroine Beauty Parlour, her Listed-winning brother Barocci and French Gp3 winner Aquamarine. That success, as well as his growing reputation in Japan, helped to pique the attention of Coolmore. The Irish powerhouse began sending mares in 2013 and were rewarded by 2,000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior—last year’s Prix de Diane heroine Fancy Blue and the Gp 1-placed September out of a limited pool of foals. Similarly, the Niarchos family, who patronized him from the outset, bred Le Prix du Jockey Club hero Study Of Man and the Gp3-placed two-year-old Harajuku, a smart prospect for 2021.Indeed, Deep Impact was at the height of his international powers when succumbing to a neck injury at the age of 17 in the summer of 2019.Global exposureWhile Deep Impact would build on the global foundations laid by his sire, there was a determination during the intervening years between Sunday Silence’s death and Deep Impact’s own success to expose the blood to a global audience.Chief among them was French-based agent Patrick Barbe, who sourced a number of sons to stand in France, and Frank Stronach, who purchased Silent Name to stand at his Adena Springs Farm. Barbe was the force behind importing an eclectic group of Sunday Silence horses to stand at Haras de Lonray during the mid-2000s. They were invariably priced towards the lower end of the market, yet Barbe was rewarded for his foresight, in particular through the addition of Divine Light, whose first French crop yielded the 1,000 Guineas and Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Natagora.“I have worked with Shadai for 35 years,” he says, “and I thought it would be interesting to bring the Sunday Silence bloodline to Europe—it hadn’t been tried very much at the time. It can be difficult to educate breeders about different blood, but people had already had slight exposure to Sunday Silence, so it wasn’t too bad. “Rosen Kavalier was one of the first we brought over. Then we imported Divine Light. Teruya Yoshida had mentioned to me that he thought he was going to do well at stud, as he had been an extremely good sprinter. But he covered only nine mares in his first season in Japan. So we brought him to France, and in his first crop, he sired Natagora.”As fate would have it, Natagora’s true ability came to light in the months following his sale to the Jockey Club of Turkey. Divine Light left behind just under 100 foals from his time in France and went on to enjoy further success in Turkey as the sire of champion My Dear Son.“Divine Light was a good-looking horse,” says Barbe. “He was out of a Northern Taste mare and was compact—very similar to Northern Dancer.”He adds: “Sunday Silence was a phenomenal sire, but he also had a pedigree that was similar to Northern Dancer. I feel that was the reason that he did very well with Northern Taste, who was obviously also inbred to Lady Angela [the dam of Nearctic] himself.”Divine Light wasn’t the only success story out of the French Sunday Silence experiment. While Rosen Kavalier was compromised by fertility problems, Gp3 winner Great Journey sired several smart runners, while Gp2 winner Agnes Kamikaze left behind a clutch of winners.“Great Journey was a very good racehorse and became a consistent sire,” says Barbe. “He did well as the sire of Max Dynamite—a very good stayer—and Soleil d’Octobre, who won two Listed races.”Today, the sole son of Sunday Silence available in either Europe or North America is Silent Name. Now 19 years old, he has found his niche within the Canadian market as a source of durable, talented runners—in a nutshell, what we have come to expect from the sireline.Despite never standing for more than C$10,000, Canada’s three-time champion sire is responsible for 27 black-type winners, making him the nation’s leading sire of a lifetime of stakes winners. They include champion sprinter Summer Sunday, Brazilian Gp1 winner Jaspion Silent and last year’s Gp2 Nearctic Stakes winner Silent Poet. So although entering the veteran stage of his stud career, momentum behind the stallion continues to remain robust at a fee of C$7,500, as Adena Springs North manager Dermot Carty explains.“Silent Name started out with us in Kentucky, but in 2008, we decided to bring him to Canada along with Sligo Bay,” he says. “He got three good books off the bat. At the same time, he shuttled to Brazil, and then just as his first Kentucky crop hit, he was sent to New York [where he spent two seasons with McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds]. “I pleaded to bring him back to Canada. People were starting to buy them, they were liking them, and the smaller trainers were doing well with them. “He’s a really good-looking horse—strong, a little bit sickle-hocked but with good bone. And he’s a tough horse, as tough as they go.“When we bought him, he was really the only big horse in the pedigree, but it’s a typical Wertheimer family, and it’s improved a lot since then.” In fact, Silent Name is a half-brother to Galiway—a current rags-to-riches story of the French scene whose early crops include last year’s Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Galilay.“He’s out of a Danehill mare who is out of a Blushing Groom mare who is out of a Raja Baba mare,” adds Carty. “They’re all big influences.“A lot of them can run on Polytrack, but they also excel on turf.“He’s been the leading sire in Canada for three years; the last horse to do that was Bold Executive. Frank has sent a pile of mares to him in recent years and done very well. He’s going to get you a tough horse—people who like to race like him.”Walmac Farm in Kentucky also made an early foray into Sunday Silence blood with the acquisition of Hong Kong Gp1 winner Hat Trick in 2008. Latterly based at Gainesway Farm, Hat Trick threw top French two-year-old Dabirsim in his first crop and in turn, that horse sired Albany Stakes winner Different League out of his own debut crop. Noted for siring stock that comes to hand quickly, Dabirsim remains popular at Haras de Grandcamp in Normandy, also home to Deep Impact’s talented son Martinborough.Hat Trick died last year and today, Kentucky representation of the Sunday Silence line relies on the young WinStar stallion Yoshida. A son of Heart’s Cry, he was sourced out of the JRHA Select Sale and went on to land the 2018 Woodward Stakes. He was popular in his first season at stud in 2020, covering 145 mares.Fruitful experimentMeanwhile, the retirements of Saxon Warrior to Coolmore in Ireland and Study Of Man to Lanwades Stud in Newmarket provide European breeders with quality access to Deep Impact blood. Saxon Warrior’s first crop sold for up to 280,000gns as foals last winter, while the first crop of Study Of Man are foals of 2021. As would be expected from a Niarchos homebred who has joined Kirsten Rausing’s Lanwades Stud, the latter is being well supported by his powerful connections.“The relationship between the Niarchos family and Shadai dates back to when they bought Hector Protector from us,” recalls Alan Cooper, racing manager to the Niarchos family. “We had breeding rights in the horse, and we said, well we better send some mares to Japan and use him, which worked out well as we went on to breed [champion] Shiva. “And that led us to using Sunday Silence. “The Sunday Silence adventure was very fruitful. It was lovely to get some fillies by him, and we’re still benefitting today from them.”Among the mares sent to Sunday Silence was Miesque’s Listed-winning daughter Moon Is Up. The resulting foal, Sun Is Up, never ran but went on to throw Karakontie, whose three Gp1 victories included the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Breeders’ Cup Mile. Another mare, Metaphor, foaled the Listed-placed Celestial Lagoon, in turn the dam of last year’s Dante Stakes runner-up Highest Ground.“We also obviously had a lot of success breeding from Deep Impact through Study Of Man,” says Cooper. “We also have a filly named Harajuku, who showed smart form in France last year. We have kept her Heart’s Cry sister in training as well since Andre Fabre thinks there’s more to come (they’re out of a Galileo mare Phaenomena). Another Deep Impact that we bred, Dowsing, is now at stud in Indiana. “It’s been a very good experience breeding in Japan. The Sunday Silence line seems to have a bit of character, but I think as with anything to do with Halo, if they’re good, they’re very, very good.”The Niarchos family are also in the privileged position of owning a yearling from the final, small crop of Deep Impact. The filly in question is out of the Listed-placed Malicieuse, a Galileo half-sister to Arc hero Bago.In Kentucky, the Niarchos family have also thrown their weight behind Karakontie at Gainesway Farm in Kentucky. The son of Bernstein has made a bright start at stud as the sire of six stakes winners in two crops, including British Gp3 winner Kenzai Warrior. However, interestingly his best horse, recent Gr2 Mrs Revere Stakes heroine Princess Grace, is the product of a Silent Name mare, meaning that she is inbred to Sunday Silence. Indeed, she is the first stakes winner outside of Japan to carry his inbreeding.Too much of a good thing?Can there be too much of a good thing? In Sunday Silence, the Japanese racing scene has been dominated to such a degree—through both his sons and daughters—that outcrosses aren’t always easily available. And when such an animal does retire to stud in Japan, quite often their success is a reflection of their ability to cross effectively with Sunday Silence-line mares—the likes of Lord Kanaloa and Harbinger being notable examples.In addition, successful inbreeding to Sunday Silence has taken time to gain momentum. However, in recent years, the tide has started to change.Aside from Princess Grace, there was a major flag bearer last year in the Japanese Fillies Triple Crown heroine Daring Tact. Recent Gr2-winning three-year-old Fine Rouge is another advert among a group of 14 stakes winners from a pool of close to 3,000 named foals. One of the greatestSunday Silence might be receding in pedigrees, but his influence has never been stronger. Many of the line remain easily distinguishable with their dark coat and rangy stature; for the most part, they are hardy runners with a physical and mental toughness to them. “All these horses, they ran forever,” says Barbe. “They’re tough, train on and they’re sound. Whatever their level, they are consistent horses with a longevity to them.”Granted, those descendants of Sunday Silence now coming through at stud in Japan aren’t always helped by having to compete with each other. But at the same time, the omens remain good, particularly in relation to Deep Impact’s own legacy as a sire of sires, which already includes the successful Shadai sires Kizuna and Real Impact. The latter became the first son of his sire to be represented by a Gp1 winner when Lauda Sion won last year’s NHK Mile Cup.The presence of Saxon Warrior and Study Of Man in Europe and other Gp1 performers such as Satono Aladdin, Staphanos and Tosen Stardom in Australasia fuels the idea that this branch of the line is only going to become more powerful on an international scale.In short, international respect for the sireline is also at an all time high.“Thanks to Sunday Silence, the Japanese racehorses earn respect from horsemen around the world today,” says Yoshida. “In return, breeders tend to find good broodmares to send to good stallions—Japanese breeders today buy a lot of good broodmares in the international markets. “This enables Japanese breeding to keep developing. So you can imagine how strong Sunday’s impact is to our industry.”

By Nancy Sexton

For over a quarter of a century, there has been an air of inevitability within Japanese racing circles.

Sunday Silence dominated the sire standings in Japan for 13 straight years from 1995 to 2007—his last championship arriving five years after his death. He was a true game changer for the Japanese industry, not only as a brilliant source of elite talent but as a key to the development of Japan as a respected racing nation.

Any idea that his influence would abate in the years following his death was swiftly quashed by an array of successful sire sons and productive daughters. In his place, Deep Impact rose to become a titan of the domestic industry. Others such as Heart’s Cry, Stay Gold, Agnes Tachyon, Gold Allure and Daiwa Major also became significant sires in their own right. Added to that, Sunday Silence is also a multiple champion broodmare sire and credited as the damsire of 202 stakes winners and 17 champions.

Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm

Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm

“Thoroughbreds can be bought or sold,” says Teruya Yoshida of Shadai Farm, which bought Sunday Silence out of America in late 1990 and cultivated him into a global force. “As Nasrullah sired Bold Ruler, who changed the world’s breeding capital from Europe to the U.S., one stallion can change the world. Sunday Silence is exactly such a stallion for the Japanese Thoroughbred industry.”

Sunday Silence has been dead close to 20 years, yet the Japanese sires’ table remains an ode to his influence.

In 2020, Deep Impact landed his ninth straight sires’ championship with Heart’s Cry and Stay Gold’s son Orfevre in third and fourth. Seven of the top 12 finishers were sons or grandsons of Sunday Silence.

Another descendant, Deep Impact’s son Kizuna, was the nation’s leading second-crop sire. Deep Impact himself was the year’s top sire of two-year-olds.

Against that, it is estimated that up to approximately 70% of the Japanese broodmare population possess Sunday Silence in their background.

All the while, his influence remains on an upswing worldwide, notably via the respect held for Deep Impact. A horse who ably built on the international momentum set by Sunday Silence, his own sire sons today range from the European Classic winners Study Of Man and Saxon Warrior—who are based in Britain and Ireland—to a deep domestic bench headed by the proven sires Kizuna, Mikki Isle and Real Impact.

In short, the Thoroughbred owes a lot to Sunday Silence.

Inauspicious beginnings

Roll back to 1988, however, and the mere idea of Sunday Silence as one of the great fathers of the breed would have been laughable.

For starters, he almost died twice before he had even entered training.

Queen Elizabeth II meets Halo.

Queen Elizabeth II meets Halo.

The colt was bred by Oak Cliff Thoroughbreds Ltd in Kentucky with appealing credentials as a son of Halo, then in his early seasons at Arthur Hancock’s Stone Farm.

Halo had shifted to Kentucky in 1984 as a middle-aged stallion with a colourful existence already behind him.

By Hail To Reason and closely related to Northern Dancer, Halo had been trained by Mack Miller to win the 1974 Gr1 United Nations Handicap.

It was those bloodlines and latent talent that prompted film producer Irving Allen to offer owner Charles Englehard a bid of $600,000 for the horse midway through his career. Allen’s idea was to install Halo in England at his Derisley Wood Stud in Newmarket; and his bid was accepted only for it to be revealed that his new acquisition was a crib-biter. As such, the deal fell through, and Halo was returned to training, with that Gr1 triumph as due reward.

Would Halo have thrived in England? It’s an interesting question. As it was, he retired to E. P. Taylor Windfields Farm in Maryland, threw champion Glorious Song in his first crop, Kentucky Derby winner Sunny’s Halo in his third and Devil’s Bag—a brilliant two-year-old of 1983—in his fourth.

Devil’s Bag’s exploits were instrumental in Halo ending the year as North America’s champion sire, and within months, the stallion was ensconced at Stone Farm, having been sold in a deal that reportedly valued the 15-year-old at $36 million. Chief among the new ownership was Texas oilman Tom Tatham of Oak Cliff Thoroughbreds.

In 1985, Tatham sent the hard-knocking Wishing Well, a Gr2-winning daughter of Understanding, to the stallion. The result was a near black colt born at Stone Farm on March 26, 1986.

It is part of racing’s folklore how Sunday Silence failed to capture the imagination as a young horse—something that is today vividly recalled by Hancock.

Staci & Arthur Hancock with Sunday Silence.

Staci & Arthur Hancock with Sunday Silence.

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The differences between a healthy / unhealthy biome. We learn how gene sequencing technology can reveal common gastrointestinal disease.

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Gastrointestinal diseases and upsets are common inThoroughbred racehorses, causing discomfort, lossof performance and even mortality. Every commongastrointestinal disease can be linked back todisturbances (dysbiosis) of the gut bacteria. Currently, new genetechnology is driving research at an intense rate, providing newinsights into the equine microbial community (1) and providingboth trainer and the vet with a powerful and accurate analyticaltool to improve health and manage disease.The gastrointestinal tract of the horse is colonized by trillionsof microorganisms, which includes 1,000-1,500 different species,making up around 95% of the biome; the other 5% are made upof archaea, protozoa, fungi and viruses. Though most studiesconcentrate on identifying species of bacteria and linking to healthand disease. Other members of the biome have equally importantroles to play. In the racehorse, a major player is the Enterobacteriaphage PhiX174, which is a bacterial virus that protects the horseagainst E-coli.(2)The microbial community has co-evolved with the host, performingessential and vital activities such as the extraction of energy andnutrients from foodstuff, synthesis of vitamins, interaction withthe immune system and cross talk with the brain, which is thoughtto affect temperament and behavior. Taxonomic and functionalcompositions of the gut microbiome are rapidly becoming viableindicators of horse health and disease.Each member of the microbial community has a different butsynergistic role, which is beneficial to the health of the horse;e.g., the fungi break down the indigestible parts of forage plants,such as the polysaccharides, while the ciliate protozoa contributeto the process by producing a wide range of enzymes that thehorse is unable to make, impacting and benefitting the immunesystem. Microbial fermentation of cellulose, hemicellulose andlignin reduces the structural and non-structural plant wallmaterial into carbohydrates, proteins (amino acids) and lipids,and produces volatile and short chain fatty acids,(2a) which are theprimary source of energy for the horse. The bacteria contributethe most to the degradation of ingested food, producing thefinal components of the fermentation process, which are acetic,propionic and butyric acid, methane and carbon dioxide.The gastrointestinal tract of the horse is sensitive to change,stress, environment and medication, which cause imbalances ordysbiosis.(3) Establishing or profiling a healthy baseline in thehorse is difficult as variations exist between individuals, breeds,diets and locations; the Thoroughbred racehorse is a very differentanimal to the Shetland pony or an Irish Draught. Fitness trainingalters the microbiome further; for these reasons it is importantto study the Thoroughbred as a population separate from otherbreeds and to analyze, where possible, racehorses training in asimilar environment and location.With this in mind, since 2017 there has been an ongoing projectto study and profile the microbial populations of over 1,000racehorses based in Newmarket, throughout the racing season;and the data produced has been used to develop profiles of thedifferences between a healthy/unhealthy biome. The projectutilizes the cutting-edge Illumina MiSeq technology, which is themost accurate and up-to-date, preferred by genomic researchersaround the world.THE BIOME IN HEALTHELITE RACEHORSES HAVE HIGHER LEVELSOF A SUPER-PHYLUM BACTERIAQuestions asked...Elite racehorses are trained to achieve peak fitness, but is itpossible that they can gain an extra edge from the input of thehind gut bacteria?How different is the microbiome of a Grade 1 horse, and is itpossible to identify the bacteria responsible for the extra edge?Answers found...Human scientists have known for some timethat the microbiome of an elite human athleteis different,(4) with faster metabolic pathways(amino acids and carbohydrates) and higherlevels of fecal metabolites (microbial-producedshort-chain fatty acids) acetate, propionateand butyrate associated with enhanced muscle fitness. The humanand elite equine athlete do share similar microbial profiles, havinghigher percentages of the bacteria that manufacture short-chainfatty acids and higher levels of the super-phylum verrucomicrobia;these increase as the season/training progresses.What is known about this super-phylum?It has two main members: Methylacidiphilaceae and Akkermansia1Verrucomicrobia Methylacidiphilaceae thrive and proliferateon the ammonia produced from the degradation of starchand protein,(5) whereas starch produces very high levels of ammonia.The bacteria make enzymes (ammonia monooxygenase),(6) whichconvert ammonia into nitric oxide.(7) The nitric oxide has threemajor benefits to a racehorse:a. Helps repair and renew the gut wall (8)b. Enhances performance and increases exercise tolerance (9)c. Improves vascular function and metabolism (10)2Verrucomicrobia Akkermansia is a mucus-eating specialist,living and thriving within the gut wall, digesting mucinfrom the mucosal lining (10a) with a unique ability to metabolisegalactose and melibiose (11) for energy. Akkermansia in thehuman biome significantly increases the numbers of metabolicpathways. Horses with gastric ulcers have very low levels,perhaps indicating its function in both performance and disease.Comparing percentages of the super-phylum among otherbreeds/locations/environments gave good insight into howimportant and relevant verrucomicrobia is to the racehorse.Verrucomicrobia varied significantly from group to group;the lowest levels were found in the sedentary and/or companionanimal group which was comprised of 250 horses (gently hackedor unridden companions). The Carneddau are an ancient herd ofwild horses that graze freely in themountains of Snowdonia, and the Pottokasare from Spain. The CCI-L group was madeup of 10 horses eventing at InternationalOne Day Event Level.The non-group horses were based inNewmarket and analyzed at the heightof the flat season in July, while the Gr1horses started the season (Feb) withlevels of 10%; these levels increased asthe season continued until finally levelingout at 23% in July through to Septemberwhen the testing finished.Why the horses diagnosed with EquineGlandular Gastric Disease having lowerlevels of verrucomicrobia is unknownat this time, horses with EGGD had acompletely different profile to the healthyGr1 horses. See Figs 3 and 4.(The Gr1 horses had a much higherdiversity; and at genus level, they hadmany more groups of bacteria. Increaseddiversity is thought to be an indication ofstability and homeostasis.)The profound effect ofantibiotics on the microbiomeof the Thoroughbred racehorseThe intestinal bacterial community isintimately linked through countlessmetabolic pathways and chemical andphysical signaling processes.(12) Theuse of an antimicrobial causes a changein the bacteria species, driving changesto the normal functions of the biome andreducing the bacteria that benefit the hostwhilst increasing those linked to infections,inflammation and disease.(12a)Fig 5 is a replication taken fromIllumina BaseSpace of the MiSeq analysisof the microbiome of a horse one weekprior to using antibiotics. The internalcircles of the sunburst chart representdifferent taxonomic classifications (i.e.,kingdom, phylum, class, order, family,genus and species), while the lines denotethe different types of bacteria.Fig 6 In the same horse, one week laterafter the use of antibiotics, the microbiomehas altered as follows:a) 6.3% reduction in the number ofindividual species.b) 1.5% reduction in biodiversitycalculated using the Shannon Index,which measures both the number ofspecies and percentages of each withinthe biome (diversity and richness).c) Altered microbial populationi) 56% increase in spirochaetes, partof the core equine biome, spirochaetesproduce formate, succinate and acetate;higher levels of formate have beenlinked to dysbiosis. Spirochaetesfeed on short-chain fatty acids, folicacid, biotin, niacinamide, thiamine,pyridoxal and carbohydrates; higherpercentages within the biome reduceimportant nutrients and energysupply to the horse.(13)ii) 14.7% decrease in proteobacteria,though the phyla proteobacteriacontain some of the most well-knownpathogens such as Rickettsia,Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio,Helicobacter and Campylobacter andthe cause of equine diseases such asGlanders. Other members of thediverse and important proteobacteriagroup attack unwanted invadingbacteria, playing a big part inmaintaining stability and homeostasiswithin the anaerobic environment.They also make contributions to thenutrition of the host (the horse) throughtheir ability to process nitrogen.d) 17% increase in clostridium specieslinked to enterocolitis.(14)e) 50% increase in archaea, linked to poorproductivity and performance.(15)THERAPIES & INTERVENTIONSFecal transplantsThere has been a huge increase in interest in fecal matter transplants for horses,(16)following its success in treating C. difficile in humans when compared to the use ofantibiotics. The main result of the transplant was an increase in microbial diversity.Other gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions of horses are now being consideredas suitable for treatment.(17)PrebioticsPrebiotics stimulate, feed and encourage the growth of microorganisms, especially thosethat are beneficial, many horses with gastrointestinal disorders have either low or nobacteria associated with good health. Loss of diversity is also common among horseswith dysbiosis or gastrointestinal disease. Stabilizing and improving the biome can alsoinclude improving forage quality, specific foodstuff and a different feeding routine.(18)Prebiotics containing fructooligosaccharide (FOS) or mannanoligosaccharides improvedDM, CP and NDF digestibility in horses fed high-fibre diets and have reduced dysbiosisin microbial populations, improving levels of beneficial propionate and butyrate.Probiotics are commonly used in horses as a therapy to treat or prevent gastrointestinaldiseases, orally introducing live bacteria able to benefit the health of the biome. Benefitsinclude the inhibition of “bad” bacteria and an enhanced immune system response, thoughit is difficult to compare data due to the different live species used and differences indiets. The most successful appear to be Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus andSaccharomyces yeast, all of which improve DM, CP and NDF digestibility of high-fiber diets.SUMMARYThe gastrointestinal tract of the Thoroughbred racehorse is home to a complex microbialcommunity that changes in health and disease and alters throughout the racing season andtraining regime. New sequencing technology allows insights into a previously unknownworld, understanding the microbial communities that have such a strong influence onperformance, fitness, health and temperament is a rapidly emerging science.References1) De Almeida, M. L. M., Feringer, W. H., Júnior, J.R. G. C., Rodrigues, I. M., Jordao, L. R., Fonseca, M.G., ... & de Macedo Lemos, E. G. (2016). Intenseexercise and aerobic conditioning associatedwith chromium or L-carnitine supplementationmodified the fecal microbiota of fillies. PloS one,11(12).2) Nobrega, F. L., Costa, A. R., Kluskens, L. D., &Azeredo, J. (2015). Revisiting phage therapy: newapplications for old resources. Trends inmicrobiology, 23(4), 185-191.2a) Dougal, K., de la Fuente, G., Harris, P. A.,Girdwood, S. E., Pinloche, E., & Newbold, C. J.(2013). Identification of a core bacterial communitywithin the large intestine of the horse. PloS one, 8(10).3) Banse, H. E., & Andrews, F. M. (2019). Equineglandular gastric disease: prevalence, impact andmanagement strategies. Veterinary Medicine:Research and Reports, 10, 69.4) Barton, W., Penney, N. C., Cronin, O., Garcia-Perez, I., Molloy, M. G., Holmes, E., ... & O’Sullivan,O. (2018). The microbiome of professionalathletes differs from that of more sedentarysubjects in composition and particularly at thefunctional metabolic level. Gut, 67(4), 625-6335) Geor, R. J., Coenen, M., & Harris, P. (2013).Equine applied and clinical nutrition E-book: Health,welfare and performance. Elsevier Health Sciences6) Junier, P., Molina, V., Dorador, C., Hadas, O., Kim,O. S., Junier, T., ... & Imhoff, J. F. (2010).Phylogenetic and functional marker genes tostudy ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOM)in the environment. Applied microbiology andbiotechnology, 85(3), 425-440.7) Khadem, A. F., Pol, A., Wieczorek, A.,Mohammadi, S. S., Francoijs, K. J., Stunnenberg, H.G., ... & den Camp, H. J. O. (2011). Autotrophicmethanotrophy in Verrucomicrobia:Methylacidiphilum fumariolicumSolV uses theCalvin-Benson-Bassham cycle for carbon dioxidefixation. Journal of bacteriology, 193(17), 4438-44468) Lanas, A. (2008). Role of nitric oxide in thegastrointestinal tract. Arthritis research & therapy,10(2), S4.9) Mosher, S. L., Sparks, S. A., Williams, E. L.,Bentley, D. J., & Mc Naughton, L. R. (2016).Ingestion of a nitric oxide enhancing supplementimproves resistance exercise performance. TheJournal of Strength & Conditioning Research,30(12), 3520-3524.10) Jones, A. M. (2014). Dietary nitratesupplementation and exercise performance.Sports medicine, 44(1), 35-45.10a) Schroeder, B. O. (2019). Fight them or feedthem: how the intestinal mucus layer manages thegut microbiota. Gastroenterology report, 7(1), 3-12.11) Stein, L. Y., Roy, R., & Dunfield, P. F. (2001).Aerobic methanotrophy and nitrification:processes and connections. e LS.12) Yoon, M. Y., & Yoon, S. S. (2018). Disruption ofthe gut ecosystem by antibiotics. Yonsei medicaljournal, 59(1), 4-12.12a) Modi, S. R., Collins, J. J., & Relman, D. A.(2014). Antibiotics and the gut microbiota. TheJournal of clinical investigation, 124(10), 4212-4218.13) Stanton, T. B., & Canale-Parola, E. (1980).Treponema bryantii sp. nov., a rumen spirochetethat interacts with cellulolytic bacteria. Archivesof Microbiology, 127(2), 145-156.14) Stewart (2013) Clostridia-associatedEnterocolitis in Horses , Department of ClinicalSciences, John Thomas Vaughan Large AnimalTeaching Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine,Auburn University15) Murru, F., Fliegerova, K., Mura, E., Mrázek, J.,Kopečný, J., & Moniello, G. (2018). A comparisonof methanogens of different regions of the equinehindgut. Anaerobe, 54, 104-110.16) Mullen, K. R., Yasuda, K., Divers, T. J., & Weese,J. S. (2018). Equine faecal microbiota transplant:current knowledge, proposed guidelines andfuture directions. Equine Veterinary Education,30(3), 151-160.17) Laustsen, L., Edwards, J., Smidt, H., van Doorn,D., & Lúthersson, N. (2018, August). Assessmentof Faecal Microbiota Transplantation on HorsesSuffering from Free Faecal Water. In Proceedingsof the 9th European Workshop on Equine Nutrition,Swedish University of Agricultural Science,Uppsala, Sweden (pp. 16-18).18) Coverdale, J. A. (2016). HORSE SPECIESSYMPOSIUM: Can the microbiome of the horse bealtered to improve digestion?. Journal of animalscience, 94(6), 2275-2281.

By Carol Hughes PhD

Gastrointestinal diseases and upsets are common in Thoroughbred racehorses, causing discomfort, loss of performance and even mortality. Every common gastrointestinal disease can be linked back to disturbances (dysbiosis) of the gut bacteria. Currently, new gene technology is driving research at an intense rate, providing new insights into the equine microbial community (1) and providing both trainer and the vet with a powerful and accurate analytical tool to improve health and manage disease. The gastrointestinal tract of the horse is colonized by trillions of microorganisms, which includes 1,000-1,500 different species, making up around 95% of the biome; the other 5% are made up of archaea, protozoa, fungi and viruses. Though most studies concentrate on identifying species of bacteria and linking to health and disease. Other members of the biome have equally important roles to play. In the racehorse, a major player is the Enterobacteria phage PhiX174, which is a bacterial virus that protects the horse against E-coli.(2) The microbial community has co-evolved with the host, performing essential and vital activities such as the extraction of energy and nutrients from foodstuff, synthesis of vitamins, interaction with the immune system and cross talk with the brain, which is thought to affect temperament and behavior. Taxonomic and functional compositions of the gut microbiome are rapidly becoming viable indicators of horse health and disease. Each member of the microbial community has a different but synergistic role, which is beneficial to the health of the horse; e.g., the fungi break down the indigestible parts of forage plants, such as the polysaccharides, while the ciliate protozoa contribute to the process by producing a wide range of enzymes that the horse is unable to make, impacting and benefitting the immune system. Microbial fermentation of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin reduces the structural and non-structural plant wall material into carbohydrates, proteins (amino acids) and lipids, and produces volatile and short chain fatty acids,(2a) which are the primary source of energy for the horse. The bacteria contribute the most to the degradation of ingested food, producing the final components of the fermentation process, which are acetic, propionic and butyric acid, methane and carbon dioxide. The gastrointestinal tract of the horse is sensitive to change, stress, environment and medication, which cause imbalances or dysbiosis.(3)

Fig 1: Image of the analysis of the microbiome of a Grade 1 horse, compared to a non-group horse.

Fig 1: Image of the analysis of the microbiome of a Grade 1 horse, compared to a non-group horse.

Establishing or profiling a healthy baseline in the horse is difficult as variations exist between individuals, breeds, diets and locations; the Thoroughbred racehorse is a very different animal to the Shetland pony or an Irish Draught. Fitness training alters the microbiome further; for these reasons it is important to study the Thoroughbred as a population separate from other breeds and to analyze, where possible, racehorses training in a similar environment and location. With this in mind, since 2017 there has been an ongoing project to study and profile the microbial populations of over 1,000 racehorses based in Newmarket, throughout the racing season; and the data produced has been used to develop profiles of the differences between a healthy/unhealthy biome. The project utilizes the cutting-edge Illumina MiSeq technology, which is the most accurate and up-to-date, preferred by genomic researchers around the world.

THE BIOME IN HEALTH ELITE RACEHORSES HAVE HIGHER LEVELS OF A SUPER-PHYLUM BACTERIA

Questions asked...

Elite racehorses are trained to achieve peak fitness, but is it possible that they can gain an extra edge from the input of the hind gut bacteria?

How different is the microbiome of a Grade 1 horse, and is it possible to identify the bacteria responsible for the extra edge?

Answers found...

Human scientists have known for some time that the microbiome of an elite human athlete is different,(4) with faster metabolic pathways (amino acids and carbohydrates) and higher levels of fecal metabolites (microbial-produced short-chain fatty acids) acetate, propionate and butyrate associated with enhanced muscle fitness. The human and elite equine athlete do share similar microbial profiles, having higher percentages of the bacteria that manufacture short-chain fatty acids and higher levels of the super-phylum verrucomicrobia; these increase as the season/training progresses. What is known about this super-phylum? It has two main members: Methylacidiphilaceae and Akkermansia

1) Verrucomicrobia Methylacidiphilaceae thrive and proliferate on the ammonia produced from the degradation of starch and protein,(5) whereas starch produces very high levels of ammonia. The bacteria make enzymes (ammonia monooxygenase),(6) which convert ammonia into nitric oxide.(7) The nitric oxide has three major benefits to a racehorse:

a. Helps repair and renew the gut wall (8)

b. Enhances performance and increases exercise tolerance (9)

c. Improves vascular function and metabolism (10)

Screenshot 2021-02-25 at 10.13.10.png

2) Verrucomicrobia Akkermansia is a mucus-eating specialist, living and thriving within the gut wall, digesting mucin from the mucosal lining (10a) with a unique ability to metabolise galactose and melibiose (11) for energy. Akkermansia in the human biome significantly increases the numbers of metabolic pathways. Horses with gastric ulcers have very low levels, perhaps indicating its function in both performance and disease. …

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State Incentives 2021

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Incentives to breedNorth America provides breeder and owner incentive programs to reward horsemen for producing quality bloodstock.Article by Annie LambertBreeding Thoroughbred racehorses takes a passion for the animals and the racing industry as a whole. State incentive programs can enhance horsemen’s intense feelings toward their livestock and the efforts to direct and improve their individual breeding programs. Many states and Canadian provinces in North America have helped horsemen reap rewards for breeding better bloodstock.In some cases, incentives have helped save or resuscitate state racing programs and bolstered racing toward increasing rewards to those supporting their state programs. It becomes a win-win for states/provinces, racetracks, breeders and owners—success for a joint venture, if you will.Not everyone can agree with the Rules of Engagement within each state’s program, but that is human nature. As a whole, most breeders are ultimately looking to protect the value of their livestock and preserve racing in North America.The Kentucky BrandFor all its legendary history in the Thoroughbred racing industry, Kentucky is not known to have the strongest incentive program. It does, however, still provide a home to some of the best stallions and breeding farms in the world. According to Duncan Taylor, President of Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., by having the best horses, his home state also has the best infrastructure.“Kentucky is blessed with the best stallions, therefore we have the best infrastructure—veterinary care, nutrition, blacksmith—all the ancillary businesses that support the Thoroughbred business,” Taylor opined. “We have a weaker program when it comes to breeder incentives. The breeding program we do have is basically paid for by the tax on stallion seasons. There’s a six-percent sales tax on stallion fees, and that money goes into the Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund.”Taylor pointed out that over time Kentucky, as most business does, has developed a brand. If a breeder aspires to be the best, it pays to go to Kentucky.“You can breed to horses in your own state,” Taylor said, “but if you’re trying to sell the most expensive horse at the Keeneland Sale, it’s going to be a Kentucky-bred.” “Wealthy people that are buying horses think the best horses come from Kentucky.”Taylor Made participates in several programs outside of Kentucky. They have bred and raced New York breds, for example, to “cover the downside.”“Let’s say my horse is just an allowance-winning horse versus a graded stakes-winning horse,” he explained. “If that [New York-bred] horse is an allowance winner at Churchill Downs or even Santa Anita or Gulfstream, but they can’t win a stake or graded stake, that same horse, with the same ability, could probably win a New York-bred stake. You would probably get a $100,000 to $150,000 purse. That’s what I’m talking about—protecting the downside. You can have less horse and still earn purse money.“I’ve bred and foaled horses in New York to get a New York-bred. If it does run good, I’m going to get some large breeder’s awards. Let’s say I have a New York-bred by our stallion Not This Time (half-brother to Liam’s Map and by Giant’s Causeway) that could win a Gr2 in New York. If you win a $300,000 purse, the winning share is $180,000. I’m going to get $18,000 for being the breeder—10 percent for being a New York-bred.”Taylor is not planning on moving out of Kentucky, but the government in his state, in his words, “keeps opting to take the horse business for granted.” With the best stallions, Taylor feels he could cut a good deal, load the vans and move out of Kentucky tomorrow, which would not be his first choice.His frustration comes mostly from the problems Kentucky is having with their slot machine-like Historical Horse Racing gambling machines. The Historical Horse Racing machines have been a huge moneymaker for Kentucky racing as well as where used in other states. The problem comes from other states legalizing the usage of those machines through their state legislatures, where Kentucky approved them through the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Now, Kentucky is facing opposition for their use from opposing groups and is in the process of having legislative approval to continue their cash flow to racing.Fortunately, Kentucky legislators did vote to approve Senate Bill 120, after clarification of what constitutes pari-mutuel wagering. The bill now goes to Governor Andy Beshear, who has expressed his support for it.B. Wayne Hughes, owner of Spendthrift Farm, in Lexington, Ky, has said, “The breeders are the backbone of our industry.” It is hard to argue that point. Most horses bred by Spendthrift Farm go to auction, although they do keep some to race, according to General Manager Ned Toffey.“These breeders’ incentives are very good programs,” Toffey offered. “Into Mischief had a number of Louisiana-breds when he was getting started, which was useful. We’ve also used the Pennsylvania and New York programs. Normally, if we’re going to use one of those programs, it’s because we have a stallion standing in those states. We may drop a foal by one of our first-year stallions standing here in Kentucky, then breed the mare back to our stallion standing in that state.”Toffey mentioned they have found it tough to find the types and numbers of mares they look for in the regional programs. Current Spendthrift stallions are able to get a good, solid book of mares at home.“If we have just the right horse for a regional program, we’re happy to utilize them, but with the horses we’ve brought in, in recent years, we’ve been able to get the numbers we felt they needed here for the most part.”Change Concerns & ImprovementsLouisiana has changed their state-bred rules beginning with foals of 2021. Babies out of resident mares, sired by Louisiana-domiciled stallions will receive full breeder awards per the schedule established by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Board of Directors.Foals out of resident mares, sired by out-of-state stallions and bred back to Louisiana stallions will collect 90 percent. Foals out of Louisiana-residing mares, sired by out-of-state stallions and bred back to out-of-state stallions will receive 50 percent of full breeder awards. Previously, breeders could send a mare to an out-of-state stallion, but that foal could not be an accredited Louisiana-bred unless the mare was bred back to a Louisiana-based stallion.Not all Louisiana stallion owners are happy with the new schedule. Jay Adcock, owner of Red River Farm in Coushatta, La., stands multiple stallions and feels the new rules will send the better mares out of state, causing a drop in the annual foal crop in his state.“In my opinion, the better mares in Louisiana will be going out of state now,” said Adcock, who sits on the LTBA Board. “Someone like myself and others standing stallions in the state had thought they at least had a chance at someone’s better mares every other year. I keep mares for myself and for other commercial breeders. They have already told me I have no chance of breeding those mares. It’s really going to penalize somebody with a young stallion. This is my opinion, but there’s a bunch of us that actually think that.” “I’m a mare proponent,” Adcock added. “Yes, I want a nice stallion, but I do believe it is the mares that prove a horse.”Adcock has concerns about the Louisiana foal crop shrinking due to the new rules. Commercial breeders sending a mare to Kentucky will most likely return that baby to the larger Kentucky market to sell. It doesn’t seem a reach to assume those auctions would bring a better price than in Louisiana.“I think the actual numbers in our foal crops are going to go down,” Adcock opined. “If you’re breeding in 2021, foaling in 2022, yearling sales in 2023...so it’s going to take a few years to prove me right or wrong. I just don’t see how this is going to help the Louisiana program.”“In Louisiana, to have a racino—where you have a casino at your track—the state law says you have to run an 80-day meet in 20 weeks or you don’t have your license,” Adcock pointed out. “The money is not necessarily commingled, but the licenses are commingled. The last seven years we’ve been running about a 1,000 foals a year in Louisiana. I do not believe the number of new foals coming into the state is going to outweigh the numbers of people that are going to get out. How are we going to fill those 80 days in 20 weeks?”Adcock believes Louisiana is being overly optimistic to think out-of-state breeders will send mares to their stallions year after year just to race in restricted races. He thought, because Mississippi has no racing, those mare owners may come to Louisiana; but Texans, who used to ship in mares, have grown their game and would probably opt to stay home.Politics Loom LargeTexas definitely has its game together in recent years. It has been a long road for horse racing in the Lone Star state.The Texas Racing Commission and pari-mutuel gambling were established in 1933. It was hoped pari-mutuel wagering would create revenue during the Great Depression. Sadly, pari-mutuel wagering was rejected in 1937 and was not revived until 1987. The Yankee Bet—a multiple selection wager—was activated about the same time and helped track handle.“Once pari-mutuel was reestablished in the late 1980s, we did have a good incentive program until about the 2000s,” explained Mary Ruhle, Executive Director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. “Then our numbers began to decline as far as handle, purses and so on. That came about because our surrounding states were able to offer much better purses and incentives. They had additional forms of gaming that supported their purses, which Texas does not.”In 2019, House Bill 2468 was passed, which has been greatly beneficial to Texas racing. The bill authorizes up to $25 million per year to benefit the Texas equine industry. Seventy-percent of that sum is set aside for purses and 30 percent goes to various breed registries for implementation of their programs and to support the Texas horse industry as a whole. “The funds come from sales tax on equine goods and products,” Ruhle pointed out. “We are taking money out of the horse industry and putting it into a different form and multiplying it back into the horse industry.”With Texas foal crop numbers coming out of a slump, Ruhle doesn’t expect to see those numbers rising for a couple more years, due to breeders waiting to see how the program works. Ruhle does expect to see a generous increase in the mares bred in Texas this year.“As far as racing,” Ruhle said, “the additional funds have vastly improved our purses, our handle and our number of participants in horse racing. We are very happy about horses coming in to race from out of state, which improves our racing product. It enables our Texas breeders to aspire to breed a better racehorse.”The Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association (MTBA) is working hard to improve their incentive program and hopefully bring racing back to their state. Since Suffolk Downs closed about four years ago, they have had no in-state racing.To be a Mass-bred currently, a foal must be born in Massachusetts to a mare in residence since October 15 of the previous year, or the mare must be bred back to a stallion domiciled in the state.The MTBA has legislation pending, working its way through government bureaucracy during a pandemic and making it an uphill grind, according to Arlene Brown, secretary for the association and a longtime breeder.“The pending legislation introduces a program where, if you bring a foal into Massachusetts to live for six months before its second birthday, it becomes Massachusetts-accredited and is eligible for the incentive award as a Mass-bred would be,” Brown explained. “The accredited horses will be eligible for the same awards but will be second choice in Massachusetts-bred races. In other words, the rewards would be the same; the only difference would be that they could go into Massachusetts restricted races if [those races] are not already filled by Mass-bred and registered horses.”Also for this year, the MTBA is adding a $10,000 bonus to any winning purse won by a Mass-bred at any racetrack. Because there is no racing in Massachusetts presently, awards count toward earnings at any track in the country. The $10,000 bonus will be part of the program on a year-to-year basis until they build up their equine population enough to run their own restricted Mass-bred races.The new legislation, introduced last year, has not made it through committee but was reintroduced this year. Between government red tape and pandemic restrictions, there is no estimate of when the bill may be taken up. Brown remains optimistic.“We’ve got some very good backing in the House,” Brown, the owner of Briar Hill Farm, said. “Several of the members have been to my farm a few times. The big push is trying to preserve green space and farms, so breeding farms are a push in that direction. A lot of the legislators are on board with maintaining the green space.“The Senate is going to be a little bit more of a fight, but the Senator from my district has been to the farm several times and is behind the push in the Senate for us.”There are seemingly several reasons for optimism among Massachusetts breeders. In addition to their pending program changes, there are two proposals to build new racetracks in their state. “Both of them are very viable, very nice looking designs,” offered Brown. “Now it is just waiting for approval—you know, all the things you have to go through with towns and counties for approvals, but they are both moving along.” Dermot Carty, director of sales at Adena Springs in Aurora, Ont. and Paris, Ky., believes incentive programs can be helpful.“It helps the ups and downs,” Carty noted. “If the horse can run a little bit, you make some money back, which covers the cost of promotion. At the end of the day, they do help out the small breeder.”Carty has worked for Frank Stronach, owner of Adena Springs, a total of 46 years. He feels the Ontario breeding business is in a bit of limbo at the moment. Thoroughbred breeders, he believes, are not being represented properly.“They tried to go out and establish a voice for all breeds, and it doesn’t take into account that Thoroughbreds are a completely different animal altogether,” he said. “The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society took out any representation of Ontario racing.”“There are a lot of people up here committed to breeding horses, but a little break from Ontario Racing to allow their elected representatives to get a true pulse of what is going on would make a big difference,” Carty added.Coast to CoastMary Ellen Locke, who handles registrations and incentives for the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, feels they have one of the best programs in the country—with good reason.“Other associations have copied our program,” Locke offered. “We get calls often from other states trying to do a program and explain to them how ours works. I think Louisiana was the last one that called me. I don’t know if they copied it exactly; but I think they have slots now, and they are doing better on foal crops, so they are trying to reward their breeders program.”Locke often receives inquiries from out-of-state owners because you can breed out-of-state and still have a Cal-bred. “We can have a Nyquist Cal-bred,” Locke explained. “He stands in Kentucky, but if the mare foals here and is bred back to a California stallion, then the foal dropped here is a Cal-bred. It has been this way for quite a few years.” The CTBA rules have not changed in quite a while, and Locke has no knowledge of any changes in the near future.Henry Williamson is a California breeder who also raises some Kentucky breds. Williamson’s love of the Thoroughbred industry grew from his late father, Warren Williamson’s passion for the horses.Williamson Racing bred their mare Nashoba to the Kentucky stallion Silver Hawk in 2002 before moving the mare to Harris Farm in California for the prime purpose of having a Cal-bred. The resulting filly, Nashoba’s Key, went undefeated in her first seven Southern California starts before placing fourth in the 2007 Breeder’s Cup Filly & Mare Turf.“There was a process we had in place, because of the Cal-bred incentives, and we wanted to benefit from that,” Williamson said. “I also think that it opens up some opportunity for the horses to build confidence, where they are not running right off the bat against million-dollar Keeneland graduates. It opened the door, and we took advantage of the California incentives being there and the purses being comfortably strong.”Williamson currently has five broodmares in Kentucky—some of which will be moved to his new farm, Arroyo Vista in Valley Center, Calif., where they will join six California-based mares. Williamson is standing his Curlin stallion, Texas Ryano, at Arroyo Vista as well.“I’m a big believer in Cal-bred racing,” said Williamson, who resides in Pasadena, Calif. “We kind of got away from it for a while, but we want to take advantage of it now—even more than Kentucky-breds.”“It is interesting, starting a new business during a pandemic when the [California] race tracks have been struggling; I think I need my head examined,” Williamson laughed. “When you’re passionate about it and you believe in the horses and what you think they’re going to be able to do, you follow your heart.”Arizona horsemen and breeders have struggled with the pandemic and political issues for more than a year. But, there might be light at the end of their scuffles.According to Berdette Felipe at the Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Association, their program is doing well, with owners and breeders incentives awarded from one-percent of the in-state handle.“Because we don’t have a lot of stallions in Arizona,” Felipe said, “our program allows a mare to be bred anywhere with the resulting foal being an Arizona-bred, providing it is foaled in Arizona and spends six months of their first year in our state.”Another big boost to Arizona racing may come from proposed legislation that will authorize Historical Horse Racing. If approved, Senate Bill 1794 could generate up to $140 million in tax revenues.Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association President Bob Hutton believes HHR would provide much-needed support to all aspects of the state’s racing entities, revitalizing Arizona racing. Virginia passed Historical Horse Racing legislation in 2019, according to Debbie Easter, executive director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association (VTA). Easter noted that the new pari-mutuel legislation has started to make a difference during the past six months.“Our [incentive] programs are growing due to the HHR money we are receiving,” she noted. “The awards are getting to be quite hefty; we are starting to pay a lot of awards out in both the certified owners program and the breeders program and the Virginia-bred owners program—our three different incentive programs. The awards are starting to amount to serious money.”Although it may be too early to say that the foal crop numbers have also been boosted, breeders are paying attention.“We’re fairly unique because we don’t have year-around racing like most states,” acknowledged Easter. “We’ve tried in the last few years to build our programs so they help our farms and owners year-around.”The VTA pays breeders for wins anywhere in North America. During the current year, due to increased wagering on Advanced Deposit Wagering and HHR, breeders received a 40-percent purse bonus for each of their offspring wins. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Virginia was still in the top 5 so far as the number of Thoroughbreds bred in the country.“Unfortunately, we’ve dropped down near the bottom of the list,” Easter explained. “In order to help those farms and breeders, we started a Virginia Certified Program about three years ago. That program allows people to come in and board and train for six month in Virginia; then if that horse wins in the mid-Atlantic region, the owners get 25 percent of the winning purse.“That has drawn a lot of horses into Virginia. It has filled up our farms, they are hiring people, investing in capital projects—it is doing everything it is supposed to do.”In addition, according to Easter, Colonial Downs has been resurrected over the past three years and it looks like they will be having seven weeks of racing with purses “at least” near $500,000. “The program is rounding out to be very beneficial for those that want to play in Virginia,” Easter added. “Eventually, our goal is to get 10 weeks of racing and the purses to go up substantially more. There will not only be good quality racing, but we’ll have restricted racing for the certified horses and Virginia-bred horses. There are a lot of reasons to come to Virginia right now.”New Age RacingWith the expense of owning a racehorse rising expeditiously, partnerships have become popular. In 2018, Michael Behrens founded MyRacehorse.com in California. The company sells micro-shares in horses so owners might own a very small piece of a Thoroughbred with an equally low investment—a micro of the normal expense—while still enjoying the thrills of racing. As of 2021, the company has horses across the country. “We started out in California the first year; we wanted to test the response of the industry to our micro share program concept,” said Joe Mishak, Racing Operations Manager. “July of 2019 was our first national expansion into a majority of the states.”MyRacehorse has purchased about 70 horses since their inception, including 2020 Kentucky Derby Champion and Horse of the Year, Authentic and now standing at Spendthrift Farm. Although the company is not in the business of breeding horses, they do pay attention to and value incentive programs.“We absolutely look at incentive programs,” said Mishak. “Kentucky is going through the HHR debate now, but it was phenomenal over the past few years. You have allowance races with $100,000 purses. If you go to Kentucky Downs, the purses are huge also. Of course, the level of competition you’re going to compete against is greater. The [breeder’s] programs come into play. There are lots of variables that go into the purchasing process.”While no incentive program will please all of the breeders all of the time, there seems to be some effective policies in North America for horsemen to take advantage of and reap just rewards. CAPTIONS:#DuncanTaylor (credit Taylor Made Farm)> Taylor Made Farm President, Duncan Taylor, has bred horses outside of Kentucky to “cover the downside” when horses fit better in a different situation. #BeholderHead (credit Annie Lambert)> Kentucky-bred Beholder, owned by B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm, enjoyed annual R&R on pastures in California where she earned most of her $6 million.# (credit Williamson Racing)> Henry Williamson’s Williamson Racing breeds and races homebreds in Kentucky and California. His stallion, Texas Ryano, stands at his Arroyo Vista Farm near San Diego. #Colonial Downs, Debbie Easter/Headshot (inset) (credit VTA)> Even though Virginia does not enjoy year-around racing, Debbie Easter noted improved incentive programs have greatly expanded opportunities for horsemen.#>#>#>#>#>POSSIBLE PULL QUOTES:

By Annie Lambert

Breeding Thoroughbred racehorses takes a passion for the animals and the racing industry as a whole. State incentive programs can enhance horsemen’s intense feelings toward their livestock and the efforts to direct and improve their individual breeding programs. Many states and Canadian provinces in North America have helped horsemen reap rewards for breeding better bloodstock.

In some cases, incentives have helped save or resuscitate state racing programs and bolstered racing toward increasing rewards to those supporting their state programs. It becomes a win-win for states/provinces, racetracks, breeders and owners—success for a joint venture, if you will.

Not everyone can agree with the Rules of Engagement within each state’s program, but that is human nature. As a whole, most breeders are ultimately looking to protect the value of their livestock and preserve racing in North America.

The Kentucky Brand

For all its legendary history in the Thoroughbred racing industry, Kentucky is not known to have the strongest incentive program. It does, however, still provide a home to some of the best stallions and breeding farms in the world. According to Duncan Taylor, President of Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., by having the best horses, his home state also has the best infrastructure.

Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor, has bred horses outside of Kentucky to “cover the downside” when horses fit better in a different situation.

Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor, has bred horses outside of Kentucky to “cover the downside” when horses fit better in a different situation.

“Kentucky is blessed with the best stallions, therefore we have the best infrastructure—veterinary care, nutrition, blacksmith—all the ancillary businesses that support the Thoroughbred business,” Taylor opined. “We have a weaker program when it comes to breeder incentives. The breeding program we do have is basically paid for by the tax on stallion seasons. There’s a six-percent sales tax on stallion fees, and that money goes into the Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund.”

Taylor pointed out that over time Kentucky, as most business does, has developed a brand. If a breeder aspires to be the best, it pays to go to Kentucky.

“You can breed to horses in your own state,” Taylor said, “but if you’re trying to sell the most expensive horse at the Keeneland Sale, it’s going to be a Kentucky-bred.” “Wealthy people that are buying horses think the best horses come from Kentucky.”

Taylor Made participates in several programs outside of Kentucky. They have bred and raced New York breds, for example, to “cover the downside.”

“Let’s say my horse is just an allowance-winning horse versus a graded stakes-winning horse,” he explained. “If that [New York-bred] horse is an allowance winner at Churchill Downs or even Santa Anita or Gulfstream, but they can’t win a stake or graded stake, that same horse, with the same ability, could probably win a New York-bred stake. You would probably get a $100,000 to $150,000 purse. That’s what I’m talking about—protecting the downside. You can have less horse and still earn purse money.

“I’ve bred and foaled horses in New York to get a New York-bred. If it does run good, I’m going to get some large breeder’s awards. Let’s say I have a New York-bred by our stallion Not This Time (half-brother to Liam’s Map and by Giant’s Causeway) that could win a Gr2 in New York. If you win a $300,000 purse, the winning share is $180,000. I’m going to get $18,000 for being the breeder—10 percent for being a New York-bred.”

Taylor is not planning on moving out of Kentucky, but the government in his state, in his words, “keeps opting to take the horse business for granted.” With the best stallions, Taylor feels he could cut a good deal, load the vans and move out of Kentucky tomorrow, which would not be his first choice.

Kentucky-bred Beholder, owned by B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm, enjoyed annual R&R on pastures in California where she earned most of her $6 million.

Kentucky-bred Beholder, owned by B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm, enjoyed annual R&R on pastures in California where she earned most of her $6 million.

His frustration comes mostly from the problems Kentucky is having with their slot machine-like Historical Horse Racing gambling machines. The Historical Horse Racing machines have been a huge moneymaker for Kentucky racing as well as where used in other states. The problem comes from other states legalizing the usage of those machines through their state legislatures, where Kentucky approved them through the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Now, Kentucky is facing opposition for their use from opposing groups and is in the process of having legislative approval to continue their cash flow to racing.

Fortunately, Kentucky legislators did vote to approve Senate Bill 120, after clarification of what constitutes pari-mutuel wagering. The bill now goes to Governor Andy Beshear, who has expressed his support for it.

B. Wayne Hughes, owner of Spendthrift Farm, in Lexington, Ky, has said, “The breeders are the backbone of our industry.” It is hard to argue that point. Most horses bred by Spendthrift Farm go to auction, although they do keep some to race, according to General Manager Ned Toffey.

“These breeders’ incentives are very good programs,” Toffey offered. “Into Mischief had a number of Louisiana-breds when he was getting started, which was useful. We’ve also used the Pennsylvania and New York programs. Normally, if we’re going to use one of those programs, it’s because we have a stallion standing in those states. We may drop a foal by one of our first-year stallions standing here in Kentucky, then breed the mare back to our stallion standing in that state.”

Toffey mentioned they have found it tough to find the types and numbers of mares they look for in the regional programs. Current Spendthrift stallions are able to get a good, solid book of mares at home.

“If we have just the right horse for a regional program, we’re happy to utilize them, but with the horses we’ve brought in, in recent years, we’ve been able to get the numbers we felt they needed here for the most part.”

Change Concerns & Improvements

Louisiana has changed their state-bred rules beginning with foals of 2021. Babies out of resident mares, sired by Louisiana-domiciled stallions will receive full breeder awards per the schedule established by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Board of Directors.

Foals out of resident mares, sired by out-of-state stallions and bred back to Louisiana stallions will collect 90 percent. Foals out of Louisiana-residing mares, sired by out-of-state stallions and bred back to out-of-state stallions will receive 50 percent of full breeder awards.

Previously, breeders could send a mare to an out-of-state stallion, but that foal could not be an accredited Louisiana-bred unless the mare was bred back to a Louisiana-based stallion.

Not all Louisiana stallion owners are happy with the new schedule. Jay Adcock, owner of Red River Farm in Coushatta, La., stands multiple stallions and feels the new rules will send the better mares out of state, causing a drop in the annual foal crop in his state.

“In my opinion, the better mares in Louisiana will be going out of state now,” said Adcock, who sits on the LTBA Board. “Someone like myself and others standing stallions in the state had thought they at least had a chance at someone’s better mares every other year. I keep mares for myself and for other commercial breeders. They have already told me I have no chance of breeding those mares. It’s really going to penalize somebody with a young stallion. This is my opinion, but there’s a bunch of us that actually think that.”

“I’m a mare proponent,” Adcock added. “Yes, I want a nice stallion, but I do believe it is the mares that prove a horse.”

Adcock has concerns about the Louisiana foal crop shrinking due to the new rules. Commercial breeders sending a mare to Kentucky will most likely return that baby to the larger Kentucky market to sell. It doesn’t seem a reach to assume those auctions would bring a better price than in Louisiana.

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“Bon Appétit” - how to encourage and maintain appetite throughout the season

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By Catherine Rudenko

Encouraging and maintaining appetite throughout aseason can become a serious challenge. The best planned feeding program in the world is of no use if the horse simply does not eat as required to sustain performance. There are multiple factors that can lead to poor appetite for horses in training – some relating to health, some relating to physical properties of the feed or forage, along with behavioral considerations.

What is a normal appetite?

Grain-based feeds are an important requirement for a horse in training.

Grain-based feeds are an important requirement for a horse in training.

Before we can fairly state a particular horse has a poor appetite, we must first have an idea of what a normal appetite range is. The horse has a given capacity within its digestive tract and an appetite appropriate to this. Horses will typically consume 2-3% of their body weight each day on a dry matter basis – in other words not accounting for fluid intake or any moisture found in the forages. This equates to 10-15kg (or 22-33lbs) per day for a 500kg-weight (or 1100lb) racehorse. As fitness increases, it is normal for appetite to reduce, and most horses will eat closer to 2% of their body weight. The energy requirement of a horse in training is such that they dependent on a large amount of grain-based “hard feeds,” which for the majority form 7-9kg (or 15-19lbs) of the diet each day. With a potential appetite of 10-15kg (or 22-33lbs) we are, for some individuals, running close to their likely appetite limit. The most immediate effect of a reduction in appetite is the reduction in energy intake. Horses require a large amount of calories, typically 26,000 to 34,000 cal per day when in full training. Comparatively, an average active human will require only 3,000 cal per day. Just one bowl of a racing feed can contain 4,500 cal, and so feed leavers that regularly leave a half or quarter of a bowl at each meal time really can be missing out. Forage is equally a source of calories, and a reduction of intake also affects total calorie intake.

• Physical form of feed and forage

The physical form of the bucket feed can affect feed intake due to simple time constraints. Morning and lunch time feeds are more common times at which to find feed left behind. Different feed materials have different rates of intake – due to the amount of chewing required – when fed at the same weight. To give an example, 1kg (or 2lbs) of oats will take 850 chews and only 10 minutes to consume in comparison with 1kg of forage taking up to 4,500 chews and 40 minutes to consume. Meals that require a high amount of chewing – while beneficial from the point of view of saliva production (the stomach’s natural acid buffer – can result in feed “refusal” as there is simply too much time required. Cubes are often eaten more easily as they are dense, providing less volume than a lighter, “fluffier” coarse mix ration. Inclusion of chaff in the meal also slows intake, which can be beneficial, but not for all horses. Any horse noted as a regular feed leaver ideally needs smaller meals with less chewing time. Keeping feed and forage separate can make a significant difference. The choice of forage is important for appetite. Haylage is more readily consumed, and horses will voluntarily eat a greater amount. The study below compares multiple forage sources for stabled horses. Another factor relating to forages is the level of NDF present. NDF (neutral detergent fiber) is a lab measure for forage cell wall content – looking at the level of lignin, cellulose and hemi-cellulose. As a grass matures, the level of NDF changes. The amount a horse will voluntarily consume is directly related to the amount of NDF present. Analyzing forage for NDF, along with ADF, the measure relating to digestibility of the plant, is an important practice that can help identify if the forage is likely to be well received. Alfalfa is normally lower in NDF and can form a large part of the daily forage provision for any horse with a limited appetite. As alfalfa is higher in protein – should it become a dominant form of daily fiber – then a lower protein racing feed is advisable. Racing feeds now range from 10% up to 15% protein, and so finding a suitable balance is easily done.

• B vitamins

B vitamins are normally present in good quantity in forages, and the horse itself is able to synthesize B vitamins in the hindgut. Between these sources a true deficiency rarely exists. Horses with poor appetite are often supplemented with B12 among other B vitamins. Vitamin B12 is a cofactor for two enzymes involved in synthesis of DNA and metabolism of carbohydrates and fats. Human studies where a B12 deficiency exists have shown an improvement in appetite when subjects were given a daily dose of B12.(3) As racehorses are typically limited in terms of forage intake and their hindgut environment is frequently challenged, through nutritional and physiological stresses, it is reasonable to consider that the racehorse, while not deficient, may be running on a lower profile. Anecdotal evidence in horses suggests B12 supplementation positively affects appetite as seen in humans. Another area of interest around B vitamin use is depression. Horses can suffer from depression and in much the same way as in the human form, this can affect appetite. …

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Robert and Lawana Low AND John Sondereker

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Graded Stakes Winning Owners By Bill Heller Robert and Lawana Low – Colonel Liam Long ago in business, Robert Low found that success is much more appreciated if it follows disappointment. That’s what happened with his now massive truck company, Prime Inc., in Springfield, Mo. The business he started by buying a single dump truck when he was a 19-year-old attending the University of Missouri, prospered, tanked and recovered three years later to the point that it now has a fleet of more than 21,000 vehicles, approximately 10,000 employees, a gross revenue of $2.2 billion, and in January 2020, was recognized as one of the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For by Carrier’s Edge/TCA for the fourth consecutive year. “About 1980, we went flat broke,” he said. “We spent 3 ½ years in Chapter 11. We then built the business model that is successful today. I think if the success continued from the 1970s to now, I would have been spoiled, unappreciative and somewhat arrogant. I learned my lesson. I learned it well.” With Thoroughbreds, he spent $1.2 million to purchase his gray, four-year-old colt Colonel Liam as a two-year-old-in-training in April 2019. “We thought we were buying a Derby horse,” Low said. Instead, Colonel Liam got a late start, finishing second in a maiden race last April 14, when he was placed first on a disqualification, then a distant third on a sloppy track in an allowance race. “He was an expensive two-year-old-in-training,” Low said. “You’re disappointed.”His trainer, Todd Pletcher, said, “He has more than what he’s showing. We’re going to give him a shot on turf in an allowance race.”Bingo. “He was like a different horse,” Low said. “He took off. He’s very comfortable on the turf surface—how he moves.”On January 23 at Gulfstream Park, Colonel Liam moved into a new status, taking the $1 million Gr1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational by a neck over his stable-mate in the Pletcher barn, Largent. “This is just unreal,” Low said after the race. “It’s fantastic. It’s a wonderful feeling.” It’s a feeling he shared with his wife of 48 years, Lawana—and sweethearts since the fifth grade in Urbana, Mo. Robert lived on a farm. “She lived in town,” he said. “When I rode my horse in the Christmas parade, we flirted.” She loved horses, too. “They’re wonderful owners,” Pletcher said. “They love the sport, and they love their horses.” Robert not only grew up with horses on his family’s farm, but he’d accompany his parents—both racing fans—on trips to Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. He’d ride his horses against neighboring farms’ kids “on hard-gravel roads. Asked if he was a rider, he replied, “I was more of a cowboy.” In college, he took a mighty risk buying a dump truck, which led to an open-road truck, then other trucks—lots of other trucks. “You have to do it when you’re young and dumb,” he said. “In my case, it was really a lot of luck involved, a lot of hard work involved.” When the prime interest shot higher, he was suddenly in trouble. “I made a million dollars in 1979, and I went into bankruptcy in 1980,” he said. He is so thankful that Lawana helped him through that rough period of his life. “God bless her,” he said. “My wife has stuck with me through thick and thin.” When his business returned healthier than ever, Robert and Lawanda went after their dreams. “We bought just a couple of mares at first, because we always had a dream of having a breeding farm,” he said. Now, the Lows have a 330-acre farm, home to dozens of their horses. His first star was Capote Belle, an incredibly quick filly who won the Gr1 Test Stakes at Saratoga in 1996, for trainer Daniel Peitz and jockey John Velazquez. “We were over the moon,” Robert said. “An historic track. We’re country folks. We had our friends with us. We closed down a few places that night. I think it was Johnny V’s first Gr1 win at Saratoga.” Capote Belle finished nine-for-22 with more than $600,000 in purses. With Todd Pletcher as their trainer, the Lows had another highlight when their Magnum Moon won the Gr2 Rebel Stakes and the Gr1 Arkansas Derby in 2018, making him four-for-four in his career. “That was the thrill of our lives because Oaklawn has been a part of our lives for so long,” Robert said. “It’s not Saratoga, but it’s got a lot of ambiance.” Magnum Moon’s next start was his last. He finished 19th in the Kentucky Derby, and he was retired after suffering an injury while training at Belmont Park in June 2018. The following October, he had to be euthanized after battling laminitis. The Lows have another outstanding runner trained by Pletcher: Sweet Melania, a four-year-old filly who has won three of nine starts, including a Gr2 and a Gr3 stakes, with two seconds, three thirds and earnings topping $400,000. Just as Colonel Liam did, Sweet Melania made her first two starts on dirt, finishing third twice. On turf, she turned into a star. “We’re looking forward to her return,” Robert said. Colonel Liam’s improvement on grass was striking. He won his grass debut—a maiden race at Saratoga—by 2 ¾ lengths. His next start was in the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational last August 15. He had a brutal trip, getting “bumped hard at the break and pinched,” according to his comment line in the Daily Racing Form, then rallied strongly to finish fourth, losing by just three-quarters of a length. “He had trouble,” Robert said. “He got bumped very hard at the start. Then he was behind a lot of horses. But he only got beat by three-quarters of a length. With a little luck, he would have won that race.” Pletcher decided to give Colonel Liam a break and point to the Pegasus Turf. In his four-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park in the $75,000 Tropical Park Derby on December 30, he won going away by 2 ¼ lengths. In the Pegasus, he went off the favorite, and he delivered. He is the star of the Lows’ stable, which numbers about 60 including 16 broodmares, 14 yearlings, 19 juveniles and 12 horses with Pletcher, Peitz and Steve Margolis. ”I am living the dream,” Robert said. “For a small-farm kid, it’s been quite a ride. I’ve been very fortunate.” ****************************************** John Sondereker – Kiss Today Goodbye Sixty years ago, John Sondereker got a taste of the tantalizing possibilities racing can offer. He was 18 and in his third year working for trainer Jerry Caruso at Ascot Park, a small track in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Because Caruso knew Ohio-based Jack and Katherine Price—the trainer, owner and breeder of Carry Back—Sondereker was able to tag along with Caruso’s foreman to see the 1961 Kentucky Derby. “I went down in a pick-up truck,” Sondereker said. “That was my first Derby.”When late-closing Carry Back rallied from far-back to edge Crozier by three-quarters of a length and won the Run for the Roses, Sondereker was moved. “I was 18 years old,” he said. “I was flabbergasted. I’m a small-town kid. We used to call our track a bull ring. $1,500 claimers. Lots of them. Seeing Bill Hartack, catching the whole Derby experience—horse racing was totally different down there. You could get lucky with the right horse and win it all.”Just two years before Sondereker's first Derby experience, he had gotten a job mucking stalls and walking hots at Ascot Park. “I was a kid, and I needed the money,” he said. “So that was a job that was available. I think they’ll pick anybody.”He quickly fell in love with horses and horse racing. “I loved the animals,” he said. “It was just a great experience. It was a thrill. Back then, horse racing was king. On Saturdays, at that little track, we had 20,000 fans. It was the only game in town.”He’s now living in the city that has thousands of games in town—Las Vegas, where he wakes up at 4 or 4:30 a.m. and walks or half-jogs five miles every day. “I jogged for 50 years,” he said. “I live on a golf course, 15 miles west of the Strip. I’m out there walking with a little lamp on my head.”In the city that never sleeps, Sondereker goes to bed at 9 p.m. “I sleep well,” he said.Sondereker served in the Air Force, the last year in Iceland. “I was the only person in Iceland getting the Wall Street Journal and the Cleveland edition of the Daily Racing Form,” he said.When he returned, he had an intriguing career working for Wells Fargo, serving in branches all over the United States and in South America, Latin America and Puerto Rico—working his way up to executive vice-president. “I spent five years in San Juan,” he said. “I went to the track there.”He’d been introduced to racing in the early 1950s by his father and uncle at Waterford Park, which became Mountaineer Park, in West Virginia. When his family moved to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, he caught on at Ascot Park.When he retired from Wells Fargo in 2003, he resumed his passion for horse racing. “I always was a big fan of racing,” he said. “I got involved. I decided I wanted to do it on my own. In my working career, I had a lot of authority. I’m the guy who makes decisions. I don’t look back. I want to look forward. I’m still learning. That’s a great thing when you’re 78—to still learn. It’s fantastic. “In my opinion, owners don’t get engaged the way I did—to find out how and why decisions are made. It’s a passive thing. Most of them don’t know a fetlock from a knee.”Sondereker got involved with a small syndicate, Class Racing, meeting trainer Eric Kruljac. Then Sondereker went on his own, keeping Kruljac. “He went to the Keeneland Sales with me,” Kruljac said. “Then he started going in the wintertime. It was seven degrees below zero the day he bought Kiss Today Goodbye as a yearling at Keeneland.”That was at the Keeneland January 2018 Sale. “The wind chill was brutal,” Sondereker said. “I couldn’t get my pen to write, standing outside.”He landed Kiss Today Goodbye, a son of Cairo Prince out of Savvy Hester out of Heatseeker for $150,000. “There were a handful of fillies I liked, and they went from $20,000 to $25,000, so you know they weren’t good,” he said. “I started looking at colts.”He liked what he saw in Kiss Today Goodbye—his name taken from the opening line of the song “What I Did For Love” from the musical Chorus Line. “I said, `Boy, this is a nice-looking colt,’” he said. “Looks so correct. I must have looked at 50, 60 horses. He was a great mover. Very graceful. He seemed like a pretty smart horse. He stood there looking at me. Calm and collected.”So Sondereker collected Kiss Today Goodbye. The now four-year-old colt took five starts to break his maiden by a neck at Santa Anita last February, then finished 10th by 33 ½ lengths in his first start against winners.Undeterred, Sondereker and Kruljac entered Kiss Today Goodbye in the $98,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar, August 1. Sent off at 34-1, Kiss Today Goodbye finished a much-improved third by 4 ¼ lengths. Switched to turf, Kiss Today Goodbye finished fifth and fourth in a pair of Gr2 stakes—the first at Del Mar, the second at Santa Anita. Returned to dirt, Kiss Today Goodbye won an allowance race by 2 ¾ lengths.Kiss Today Goodbye stepped back up to stakes company December 26 and captured the Gr2 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita by a half-length, becoming the first three-year-old to win the stakes dating back to 1925. That performance got Kiss Today Goodbye into the Gr1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, January 23. A victory would have given Sondereker his first Gr1 victory, but he finished seventh after racing last early in the field of 12.Sondereker can only hope for similar success with Ruthless But Kind, a War Front filly he purchased for $625,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale in September. “I was really looking for a filly who could long on turf,” he said. “She was the best filly I could find. I figured maybe a half-million.” When he bid $625,000, he didn’t think he was going to get her. “I figured I was going to be the underbidder again,” he said. “That happens a lot to me.” Instead, he got his filly. Regardless of how she does, Sondereker is still enjoying racing. “It’s definitely enhanced my life—learning something and being able to apply your knowledge,” he said. “It’s always been a thrilling sport, from the $1,500 claimer going up. The bigger the race, the better.”Anyone who knows Sondereker knows how much he has given back to racing. “He’s fabulous,” Kruljac said. “He’s just a wonderful man. He’s very, very generous.”Sondereker supports retired racehorses and the California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation, which serves over 3,000 backstretch workers and their families throughout California. “You have to give back,” Sondereker said. “I’ve been so fortunate in my life. I’m happily supporting backside employees and retired racehorses, and I’m going to do more of it. It’s a passion for me.” Three Diamonds Farm – Tide of the SeaWorking with family can be tricky. Two families working together? Kirk Wycoff and his son Jordan, and Meg and Mike Levy with their son Ryder Finney have found a way, enjoying continued success with their Three Diamonds Farm. “I think it had a lot to do with a great team, bouncing ideas off each other,” Jordan said. “It’s a collective effort.”It’s been a successful one for nearly 15 years.On January 23 at Gulfstream Park, their five-year-old horse Tide of the Sea captured the Gr3 William McKnight Stakes by three-quarters of a length wire-to-wire—quite an accomplishment in a mile-and-a-half turf stakes. The massive son of Turf Champion English Channel follows the success of Gr1 United Nations Stakes winner and $1.5 million earner Bigger Picture and near $700,000 Gr2 Bowling Green Stakes winner Cross Border. They helped Three Diamonds top $3 million in earnings the last three years. They’ve already topped $300,000 this year before the end of January, thanks to Tide of the Sea’s victory and Cross Border’s third-place finish in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational—a half-hour after Tide of the Sea’s victory in the McKnight.The common denominator for Tide of the Sea, Bigger Picture and Cross Border is that they are older turf routers. “We know the grass can be kinder on them—more conducive to a career going into their five or six-year-old season,” Jordan said. “The turf is kinder on their bodies.”So the Wycoffs, Meg and Ryder seek them out. And they work very hard to succeed. Meg was an accomplished equestrian who became the first female show person for Eaton Sales. She opened her own consignment company, Bluewater, in 1999, and sold a $1.3-million yearling a year later.Kirk Wycoff is the managing partner of Patriot Financial Services in Rachor, Penn. Jordan, 32, works with a different banking firm. Three Diamonds Farm isn’t a physical farm; the Wycoffs use the Levys’ Bluewater Farm in Lexington, Ky. Meg is the owner, specializing in physical evaluation of prospects and with lay-ups; Mike runs Muirfield Equine Insurance while getting more involved with the farm. Ryder, 29, is their bloodstock specialist. At any time, they have 20 to 40 horses in training, not including their babies in Ocala, Fla. They do pinhooking, claiming and racing.“The Levys are my second family,” Jordan said.His first family, Kirk and Debbie, have been in racing for a long time. “My dad was in the Thoroughbred business,” Jordan said. “He trained on his own at Penn National in the 1980s. Then he and Mom messed with show jumpers, pinhooking them. That’s how they got started.”The Wycoffs dove back into racing in 2011, claiming a horse with trainer Mike Trombetta. Three Diamonds Farm claimed Jimanator for $20,000 at Saratoga on August 15, 2011, and he won the Gr3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream Park 3 ½ month later.Not long after, Three Diamonds Farm went to trainer Mike Maker. “Mike is good with horses who mature with age,” Jordan said.Jordan was an aspiring golfer—good enough to get a scholarship at Rider University—but his father gave him an ultimatum one summer. “I was a sophomore in high school, and I caddied in the morning and practiced golf in the afternoon,” Jordan said. “My dad said I had to get a real job when I was 17. He said you could do that or go to Kentucky and learn the horse business. It was a pretty easy choice.”He drove to Lexington and had the good fortune to meet the Levy family. “I learned both trades: horses and equine insurance,” Jordan said. “I did that every summer all the way through college.”Ryder said, “Jordan used to come down and stay with us to learn about the business. Because we were so close in age, we got really close.”The Wycoffs work hard to succeed in racing. “Me and my dad get up at 4:30 or 5:30 every morning,” Jordan said. “We look at past performances at every track we have money at: Gulfstream Park, Fair Grounds, Oaklawn Park, Santa Anita, Turfway Park and New York. It’s a good way to procrastinate a couple hours in the morning.”Ryder said, “The Wycoffs are very precise people. They’re very precise with their numbers. They’re both very good handicappers. They say, `We like these horses on paper.’ My mom’s role is a lot of physical inspection. She did that when I was younger—before I was trusted with that kind of thing. She tells them which ones she likes. She runs the farm. One of her largest contributions with Three Diamonds is lay-up situations. She is instrumental in figuring out what’s wrong with them.”Asked about working with his mother, Ryder said, “We’ve very similar. We see horses similarly. She raised me to think like she does about horses, which is a blessing. She’s one of the best horse people in the world. I think we get to experience things together that most mothers and sons don’t. I’m very blessed.”

By Bill Heller

Robert and Lawana Low – Colonel Liam

Long ago in business, Robert Low found that success is much more appreciated if it follows disappointment. That’s what happened with his now massive truck company, Prime Inc., in Springfield, Mo. The business he started by buying a single dump truck when he was a 19-year-old attending the University of Missouri, prospered, tanked and recovered three years later to the point that it now has a fleet of more than 21,000 vehicles, approximately 10,000 employees, a gross revenue of $2.2 billion, and in January 2020, was recognized as one of the Top 20 Best Fleets to Drive For by Carrier’s Edge/TCA for the fourth consecutive year.

“About 1980, we went flat broke,” he said. “We spent 3 ½ years in Chapter 11. We then built the business model that is successful today. I think if the success continued from the 1970s to now, I would have been spoiled, unappreciative and somewhat arrogant. I learned my lesson. I learned it well.”

With Thoroughbreds, he spent $1.2 million to purchase his gray, four-year-old colt Colonel Liam as a two-year-old-in-training in April 2019. “We thought we were buying a Derby horse,” Low said.

Instead, Colonel Liam got a late start, finishing second in a maiden race last April 14, when he was placed first on a disqualification, then a distant third on a sloppy track in an allowance race. “He was an expensive two-year-old-in-training,” Low said. “You’re disappointed.”

His trainer, Todd Pletcher, said, “He has more than what he’s showing. We’re going to give him a shot on turf in an allowance race.”

Bingo. “He was like a different horse,” Low said. “He took off. He’s very comfortable on the turf surface—how he moves.”

On January 23 at Gulfstream Park, Colonel Liam moved into a new status, taking the $1 million Gr1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational by a neck over his stable-mate in the Pletcher barn, Largent. “This is just unreal,” Low said after the race. “It’s fantastic. It’s a wonderful feeling.”

It’s a feeling he shared with his wife of 48 years, Lawana—and sweethearts since the fifth grade in Urbana, Mo. Robert lived on a farm. “She lived in town,” he said. “When I rode my horse in the Christmas parade, we flirted.”

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She loved horses, too. “They’re wonderful owners,” Pletcher said. “They love the sport, and they love their horses.”

Robert not only grew up with horses on his family’s farm, but he’d accompany his parents—both racing fans—on trips to Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. He’d ride his horses against neighboring farms’ kids “on hard-gravel roads. Asked if he was a rider, he replied, “I was more of a cowboy.”

In college, he took a mighty risk buying a dump truck, which led to an open-road truck, then other trucks—lots of other trucks. “You have to do it when you’re young and dumb,” he said. “In my case, it was really a lot of luck involved, a lot of hard work involved.”

When the prime interest shot higher, he was suddenly in trouble. “I made a million dollars in 1979, and I went into bankruptcy in 1980,” he said.

He is so thankful that Lawana helped him through that rough period of his life. “God bless her,” he said. “My wife has stuck with me through thick and thin.”

When his business returned healthier than ever, Robert and Lawanda went after their dreams. “We bought just a couple of mares at first, because we always had a dream of having a breeding farm,” he said. Now, the Lows have a 330-acre farm, home to dozens of their horses.

Colonel Liam the Pegasus Turf credit derbe glass3 (1).jpg

His first star was Capote Belle, an incredibly quick filly who won the Gr1 Test Stakes at Saratoga in 1996, for trainer Daniel Peitz and jockey John Velazquez. “We were over the moon,” Robert said. “An historic track. We’re country folks. We had our friends with us. We closed down a few places that night. I think it was Johnny V’s first Gr1 win at Saratoga.”

Capote Belle finished nine-for-22 with more than $600,000 in purses.

With Todd Pletcher as their trainer, the Lows had another highlight when their Magnum Moon won the Gr2 Rebel Stakes and the Gr1 Arkansas Derby in 2018, making him four-for-four in his career. “That was the thrill of our lives because Oaklawn has been a part of our lives for so long,” Robert said. “It’s not Saratoga, but it’s got a lot of ambiance.”

Magnum Moon’s next start was his last. He finished 19th in the Kentucky Derby, and he was retired after suffering an injury while training at Belmont Park in June 2018. The following October, he had to be euthanized after battling laminitis.

The Lows have another outstanding runner trained by Pletcher: Sweet Melania, a four-year-old filly who has won three of nine starts, including a Gr2 and a Gr3 stakes, with two seconds, three thirds and earnings topping $400,000. Just as Colonel Liam did, Sweet Melania made her first two starts on dirt, finishing third twice. On turf, she turned into a star. “We’re looking forward to her return,” Robert said.

Irad Ortiz Jr. and Colonel Liam after winning the 2021 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational.

Irad Ortiz Jr. and Colonel Liam after winning the 2021 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational.

Colonel Liam’s improvement on grass was striking. He won his grass debut—a maiden race at Saratoga—by 2 ¾ lengths. His next start was in the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational last August 15. He had a brutal trip, getting “bumped hard at the break and pinched,” according to his comment line in the Daily Racing Form, then rallied strongly to finish fourth, losing by just three-quarters of a length.

“He had trouble,” Robert said. “He got bumped very hard at the start. Then he was behind a lot of horses. But he only got beat by three-quarters of a length. With a little luck, he would have won that race.”

Pletcher decided to give Colonel Liam a break and point to the Pegasus Turf. In his four-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park in the $75,000 Tropical Park Derby on December 30, he won going away by 2 ¼ lengths. In the Pegasus, he went off the favorite, and he delivered.

He is the star of the Lows’ stable, which numbers about 60 including 16 broodmares, 14 yearlings, 19 juveniles and 12 horses with Pletcher, Peitz and Steve Margolis.

”I am living the dream,” Robert said. “For a small-farm kid, it’s been quite a ride. I’ve been very fortunate.”

******************************************

John Sondereker – Kiss Today Goodbye

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Sixty years ago, John Sondereker got a taste of the tantalizing possibilities racing can offer. He was 18 and in his third year working for trainer Jerry Caruso at Ascot Park, a small track in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Because Caruso knew Ohio-based Jack and Katherine Price—the trainer, owner and breeder of Carry Back—Sondereker was able to tag along with Caruso’s foreman to see the 1961 Kentucky Derby. “I went down in a pick-up truck,” Sondereker said. “That was my first Derby.”

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Managing Stable Vices - Are they vices or a product of their environment?

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Stable Vices: Are they vices or a product of their environment? We often see the word “vice” used in the equestrian world to describe an undesirable behavior completed by a horse; these are often repetitive behaviors completed either at certain times of the day, prior to or following a particular event or activity which causes the horse stress for whatever reason. When we look to the dictionary definition of a vice, the words “immoral,” “corrupt” and “wicked” are synonymous; but these are all words used to describe premeditated or deliberate acts of wrongdoing. When we consider that these are horses we are talking about, they simply do not have the cognitive ability to do this. As humans, we tend to over complicate and anthropomorphize animal behavior, likening it to our own and thus presuming horses complete these behaviors for far more complex reasons. Recently the term vice has been replaced with a more correct term: “stereotypical behaviors” or “stereotypies,” which encompasses any behavior deemed to deviate from normal behavior and has resulted from the horse coping with a challenge or stress. On the surface, the behaviors appear apparently functionless, but when understood as a coping mechanism rather than a premeditated misdeed, we can begin to understand what that behavior serves the horse, if only temporarily. What is stress? Stress is the body’s response to a potentially threatening situation and is experienced by humans and animals alike and even serves as a function to keep the animal alive. Presence of a short-term stressor such as a predator serves to kick-start the fight or flight response, which is part of the acute stress response. Stress can be divided into two subtypes: acute and chronic, which are dealt with by the body very differently. They also result in several different physiological adaptations that are notable when discussing stereotypical behavior. Acute stress refers to a short event or episode that causes a temporary increase in heart rate, respiratory rate, salivary cortisol levels, increased blood pressure and muscle tension. In relatively healthy animals, once the stressful event has passed, these body parameters will return to a base-line normal. These short episodes are not always necessarily bad and can help a horse learn and adapt to their environment. As horse handlers, we also know we can help a horse habituate to a common stressor by regularly introducing them to it and giving them a positive experience. Over time, their stress response will become less severe, and thus they will learn to cope with it reoccurring. Chronic stress refers to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period of time, which an individual perceives to have little to no control of—the latter part being key in horses. Stereotypical behaviors will often occur during times where horses cannot control their environment. Stabled horses are most likely to display stereotypical behaviors because they are often in a situation when they cannot immediately change their environment or remove themselves from a particular stressor. Symptoms of chronic stress include weight loss, decreased appetite, negative demeanor or aggressive tendencies. Horses suffering from chronic stress sometimes go unnoticed because the signs are more subtle; there is no pounding heart rate, sweating, increased breathing rate or more obvious cues that handlers may associate with a typically stressed horse. The other problem is that stereotypical behaviors can go ignored or become “just something they do.”There is a common link between horses who display stereotypical behaviors and those diagnosed with gastric ulcers as both are closely related to chronic stress. There is debate over cause and effect, whether the horse performs these behaviors in an attempt to ease the discomfort of gastric ulcers or if those performing stereotypies are chronically stressed and at higher risk of developing gastric ulcers. Typical stereotypical behaviorsThere are several common stereotypical behaviors seen in domesticated horses, and they can be divided into two simple categories: oral and locomotor. Oral stereotypies include crib biting, wind sucking and wood chewing; there is varied opinion suggesting these behaviors may provide temporary alleviation of stomach discomfort, but this is a question for cause and effect. Locomotor stereotypies include weaving, box/fence walking and door kicking. These behaviors expend a lot of energy, especially if the horse devotes a significant amount of time to this behavior and as a result, the horse can be prone to losing or maintaining condition. There is research to suggest that if performed for long enough, stereotypical behaviors become a habit; and act as a reward to the horse, the release of endorphins occurs which reinforces repetition. Further to this, it can also be preempted by a horse who regularly experiences the same stressor at the same time of the day, each day and will therefore begin the behavior before the stressful event occurs. Individual horses will vary in the degree of persistence and vigor to which the behavior is performed; and this largely depends on how much of the horse’s time is devoted to the behavior and how often the trigger event occurs in the horse’s routine. Some horses with stereotypies will appear to have a generally nervous demeanor, and others are relatively even-tempered and well-adjusted animals who otherwise do not appear to be suffering adversely from their environment. Some horse owners will notice a trigger or a marker that often sets off the behavior, in this case the stereotypy is easier to manage (e.g., ensuring that the horse is turned out first or fed first to prevent weaving or door kicking). When there appears to be no causative link, solving the stereotypy may become quite difficult especially if the horse has routinely done it for some time, as this becomes an ingrained habit. A little about anatomyThe left hemisphere controls routine, internally directed or self-motivated behaviors in relatively low stress and familiar environments; examples would include foraging and grooming other horses. On the other hand, the right hemisphere is responsible for environmental-motivated behaviors, emotional arousal and unexpected or threatening stimuli; this refers to natural behaviors that have been redirected to other objects or pastimes when the previously innate option is not available. These may include crib biting, bed foraging and wind sucking. The horse’s brain and associated physiology is quite different from the human; in part this can be attributed to the fact that horses are prey animals, and their innate fight or flight response is regularly triggered. The amygdala and hypothalamus work closely together to detect trauma and process memories. If a stimulus is considered threatening enough, it can be etched into a horse’s memory. Therefore, it can be appreciated how quickly a horse can memorize a previously distressing event. Horses lose the ability to discriminate between past and present experiences and also lack the ability to rationalize or interpret environmental contexts correctly. This means that although we know the horse next door is only going to the field 300 feet away, the horse who has started weaving has not rationalized or understood this. Horses that are prone to or that regularly complete stereotypical behaviors have “up-regulated” nervous systems, meaning that they are closer to the threshold of panic and may in some cases constantly remain in an over-aroused state. It will take very little to send them over this threshold and begin their stereotypical or coping behavior. Why don’t all horses do it? A common misconception is that horses copy each other completing different stereotypical behaviors, but in fact there is no scientific research to support this; and the environment the horses are in is usually the common factor. This could be that their basic behavioral needs are not met; this can be due to lack of turnout and thus opportunities to socialize and burn off excess energy. This leads nicely to another common question: Why don’t all horses carry out these behaviors? Just like in people, individual horses cope with different environments and events differently. This can be due to their innate, built-in makeup or their past experiences or a combination of the two. For example, other horses being turned out first will bother some individuals immensely due to their desire for social contact being greater and may be a trigger for weaving for example, whereas others patiently wait their turn without bother. Racehorses and stereotypiesIt is a fair comment that competition horses, and in particular racehorses, are statistically more likely to develop stereotypical behaviors. This can be due to a number of reasons, some of which could be altered with careful management to improve the welfare of those horses affected. In general, racehorses spend a large amount of time stabled, in busy barns with lots of movement of horses; when surveyed, horse owners noted horse movement as a key factor in the initiation of stereotypical behaviors, particularly weaving and kicking. Other factors include boredom, although racehorses are in higher workload than some other stabled horses and do inevitably stand in a stable for extended periods of time, which may contribute to boredom levels. Prevention, redirection or adaptation? Among the equine community, the question “Should we stop them?” is often raised, and there is much debate on how, why and if we should stop these behaviors. There is a vast range of devices on the market that aim to prevent horses completing stereotypical behaviors, some preventing them physically and others redirecting the behavior. Common devices include anti-weave grills, cribbing collars, topical anti-chew pastes to prevent crib biting and door-kicking prevention devices. Research suggests that instead of preventing the behavior via suppression or restraint, usually in the form of a cribbing collar or weave grill, it is most beneficial to cure the cause of the behavior rather than the symptom. By providing the horse with appropriate natural stimulation and opportunities to behave naturally, it will prevent the horse from feeling the need to complete the coping behavior in the first place. This may include housing horses in groups where possible, or at worst, allowing them to see, touch or interact with other horses when stabled. If grass turnout is not possible, turnout in small groups on surface or hard standing may help provide social interaction. Where resources are limited or significant changes to the horse’s housing or routine is not possible, simple changes can help attenuate distress to some degree like providing them with extra forage during times of potential stress, turning them out first before others who do not get so distressed, and/or providing them with something to do during times of potential daily stress (e.g., putting them on a horse walker or exercising them during this time). Horses who repeatedly display what can feel like relentless stereotypical behaviors can sometimes be told off by their handlers or people on the yard. This may act as a temporary fix and temporarily suspend them from the behavior, but in some cases this can either worsen the behavior or reinforce it because the horse gets a short fix of attention. In summaryThis article has aimed to dispel some of the myths associated with stereotypical behaviors but also appreciates some of the logistical challenges of managing horses in a stabled environment where immediate change to their routine is not possible. A key take-home message, when managing a horse displaying a stereotypical behavior: It is beneficial to explore methods to help solve and cure the behavior rather than punish or prevent the behavior. This is important in order to improve equine welfare and ultimately benefit the lives of our equine athletes!

By Georgie White

We often see the word “vice” used in the equestrian world to describe an undesirable behavior completed by a horse; these are often repetitive behaviors completed either at certain times of the day, prior to or following a particular event or activity which causes the horse stress for whatever reason. When we look to the dictionary definition of a vice, the words “immoral,” “corrupt” and “wicked” are synonymous; but these are all words used to describe premeditated or deliberate acts of wrongdoing. When we consider that these are horses we are talking about, they simply do not have the cognitive ability to do this. As humans, we tend to over complicate and anthropomorphize animal behavior, likening it to our own and thus presuming horses complete these behaviors for far more complex reasons.

Recently the term vice has been replaced with a more correct term: “stereotypical behaviors” or “stereotypies,” which encompasses any behavior deemed to deviate from normal behavior and has resulted from the horse coping with a challenge or stress. On the surface, the behaviors appear apparently functionless, but when understood as a coping mechanism rather than a premeditated misdeed, we can begin to understand what that behavior serves the horse, if only temporarily.

What is stress?

Stress is the body’s response to a potentially threatening situation and is experienced by humans and animals alike and even serves as a function to keep the animal alive. Presence of a short-term stressor such as a predator serves to kick-start the fight or flight response, which is part of the acute stress response. Stress can be divided into two subtypes: acute and chronic, which are dealt with by the body very differently. They also result in several different physiological adaptations that are notable when discussing stereotypical behavior.

Acute stress refers to a short event or episode that causes a temporary increase in heart rate, respiratory rate, salivary cortisol levels, increased blood pressure and muscle tension. In relatively healthy animals, once the stressful event has passed, these body parameters will return to a base-line normal. These short episodes are not always necessarily bad and can help a horse learn and adapt to their environment. As horse handlers, we also know we can help a horse habituate to a common stressor by regularly introducing them to it and giving them a positive experience. Over time, their stress response will become less severe, and thus they will learn to cope with it reoccurring.

Chronic stress refers to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period of time, which an individual perceives to have little to no control of—the latter part being key in horses. Stereotypical behaviors will often occur during times where horses cannot control their environment. Stabled horses are most likely to display stereotypical behaviors because they are often in a situation when they cannot immediately change their environment or remove themselves from a particular stressor. Symptoms of chronic stress include weight loss, decreased appetite, negative demeanor or aggressive tendencies.

Horses suffering from chronic stress sometimes go unnoticed because the signs are more subtle; there is no pounding heart rate, sweating, increased breathing rate or more obvious cues that handlers may associate with a typically stressed horse. The other problem is that stereotypical behaviors can go ignored or become “just something they do.”

There is a common link between horses who display stereotypical behaviors and those diagnosed with gastric ulcers as both are closely related to chronic stress. There is debate over cause and effect, whether the horse performs these behaviors in an attempt to ease the discomfort of gastric ulcers or if those performing stereotypies are chronically stressed and at higher risk of developing gastric ulcers.

Typical stereotypical behaviors

There are several common stereotypical behaviors seen in domesticated horses, and they can be divided into two simple categories: oral and locomotor.

Oral stereotypies include crib biting, wind sucking and wood chewing; there is varied opinion suggesting these behaviors may provide temporary alleviation of stomach discomfort.

Oral stereotypies include crib biting, wind sucking and wood chewing; there is varied opinion suggesting these behaviors may provide temporary alleviation of stomach discomfort.

Oral stereotypies include crib biting, wind sucking and wood chewing; there is varied opinion suggesting these behaviors may provide temporary alleviation of stomach discomfort, but this is a question for cause and effect. Locomotor stereotypies include weaving, box/fence walking and door kicking. These behaviors expend a lot of energy, especially if the horse devotes a significant amount of time to this behavior and as a result, the horse can be prone to losing or maintaining condition.

There is research to suggest that if performed for long enough, stereotypical behaviors become a habit; and act as a reward to the horse, the release of endorphins occurs which reinforces repetition. Further to this, it can also be preempted by a horse who regularly experiences the same stressor at the same time of the day, each day and will therefore begin the behavior before the stressful event occurs.

Individual horses will vary in the degree of persistence and vigor to which the behavior is performed; and this largely depends on how much of the horse’s time is devoted to the behavior and how often the trigger event occurs in the horse’s routine. Some horses with stereotypies will appear to have a generally nervous demeanor, and others are relatively even-tempered and well-adjusted animals who otherwise do not appear to be suffering adversely from their environment. Some horse owners will notice a trigger or a marker that often sets off the behavior, in this case the stereotypy is easier to manage (e.g., ensuring that the horse is turned out first or fed first to prevent weaving or door kicking). When there appears to be no causative link, solving the stereotypy may become quite difficult especially if the horse has routinely done it for some time, as this becomes an ingrained habit.

A little about anatomy

The left hemisphere controls routine, internally directed or self-motivated behaviors in relatively low stress and familiar environments; examples would include foraging and grooming other horses. On the other hand, the right hemisphere is responsible for environmental-motivated behaviors, emotional arousal and unexpected or threatening stimuli; this refers to natural behaviors that have been redirected to other objects or pastimes when the previously innate option is not available. These may include crib biting, bed foraging and wind sucking.

Screenshot 2021-02-25 at 07.52.58.png

The horse’s brain and associated physiology is quite different from the human; in part this can be attributed to the fact that horses are prey animals, and their innate fight or flight response is regularly triggered. …

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On the bridle - Scientific research uncovers the performance advantages of reducing bridle pressure - which type of bridle works best for which type of horse

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By Dr. Russell Mackechnie-GuireUsing a modified bridle design has a significant impact onwhole horse locomotion–front and hindlimb–not just the head.ecent scientific advances have seenan increase in performance-basedresearch, particularly in the sporthorse world where a podium finishcan depend on the smallest ofmargins. The findings from the sport horse researchcan be translated to the racing Thoroughbredwhere the shortest distance can put you first pastthe post. All items of training tack and equipmenthave found themselves under scientific scrutiny,with some unexpected results which could havesignificant effects on racehorse performance.Perhaps one of the most surprising discoverieswas the effect that bridle fit and design has on thelocomotor apparatus of the horse (biomechanics).The bridle is a neglected item of tack which has,until now, received little scientific attention.• Ahead of the gameAs well as improving locomotion, these findingscould have a significant benefit when it comes toresolving common issues affecting race performance,such as oral lesions in the commissures (corners)of the lips, tongue lolling and hanging, as well assteering or control issues.Research indicates that these behaviors arelikely to occur as a result of the horse seeking relieffrom bridle pressure and instability. Tongue ties orAustralian nosebands are two examples of gadgetstraditionally used to remedy these issues, but theyhave their own welfare and pressure-inducingconcerns. A more effective solution would be toremove the primary cause of discomfort whichleads to the negative or undesirable behavior byusing a modified pressure-relieving bridle design.• Pressure headResearch using a calibrated pressure sensor mat,which was positioned beneath all parts of the bridle,revealed interesting findings and disproved somelong-held assumptions.It had long been thought that horses experiencebridle pressure directly on their poll. In contrast,the research team found no significant areas ofpressure over the poll. Instead, areas of high peakpressure were located at the base of the ears inthe region where the browband attaches to theheadpiece. Anatomically this corresponds to thetemporomandibular joint (TMJ). The TMJ is anessential part of the physiological apparatus,associated with the swallow reflex and the hyoidapparatus (see anatomy panel). The location ofpressure (base of the ear and TMJ) was consistentin all commonly used headpieces and occurred atthe same moment in the stride, regardless of themake or design. The research team also used gait analysis wheremarkers are placed on the horse’s anatomicallocations (joints), allowing locomotion to bemeasured. This enabled them to quantify howfront and hindlimb kinematics altered, revealingan increased range of limb motion when the peakpressures in the anatomical zones were removed.• Noseband knowledgePublished research has shown that nosebands,as well as the headpiece, can be associated withextremely high pressure and distribution, andtherefore also have significant effects on equinelocomotion. From the research it was found thatmaximum noseband pressure was located oneither side of the nasal bone, causing compressionof the soft tissues in this area. Similar to theheadpiece, the timing and location of the nosebandpressures were consistent in every stride cycle.During locomotion, noseband pressuresdiffered relative to the horse’s head position.When the head was positioned more horizontally(for example when galloping), the frequently-chosen cavesson exerted significantly higherpressures on the lower edge of the noseband,which was associated with a reduced range ofmotion. Previous studies from this group haveshown that reducing high pressures beneath agirth and saddle is associated with improvedlocomotion. The same relationship is seen withthe bridle; areas of high pressures beneath theheadpiece and noseband have a significant effecton equine locomotion and cause the horse todevelop a compensatory locomotor strategy.A specially designed Mexican grackle, which sits higher on theside of the horse’s head above the main artery and vein runningunder the facial crest, was found to exert the least pressure and,consequently, was associated with an improved locomotion andincreased joint range of motion.It might be easy to assume that removing the noseband removesthe problem, but this has been shown to be counterproductive.A noseband provides stability to the bridle and improves theinterface between bridle and head. It has been shown that horsesperform better when the bridle (and all equipment) is stable.Horses require stability in order to effectively transfer propulsiveforces from the hindlimbs to propel their mass forward. If thehorse is unstable, it will seek a stabilizing strategy, whichconsequently will induce asymmetry and a loss in performance.The use of a noseband to improve bridle stability could thereforeimprove the locomotor apparatus, give the jockey a more refinedcontact and help influence gallop efficiency more effectively.• A bit of stabilityAs well as stabilizing the bridle, bit stability is likely to beimproved in a bridle with a noseband. Researchers speculatethere is a link between bit stability, bridle pressure and the horsehanging. If a horse is holding its head to one side to alleviatebridle discomfort, an unstable bit is able to be pulled throughthe mouth, increasing loss of control and oral discomfort.A jockey who finds himself dealing with a hanging issue couldinadvertently also be compromising hindlimb power. A study,which is under review, has found that in sport horses, increasedrein tension when turning affects the inside hindlimb protraction(how far the hindlimb can come forward under the horse). In aracing context, if the horse is hanging to the right and its trunkis going to the right, the jockey has to counteract this with theleft rein. The research suggests this will have a negative effect onthe left hindlimb. So, if we can eradicate hanging by means of apressure-reducing bridle design, we could reduce the negativeeffect and improve performance.Oral lesionsIf the bit pulls through the mouth, as well as control beingcompromised, the chance of oral lesions and blood at thecommissures (corners) of the lips is increased.A recent research study across a variety of equestrian disciplineshas shown that lesions and sores in the mouth are 2.6 times morelikely in horses ridden with no noseband compared to those with aloosely-adjusted noseband. Furthermore, 48% of racehorseswere shown to have oral lesions—the highest percentage acrossany of the disciplines in the study. Interestingly, they are also thegroup where bridles without nosebands are most commonly used.Oral lesions can occur in a horse wearing a bit when it opensand closes its jaw, trapping the skin between the upper and lowerteeth. The function of a correctly fitted noseband is not to applypressure when the jaw is closed; pressure is only applied when thejaw is opened. Therefore, the use of a correctly fitted nosebandcould contribute to a reduction in oral lesions.There is no evidence to suggest that a well-fitting nosebandrestricts airway function or respiration, in fact with the jawclosed and the lips therefore sealed, nasal respiration is shownto be optimized and the horse’s breathing improves.TONGUE IN CHEEKIn ground-breaking research, Professor Hilary Clayton usedX-ray fluoroscopic videos (moving X-rays) to examine whathappens inside the mouth when using various bits, andcaptured footage of cases where the horse got its tongue overthe bit. In these cases, when contact is taken on the reins,the tongue balloons backwards in an attempt to protect thesensitive areas from discomfort. To do this, the horse hasto open the jaw, which itself can result in oral lesions anddiscomfort. Also, when the tongue is retracted like this,the airway can become obstructed by the soft palate whichlimits oxygenation and reduces athletic performance.Studies have identified a correlation between lateral tonguedisplacement (lolling) and compromised power in the oppositehindlimb—for example when the tongue was lolling to the left,this led to reduced power in the right hind. Lateral tonguedisplacement of any type should always be investigated. Ofcourse, there are multiple factors to consider including bridlepressures, bit size or bit design. Dental health is anotherimportant factor that requires regular attention and shouldnever be neglected.ASPECTS OF ANATOMYTo understand why a bridle is so influential, we have to lookat where it sits in relation to the anatomy of the horse’s head.As the head and neck are important for balance in the horse,increasing freedom to allow different muscle patterns intraining could improve balance and therefore the ability toalter gait. If the bridle design changes the pressure and forcedistribution on the head, then the change in peak pressuremay allow the muscles in that area to work more effectively,as they are not having to work against the pressure that waspreviously placed on them.The TMJ (7) is the joint of the upper and lower jaw bones,and it is connected to the hyoid bone by small muscles. It isalso an important location for the cranial nerves that controlproprioception and balance.The intermittent high pressures located under the attachmentsof the browband to the headpiece involve the muscles of thehyoid apparatus (3), the associated movement of the tongue,and the swallowing mechanism actively creating pressuresagainst the bridle each time the horse swallows.The location of maximum pressure under the headpiece liesover an area of muscle involved in flexing the neck and bringingthe forelimb forward (5). It is therefore understandable thatrelief of pressure at this location could de-restrict movement.CHAIN REACTIONThree significant muscles from the hyoid linkdirectly to the horse’s chest, shoulders and poll.Then, each one continues its influence on the horse’smovement and balance by means of “chains” ofmuscle and fascial attachments which extend to theabdominals, neck, back, pelvis and hindquarters.Sternohyoideus chain (pink)The sternohyoid muscle connects the mouth and tongue (via the hyoid)to the sternum (breastbone). From this point, the chain continues throughthe pectorals, and along the abdominal muscles on the underside of thehorse, extending into the pelvis.Omohyoideus chain (orange)The omohyoid muscle connects the hyoid to the shoulder blade. Fromhere the connecting muscles and fascia continue along the sides of thehorse and all the way down the hindlimbs.Occiptohyoideus chain (blue)The occiptohyoid muscle connects the hyoid to the poll. The nuchalligament continues the connection from the poll down the neck, throughthe back muscles and hindquarters.These direct and indirect connections from the mouth to the locomotormuscles of the body indicate that compromising the hyoid (by eitherdirect pressure or restriction of the tongue or mouth), will impact thehorse’s movement and gait.

By Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire

Using a modified bridle design has a significant impact on whole horse locomotion–front and hindlimb–not just the head.

Recent scientific advances have seen an increase in performance-based research, particularly in the sport horse world where a podium finish can depend on the smallest of margins. The findings from the sport horse research can be translated to the racing Thoroughbred where the shortest distance can put you first past the post. All items of training tack and equipment have found themselves under scientific scrutiny, with some unexpected results which could have significant effects on racehorse performance. Perhaps one of the most surprising discoveries was the effect that bridle fit and design has on the locomotor apparatus of the horse (biomechanics). The bridle is a neglected item of tack which has, until now, received little scientific attention.

• Ahead of the game

As well as improving locomotion, these findings could have a significant benefit when it comes to resolving common issues affecting race performance, such as oral lesions in the commissures (corners) of the lips, tongue lolling and hanging, as well as steering or control issues. Research indicates that these behaviors are likely to occur as a result of the horse seeking relief from bridle pressure and instability. Tongue ties or Australian nosebands are two examples of gadgets traditionally used to remedy these issues, but they have their own welfare and pressure-inducing concerns. A more effective solution would be to remove the primary cause of discomfort which leads to the negative or undesirable behavior by using a modified pressure-relieving bridle design.

• Pressure head

Research using a calibrated pressure sensor mat, which was positioned beneath all parts of the bridle, revealed interesting findings and disproved some long-held assumptions. It had long been thought that horses experience bridle pressure directly on their poll. In contrast, the research team found no significant areas of pressure over the poll. Instead, areas of high peak pressure were located at the base of the ears in the region where the browband attaches to the headpiece. Anatomically this corresponds to the

temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The TMJ is an essential part of the physiological apparatus, associated with the swallow reflex and the hyoid apparatus (see anatomy panel). The location of pressure (base of the ear and TMJ) was consistent in all commonly used headpieces and occurred at the same moment in the stride, regardless of the make or design. The research team also used gait analysis where markers are placed on the horse’s anatomical locations (joints), allowing locomotion to be measured. This enabled them to quantify how front and hindlimb kinematics altered, revealing an increased range of limb motion when the peak pressures in the anatomical zones were removed.

• Noseband knowledge

Aspects of anatomy

Aspects of anatomy

Published research has shown that nosebands, as well as the headpiece, can be associated with extremely high pressure and distribution, and therefore also have significant effects on equine locomotion. From the research it was found that maximum noseband pressure was located on either side of the nasal bone, causing compression of the soft tissues in this area.

Similar to the headpiece, the timing and location of the noseband pressures were consistent in every stride cycle. During locomotion, noseband pressures differed relative to the horse’s head position. When the head was positioned more horizontally (for example when galloping), the frequently- chosen cavesson exerted significantly higher pressures on the lower edge of the noseband, which was associated with a reduced range of motion. Previous studies from this group have shown that reducing high pressures beneath a girth and saddle is associated with improved locomotion. The same relationship is seen with the bridle; areas of high pressures beneath the headpiece and noseband have a significant effect on equine locomotion and cause the horse to develop a compensatory locomotor strategy.

Aspects of anatomy

Aspects of anatomy

A specially designed Mexican grackle, which sits higher on the side of the horse’s head above the main artery and vein running under the facial crest, was found to exert the least pressure and, consequently, was associated with an improved locomotion and increased joint range of motion.

It might be easy to assume that removing the noseband removes the problem, but this has been shown to be counterproductive. A noseband provides stability to the bridle and improves the interface between bridle and head. It has been shown that horses perform better when the bridle (and all equipment) is stable. Horses require stability in order to effectively transfer propulsive forces from the hindlimbs to propel their mass forward. If the horse is unstable, it will seek a stabilizing strategy, which consequently will induce asymmetry and a loss in performance. The use of a noseband to improve bridle stability could therefore improve the locomotor apparatus, give the jockey a more refined contact and help influence gallop efficiency more effectively.

• A bit of stability

As well as stabilizing the bridle, bit stability is likely to be improved in a bridle with a noseband. …

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Three Diamonds Farm

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Working with family can be tricky. Two families working together? Kirk Wycoff and his son Jordan, and Meg and Mike Levy with their son Ryder Finney have found a way, enjoying continued success with their Three Diamonds Farm. “I think it had a lot to do with a great team, bouncing ideas off each other,” Jordan said. “It’s a collective effort.”

It’s been a successful one for nearly 15 years.

On January 23 at Gulfstream Park, their five-year-old horse Tide of the Sea captured the Gr3 William McKnight Stakes by three-quarters of a length wire-to-wire—quite an accomplishment in a mile-and-a-half turf stakes. The massive son of Turf Champion English Channel follows the success of Gr1 United Nations Stakes winner and $1.5 million earner Bigger Picture and near $700,000 Gr2 Bowling Green Stakes winner Cross Border. They helped Three Diamonds top $3 million in earnings the last three years. They’ve already topped $300,000 this year before the end of January, thanks to Tide of the Sea’s victory and Cross Border’s third-place finish in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational—a half-hour after Tide of the Sea’s victory in the McKnight.

The common denominator for Tide of the Sea, Bigger Picture and Cross Border is that they are older turf routers. “We know the grass can be kinder on them—more conducive to a career going into their five or six-year-old season,” Jordan said. “The turf is kinder on their bodies.”

So the Wycoffs, Meg and Ryder seek them out. And they work very hard to succeed. Meg was an accomplished equestrian who became the first female show person for Eaton Sales. She opened her own consignment company, Bluewater, in 1999, and sold a $1.3-million yearling a year later.

Kirk Wycoff is the managing partner of Patriot Financial Services in Rachor, Penn. Jordan, 32, works with a different banking firm. Three Diamonds Farm isn’t a physical farm; the Wycoffs use the Levys’ Bluewater Farm in Lexington, Ky. Meg is the owner, specializing in physical evaluation of prospects and with lay-ups; Mike runs Muirfield Equine Insurance while getting more involved with the farm. Ryder, 29, is their bloodstock specialist. At any time, they have 20 to 40 horses in training, not including their babies in Ocala, Fla. They do pinhooking, claiming and racing.

“The Levys are my second family,” Jordan said.

His first family, Kirk and Debbie, have been in racing for a long time. “My dad was in the Thoroughbred business,” Jordan said. “He trained on his own at Penn National in the 1980s. Then he and Mom messed with show jumpers, pinhooking them. That’s how they got started.”

The Wycoffs dove back into racing in 2011, claiming a horse with trainer Mike Trombetta. Three Diamonds Farm claimed Jimanator for $20,000 at Saratoga on August 15, 2011, and he won the Gr3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes at Gulfstream Park 3 ½ month later.

Not long after, Three Diamonds Farm went to trainer Mike Maker. “Mike is good with horses who mature with age,” Jordan said.

Jordan was an aspiring golfer—good enough to get a scholarship at Rider University—but his father gave him an ultimatum one summer. “I was a sophomore in high school, and I caddied in the morning and practiced golf in the afternoon,” Jordan said. “My dad said I had to get a real job when I was 17. He said you could do that or go to Kentucky and learn the horse business. It was a pretty easy choice.”

He drove to Lexington and had the good fortune to meet the Levy family. “I learned both trades: horses and equine insurance,” Jordan said. “I did that every summer all the way through college.”

Ryder said, “Jordan used to come down and stay with us to learn about the business. Because we were so close in age, we got really close.”

The Wycoffs work hard to succeed in racing. “Me and my dad get up at 4:30 or 5:30 every morning,” Jordan said. “We look at past performances at every track we have money at: Gulfstream Park, Fair Grounds, Oaklawn Park, Santa Anita, Turfway Park and New York. It’s a good way to procrastinate a couple hours in the morning.”

Ryder said, “The Wycoffs are very precise people. They’re very precise with their numbers. They’re both very good handicappers. They say, `We like these horses on paper.’ My mom’s role is a lot of physical inspection. She did that when I was younger—before I was trusted with that kind of thing. She tells them which ones she likes. She runs the farm. One of her largest contributions with Three Diamonds is lay-up situations. She is instrumental in figuring out what’s wrong with them.”

Asked about working with his mother, Ryder said, “We’ve very similar. We see horses similarly. She raised me to think like she does about horses, which is a blessing. She’s one of the best horse people in the world. I think we get to experience things together that most mothers and sons don’t. I’m very blessed.”     

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#Soundbites - With increased restrictions on the use of Lasix beginning this year, should tracks have protocols for horses’ environment in the barn concerning ventilation, air flow and bedding?

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With increased restrictions on the use of Lasix beginning this year, should tracks have protocols for horses’ environment in the barn concerning ventilation, air flow and bedding?Compiled by Bill Heller ****************************************************Christophe Clement It’s now a new thing. The environment is very important; I think about it every single day of my life because I think about my horses every single day of my life. Creating the best environment is very important. I’m a strong believer in fresh air. The more fresh air, the better. The more time you can keep them out of their stalls and grazing, the better. It shouldn’t be done by the tracks. Individuals should do it. **************************************** Peter Miller It’s a horrible idea to begin with. Restricting Lasix is a horrible idea. That’s where I’m coming from. It doesn’t really matter what they do. Horses are going to always bleed without Lasix. It’s really environment. You can have the best barn in the world, the best ventilation, the best bedding; horses will still bleed without it. Those are all good practices. I use those practices with Lasix. You want clean air. You want all these things as part of animal husbandry. You want those things. But It’s a moot point without Lasix.**************************************** Kenny McPeek Yes. I think it’s good that tracks maintain the proper environment. Enclosed ventilation in barns is bad for everybody, depending on what surface you’re on. There are open-air barns and racetracks which have poor environments. It’s very important. Horses need a clean environment. ****************************************Ian Wilkes It definitely would help. A closed environment is not natural for horses. You have to get them out, getting fresh air and grazing. With some tracks, there are no turnouts. There’s not a lot of room. I think it’s very important. It’s not good when you get away from horses living naturally and having nature take care of them. It gets dusty in barns with a closed environment. Even if you have the best bedding, if you pay the top dollar and you get this tremendous straw, when you shake it, it’s still dusty. Horses have allergies like people. ****************************************Jamie Ness I think it’s very important. I think it really depends on where you are. At Delaware Park, they have open barns with a lot of ventilation. But that’s in the summer. I’m at Parx, just 50 miles away, in the winter time, and we have to keep the barn closed. It’s cold out there. It stays warm inside, but you have 40 horses in stalls with low ceilings. The ventilation isn’t that great. ****************************************Gary Gullo With or without Lasix, I believe good ventilation, bedding and good quality hay is the best thing for horses. Trainers need to have that. With dust and the environment, the daily stuff 24 hours a day, it definitely helps a horse to get good ventilation. ****************************************Mitch Friedman No. Absolutely not. The tracks have no idea what’s right or wrong. They’re making up rules as they go along. No Lasix. Yes Lasix. This is why the game changed. I worked horses for Hobeau (Farm). If a horse was hurt, they sent him back to the farm. Then they sent three other ones. Farms don’t exist anymore where they turn horses out. The more regulations and rules, it gets worse over the years. The problem is this, in my opinion. I was an assistant trainer for Gasper Moschera. He never had horses break down because they raced every month. Gasper would jog them. Now with Scoot Palmer, these races can’t be run because they’ll suffer breakdowns. The game was never like that. They keep coming up with rules that make it harder and harder. ****************************************John Sadler Yes. My experience is that better ventilation, more air, is really good at preventing airborne disease. Good ventilation is key. The one thing we try to do is eliminate dust in the barn. We ask our grooms to do it. Don’t fluff up their straw while they’re in the stall. Wait until they’re out to control the environment. Getting fresh air is very important. *****************************************

Compiled by Bill Heller

With increased restrictions on the use of Lasix beginning this year, should tracks have protocols for horses’ environment in the barn concerning ventilation, air flow and bedding?

Christophe Clement

It’s now a new thing. The environment is very important; I think about it every single day of my life because I think about my horses every single day of my life. Creating the best environment is very important. I’m a strong believer in fresh air. The more fresh air, the better. The more time you can keep them out of their stalls and grazing, the better. It shouldn’t be done by the tracks. Individuals should do it.

****************************************

Peter Miller

Peter Miller

Peter Miller

It’s a horrible idea to begin with. Restricting Lasix is a horrible idea. That’s where I’m coming from. It doesn’t really matter what they do. Horses are going to always bleed without Lasix. It’s really environment. You can have the best barn in the world, the best ventilation, the best bedding; horses will still bleed without it. Those are all good practices. I use those practices with Lasix. You want clean air. You want all these things as part of animal husbandry. You want those things. But It’s a moot point without Lasix.

****************************************

Kenny McPeek

Kenny McPeek

Kenny McPeek

Yes. I think it’s good that tracks maintain the proper environment. Enclosed ventilation in barns is bad for everybody, depending on what surface you’re on. There are open-air barns and racetracks which have poor environments. It’s very important. Horses need a clean environment.

****************************************

Ian Wilkes

It definitely would help. A closed environment is not natural for horses. You have to get them out, getting fresh air and grazing. With some tracks, there are no turnouts. There’s not a lot of room. I think it’s very important. It’s not good when you get away from horses living naturally and having nature take care of them. It gets dusty in barns with a closed environment. Even if you have the best bedding, if you pay the top dollar and you get this tremendous straw, when you shake it, it’s still dusty. Horses have allergies like people.

Ian Wilkes

Ian Wilkes

****************************************

Jamie Ness

I think it’s very important. I think it really depends on where you are. At Delaware Park, they have open barns with a lot of ventilation. But that’s in the summer. I’m at Parx, just 50 miles away, in the winter time, and we have to keep the barn closed. It’s cold out there. It stays warm inside, but you have 40 horses in stalls with low ceilings. The ventilation isn’t that great.

****************************************

Gary Gullo

Gary Gullow

Gary Gullow

With or without Lasix, I believe good ventilation, bedding and good quality hay is the best thing for horses. Trainers need to have that. With dust and the environment, the daily stuff 24 hours a day, it definitely helps a horse to get good ventilation.

****************************************

Mitch Friedman

No. Absolutely not. The tracks have no idea what’s right or wrong. They’re making up rules as they go along. No Lasix. Yes Lasix. This is why the game changed. I worked horses for Hobeau (Farm). If a horse was hurt, they sent him back to the farm. Then they sent three other ones. Farms don’t exist anymore where they turn horses out. The more regulations and rules, it gets worse over the years. The problem is this, in my opinion. I was an assistant trainer for Gasper Moschera. He never had horses break down because they raced every month. Gasper would jog them. Now with Scoot Palmer, these races can’t be run because they’ll suffer breakdowns. The game was never like that. They keep coming up with rules that make it harder and harder.

****************************************

John Sadler

John Sadler

John Sadler

Yes. My experience is that better ventilation, more air, is really good at preventing airborne disease. Good ventilation is key. The one thing we try to do is eliminate dust in the barn. We ask our grooms to do it. Don’t fluff up their straw while they’re in the stall. Wait until they’re out to control the environment. Getting fresh air is very important.

*****************************************

With or without Lasix, I believe good ventilation, bedding and good quality hay is the best thing for horses. Trainers need to have that. With dust and the environment, the daily stuff 24 hours a day, it definitely helps a horse to get good ventilation.

****************************************

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Alan Balch - "Socialist impertinence?"

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“On, no,” you’re saying to yourself, “not more politics!”But stop and think: American racing is and has been since the 1930s essentially political, since it’s a state-regulated industry. It’s about to add another layer of government regulation, now that in their mutual wisdom The Jockey Club, United States Congress, and former President of the United States have just enacted new legislation to elaborate racing regulation still further. And complicate it?The last time I wrote about subjects I’m going to raise again here, I was accused by one of our most prominent readers of being a “socialist,” and that sprang to mind when I was assailed the same way very recently by another prominent personage. I know that one of them is a strong supporter of the new “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” or HISA.My former students at Harvard College would get a serious jolt out of that accusation; they used to call the classes in Government I taught “Firing Line,” after William F. Buckley’s right-wing conservative television program of the day. I once read aloud to them paragraphs from a Lincoln Day speech delivered by a prominent politician, and largely written by one of my academic mentors who had been showered in infamy for his work with Barry Goldwater. I didn’t tell them that, of course. And then I asked them who they believed delivered those ringing sentiments.“JFK,” came shouted back. “FDR. Justice [Hugo] Black. Justice Douglas.” Liberal lions all. Then I read another famous line from the same speech, about the “nattering nabobs of negativism,” and they all realized the parts of the speech they loved had also been delivered by one Spiro T. Agnew, former Vice President of the United States. Labels, like stereotypes, are diversions from objective analysis. As we assess what ails our sport, and ideas to improve it, labeling a person or an idea “socialist” (or anything else) is just plain counterproductive. We have to confront objective reality and consider all possible corrective means.A hundred years ago – when this really was the Sport of Kings -- it relied then as it still does now on all the commoners. Both kings and commoners love to bet, but there are way more of the latter than the former, and now a great many owners are commoners, too. Back then, virtually everyone recognized that a sport so afflicted with temptations to dishonesty and corruption needed serious governmental oversight if it was to survive and prosper. Yet our racing forefathers were hardly “socialists”! So were born pari-mutuel wagering, the totalizator, and testing for forbidden substances, among countless rules across dozens of American states to build and retain public confidence in the integrity of our sport. Does such government intrusion and oversight smack of “socialism”? To some or many, yes. And they bring with them their own problems of potential misconduct and unfairness in administration. Whether king or commoner, whether citizen or government official, we all share one thing: human nature.

By Alan F. Balch

“On, no,” you’re saying to yourself, “not more politics!”

But stop and think: American racing is and has been since the 1930s essentially political, since it’s a state-regulated industry. It’s about to add another layer of government regulation, now that in their mutual wisdom The Jockey Club, United States Congress, and former President of the United States have just enacted new legislation to elaborate racing regulation still further. And complicate it?

The last time I wrote about subjects I’m going to raise again here, I was accused by one of our most prominent readers of being a “socialist,” and that sprang to mind when I was assailed the same way very recently by another prominent personage. I know that one of them is a strong supporter of the new “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” or HISA.

My former students at Harvard College would get a serious jolt out of that accusation; they used to call the classes in Government I taught “Firing Line,” after William F. Buckley’s right-wing conservative television program of the day. I once read aloud to them paragraphs from a Lincoln Day speech delivered by a prominent politician, and largely written by one of my academic mentors who had been showered in infamy for his work with Barry Goldwater. I didn’t tell them that, of course. And then I asked them who they believed delivered those ringing sentiments.

“JFK,” came shouted back. “FDR. Justice [Hugo] Black. Justice Douglas.” Liberal lions all. Then I read another famous line from the same speech, about the “nattering nabobs of negativism,” and they all realized the parts of the speech they loved had also been delivered by one Spiro T. Agnew, former Vice President of the United States.

Labels, like stereotypes, are diversions from objective analysis. As we assess what ails our sport, and ideas to improve it, labeling a person or an idea “socialist” (or anything else) is just plain counterproductive. We have to confront objective reality and consider all possible corrective means.

A hundred years ago – when this really was the Sport of Kings -- it relied then as it still does now on all the commoners. Both kings and commoners love to bet, but there are way more of the latter than the former, and now a great many owners are commoners, too. Back then, virtually everyone recognized that a sport so afflicted with temptations to dishonesty and corruption needed serious governmental oversight if it was to survive and prosper. Yet our racing forefathers were hardly “socialists”!

So were born pari-mutuel wagering, the totalizator, and testing for forbidden substances, among countless rules across dozens of American states to build and retain public confidence in the integrity of our sport. Does such government intrusion and oversight smack of “socialism”? To some or many, yes. And they bring with them their own problems of potential misconduct and unfairness in administration. Whether king or commoner, whether citizen or government official, we all share one thing: human nature.

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