Graded Stakes Winning Owners - Bill and Tammy Simon (WSS Racing) – Brightwork

Article by Bill Heller

Bill Simon, the former president and CEO of Walmart, quickly learned the difference between Walmart and racing. “There’s no everyday low pricing in horse racing,” he laughed.

Simon was at Walmart from 2006–2015. “Do I miss it?” he said. “I miss the people. But I don’t miss a million and a half people reporting to me. When I left Walmart, I was looking for something to share with my wife Tammy.  She grew up on a farm in North Carolina.”

Thoroughbreds seemed like a good fit. Success came surprisingly quickly.
“We’re very methodical,” Simon said. “I try to work with good people.” 

He certainly has two good people—his trainer John Ortiz and his bloodstock agent Jared Hughes. Oritz said his connection with the Simons “has been life-changing. They’re so supportive. They make me better, not only as a trainer, but also as a person.”

Ortiz knows he’s working with a remarkable person.

Born in Manchester, Connecticut, Simon graduated from the University of Connecticut, earning a Bachelor of Arts in economics and an MBA in management. While in college, he made his first trip to a racetrack, going to Saratoga Race Course.

He served in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves for 25 years, receiving commendations for combat service in Grenada and in Lebanon as part of a multinational peacekeeping force. At Walmart, he was instrumental in the company’s pledge to hire any returning veteran.

Before Walmart, Simon worked at several global companies including Brinker International, Diageo, Cadbury-Schweppes, PepsiCo and RJR Nabisco. He developed and launched Smirnoff Ice in the United States.

In the public sector, he was secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services, dealing with health care benefits, human resources, the Florida retirement system, facilities management and real estate from 2002 through 2004. 

From 2018–2020, he served as chair of the Defense Business Board for Defense Secretary James Mathis. He is currently a senior advisor to the investment firm KKR and is the founder and president of WSS Venture Holdings.

Because of his vast experiences, Simon felt it unnecessary to hire a top-tier trainer and is very happy he chose Ortiz and Hughes. “I’ve already done a lot of things in life,” Simon said. “I traded spreadsheets and profits and losses statements for pedigrees and Racing Forms. It starts with two years trying to figure out where we could operate in this business. We started with claimers as everybody does. Then we focused on buying young horses.”

He’s delighted he has Ortiz and Hughes on his team: “I’m learning from Johnny and Jared. I have some things to teach them, too. I know how to run a business. This is a hard business. We grow together. Jared is a good horseman. John is an incredibly intuitive horseman. We have a better chance because we’re doing the work together. A lot of it is good, hard work.”

The work has paid off. Bill and Tammy found two relatively cheap stars. Barber Road, named for a road in North Carolina, cost $15,000. He broke his maiden in a $30,000 claimer. Simon told Molly Rollins in a March 8, 2022 story in the Blood-Horse, his rationale for the drop-down after Barber Road finished a distant fourth in a maiden special weight debut: “We knew he was special, but we thought, well, you know a $15,000 weanling running in a $30,000 maiden claimer—no one is going to take him; so why not give him a really good blow against an easier crowd and get things started? And that’s what we did. You have to be brave to take a $15,000 horse running for $30,000.”

After a 6 ¼-length romp in a starter allowance, Barber Road took the Simons on the 2022 Kentucky Derby trail, finishing second in the $200,000 Lively Shively Stakes, second in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes and second again in the Gr. 3 Southwest Stakes. He was beaten just a half-length when third in the Gr. 2 Rebel, and finished second again in the Gr. 1 Arkansas Derby.

That led him to the 2022 Gr. 1 Kentucky Derby. He rallied from far back to finish sixth. “We had a huge Kentucky Derby party,” Tammy said. “It was really a neat thing for everybody. It was great. That meant so much to me and my family.,”

Barber Road finished seventh in the Belmont Stakes and most recently was fourth in the Gr. 3 Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs, June 3. He’s made just under $800,000.

The Simons’ undefeated two-year-old filly Brightwork, who upped her record to four-for-four by winning the Gr. 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga September 3, cost $95,000 and has already earned $444,051. She’s never been the favorite in any of her starts, including a five-length romp in the Gr. 3 Adirondack Stakes before the Spinaway.

“I kind of like not being the favorite,” Tammy said. “That little filly has been amazing. To watch her come down that stretch at Saratoga—it was such an incredible feeling. Her breeders were also there with us. I turned around and every one of us was crying. It was John’s first Gr. 1 and our first Gr. 1. It was really special. She’s a diva. She knows she’s special.”

Her husband said he wasn’t too nervous before the race: “Whenever I get nervous, Johnny tells me in poker, you don’t know what other people’s hands are, but you know your hand. I loved my hand.”

After the Spinaway, he said of her half-length victory at Saratoga, “I never imagined we’d win at a place like that. Holy cow! I’m excited to see what she does next.” 

Graded Stakes Winning Owners - Nick and Delora Beaver (Bell Gable Stable) – Nutella Fella

Article by Bill Heller

When Nick Beaver married Delora, he told her, “One of these days, I’d like to have a horse or two or three.” She replied, “You better make enough money to pay for it.”

He did exactly that – with her help. “When I came out of the [U.S.] Navy, I worked with a labor contractor,” Nick said. “I worked for them for about 10 years. Delora said, `Move out on your own.’ We haven’t looked back since. Now we have five companies.”

And horses. Since 2017. “I claimed a horse for $5,000 on a Thursday or a Friday,” Nick said. “By Sunday, we had three more.”

Nick Beaver grew up in racing, literally. His mother was a waitress in the clubhouse at Waterford Park, which is now Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. “I never had a dad,” Beaver said. “My mom raised four boys on her own. I was the youngest.”

In 2019, the Beavers decided to buy a pricey yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic Sale. “We looked at 10 or 12 yearlings,” Beaver said. “We focused on Maryland Brando, a colt by Flatter out of the More Than Ready mare Apple Cider. “The reserve was going to be $100,000,” Beaver said. “We bought him for $250,000.”

Beaver decided he needed another trainer for such a nice horse and reached out to Gary Contessa, a successful trainer in New York who had recently left the business. “I had a bunch of claimers and barely made enough,” Contessa said. “I had enough with the Department of Labor.”

Beaver reached out to Contessa: “I asked him if he would decide what to do with this horse. Gary came down to Delaware. This horse dragged Gary back into the business. I asked him what it would take for you to train this horse. He said, `Being your private trainer.’ I asked Delora. She said, `That works.’ He became our trainer.”

Maryland Brando made a spectacular debut at Delaware Park, August 2, 2021, winning a maiden race by 11 ½ lengths. Maryland Brando then finished 10th in the Gr. 3 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga and a distant fifth in an allowance race in Delaware. Given a long time to recover, Maryland Brando returned in an allowance race at Laurel Park, April 14, 2022. He finished seventh by 20 lengths.

Things got worse. “One day, he got loose on the track,” Beaver said. “He ran through a fence and had to be euthanized. I cried. It was horrible. It was gut-wrenching.”

Then the Beavers went to the 2022 Keeneland September Sale. Instead of spending $250,000, they invested $12,000 to purchase Nutella Fella, a son of Runhappy out of Kristy’s Candy by Candy Ride. “He was in book six,” Beaver said. “It was really late in the sale. Nobody was bidding on him. He came out and looked good. Delora said, `Don’t go over $30,000.’ We get to $12,000. We got him. We were ecstatic. We liked Runhappy.” 

Contessa said, “He’s the spitting image of Runhappy. Looks just like his father.”

In 2023, Contessa switched from Bell Gable Stable’s private trainer to general manager with the stipulation that if one of their horses was good enough to race in New York, Contessa would train him.

“Nick grew up in a racing family,” Contessa said. “He was sleeping in the tack room. He’s a very passionate man about the game. He’s a good guy—a very smart guy.”

When Nutella Fella made his debut in a maiden race at Delaware Park on July 26, Richard Silliman was the trainer. 

And both Silliman and Contessa had a challenge. “He had no issues in the gate early in his training,” Beaver said. “One day in the gate, he freaks out. Something triggered it. He was a nutcase. He was flipping backwards before the gate. He became a nightmare. We worked with him. The Delaware gate crew tried using voice commands. They got him to walk into the gate.”

Nutella Fella’s final work before his debut revealed he had another trait—a very good one. “Our horse comes through the turn and almost collides with other horses,” Beaver said. “Then he got dirt kicked in his face. The minute that dirt hit him in the face, he became possessed. It made him mad. He took a hold of the bit. He went right past them.”

Contessa came to Delaware Park for Nutella Fella’s debut: “He was a handful in the paddock. A handful in the post parade. A handful at the gate. He did everything wrong. He broke dead last. And he won going away.”

The margin under Kevin Gomez was 2 ¼ lengths.

“Nick said, `I want you to take him to Saratoga and run in the Hopeful,’” Contessa said. “I picked him up and took him to Saratoga. He was really bad in the gate.”

A field of 10 contested the $300,000 Gr. 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga on September 4. Junior Alvarado took the mount off Nutella Fella’s impressive final work, three furlongs in :34 4/5 breezing. Bettors weren’t impressed and sent him off at 54-1.

Nutella Fella literally walked out of the starting gate. “It was the same way at Delaware,” Contessa said. “He’s pulling Junior and I said, ' We might be okay here.’ He’s 100 percent racehorse.’” 

Yeah, but he was at least seven lengths behind the horse in next-to-last on the backstretch.

Alvarado’s ride was masterful, cutting inside of horses then angling out at 45-degrees to the far outside. Nutella Fella did the rest, winning by a length and a half.

At 54-1.

“We made so much money,” Beaver said. “We bet him to win and place.” Everyone in his family made money.

“People don’t believe this horse,” Delora said. “I get it. He has to prove it. We know he’s a good horse. We’ll see if he’s the real deal.” 

Barry Schwartz

Article by Bill Heller

What is more exciting for an owner and breeder than a two-year-old colt with talent? Former New York Racing Association Chairman of the Board and CEO Barry Schwartz’s New York-bred colt El Grande O certainly gives him reasons to dream. Off a head loss in the Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga on August 27th, El Grande O dominated five rivals on a sloppy track at Aqueduct September 24, scoring by 8 ¼ lengths as the 3–5 favorite in the $125,000 Bertram F. Bongard Stakes under José Ortiz. Linda Rice trains the son of Take Charge Indy out of Rainbow’s Song by Unbridled’s Song who has two victories, three seconds and one third from his first six starts with earnings of $204,000.

El Grande O is Schwartz’s 26th Thoroughbred to win more than $200,000—a list that includes his top earners Boom Towner, Voodoo Song, The Lumber Guy, Kid Cruz, Princess Violet, Three Ring and Fire King. All of them earned between $700,000 and $1 million.

Now 81, Schwartz and his wife Sheryl still reside at their farm, Stonewall Farm, in northern Westchester County, with a second home on the ocean in California. Schwartz keeps busy playing the markets and running his horse stable.

The Calvin Klein years

It seems like forever since he and his childhood pal Calvin Klein, took Calvin Klein Inc. from a $10,000 initial investment to a global operation, which they sold for $430 million smack in the middle of Schwartz’s four-year reign at NYRA.

Schwartz and Klein, who both lived in the Bronx and had fathers who owned grocery markets in Harlem, went into their first partnership when they were nine, reselling newspapers and collecting bottles. “We’d go to the newsstand when the papers came in early evening,” Schwartz said. “We bought them for a nickel and sold them for a dime. We’d go to all the hotels, especially in the summer. On a good night, we’d make $3 apiece. That was a big deal then.”

When they began Calvin Klein Inc., they rented room 613 in the New York Hotel in Manhattan. The front door was open and faced the elevator. Calvin had the six women’s coats he had manufactured with Barry’s investment. 

One morning the elevator stopped on the sixth floor. One passenger walked out while another noticed the coats and got off. That passenger was Don O’Brien, the general manager of Bonwit Teller, one of New York’s most fashionable stores. 

Schwartz was home when Klein called him with great news: “You’ll never believe this. I got a $50,000 order from Bonwit Teller!” Schwartz replied, “Who’s Bonwit Teller?”  

He figured it out, and Calvin Klein, Inc. went onto incredible success.

The NYRA Years

In the four years Schwartz served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of NYRA from October 2000, to October 2004, racing in New York reached a pinnacle, a shining example of how racing should be operated—when fans and bettors mattered; when the right people in the right positions made the right decisions. 

It didn’t last. When Schwartz departed out of utter frustration from battling politicians and their inept decisions, racing in New York was never the same. It was almost like it was a mirage—a wonderful mirage.

But it was real. It was Camelot at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga.

That he did this while he continued to operate Calvin Klein, Inc. is remarkable. To do it, he had to commute 30 to 45 minutes through New York traffic every morning. And he did NYRA pro bono.

Why? Because he cared deeply about racing, specifically New York racing. Schwartz’s goal at NYRA was straightforward: “to make New York racing No. 1 in the world.”

Schwartz, who had been a member of the NYRA Board since 1994, was approached by acting CEO and Chairman of the Board Kenny Noe, who had decided to retire in the fall of 2000. “I was excited to be asked,” Schwartz said. “I was flattered. My two biggest supporters were Kenny Noe and Dinny Phipps (head of the Jockey Club). Dinny pushed for it. I was kind of flabbergasted, but I was thrilled. I got really energized. It gave me purpose, something to sink my teeth into. I went gangbusters, all in.”

Klein backed Schwartz’s decision. “The best thing that happened was that there was a long time before I took over,” Schwartz said. “I could work out the schedule I’d have to use. I spoke with Calvin about it. He thought it was a good idea. He always said, `If you’re near a phone, what’s the big deal?’”

So he did both. “At NYRA, my first two years were wonderful,” Schwartz said. “My first two years were a honeymoon. The next two years were just horrible.”

On the first day Schwartz took over NYRA and the three racetracks it operates—Belmont Park, Saratoga and Aqueduct—Schwartz went on NYRA’s new website, which had been designed by his son-in-law Michael, and asked fans and bettors what changes they wanted NYRA to make.

Then he made the changes, empowering fans, bettors and handicappers because he has always been a fan, a bettor and a handicapper.

This was a seismic shift in racetrack management, giving the people who support racing with their hard-earned cash every day a chance to impact the process. 

“On the website, we asked fans what they wanted,” Schwartz said. “We did that several times. Everybody loved that. The bettors could participate in the process.”

Bettors had never been asked that.

“It was genuine,” Bill Nader, former NYRA senior vice president, said. “He cared. He knew they cared. They shared the passion. It was a mind-blowing experience. It was exceptional, and I thought it was great that he heard their voice, that he gave them a seat at the table. He listened to what they said. He wanted to grow the business. He wanted to improve the business. Without consulting the customer, how do you do this?”

That initial fan survey on NYRA’s website received more than 4,000 responses. Schwartz responded by immediately making changes. Uniform saddle cloth pads—the 1 horse is red, the 2 horse is blue, etc.— made it easier to follow horses during a race. Claims, when someone purchases a horse that had just raced, were announced to the public. Barry also instituted a shoe board displaying each horse’s shoe type before every race.

A couple months after those changes, Schwartz said, “It really is true: talking to the fans is important. I’m going to continue involving the fans as long as I’m here. Without them, there’s no sport.”

On his first day, he promoted Bill Nader from Simulcast Director to Senior Vice President of Racing and watched Nader become one of the most respected racing officials in the world, serving as director of racing in Hong Kong for 15 years before becoming the president and CEO of the Thoroughbred Owners of California, June 21, 2022.

Schwartz said, “Bill was grossly underpaid. I didn’t want to lose him. When I reviewed the personnel and salaries, this guy was so underpaid; and I wound up signing him to a three-year contract. I wanted to make sure that he stayed. He was really close to me. When I got my people together, Bill was clearly the smartest guy in the room. He was the best guy I had.” 

Nader told Schwartz, “Wow, I’m thrilled, but I’m surprised.” Schwartz responded, “No, I’ve been watching.”

Nader’s appreciation of Schwartz’s support and impact hasn’t subsided more than 20 years later. “From day one, he just got behind me. That’s a huge amount of trust. He made me. He was the one person that changed the course of my life, providing me with the opportunity at NYRA. Six years later, the door he opened for me at NYRA led me to Hong Kong. He changed the path of my life, and I will be forever grateful.”

Schwartz didn’t take long to help all his employees in the first year. “NYRA got $13 million from Nassau County because NYRA had been overbilled for taxes,” Schwartz said. “I gave everybody a five-percent raise and a five-percent Christmas bonus. It was a big deal for the employees. They had never gotten a Christmas bonus.”

There was a new vibe at NYRA, and you could feel it. “What differentiated Barry was Barry was a New York guy,” top jockey-turned TV commentator Richie Migliore said. “He created his success through hard work. He was as comfortable shooting pool in the jockey room as he was in the boardroom. I remember him beating Jorge Chavez, who thought he was a really good pool player. Barry smoked him.”

Breeders’ Cup 2001

There were many shining moments during Schwartz’s four years, perhaps none more important than supervising the 2001 Breeders’ Cup at Belmont Park just weeks after the tragedy of 9-11 had left a city and a nation broken.

Like every other person in America, Schwartz remembers vividly the horror of 9-11 unfolding: “I was home in New Rochelle, getting dressed and ready to go to the farm. We were building our house there. It was in the very beginning. I saw the first plane hit. I told Sheryl, some idiot just flew his plane into the Trade Center. A few minutes later, I’m driving to the farm, and we hear about the second plane hitting. We spent the whole day at the farm. It was a safe haven at a very scary time. Sheryl’s brother got my kids out of the city.”

Belmont Park, in Elmont, Long Island—just 12 miles from “ground zero”—had already been selected to host the 2001 Breeders’ Cup on October 27, less than two months later; and no one was quite certain if that was still going to happen. “We had conversations with everybody,” Schwartz said. “I was in the same camp as Dinny. I thought it was very important to show New York was alive and well.”

Breeders’ Cup President D.G. Van Clief Jr. issued a statement saying, “Obviously, on the morning of Sept. 11, the world changed, and it certainly changed our outlook on the 2001 World Thoroughbred Championships. But it is very important for us to stay with our plan. We’d like it to be a celebration and salute to the people of New York.” 

Schwartz leaned heavily on Nader to get it done. “It was challenging,” Nader said. “We literally worked 18 hours a day. There was the normal preparation. Then the security side. Nobody minded the extra hours. We wanted to be sure we didn’t miss a thing. It was the most rewarding race day of my career because of what it meant. We were beat up. We were sad. We were down. There was a clumsy period of what to do. What is appropriate? The uncertainty of running the Breeders' Cup at Belmont? For horse racing fans, it meant a lot that they could return to the track and feel good, feel alive. I believe it was the first international event held in New York after 9-11. For me, I’m not sure there has been a better day of racing than that.”

On October 11, Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum’s private 747 arrived at JFK International Airport from England. On board, were three of Godolphin Stable’s best horses including Arc de Triomphe, Juddmonte International winner Sakhee and major stakes winner Fantastic Light. They were accompanied by two FBI agents, four customs agents and three carloads of Port Authority police. There were no incidents, and the European horses settled in at Belmont Park. 

The day broke sunny. There were shooters on the roofs of many Belmont Park buildings carrying AKA assault rifles. “They were very visible,” Schwartz said. “We had sharpshooters on the roof. I went up to the roof, and the guys were just laying down with rifles. It was scary.”

Nader said, “Seeing the snipers on the roof, I thought, how are people going to handle this? Once the races began to flow, it became one of the greatest events I’ve ever been involved in.”

At the opening ceremonies, dozens of jockeys accompanied by members of the New York State Police and Fire Departments lined up on the turf course, each jockey holding the flag of his country. Following a bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace,” Carl Dixon of the New York State Police Department sang the national anthem.

Hopes for an all-positive afternoon disappeared before the first Breeders’ Cup race, the Distaff, when Exogenous, who had won the Beldame and Gazelle Stakes, reared and flipped while leaving the tunnel, slamming her head on the ground. The filly was brought back to Hall of Fame trainer Scotty Schulhofer’s barn but died several days later. Her death was only two years after Schwartz lost his brilliant filly Three Ring when she fell and hit her head in the paddock and died in front of Schwartz and Sheryl before her race.

The climax of the day was the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic matching the defending champion, Tiznow, against Sakhee, European star Galileo and Albert the Great. In the final sixteenth of a mile, Sakhee took a narrow lead on the outside of Tiznow, who responded by battling back to win the race by a nose. Announcer Tom Durkin captured the moment beautifully, shouting, “Tiznow wins it for America!”

America had won just by running the Breeders’ Cup as planned. That made NYRA, Schwartz Nader, and the rest of their team, winners, too.

Breeders Cup 2022 – the pick-six scandal

A year later, a day after the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Arlington Park in Chicago, Nader’s quick actions saved racing from further embarrassment when three fraternity brothers from Drexel University were not paid on their identical six winning $2 Pick Six tickets worth a total of more than $3 million.

Nader hadn’t even attended the Breeders’ Cup that Saturday, but he was at Belmont Park the following morning when he noticed something strange about the Pick Six, which had just six winning tickets from a single place, Catskill (New York) Off-Track Betting. “I asked Jim Gallagher to get the configuration of the tickets,” Nader said. “I looked at it, and I said, `Oh, man, this is a real problem. This is a scam.’ Catskill had made up just one-tenth percent of the Pick Six pool. The tickets were the same ticket six times. And the singles were in the first four races with all the horses in the last two.

“Back then, you didn’t get paid until the weekend ended. I called Arlington Park. I begged them not to pay it. The guy said, `Okay, Bill. I won’t pay them until you tell me.’ Then I called the TRPB (Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau).”

The tickets had been altered after the fourth race to list only the winning horse. Subsequently, investigators found that the fixers had tested their scam twice before the Breeders’ Cup. Additionally, they also had been successfully cashing counterfeit tickets of uncashed tickets all over the East Coast. The scam had been exposed before the cheaters got paid.

Racing’s image took a big hit from this, but it would have been much worse if Nader hadn’t acted. “It meant a lot,” Schwartz said. “If it came out after it was paid, it would have been disastrous.” 

Backing José Santos

Seven months later, Hall of Fame jockey José Santos, who had won the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Classic on 43–1 Volponi for Hall of Fame trainer Phil Johnson, also won the 2003 Kentucky Derby on Funny Cide. A week later, the Miami Herald broke just about every journalism standard there is, alleging that Santos had used a buzzer to win the race from a single phone interview with Santos, whose English was pretty good but not 100 percent; and a single photo the Herald deemed suspicious. This created national and international headlines that Saturday morning, and Santos learned the bad news that morning at Belmont Park, when he was having breakfast with his son, José Jr., at the backside kitchen.

Schwartz responded immediately for NYRA. He got the “suspicious” photo blown up, and it showed conclusively that what looked like an object in Santos’ hand was just the view of the silks of Jerry Bailey riding Empire Maker behind Funny Cide. Besides that, Santos would have needed three hands to carry his whip, the reins and a buzzer.

“NYRA defended me 100 percent as soon as it came out,” Santos said 20 years later. “They did everything to clear my name.”

A hearing in Kentucky two days later confirmed how ludicrous the allegations had been—mistakes the Herald paid for in Santos’ successful lawsuit against the paper.

Schwatz’s legacy

Schwartz’s biggest contribution at NYRA was lowering takeout—the amount of money taken from people’s bets—which, in turn, increases handle, allowing corresponding increases in purse money. Schwartz’s simple logic, which he had used his whole life at Calvin Klein, Inc., dictated that if products aren’t selling, you lower the price. That couldn’t penetrate many of the blockheads in the racing industry who still have failed to grasp this simple concept. When Schwartz left, the takeout was increased and handle declined.

“He came in with a different lens than anyone before him,” Nader said. “He looked at it as a retail business. How do I grow the business? That was retail sales. In our business, it was betting. I think that’s why he really connected. He came in as an owner, breeder and fan. That was the added dimension he brought. That was something we had never seen before. Suddenly, the business was growing.”

The numbers showed that. When bettors get more money returned in payoffs, they bet more—a simple process called churn.

Through intense lobbying, Schwartz got the legislature to reduce the takeout on win bets from 15 percent to 14—one of the lowest in the nation; from 20 to 17.5 percent on two-horse wagers, and the takeout on non-carryover Pick Sixes from 25 percent to 20 and then to 15. “It took a long time to get the bill passed,” Schwartz said. “It passed 211–0. I personally lobbied in Albany to explain how lowering the takeout was good for everybody. Once I convinced them, they endorsed it. It passed both houses, and Governor Pataki signed it. I had a good rapport with him. He’d come to my house at Saratoga every summer. I got along very well with him.” 

The impact of lower takeout was immediate. It began at the 2001 Saratoga meet, and handle rose 4.9 percent to a record of $553 million. Attendance at the 36-day meet broke one million for the first time. At the ensuing Belmont Park Fall Meet, handle rose 28 percent. In its first full year with lower takeout in 2002, handle increased at NYRA by $150 million when compared to 2000—the last full year with higher takeout. Schwartz felt it was just a start. 

“My goal is for this to be so successful I can keep lowering it,” Schwartz said in a 2001 article by Michael Kaplan in Cigar Aficionado. “With a 10 percent takeout, the size of our handle will become enormous.”

Such thinking was revolutionary to how business had been done at America’s racetracks. “Business got tough, so racetrack operators all over the country raised their takeouts,” Schwartz said in Kaplan’s article. “You don’t do that. Where I come from, you lower your price when business is bad.”

In 2023, Schwartz was asked why racetracks around the country haven’t lowered takeout: “The people who run racetracks just don’t understand the sport.”

Schwartz certainly does.

Graded Stakes Winning Owners - Michael Dubb – Therapist

Article by Bill Heller

Michael Dubb’s near 50-year voyage at Saratoga Race Course has been unique and complete. In 1973, at the age of 17, he slept in a van because he couldn’t afford a room to attend the races the following day. In 2021, the 65-year-old multiple leading owner in New York, who watches the races from his box seat, saw the opening of his Faith’s House, a daycare center at Saratoga Race Course for the children of backstretch workers that he built and donated so those children had an option other that sleeping in their parents’ car or spending their summers apart from their parents. Faith’s House is named for his mother.

Twenty years earlier, Dubb donated the materials and built Anna House, a daycare center at Belmont Park named for the daughter of late owner, Eugene Melnyk, who contributed $1 million to start the program. Anna House was the first program of any kind offering daycare for children of backstretch workers. Dubb has contributed renovations for both facilities.

Michael Dubb’s legacy won’t be the races he won, but the lives he changed. “It means a lot to me, more than winning races,” he said. “In racing, you need a foundation to win races. These kids needed a foundation for their lives.”

His would be a good one to emulate. 

The van he took to Saratoga was the same one he used for his fledgling landscaping business. “I bought my first landscaper when I was 16,” he said. “I slept in the van for a couple summers at Saratoga. I was in my van at Congress Park, and I got to listen to Richard Nixon resigning that August (1974).”

In 1985, Dubb began The Beechwood Organization, which has become the largest New York developer of family and multi-family attached housing. Beechwood has built more than 10,000 homes in 80 communities in New York City, Long Island, Saratoga Springs and North Carolina. Professional Builder magazine said Beechwood ranked 54th out of 240 housing giants and number 3 in New York in 2023. Dubb’s son Steven, is now a key player in Beechwood.

Dubb, a lifelong Long Islander, has spent much of his life giving back. He built homes for Long Islanders after Superstorm Sandy. The American Cancer Society, the American Jewish Committee, Family Service League, Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation, Mid Island YMCA/Jewish Community Center, Suffolk YMCA/Jewish Community Center, Tilles Center and Networking Magazine have honored Dubb for his philanthropy and community service.

While he has been a partner of top Thoroughbreds Monomoy Girl, British Idiom and Uni, he’s an astute horseman who has made a ton of claims—none more impressive than Therapist.

“He’s a pleasure,” Dubb said. “I competed against this horse for many years. I tried claiming him for $25,000, but I lost the shake. They put him in for $50,000. I got him. He’s just a hard-hitting older New York-bred horse. I’m fortunate to own one.”

Exactly three weeks after Dubb lost his $25,000 claim on a shake, Dubb claimed the eight-year-old gelding for $50,000 on June 20 at Gulfstream Park when he finished third as the 2-1 favorite. Switched from Geoge Weaver to Mike Maker, Therapist won a starter allowance on synthetic by 4 ½ lengths and the Gr. 2 Pan American on turf at Gulfstream. 

Sent to Churchill Downs, Therapist was a wide eighth in the Gr. 2 Louisville Stakes. At Ellis Park, he was second by a head in a $160,000 stakes. 

In the $600,000 United Nations at Monmouth Park, July 22, Therapist won his first Gr. 1, scoring by a length and a half in the mile-and-three-eighths stakes under Javier Castellano. In his last start, Therapist finished eighth in the mile-and-a-half Kentucky Downs Turf Cup. Dubb can live with that. Therapist’s U.N. score earned $360,000—more than seven times what Dubb paid to claim him.

 Of course, all his claims weren’t as successful. 

At Anna House and Faith’s House, all the children are given the tools to be successful. “We give them confidence to compete,” Dubb said.

Dubb conceived the idea of Anna House after Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey told him that backstretch workers’ kids were sleeping in cars. “It just wasn’t right,” Dubb said. “We recognized the need for daycare. I worked with NYRA to find a location. It took about 18 months. We got Anna House built in seven weeks.”

More than 1,000 kids have passed through Anna House, which offers 365-daycare from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are programs for infants from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a school-age program from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Parents of the families are asked to make a “very small donation,” Joanne Adams, the Belmont Child Care Association executive director, said. “We write grants to assist us, and corporations help us.” 

 Asked of Dubb’s ongoing contributions to both Anna House and Faith’s House, Adams said, “It’s hard to imagine any of this without Michael.”

She continued, “He has a big heart. He cares about the people around him. He has shared his early life and what he did and how he worked hard to get where he is. He’s just a very caring person, exceedingly bright. He understands business, and he understands people. He’s happy when the people around him are happy.”

Dubb says of both daycare centers: “They’ve exceeded my wildest dreams, to see how incredibly happy the children are.”

Following in Their Footsteps: Lessons in Business & Training Passed Between Generations

The story of horse racing is one of families. Usually, the conversations focus on the equine kind, sires and dams, and what the generations listed in each horse’s pedigrees bring to the athletes at the center of the sport. The human side of racing too features the age-old tale of family legacies as knowledge and experience gained by one inspires the next to join the fray. 

Whether the name is Hirsch or Veitch, Bryant or Casse or Mandella, the training side of the sport has its share of families passing both knowledge and experience down to the next generation. Summers spent mucking stalls and caring for horses allow parents to share hard-earned expertise with their children, and, in turn, move them to follow in their footsteps. Their journeys to striking out on their own may mirror the ones the previous generation undertook, but the challenges that each face are ones that reflect the changing times within the sport.

The Mandellas 

As the son of a blacksmith, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella grew up with horses, seemingly destined to make his life about their care and training. He assisted his father Gene on their California ranch and learned to break and ride horses from an early age. Dreams of being a jockey turned into time in the saddle as an exercise rider and then years in the barn as a trainer, finding success with horses like Dare and Go, Kotashaan, Omaha Beach, and Beholder. When it came to his two children following in his footsteps, the California-based Mandella, who has been training for nearly five decades, found son Gary eager to join the family business, but the fatherly side of the Hall of Famer tried to dissuade his son from going that route. 

“We were walking out to the parking lot one day, and I asked him, ‘What are you going to do when you finish school?’ And he looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to do what you do, Dad,’” Mandella shared. “I couldn't chase him away. I wanted him to get a real job. He didn't like the idea and worked for me.”

Gary, on the other hand, followed through with his father’s request that he go to college and even tried broadcasting for a time. “I feel very fortunate that people tried to open my eyes to remind me what else was out there, that I could look into something else and try this, try that,” the younger Mandella reflected. “But I knew before I turned 16, that it was going to be hard to get away from [training].” 

His foresight about that career choice came from years growing up with horses right outside his window. The family had a small farm where his dad would send horses for some downtime, meaning that the younger Mandellas were working with and caring for these athletes from their earliest years. “I woke up, and every window that I looked out of my bedroom, I saw horses,” he remembered. “Just helping take care of them there and having the opportunity to be around them all the time made [me] want to be a part of that.”

Those experiences working with his dad and his horses on their family property as well as on the racetrack brought Gary Mandella the background he would need when he decided that a trainer’s life was for him. “My father’s always been more of a lead by example than make a big speech kind,” the younger trainer observed. “He showed me, expected me to pay attention, and was always clear about what the priorities should be.” 

The Bryants

George Bryant started his career in the saddle, riding Quarter Horses for more than a decade, but, when age spelled the end of that career, he parlayed his lifetime with horses into training. Based in Texas, he worked first with Quarter Qorses and later Thoroughbreds, retiring in 2021 as son George Allan Bryant faced a fight for his life. 

Diagnosed with stage four oral cancer, the younger Bryant battled through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, coming out of the experience determined to follow through with his goal of becoming a trainer like his father. He had delayed starting his career until the elder Bryant stepped away, instead working as a racing manager for HDT Allied Management, hosting the Horse Racing Destination podcast, and serving as a member of the Texas Thoroughbred Association.

His decision to open his public stable and start his training career was a long overdue one in the eyes of the elder Bryant: “He’s been ready for quite a while now, [but] it was up to him to make the decision. He really didn’t want to go into training until after I retired.” 

“I didn’t want to compete with him,” George Allan Bryant shared about his decision to defer his training career. Though he did not start his own stable until 2022, the younger man watched and learned from his father, always accompanying the elder Bryant to the barn and riding horses at an early age. This hands-on education prepared the younger Bryant so well that he passed his trainer’s license test on the first try, and then got on social media to share that he was ready to open his stable. He got his first client, Mike Powers, not too long after that. 

Now, his barn at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston counts 20 horses, with the elder Bryant by his son’s side as his assistant, building on the determination that got him through his fight with cancer and pushing him forward. 

The Casses

Mark Casse’s own roots in racing come from his father Norman, one of the founders of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company whose Cardinal Hill Farm in Marion County, Florida, gave Mark hands-on time with horses from his earliest years. As a 12-year-old boy, the future Hall of Famer accompanied his father to the 1973 Kentucky Derby and decided to become a trainer after watching Secretariat’s record-breaking performance. It was during those formative years that he learned what it took to become a trainer.

“You learn from many places. I was running my dad’s training barn when I was 15,” Casse recalled. “I learned from grooms, from hot walkers, from exercise riders. You learn because you love it.”

In 1979, six years after that fateful encounter with Secretariat, Casse got his first win at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, and his first stakes win at Sportsman’s Park near Chicago at just 18 years old; but success at the highest level was still to come. In the late 1990s, he moved his base to Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario, and added racing north of the border to his resume. In the meantime, his oldest son Norm was growing up surrounded by family in the sport, with both of his grandfathers and then his father all involved. But his love came more from his childhood in Louisville, Kentucky, growing up with all things Derby. 

“I just fell in love with horse racing just because I was here and how much the Derby meant to the community,” Casse shared. Much like his dad, Mark’s encounter with Secretariat, Smarty Jones’s Triple Crown run in 2004 spurred the younger Casse’s desire to become part of the sport: “There was just something about that horse in particular that just really excited me, and it was [then] that I decided that’s what I wanted to do.”  

The younger Casse was in his early 20s when Smarty Jones came into his life, playing baseball at Bellarmine University with an eye on what was next: “I figured that I wasn’t going to be good enough to be professional by any means, but I always thought maybe I would be a coach.” After graduating from Bellarmine, Norm joined his dad’s stable in 2006, getting an in-depth education about training horses after years where his focus had been outside of racing. 

“I was behind the eight ball when I first started,” Norm observed. “The intention was always going out on my own, but I knew it was going to take at least 10–12 years before I was going to be comfortable and ready.” Before he went out on his own in 2018, the younger trainer managed strings at American racetracks like Saratoga and Keeneland while the elder Casse focused on his Canadian stable—experience that mitigated the growing pains other trainers face when starting their own stables. 

With his first Kentucky Oaks starter, Southlawn in 2023, Norm Casse continues to build on the lessons learned working with his Hall of Fame father and finding success in his own program with horses like Pretty Birdie and Rhyme Schemes in his barn.   

The Challenges of the Business and Sport

For the Mandellas in California, the challenges are two-fold. A declining population of horses and the rising costs of maintaining a stable make that circuit a tough place to race. “There’s just [not] near the number of stables here as there used to be,” the elder Mandella observed. He let Gary know that the option to leave California and train elsewhere was there, but “[Gary] decided to stay put.” 

According to the younger Mandella, the purse money that tracks in California have to offer has not kept pace with what tracks backed by casinos have to offer. Because of that, plus the higher cost of living in the state, the circuit lacks a middle. The state’s racing scene is still strong at the top, as evidenced by the success of West Coast horses coming east, but the inflated prices of real estate and feed make it harder to maintain a barn of allowance and claiming horses. 

The younger Mandella has his own stable but shares a barn with his father as well. The two work together, as the Hall of Famer has scaled back his operation, happy to have his son on hand to help guide both stables through the implementation of HISA (Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority) regulations and the growing dependence on technology. “I’m lucky I have had this barn for 49 years, and I’ve got some great people that work for me,” the elder Mandella shared. “Having him along with it makes it possible for me to get through all of this new stuff.” 

Technology makes it easier to communicate with owners and to work with larger ownership groups like My Racehorse, which the Mandella barn has found success with; but it also opens up another set of challenges for the sport. As Mark Casse pointed out, social media has made sharing information, like win percentages, easier, which can be a double-edged sword. 

“Everybody wants you to win at a high percentage, and that’s a challenge; and then any little move, any little thing that goes wrong or right shows up on social media, which is tough,” he observed. 

Additionally, social media has also led to continued scrutiny from many different directions, especially in light of the recent charges against Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis. “It’s the reason why I have pushed so hard for HISA,” Casse shared. “I want my kids who choose to make this their business to be able to do the right thing and to be on a level playing field.” 

For the father-son Bryant team, the biggest difference between starting in the 1980s and in the 2020s is the cost of labor, supplies, and the horses themselves. “It’s gotten to be pretty expensive,” the elder Bryant observed. “When I started, a bale of hay was probably $1.50, and now it’s $20.”

To succeed, “you got to be pretty business smart, and you have to have owners that pay you good,” he said, a sentiment echoed by Gary Mandella. 

“This is one of the few businesses where you post bills for services rendered as opposed to pre-billing,” the trainer observed. “When you’re operating with a high overhead, it can be stressful. You have to manage that stress so that you’re just taking the horses in consideration as individuals.” 

Balancing the needs of the horses with the needs of the business remains a vital part of the job of horse trainer. While each considers what their horses need, they also need to look beyond the day-to-day care and maintenance to the evolving issues of bringing both new owners and new horses to their barns.

The Search for the Next Big Thing 

High up on the list of challenges for trainers is bringing in both new owners and new horses to their barns. The advent of social media as well as the rise of partnerships and microshare syndicates means that the way that the sport conducts business has changed and the men and women who make their living in it must adapt as well. While the opportunities to work as a private trainer for one or two owners may be fewer, these father-son tandems must navigate the continuing evolution in both recruiting owners and finding horses to train. 

For George Allan Bryant, social media has allowed him to reach potential owners in ways that his father could not in earlier decades and has enabled his nascent barn to grow. “I can advertise my horses and business much easier,” the younger Bryant shared. 

Hall of Famer Mark Casse has also seen a change in this era of instantaneous communication. Over his 40-year career, he primarily relied on phone calls to keep his clients informed, yet the 21st century has taken the phone to a new level. “The way we communicate now is much different. Now I would say that 95% of owners get updates when their horses work or when they run,” he observed. “I get a lot of texts and emails and those kinds of things. I still have lots of phone calls, but it has definitely changed.”

Alongside the changes in how owners access information about their horses and potential trainers, the rise of syndicates like MyRacehorse and Commonwealth, both of whom boast Kentucky Derby winners in Authentic and Mage, has changed the sport, opening up opportunities for more people to get involved in owning horses, but also helping to mitigate the rising costs of owning and training horses. That also leaves racing with two distinct groups calling the shots.  

“I feel like the game right now is moving toward you can either afford to have all of your horses yourself and call all of your own shots, or you need to be a part of a big partnership where there’s truly no stress; you bought your piece, and everybody else handles everything,” Gary Mandella shared. “They tell you where to be, where to show up, and you can either make it or not. It’s all handled.”

Though such new approaches to ownership open the sport up to people who might not have been able to participate otherwise, it does lead to one trend that has troubled the sport over the last three decades as the majority of the sport’s highest earners tend to be in the barns of only a few. 

As the younger Mandella pointed out, “Part of the selling point of these big syndicates is you can’t get in with Bob Baffert if you buy a horse yourself for $20,000 as a yearling; but if you spend $20,000 on share of more expensive horses, then you get access to Baffert or Brad Cox or Todd Pletcher. And again, now too many of the horses are in the hands of too few, and that hurts.” 

For the elder Casse, these ownership groups bring a definite upside to the sport: “It would be my opinion that syndicates have introduced many people to our sport. As things go on, some of them feel the need to go ahead and branch out and do a little bit more on their own. I think they’re great for our sport. 

“There’s so much to learn about our sport, and if you try to get into it on your own, it’s very difficult. But those syndicates are good for learning.” 

In the case of the elder Mandella, working with MyRacehorse has streamlined his responsibilities, allowing him to step away from attending sales and focus more on selecting the horses he will train. “The owners all tend to have bloodstock agents and managers now,” Mandella shared. “I try to not interfere with that and just hope they send me some horses.” 

Syndicates like MyRacehorse will bring Mandella and other trainers out to their bases in areas like Aiken, South Carolina, and allow each to select the horses they would like to train. In the case of the younger Bryant, he even started his own syndicate, Passion Racing, to offer potential owners the chance to invest in horses he trains. He also works with his owners like Adam Blick of Blick Racing, attending sales and offering his feedback on potential runners. 

For trainer Norm Casse, his focus is on the two types of clients he works with, those who buy from the sales and those who claim horses. When it comes to buying horses, “I have professionals that represent me at the sales to find new horses, and I trust their opinions.” On the other hand, he is more involved with the selection of the horses he claims. “I have certain types of horses that I like, and looking at past performances, I can decide which horses would be successful in our program,” he shared. “I like claiming horses using common sense, and it’s really as simple as that.” 

When it comes to adding clients and horses to their barns, the elder Casse has not seen as much of a change in recent years. Rather than actively recruiting, “I think most trainers just let the results speak for themselves and hope that owners will come,” he said. “There’s so much more information out there for people to gather, but you still get a lot of recommendations from other owners.”

Instead, he makes the best of the sales, working with clients like Charlotte Weber of Live Oak Stud to pick out potential racers. “I like it because if I don’t do a good job, get good horses, the only one to answer to or be upset with is myself,” the long-time conditioner shared. “I enjoy picking out horses, and I have a real good memory of the horses I’ve trained; and I try to duplicate that.” 

What the current trends in ownership and horse selection create is a challenging environment for the sport as a whole, where success at the top levels mirrors what’s happening in other sports. As the younger Mandella observes, “One  of the great selling points of horse racing is that it is truly the only major sport where you can try to win a championship without spending the most money. There’s such a strong concept in baseball, basketball, football and hockey, where somebody comes in and either increases their budget or buys a team and changes the concept.” 

“None of these sports have a story like California Chrome or Real Quiet or Sunday Silence—horses that were bought for so little money and were able to take down horses that were seven figures and owned by some of the richest people in the world. Where else can you partake in that?”

Echoing his son’s thoughts, Richard Mandella sees a need for racing to restore a balance between the business and the sport: “that part needs to be addressed and always paid attention to so that we don’t get too far to the business side and get too cold about it. This is meant to be an escape for people in real life working in offices, running businesses, and having all of those headaches. Racing is supposed to be a way to get your mind on something else and have some fun.” 

“The better we can make the sport look, the more chance we’re going to get people to come here,” he observed. 

The evolution of the sport in the era of social media and syndication add new demands to their jobs, but these father-son tandems remain committed to the sport they have loved from their earliest days. Though the pressures of training these equine athletes and maintaining the business side of the game may test these conditioners, they are all open to the idea of their own children deciding to join their ranks. 

Advice for the the next generation

George Allan Bryant’s advice is to stay on top of the bills and expenses that come with caring for these athletes and maintaining the communication necessary to work with the owners. “You’ve got to take care of your bills,” he observed. “But this is also a people business as much as it is a horse business. Your phone is always on.” 

Norm Casse too echoed that aspect of the job: “The main thing I learned is how to deal with clients and owners. I never have a problem communicating with the owner because my whole life, I’ve been listening to somebody do it.” With apps like The Racing Manager, Casse and other trainers can quickly communicate with everyone associated with a horse, another avenue for keeping their clients in the know as their horses develop and progress. 

For Mandella, the key to bringing in a new generation to the training business would be to show his son the ropes much as his father did. “I would warn him that this is a business that has economic risks to jump into for sure,” he said. “But also, I would give him as much support as I possibly could.” 

At the center of all six trainers’ time on the track are the equine athletes that make the demanding schedules and daily stresses worthwhile. For all three families, the focus remains on the horses and their care and development, all seeking not just success on the racetrack but the connection with the animals in their care.

“You’ve got to really know your horses and pay attention to all of the little things,” George Bryant shared. “Take excellent care of your horses. The better care you take of them, the healthier they’ll be and the faster they’ll run for you.” 

Alan Balch - Federalism Redux

As if we in American racing weren’t already facing serious threats to our very existence as a major sport, and an exceptionally elaborate interdependent business, now we’re also an example of the present national political dysfunction and irrationality. Just one more sharp dagger.

Over a half-century ago, I spent a previous lifetime in academia—studying government and political philosophy, with an emphasis on American political enterprise and evolution. When I joined Santa Anita, I never thought that I would one day witness at the racetrack the fundamental contradictions of the American founding! 

But here we are, courtesy of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). As you are probably aware, this addition of national government oversight to Thoroughbred racing, which had previously been the province of state-by-state regulation, came by way of its sudden inclusion in a must-pass federal budget bill in the waning days of the Trump presidency. Courtesy of Republican Party Leader Senator McConnell, of Kentucky—whose patrons The Jockey Club and Churchill Downs advocated for it.

There is little doubt that the enabling legislation wouldn’t have been adopted had it been considered on its own merits, absent the cover of the required federal budget.

In any event, the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted at the founding, reads in whole, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Since racing had always been regulated by the individual states where it had been held (for nearly 100 years, or even more in some states), its sudden impending regulation by the federal government was bound to raise serious issues of “federalism.”

Way back when American schools required Civics and American Government to be taught—rigorously—we all were expected to learn the basic founding stories: about the original thirteen colonies of Great Britain, the American Revolution, and the Articles of Confederation which preceded the Constitution. Suffice it to say that the age-old tensions between the prerogatives and responsibilities of the individual state governments and those of the national (“federal”) government underpin all of American politics.

Federalism, our system of government whereby the same geographic territory is under the jurisdiction of multiple layers of authority, is at once the genius of our American democratic republic and its potential debilitating weakness. Such a structure requires cooperation—and repeated compromise. It’s been nearly 250 years since our Declaration of Independence. To this day, our founding tensions underlie virtually all our politics and governments . . . from local school boards to town and city councils, to counties, states, and the federal government.  

So, is it any wonder that when consensus in our complex, diverse nation is still so difficult to achieve on fundamental issues of human rights, race and voting procedures, our own (trivial?) questions of how horse racing is to be governed hardly have merited a glance?

Irony has heaped upon irony in racing’s current regulatory quagmire. The contemporary political party that seems to believe in the supremacy of states’ prerogatives as to critical issues of voting and personal behavior—the opposite one from the party that used that same banner to fuel the secession of Southern states igniting the Civil War in 1860—has abandoned it when it comes to racing oversight! Its leadership believes the heavy hand of the federal government is too weighty for issues of life, death and voting, but necessary to wield on regulating racing.

Thus far, trying to use federal law to serve the cause of regulatory uniformity nationwide has resulted in the opposite, at great expense, monetary and otherwise. The “otherwise” may well include sacrificing basic tenets of due process of law, such as the presumption of innocence for those accused of misbehavior.

And all of this was so unnecessary. The Jockey Club and the other prime movers of HISA should have simply engaged in good faith at the outset with the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). Its model rules have been developed over decades of interfacing with state racing boards and the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, which includes trainer and owner representation. With that approach, the issues now plaguing all of us would be much diminished, if they still existed at all. Bottom line, nobody in the sport wants cheaters. But a relatively few in the sport, it would seem, do still want to decide for and dictate to all the rest of us. Does The Jockey Club actually want a more rapidly shrinking sport? It’s entirely possible, perhaps probable, with all the foreseeable angst. 

HISA leadership professes to be open, transparent and willing to consider improvements. If that is so, why won’t it immediately understand the serious threat of “provisional suspensions” to every trainer and owner, and the near-total lack of transparency and timely response when it comes to cases of obvious environmental contamination? That very concept of “provisional” suspension, which came from international non-racing equestrian sport regulation, is indicative of a blindness to the realities of racing which would have never occurred were the ARCI model rules adopted.

Instead of using its expensive public relations machine to continue sending repeated self-serving, congratulatory messages to a skeptical community, HISA should tell all the rest of us how we can go about expeditiously amending its rules to provide for practical, fair and truly transparent governance.

Publius (the pseudonym for James Madison in Federalist Paper #47) wrote this in 1788: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” 

As it stands now, HISA’s authority, rule-making, disciplinary practices and governance are perilously close to just that destructive.

WIth absent judicial intervention, only HISA itself can open the door to necessary reform—before it’s too late.

Graded Stakes Winning Owners - Bill Parcells - August Dawn Farm (Maple Leaf Mel)

The juiciest thrill for a Thoroughbred owner is having an undefeated young horse. You don’t know, the trainer doesn’t know, and nobody on the planet knows when that undefeated horse will stop winning as he or she climbs up in competition.

NFL Hall of Fame former New York Giants Coach Bill Parcells, who races as August Dawn Farm, knows about thrills, having won the Giants’ first two of four Super Bowl victories.

Since becoming a Thoroughbred owner in 2011, he’s had 59 victories from 353 starts and more than $4.5 million in earnings.

But he’s never had a Grade 2 victory, let alone a Grade 1, and now his undefeated New York-bred filly Maple Leaf Mel is poised to add that Grade 1 score to her resume in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga August 5th. 

Handy victories in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico and the Grade 3 Victory Ride at Belmont Park made the New York-bred five-for-five. She’s won all five wire-to-wire.

Growing up in New Jersey, Parcells used to go to Monmouth Park with his father. Showing a tender side he might not have displayed on the Giants’ sidelines, Parcells named the filly for her young trainer, 39-year-old Melanie Giddings, who survived ovarian and endocervical cancer in 2020 and went on her own this spring after serving as an assistant for Jeremiah Englehart. Maple Leaf Mel’s 2 ½ length victory in the Victory Ride was the first with Giddings listed as her trainer.

Parcells bought her for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. She is a daughter of Cross Traffic out of City Gift by City Place.

“When Bill said he was going to name her for me, I kind of thought he wasn’t serious,” Giddings said. “When it happened, it was an honor, when a guy like that names a horse for you. He loves Saratoga. He really does love the New York-bred program.”

He’ll love it even more if Maple Leaf Mel keeps winning open-company stakes. “She’s great,” Giddings said. “She’s a pleasure to be around. She does everything perfect. You can’t ask for any more. Work her fast; work her slow; work her behind horses. You wish you can find more like her.”

Giddings currently has eight horses in her barn. “When you don’t have connections, it’s a tough go,” she said. “You have to find ways to get horses.”

Parcells could use Maple Leaf Mel’s earnings to remedy that. With just under $400,000 in earnings, she is already Parcells’ fifth highest-earning horse behind Saratoga Snacks ($523,600), Play Action Pass ($480,935), Hit It Once More ($390,102) and Three Technique ($366,615). Saratoga Snacks won the 2013 Empire Classic for trainer Gary Sciacca. 

Another Parcells runner, Forty Under, won the 2018 Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes. “He’s a pleasure to train for,” Giddings said. “He likes to joke around. At the end of the day, he says, `Do whatever you like.’ He’s up at 5 a.m. every day. He goes to the gym. He goes to the barn every morning. He tells me right now I’m more popular than Taylor Swift. I said, if that’s the case, Belmont would have been packed.”

Belmont hasn’t been packed too many times. And Parcells was one of the no-shows for Maple Leaf Mel’s last glittering performance. “He’s a little superstitious,” Giddings said. “He hasn’t been there recently for her races. He was feeling a little nervous like the rest of us. He stayed here in Saratoga and watched her.”

She was sensational. “Her last race was her toughest field,” Giddings said. “It seems like she’s getting better. When Joel (Rosario) asked her, she responded. Then he wrapped up on her.”

After the race, Rosario said, “She’s very nice. She goes out there and just does her job. She was very relaxed and was never worried about someone challenging her because she was moving so well. She goes out there and shows her speed and says, `come and beat me.’”

Nobody has. And most young horses improve in their first few starts. “You hope so,” Giddings said. “You keep them happy. A happy horse runs well. I’ve done this so long for a lot of people, I feel like it’s second nature.”

Beating cancer saved and changed her life. “When you go through that kind of sickness, you may not wake up in the morning,” she said. “I’m more easy going. I want to live a life worth living.”

She’s already jump-started her training career with Maple Leaf Mel. “I didn’t really set any goals,” she said. “I’d be super happy if I can say I won a race at Saratoga. If the Test was that race, that would be something, wouldn’t it?”

Graded Stakes Winning Owners - Jon Ebbert (Arcangelo)

Article by Bill Heller

Arcangelo showed Jon Ebbert life can begin just before turning 40 years old. Three days before his 40th birthday, Ebbert was standing in the Belmont Park winner’s circle after Arcangelo, his $35,000 yearling purchase, won the Belmont Stakes by a length and a half, making his trainer, Jena Antonucci, the first woman to win a Triple Crown race.

That wasn’t the only history Arcangelo made. He gave his Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who contributed a brilliant ride, his first victory in the Belmont Stakes after 14 misses. Just five weeks earlier, Castellano ended his zero-for-15 schneid in the Kentucky Derby with Mage. In between, Hall of Famer John Velazquez won his first Preakness Stakes with National Treasure after a dozen Preakness losses.

Dabbling with Hall of Famers and winning the final leg of the Triple Crown? Really?

Ebbert, who works in real estate in Pennsylvania and races as Blue Rose Farm, was introduced to racing at the age of six by his grandmother. He and his family were picking her up to go out for dinner on the first Saturday in May and she told them she couldn’t go until she saw how her horse in the 1988 Kentucky Derby fared. Two years later, Ebbert told his parents he wanted to begin riding lessons, and the rest is history, a very slow-developing history.

Ebbert displayed remarkable patience and persistence as an owner with little success over the past 15 years. The first horse he bought, Daydreamin Boy, cost $3,700 and went zero-for-14 for him.

There were no real highlights. Before Arcangelo made his career debut last December, Ebbert was two-for-37 with earnings of $86,950 racing under his name. Racing under Blue Rose Farm, he’d been zero-for-two with earnings of $1,000.

One horse and one trainer changed all that.

Ebbert met Antonucci by chance the day before the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He told Dave Grening of the Daily Racing Form in his June 9th story that he went to the sale looking to buy a son of Classic Empire who could take him to the 2024 Breeders’ Cup. Ebbert found a son of Classic Empire, Classic Bourbon, and purchased him for $100,000. Through June 2023, Classic Bourbon is zero-for-nine with earnings of $6,170. He is also trained by Antonucci.

Fortunately for Ebbert, another yearling caught his eye, one by Arrogate out of the Tapit mare Modeling. Ebbert bought him for $35,000.

Antonucci started Classic Bourbon twice as a two-year-old on August 27th and September 18th. 

She brought Arcangelo along a bit more slowly at Gulfstream Park. He finished second in his debut December 17th, then fourth on January 14th with Jose Ortiz aboard both times. On March 18th, with Castellano in the saddle for the first time, Arcangelo won by 3 ½ lengths.

Shipped to Belmont Park, Ebbert and Antonucci asked Arcangelo to take a giant step up in the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes, the traditional prep for the Belmont Stakes, May 13th. Arcangelo gamely edged Bishops Bay by a head after a protracted head-to-head stretch battle.

That presented Ebbert with a crucial decision. He had not kept Arcangelo eligible for the Triple Crown, but he could supplement him to the Belmont Stakes for $50,000, $15,000 more than he had paid to buy him.

Ebbert didn’t blink, putting up the $50,000 for a chance to win the final leg of the Triple Crown. “He made the money; we’re going to go for it; we’ve got faith in the horse,” Ebbert told Grening.

The faith was justified. Castellano’s flawless ride gave Ebbert his greatest victory. Arcangelo is now a key contender in the widest-open three-year-old division in many years with races such as the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on the horizon. 

His grandmother would have been very proud. 

Graded Stakes Winning Owners - Chase Chamberlin, Commonwealth Racing (Mage)

Article by Bill Heller

When Chase Chamberlin, a successful entrepreneur who partnered with Brian Doxtator to create the very successful, Kentucky Derby-winning Commonwealth Racing, was in the second grade in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he said he wanted to be an entrepreneur. “My uncle, John Handelsman, was an entrepreneur,” Chamberlin said. “He had a very successful leasing company.” 

Don’t read too much into it. The year before, Chamberlin wrote down orthopedic surgeon. “Another uncle was one,” he said.

In the third grade, he wanted to be a defense attorney. “I watched way too much TV,” he said.

He didn’t know then, but an even earlier passion, riding and loving horses, would ultimately land him, Doxtator and maybe 100 or more of the 382 micro-share Commonwealth partners into the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle when Mage won the 2023 Kentucky Derby. “It was very hard to process,” Chamberlin said. “It was so overwhelming. It was an out-of-body experience, completely surreal.”

But not his first. In 2022, Commonwealth’s first horse it offered on its app, Country Grammer, finished second by a half-length to Emblem Road in the $20 million Grade 1 Saudi Cup. He then won the $12 million Dubai World Cup by 1 ¾ lengths over Hot Rod Charlie. He finished second in the Saudi Cup again this year  by three-quarters of a length. Though he was seventh in the Dubai World Cup and fourth in the Grade 1 Gold Cup in his two most recent starts, he’s banked nearly $15 million. “When Country Grammer won the Dubai World Cup, I had $120 in my personal checking account,” Chamberlin said. “He’s a very special horse, an incredibly special horse.”

So was his first Thoroughbred, Katie. Chamberlin was 4 when he climbed aboard her. “She stopped to graze and I slipped down her neck and landed on my feet,” he said. “I was always fearless. I jumped right back up there. The trainer, Ken, said, `I think this is going to stick.’”

Did it ever. He became a two-time national champion in saddle seat riding, a style of English riding designed to show off the high action of various horse breeds which is prevalent in the United States, Canada and South Africa. “I’ve trained national champions, too,” Chamberlin said. “I’ve been very fortunate. It is my greatest love. I tried to quit a couple of times and I’ve been unsuccessful.”

Chamberlin, whose lone sibling Ashley is eight years older, learned to work hard from his parents. “My dad was in a paper mill; my mom owned a hair salon,” he said. “I grew up with extraordinary, hard-working Midwesterners. My mom, a type `A’, was always pushing us to try new things. I was always around adults.”

Ashley and Doxtator were very good friends. Doxtator kind of knew Chamberlin.

Both graduated from Western Michigan, Doxtator in 2004 and Chamberlin in 2012. “I had several show horses when I was choosing a college,” Chamberlin said. “My parents said `You can go to a school in-state and keep the horses or out-of-state and we’ll sell the horses.’” 

No brainer. Western Michigan is in Kalamazoo. “Western had a top sales program, out-competing the Ivy League,” he said. “It was an easy decision.”

In college, Chamberlin was the captain of Western Michigan Broncos’ equestrian team. Out of college, Chamberlin helped turn around a home health care company, then did consulting, showing and selling horses for a year before returning to business. He spent four years working in sales and video strategy for one of the world’s largest digital video studios, Epipheo.

A chance meeting with Doxtator in a Barnes and Noble store changed his career and his life. “He hadn’t seen me since I was a little boy,” Chamberlin said. “He sent me a message: `I’ve got an idea I think you will love.’”

Doxtator started his business career working as an analyst in mergers and acquisitions for Legg Mason, an investment banking firm in Baltimore. He then moved to New York to work in corporate group strategy for AIC, a tech and media holding company. Next up was a move cross country to San Francisco, where he joined a new company, Playhaven, a marketing platform for mobile app developers. “We grew Playhaven from five people and zero revenue to 200 employees and $50 million annual revenue,” Doxtator said in the Western Michigan alumni magazine. When Playhaven got sold, Doxtator helped his wife, Christy, launch a bridal business, LOHO Bride.

Then Doxtator came up with an idea. While exploring financial technology startups, he became intrigued with new regulations allowing apps to sell shares in assets. He thought that could be applied to sports, particularly horse racing. And he knew just who to call to find a partner.

In January, 2019, they launched Commonwealth, which allows investors to buy horses for as little as $50. Commonwealth is about to launch a similar platform for golf fans.

Chamberlin and Doxtator didn’t wait long to make a huge connection with WinStar Farm. Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar, said on Commonwealth’s website “We are excited to enter this partnership. We have seen the micro-share space grow, and believe that offering the horses that WinStar Farm races to the public will bring excitement and energy to the sport.”

You think? Country Grammer and Mage!

At the 2019 Saratoga meet, Chamberlin had the good fortune of being introduced to Ramiro Restrepo. “We became friends,” Chamberlin said. “We talked about connections.”

In 2022, Chamberlin got a call from Restrepo, who had teamed with trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr. to purchase Mage for $290,000 – more than they had budgeted – at the Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic Two-Year-Olds-in-Training Sale. “He said, `I’ve got this nice Good Magic colt. We’re looking for somebody to take 25 percent,’” Chamberlin said.

Chamberlin watched the video of Mage’s breeze and gallop-out. “I loved them, but I wanted to see the horse in person,” he said. “I see our horses in the flesh before we buy them. I want to have convictions on every horse we offer.”

Chamberlin went to see Mage at the Lexington Thoroughbred Training Center and decided instantly: “The moment I saw him, I said, `Done, we’ll take him!’ He’s built like a bull.”

Commonwealth offered shares of its 25 percent interest in Mage to the public on its app, and 382 people bought in for as little as $50. “It was an incredible array of people,” Chamberlin said. “Professionals, doctors, factory workers, young tech guys.”

Now all of them have a memory of a lifetime: the Kentucky Derby. “I was more emotional when I saw the reactions of my partners,” Chamberlin said. “This is what we give to people. What good is a great horse like Mage if you don’t share him with others? Sharing it with other people made it special for me.”

Actually, horses have been special to him since he was four, 29 years ago. “Horses have been great to me,” Chamberlin said. “They are my greatest passion. It’s absolutely what I love. I hope I get to do horses until the day I die.” 

George Weaver - Champagne still flowing!

Article by Bill Heller

Eight years removed from his first unsuccessful starter at Royal Ascot, trainer George Weaver was already a winner when his two-year-old filly Crimson Advocate stepped onto the track to contest the Gp. 2 Queen Mary Stakes June 21. That’s because his love, his partner and his best friend, his wife Cindy Hutter, was able to accompany him and their 20-year-old son Ben to England nearly one year after her gruesome injury on the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course. A horse she was galloping suffered an apparent heart attack and collapsed on her, causing severe brain damage and multiple injuries—changing their lives forever.

Imagine their joy when a photo finish showed that Crimson Advocate and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, had won the Queen Mary Stakes by a fraction of a nose, making Weaver just the third American trainer to capture a race at England’s most prestigious course, in a field of 26. “It was very, very emotional for us,” Weaver said. “ It was kind of miraculous—a beautiful experience much more than winning a race at Ascot. It was kind of spiritual.”

Cindy said after the race, “It was kind of like a dream come true.”

It happened 12 days short of one year after the nightmare at Saratoga.

Weaver was walking back to the barn with another horse when Cindy went down. “By the time I got there, the ambulance was there,” he said. “She was unconscious. She was bleeding. It was a bizarre day. It was a very scary day. It was a very stressful time. We didn’t know if she was going to regain consciousness. We didn’t know what the future would hold.”

Cindy had suffered broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a lung injury besides bleeding on the brain. Though seemingly unconscious, she was able to give a thumbs-up sign after hearing a voice command from a doctor. There was reason for hope.

Hope can go a long way. No one envisioned Weaver and Cindy standing in the winner’s circle at Royal Ascot less than a year later. “We’ve been doing this our whole lives,” Weaver said. “It was an exciting day for us.”

Weaver, 53, was born and raised in Louisville and knew at a very young age that his life would involve Thoroughbreds. He thanks his father, Bill, for that. “My dad took me to the track and told me how to read the Form since I was very little—less than a year old. It was exposed to me early on, and it stuck with me.”

His brother, Scott, went to the track with him, but after working briefly with horses, he turned to business and works for a computer company. 

Weaver has never left the business. “I was never really in doubt about what I wanted to do,” he said.

He worked on a farm briefly for Kenny Burkhart but didn’t take long to know he wanted to work at the track. While still in high school, he began walking hots for trainer John Hennig in the summer. “I was 17,” Weaver said. “I told him I didn’t want to be a hotwalker. I wanted to learn. He took me to Philadelphia Park. He taught me how to be a better hotwalker, how to groom and horsemanship.”

When Hennig left to work for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas at a training center in California, Weaver was given a choice in 1991: go to California and work for Hennig or travel to New York to work for Lukas’ New York operation under Jeff Lukas and Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. 

“Working for Wayne, he had some very, very nice horses,” Weaver said. “It was a source of pride to come out of that program, learning to train horses. It’s a lot of trial and error. That was my schooling as opposed to college. I went to the University of Wayne Lukas.”

Lukas remembers both Weaver and Cindy fondly: “The two of them were both working for me at the same time. It was a treat to have them in the shed row. Both excellent horse people. I never doubted for a second they’d be successful. He’s an articulate, good horseman. I’m very proud of him. I saw him on TV at Ascot. It was a treat to see him over there. If George doesn’t do anything else, he married smart.” 

  Cindy, a native of Romansville, Pennsylvania, began riding at an early age and began working for Bruce Miller when she was 16. She galloped horses at Delaware Park and, in her early twenties, began working for Lukas in New York.

It was not love at first sight. They knew each other for years before they began dating. They’ve been together ever since. His respect for her horsemanship is considerable: “She could be on her own… attention to detail…perfectionist. Over the years, she could help a horse who was nervous or a head case. She was always our go-to girl. She’d fix them. I can’t tell you how. She has a great instinct for a horse. She’s a great rider. She’s one of a kind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone like her.”

When they learned Cindy was pregnant, they decided to go on their own in 2002. “It was time to make a go for it,” Weaver said. “It was time for me to give it a go: come together as a family and see how it went. Luckily, we’ve had a lot of success over the years. She managed the barn so I could focus on our clients. We’ve always worked well together and done well.”

Always? A husband and wife together 24/7? “I won’t lie to you; she has strong opinions,” Weaver said. “Obviously, you have clashes. But we have a mutual respect. It starts with that. We both have the same philosophy: keeping the horses happy.”

Cindy agreed: “We keep horses happy. We do little things like take them to the round pen, let them graze, let them walk and do things before they even go to the track. I think little things make a difference. And we do well together. He gets to do more with the owners and the PR part. I’m more the worker with the horses. We both have our say, and it seems to work that way.”

They didn’t take long to find success. After winning one of eight starts in 2002, they topped the million-dollar mark in earnings in 2003 and have been over a million every year, including this year, already, thanks to a solid career win percentage of 15.

His top earner and best horse was Vekoma, whose six-for-eight record included victories in the 2020 Gr. 1 Metropolitan and Gr. 1 Carter Handicap. He earned $1,245,525 and is now standing at Spendthrift Farm.

In 2015, Weaver took a shot at Royal Ascot, sending over Cyclogenesis to contest the Gp. 1 Commonwealth. “He was three-for-three at the time,” Weaver said. “A big heavy horse. He was a nice horse. It just wasn’t his day over there.”

Cyclogenesis finished 14th.

His performance did nothing to diminish Weaver’s appreciation of the experience: “When you get there, it’s clear how special the racing is at Royal Ascot. I was amazed at the place. It’s a hard place to win. I thought when I left in 2015, how cool it would be to win a race there. It’s like a bucket list.”

Crimson Advocate ridden by John Velazquez claimed the narrowest of victories in a thrilling climax to the 2023 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The filly who would bring him back was Crimson Advocate, a daughter of Nyquist out of Citizens Advocate by Proud Citizen. Crimzon Advocate was purchased for $100,000 at the Ocala Breeders October Yearling Sale by a large ownership group led by Randy Hill, who owned Vekoma and has been sending Weaver horses for 20 years. Other owners are St. John’s University’s new basketball coach Rick Pitino, New York Giants senior personnel consultant and New York Racing Association Board of Directors Chris Mara, Reagan Swinbank, Bill Daugherty of Black Ridge Stables and Jake Ballis of Black Type Thoroughbreds.

Crimson Advocate would make her debut at Keeneland on dirt April 26, well after Cindy had made major strides in her recovery—something she continued after four months in a hospital. 

An unending outpour of support and prayers, especially from horsemen, certainly helped. “It’s a tight-knit group,” Weaver said. “We’re motivated by our love of horses. You can’t do this without loving horses. When she got hurt, it’s a hard thing to go through. It was scary for quite a few months. So many people reached out. It felt good to have the racing community reach out and pull for us and let us know how much support we had out there. It’s been a tough road. We couldn’t have done it without help. There’s a lot of love on the racetrack, and we really appreciate it. This happened a year ago. We’re fortunate that Cindy made a good recovery. She’s still Cindy. We take things one day at a time.”

Crimson Advocate finished an okay third in her 4 ½ furlong maiden debut on dirt at Keeneland. Her next start, her turf debut at Gulfstream Park, was in the Royal Palm Juvenile Filly Stakes. Through a unique partnership between Gulfstream Park and Ascot, the winner of that stakes and the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes became automatic qualifiers for the Royal Ascot two-year-old stakes race and $25,000 in traveling expenses.

Weaver won both stakes. Crimson Advocate won the filly stakes wire-to-wire by 3 ½ lengths. No Nay Mets, whose ownership includes Houston Astros star Alex Bregman, captured the colt stakes. He raced at Ascot the day after Crimson Advocate and finished 9th  in the Gp. 2 Norfolk Stakes. 

With two starters at Ascot, Cindy had added incentive to make the trip, if she was up to it. “We went to Aspen before Ascot,” Weaver said. She handled that and headed to England with her family.

Crimson Advocate’s new rider would be Velazquez. In a field of 26, his expertise and experience were paramount.

Watching a field of 26 two-year-old fillies racing five-furlongs on a straight course is an interesting experience. There were two distinct groups during the race far away from each other on the course. How a jockey can make judgment calls with that challenging perspective is a skill itself. Fortunately for Velazquez, he was in a sprint with two-year-olds. She would go as fast as she could.

She broke from the rail nearest the grandstand, and Velazquez hustled her to the lead. She seemed in good shape as her group seemed ahead of the other group. But then Relief Rally came flying at her late. They crossed the wire together. 

“I didn’t know if I got it or not,” Velazquez said afterwards.

Weaver, as his custom, assumed the worst: “Usually, when it’s that tight, I assume we got beat, just to prepare myself. After that, I watched a slo-mo replay. While watching that, I thought she might have gotten the bob.”

She had. Her number was posted first on the toteboard. “We were just out of our minds, hugging, kissing, on cloud nine,” Weaver said. 

Hill told Bob Ehalt of Blood-Horse, “It was great. It was so emotional. Cindy was there, and she was crying. I couldn’t get over it. I am so glad for George. We’ve been together for so long and have won some big races together. I know how much this meant to him.”

Just getting to Ascot meant a lot to Weaver and Cindy. “She saw a lot of people she hadn’t seen in a while,” Weaver said.

Cindy said, “I had to really try hard and be strong to try to make this trip,” she said. “I was just hoping that she wound show up and run a good race.”

While waiting out the results of the photo finish, she said, “If she was second, it was okay. I knew she gave her best.”

So did Cindy.

Why HISA matters - A farrier's perspective

Article by Mark Hickcox CF

I wrote the following article titled “Why HISA Matters” for the February/March 2023 issue of No Foot, No Horse, the American Farrier’s Association newsletter magazine. This is one farrier’s perspective of HISA shoeing regulations written to other farriers. The majority of AFA members do not plate racehorses exclusively, but might hear about HISA horseshoe regulations and have questions regarding the effect on the farrier industry. The raceplater farriers are well aware of the effects and confusion surrounding HISA shoeing regulations and are doing their best to stay up to date with the track-specific rules and enforcement that are vastly differing from state to state. Track stewards and paddock blacksmiths have been given no HISA-specific measurement training, updated enforcement guidelines, or detailed specifications other than the non-enforcement on dirt announcement on July 29, 2022. 

Farrier industry or racetrack jargon regarding traction devices and shoe modifications can be confusing and subjective even among a group of farriers. Here’s the scenario: HISA and a group of horsemen are making a decision on a toe grab length that may vary less than the thickness of a dime, based on studies that have never been conducted because the shoe to test this toe grab hasn’t been manufactured, nor can they recognize a front shoe from a hind shoe, this does not set them up for success. The farrier industry is willing to be the experts in the room for such an occasion but weren’t invited for a collective comment until the regulations were well over 6 months old.

In 2023, it seems that HISA has bigger fish to fry, and legal rulings will take precedence over a horseshoe regulation specifications guide or clarification of the process of enforcement, in general. So, when will we see the non-enforcement announcement rescinded? We don’t know. Will the farrier industry be consulted in advance of the next decision to make sure that the shoes being specified will exist this time? We don’t know. Who, what, when, where, and how will enforcement happen at each racetrack and training facility? We don’t know. Are the rumors of new types of injuries due to a lack of traction? We don’t know. 

I have to believe that HISA administration will decide that they should speak with and listen to the Farrier Industry Association; the members include: the farriers, the companies that make the horseshoes, and the supply houses that stock and sell them to the farriers. After all, the title of the AFA magazine should remind them that it’s No Foot, No Horse.

WHY HISA MATTERS

You may have heard from a raceplater friend or seen a post somewhere about new shoeing regulations for Thoroughbred horse racing in the U.S. Most farriers would say it doesn’t affect them because they don’t work on race horses. True, the new law won’t change how most farriers shoe horses today. The new law may have a far greater reach however, by introducing government regulations to farriers and the farrier industry.

United States farriers are a pretty self-regulating bunch of individuals historically. Our education, certification, and proficiency under the horse are not something that is mandated to be a farrier. Whether it’s your full-time career or a skill that you possess to make some extra money, your business is your business. Other countries have laws that govern farriery, and you cannot apply a device to a horse’s hoof without attaining qualified farrier credentials. These regulations are always created for protecting horse welfare and come with a price for someone seeking qualified farrier status. This article is not meant to argue the merits of qualification, certification, education, continuing education, etc. Opinions vary, and agreement is not necessary in regards to HISA, but HISA is a law that does reach into the farrier industry nonetheless.

HISA is the acronym for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, and it was created when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into law in 2020.

“HISA is responsible for drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), HISA was created to implement, for the first time, a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. HISA is comprised of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program, which goes into effect July 1, 2022, and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which will go into effect in January 2023.” 

“The Racetrack Safety Program includes operational safety rules and national racetrack accreditation standards that seek to enhance equine welfare and minimize equine and jockey injury. The Program will expand veterinary oversight, impose surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhance jockey safety, regulate riding crop use, and implement voided claim rules, among other important measures.”

Most often, horseshoers are the first to notice an issue with a horse’s health that may need veterinary intervention. We are horse men and women that care about an animal’s well-being when they are in our care. We can be held liable for issues related to our services and can keep horse owners up to date with best practices regarding the care of their horse. The service that farriers provide can be life changing, with regard to soundness, and life-saving, with regard to lameness, in many instances. This role is sometimes overlooked by the outside world because we “just shoe horses.” Our products and services can be lumped into a commodity purchase of goods and a service.

Unfortunately for HISA, implementation of the new shoeing regulation has demonstrated that the farrier industry (as a whole) is large, diverse, and multi-faceted just like other industries in our country. We have farriers as the end-user of products purchased from suppliers that are manufactured around the world by many companies that specialize in highly engineered pieces of steel and aluminum. Manufacturing processes require months of planning for raw materials, energy, transportation, labor, packaging, and distribution before a product gets on a supplier’s shelf—in all sizes and shapes necessary. This meant that a shoeing regulation approved by the Federal Trade Commission on March 4, 2022, that affects all racing or training Thoroughbred race horses in the U.S. on July 1, 2022, was idealistic at best. I’m sure that when it was published in the Federal Register on January 5, 2022, it seemed pretty simple.

2276. Horseshoes

(a) Except for full rims 2 millimeters or less from the ground surface of the Horseshoe, traction devices are prohibited on forelimb and hindlimb Horseshoes during racing and training on dirt or synthetic racing tracks.

(b) Traction devices are prohibited on forelimb and hindlimb Horseshoes

(c) Traction devices include but are not limited to rims, toe grabs, bends, jar calks and stickers.

Again, I know that a lot of farriers don’t shoe racehorses. This law will not affect how you shoe horses today, but then I read the following in this magazine:

“Purportedly, bar shoes, pads, glue on shoes, quarter crack patches may only be applied by a covered veterinarian. Those official regulations, however, will come in another phase of the bill.”

This is why we should all care. If the government can pass and implement a law that defines what we can nail on a horse’s hoof in any discipline of equine competition, then it can do it in all of them. This isn’t alarmist rhetoric to start fights or anarchy; it is information to attempt to protect our whole industry: manufacturers, suppliers and farriers. HISA still has legal challenges to clear, enforcement issues to fix, and a newly formed horsemen’s advisory council to blend into the decision-making process. Farriers and other farrier industry professionals should be consulted moving forward because our connection to elite equine athletes is often understated but cannot be ignored. Remember, a lot of folks think that it’s “just shoeing horses.” 

How do I stay informed/get involved?

• Keep advocating for our industry as a small business owner in your community: Chamber of Commerce member, high school trade fair booth, 4-H or pony club demonstration, equine emergency services volunteer, ag community organizations, etc. Remember, your business is your business!

• Stay involved in farrier industry organizations: clinics, contests, certifications, trade shows, supplier’s open house, hammer-ins, virtual education opportunities

• Be aware of industry changes/regulations: multi-discipline knowledge, state laws, federal laws, litigation affecting our industry, new products/technology

• Grass roots activism: Write an email or a letter to political leaders, start a  hoofcare education group for horse owners, improve farrier/vet relations in your coverage area, write an article, publish a yearly farrier newsletter for your clients. 

• Ride-along days: “The hardest door to open is the passenger side of someone else’s farrier truck.”

• Spend one day at a farrier school: Explaining how you do something is a great way to re-evaluate your own work process.

Did you know?

1. The American Farrier’s Association is a member of the American Horse Council. AHC is the only organization that represents the entire horse industry in Washington, DC.

2. The American Veterinary Medical Association spent over $860,000 per year since 2017 as their total lobbying expenditure and had 15 paid lobbyists in 2022.

3. Only 5% of U.S. veterinarians practice on large animals.

4. In 1978, Ada Gates became the first female farrier to become licensed to shoe Thoroughbred racehorses in the U.S. and Canada.

5. The International Union of Journeyman Horseshoers (IUJH) was established in the U.S. in 1874 (also known as the Heavy Horse Union).

6. If you Google “horseshoe regulations,” all results on the first page are about the game.

How HISA has affected the marketing and selling of equine supplements - What trainers need to know

Article by Ken Snyder

In 1834, Thomas Day of Day & Sons in the UK. introduced Day’s Black Drink, an elixir for horses to relieve colic, chills, “low condition” and something called “gripes.” There is no record of the ingredients, and that is probably something best left unknown.

Black Drink was the first known supplement, or product made from natural, not synthetic, substances, as this was the early 19th century. So, too, is heroin derived from a natural substance—poppies. (Created from morphine in 1874, its use on the racetrack was prevalent enough in the early 20th century to help fix races that “horse” became slang for the narcotic in recent history.)

Supplements today range from useless and quackery to many that are considered effective in horse health care by many trainers on the racetrack. In fact, the majority of  Thoroughbred trainers utilize supplements with feed.

Like therapeutic medications and illegal substances, dietary supplements are under the purview of the Horse Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Like their drug counterparts, HISA is instituting uniform regulations for supplements in all 50 states. The task falls specifically to the organization’s Horse Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU).

Good, bad, or indifferent, the intent of this organization, inarguably, is noble: to make racing safer and healthier for the horses. 

Supplements, however, are seemingly lost in the fog in the scrutiny and attention paid to perhaps the biggest problem in horse racing: medications.

There are potential hazards with supplements, however, and uniform rules across all U.S. racing jurisdictions are in place just as with medications. The key regulation that is now applicable in every HISA jurisdiction specifies that “orally administered vitamins“ and “unsupplemented isotonic electrolyte solutions by oral or intravenous administration” may be administered up to 24 hours prior to post time. This may differ from prior state regulations.

Alexa Ravit, director of communications and outreach for HIWU, outlined the objectives of this regulation and all HISA “regs” in response to an email:

“HISA’s supplements-related regulations (and in particular addressing ‘drug claims’) are intended to protect horsemen from 1) fraudulent or unproven claims of effect; 2) the unknown safety risk to horses in administering these products; and 3) products where the risk of contaminants or unknown components is high due to lack of independent quality controls.”

The task of monitoring and regulating dietary supplements is not nearly as challenging as that for medications, but it is no slam-dunk either. Also, while medications and new withdrawal times for permitted drugs might be a trainer’s focus, trainers should know that, while supplements by and large are safe, there are things to watch for with their use. 

In simplest terms, managing supplements for trainers under HISA/HIWU is following three steps: (1) reading labels (more on this below); (2) being careful in using dietary supplements in combination with approved medications; and (3) not accepting free supplements without understanding what’s on the label.

Mislabeled supplements, according to Rivet, are the major thing that can get a trainer and owner in trouble. She wrote, “If…the product’s labeling…includes a health or structure/function claim, the product is a drug, not a dietary supplement.” Also, drugs are FDA-approved and will carry that information on the label. Supplements won’t. 

In short, trainers need to look first to make sure the supplement does not say “FDA approved.” Supplement labels also should not make “structure/function” claims. HIWU lists these examples:

− Decreases or prevents exercised-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging (EIPH)

− Prevents or treats gastric ulcers
− Manages pain caused by osteoarthritis
− Controls inflammatory airway disease 

− Increases cardiac output
− Increases red blood cell production

The claims are definite, positive and apparently proven by results, warranting approval by the FDA.

Contrast these claims against what will be found for dietary supplements: 

− Sustains lung health
− Maintains gastrointestinal health
− Supports heart health
− Supports bone strength
− Promotes healthy metabolism
− Replenishes electrolytes lost through exercise and sweating

Labels on dietary supplements sound good but stop short of making a promise and, in a couple of instances, are vague at best. “Sustains lung health” and “maintains gastrointestinal health” are things you would want a horse to have after lung or gut issues are solved, and maybe skate closest to a claim like a drug. What supports heart and bone health and strength, respectively, is anybody’s guess. The same goes for promotes healthy metabolism. (Maybe the label will tell one how.) Replenishes electrolytes is a straight-up promise that evidently is achieved with dietary supplements and not drugs. (Gatorade for humans comes to mind.) 

To make another simple distinction, drugs are available only through a prescription from a veterinarian. If a trainer is getting them through another source, there’s potential trouble; but that’s for another story. Supplements are available in tack shops and/or online and do not require a veterinary prescription. 

Ravit, in response to how common it is to see supplements making drug claims contrary to regulations, only said, “It cannot be quantified.” That’s “Governmentese” for “It’s anybody’s guess.”

HISA/HIWU’s own definition of a drug, by the way, is this:

“Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the term “drug” means a product intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and articles other than food intended to affect the structure or any function of the body.” That’s a mouthful to say it ought to work.; you should get results.

In case you’re wondering why supplements are not regulated by the FDA, the category name “dietary supplements” gives you the answer. The FDA defines them as a “dietary ingredient intended to supplement the diet.” Dietary supplements are not regulated for humans either.

Are they safe? You would think, given the absence of regulation, the answer would be an automatic “yes.” The FDA, however, can take action to remove supplements from the market if they are adulterated (unsafe) or misbranded (misleading). Let the buyer beware.

What a trainer can control are things to avoid, such as mixing supplements with drugs, administering too many supplements, or substituting supplements for drugs altogether. 

HIWU’s language on dietary supplements is actually a bit scary:   

“It is…the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure the product’s safety and to market the supplement in accordance with applicable law.“

The second part of the statement should give one pause. Yes, the manufacturer is responsible for the product’s safety, but it’s the trainer or trainer’s barn help that is the last person in the literal food chain for the horse. Once a supplement is in a trainer’s hands, he or she is on their own. The safe bet is a veterinarian’s assessment of any risks and/or benefits. 

HIWU addresses this in their literature: “Supplements can interact with some medication with adverse health conditions” advising trainers to “be vigilant and discuss administration [of a supplement] with your veterinarian.”

Ravit also responded with “no comment“ to whether there have already been instances of a supplement producing a positive test for an illegal or controlled substance.

Practicing veterinarians like Dr. Rick Fischer, who has been on the racetrack for 53 years, is, as one would expect, well-versed in the difference between a drug and a supplement. He presents another issue that threatens the health and safety of horses. He and other vets are not always gatekeepers with supplements for trainers. Laymen or salesmen will approach trainers directly promoting supplements. “Worse than that, they’ll give them away: ‘Here are two gallons of this. Use it and see if you like it.’ You really don’t know what the hell you’re getting,” said Fischer.

There are other words on supplements to be mindful of. HIWU’s website warns that “’natural’ does not mean safe, nor does it mean that a product is free of Prohibited Substances.  Neither do “seals of quality assurance” that guarantee a supplement is safe and effective. In short, even practicing veterinarians recommending supplements cannot guarantee safety or effectiveness.

Fischer said there have been instances where a supplement and an approved medication have produced positive tests for banned substances. 

 HIWU’s website advises, “It is crucial to have specialized knowledge from a chemical engineer or pharmacist in order to comprehend and forecast the resulting molecules, due to the intricate interplay between the chemicals involved.” 

 Fischer expounds on the “intricate interplay” thusly: “There’s been positive tests on things that I’ve never even heard of. It’s not something that anybody in their right mind would give a horse. But the chemical breakdown when they’re in combination…who knows? 

“They’ll give you a list of all the different ingredients. Most of it is Greek to these guys and some of it is Greek to me, and I’ve been practicing for more than 50 years.”

Fischer actually parroted HIWU language in saying it would take a chemical engineer or pharmacist to be able to tell “if this molecule matches up with this molecule and what it’s going to come out as.“

Good luck to any trainer looking for a chemical engineer or pharmacist on the backside. 

Dr. Day’s Black Drink, by the way, would not pass muster as a supplement as it claimed to treat colic. As for “gripes,” there is no supplement or drug for that. 

Assessment of historical worldwide fracture and fatality rates and their implications for Thoroughbred racing

Article by Ian Wright

Racing’s social license is a major source of debate and is under increasing threat. The principal public concern is that racing exposes horses to significant risk of injury including catastrophic (life-ending) injuries of which fractures are the commonest cause. The most recent studies conducted in the UK indicate that fractures account for approximately 75% of racetrack fatalities. Recent events highlight the need for urgent stakeholder discussion, which necessarily will be uncomfortable, in order to create cogent justification for the sport and reliant breeding industry.

A necessary prelude to discussion and debate is an objective assessment of risk. All and any steps to reduce risks and mitigate their impact are important and must be embraced for horse racing (and quite possibly all other horse sports) to survive. To begin this, a here and now assessment is important: put simply, does the price paid (risk) justify the benefit (human pleasure, culture, financial gain, employment, tax revenue, etc.)? Objective data provides perspective for all  parties, including the voting public who, via their elected representatives, ultimately provide social license with other welfare issues, both human and animal, on which society must pass judgement. 

The data in Tables 1 to 12 report a country by country survey of fracture and fatality rates reported in scientific journals and documented as injuries/fatalities per starters.  It may be argued that little of the data is contemporary; the studies range from the years 1980 to 2013. However, the tabulated data provided below is the most up to date that can be sourced from independently published, scrutinized scientific papers with clear—albeit sometimes differing—metric definitions and assessable risk rates.

In assimilating and understanding the information, and in order to make comparisons, some important explanatory points are important. The first, and probably the most important, is identification of the metric. Although at first glance, descriptor differences may appear nuanced—what is being recorded massively influences the data. These include fatality, catastrophic injury, fracture, orthopedic injury, catastrophic distal limb fracture, fatal musculoskeletal injury, serious musculoskeletal injury, and catastrophic fracture. 

The influence of the metric in Japanese racing represents the most extreme example of this: “fracture” in the reporting papers included everything from major injuries to fragments (chips) identified after racing in fetlocks and knees, i.e., injuries from which recovery to racing soundness is now an expectation.  At the opposite pole, studies in other countries document “catastrophic,” i.e., life-ending fractures which have a substantially lower incidence.  The spectrum of metric definitions will all produce different injury numbers and must be taken into account when analyzing and using the data. 

Studies also differ in the methods of data collection that will skew numbers in an undetermined manner. Some record only information available at the racetrack, others by identifying horses that fail to race again within varying time periods, and horses requiring hospitalization following racing, etc. The diagnostic criteria for inclusion of horses also vary between reports: some document officially reported incidents only, some are based only on clinical observations of racetrack veterinarians, while others require radiographic corroboration of injuries. 

The majority of fractures that occur in flat racing, and between obstacles in jump racing, are the result of stress or fatigue failure of bone. They are not associated with traumatic events, occur during high speed exercise, are site specific and have repeatable configurations. In large part, these result from horses’ unique athleticism: in the domesticated species, the Thoroughbred racehorse represents the pinnacle of flight-based evolution. Fractures that result from falls in jump racing are monotonic, unpredictable and single-event injuries in which large forces are applied to bone(s) in an abnormal direction. This categorization is complicated slightly as fatigue failure at one site, which may be bone or supportive soft tissue, and can result in abnormal loads and therefore monotonic fracture at another.  

The increased fracture rate in jump racing is explained in part by the cumulative risk of stress/fatigue and monotonic fractures. However, it is complicated by euthanasia of horses with injuries that in animals with greater post injury, commercial value and/or breeding potential might be treated. Catastrophic injuries and fatality rates in NH flat races (designed for young jump racing bred horses to gain experience before racing over obstacles; colloquially termed bumper races) are most logically explained by a combination of the economic skew seen in jump racing and compromise of musculoskeletal adaptation. 

Much has been done to reduce recognizable risk factors particularly in jump racing, but in the UK, it is likely—for obvious data-supported reasons—that it will come under the greatest scrutiny. It might be argued that, outside of Europe, information on jump racing is interesting but of minimal impact to social license elsewhere. However, in the author’s opinion, a holistic perspective is important: loss of one sector or geographic location creates the potential for a momentum-gathering domino effect. 

The incidence of fractures and fatalities in flat racing is low, and the number of currently identified risk factors is high. Over 300 potential influences have been investigated and over 50 individual factors demonstrated statistically to be associated with increased risk of catastrophic injury. 

Racing surface influences both injury frequency and type. Studies in the UK have consistently documented an increased fatality rate and incidence of lower limb injury on synthetic surfaces compared to turf. Although risk differences are clear, confounding issues such as horse quality and trainer demographic mean that the surface per se may not be the explanation. In the United States, studies reporting data from the same geographic location have produced mixed results. 

In New York these documented greater risks on dirt than turf surfaces while a California study found no difference and a study in Florida found a higher risk on turf. A more recent study gathering data from the whole of the US reported an increased risk on dirt surfaces. Variations in injury nature between surfaces, for example the increased incidence of sesamoid fractures (breakdown injuries) on dirt versus synthetic and turf surfaces, may go some way toward explaining fatality differences.

The majority of fractures occurring in flat racing (and non-fall related fractures in jump racing) are now also treatable, enabling horses to return to racing and/or to have other comfortable post-racing lives. The common public presumption that fractures in horses are inevitably life-ending injuries is a misconception that could readily be remedied. An undetermined number of horses are euthanized on the basis of economic viability and/or ability to care for horses retired from racing. On this point, persistence with a paternalistic approach is a dangerous tactic in an educated society.  

Statements that euthanasia is “the kindest” or  “best” thing to do, that it is an “unavoidable” consequence of fracture or that only “horsemen understand or know what is best” can be seen as patronizing and will not stand public scrutiny. At some point, data to distinguish between horses euthanized as a result of genuinely irreparable injuries and those with fractures amenable to repair will become available. Before this point is reached, the consequences require discussion and debate within the racing industry.

Decisions on acceptable policies will have to be made and responsibility taken. In its simplest form, this is a binary decision. Either economic euthanasia of horses, as with agricultural animals, is considered and justified as an acceptable principle by the industry; or a mechanism for financing treatment and lifetime care of injured horses who are unlikely to return to economic productivity will have to be identified.  The general public understands career-ending injuries in human athletes. These appear, albeit with ongoing development of sophisticated treatments at reducing frequency, in mainstream news. Death as a direct result of any sporting activity is a difficult concept in any situation and draws headlines. 

Removal of the treatable but economically non-viable group of injuries from data sets would reduce, albeit by a currently undetermined number, the frequency of race track fatalities. However, saving horses' lives whenever possible will not solve the problem; it will simply open an ethical debate viz is it acceptable to save horses that will be lame.

In order to preserve life, permanent lameness is considered acceptable in people and is not generally considered inhumane in pets. Two questions arise immediately (i) how lame can a horse be in retirement for this to be considered humane? (ii) who decides? There is unquestionably a spectrum of opinion, all of which is subjective and most of it personal. It will not be an easy debate and is likely to be complicated further by consideration of sentience, which now is enshrined in UK law (Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022); but it requires honest ownership of principles and an agreed policy.

For the avoidance of doubt, while the focus of this article and welfare groups’ concerns are on racetrack injuries, those sustained in training follow a parallel pathway. These currently escape attention simply by being, for the most part, out of sight and/or publicity seeking glare. 

Within racing, there is unquestionably a collective desire to minimize injury rates. Progress has been made predominantly by identification of extrinsic (i.e., not related to the individual horse) risk factors followed by logical amendments. In jump racing (monotonic fractures), obstacle modification, re-siting and changing ground topography are obvious examples of risk-reducing measures that have been employed. 

In flat racing, progress, has involved identification risk factors such as race type and scheduling, surface, numbers of runners, track conditions, etc., which have guided changes. However, despite substantial research and investment, progress in identification of intrinsic (i.e., relating to the individual horse) risk factors is slow. While scientifically frustrating, a major reason for this is the low incidence of severe fractures; this dictates that the number of horses (race starters) that need to be studied in order to assess the impact of any intervention is (possibly impractically) high. Nonetheless, scientific justification is necessary to exclude a horse from racing and to withstand subsequent scrutiny.

Review of potential screening techniques to identify horses at increased risk of sustaining a fracture while racing is not within the scope of this article but to date, none are yet able, either individually or in combination, to provide a practical solution and/or sufficiently reliable information to make a short-term impact. It is also important to accept that the risk of horses sustaining fractures in racing can never be eliminated. Mitigation of impact is therefore critical. When fractures occur, it is imperative that horses are seen to be given the best possible on-course care. This may, albeit uncommonly be euthanasia. Much more common, horses can be triaged on the course and appropriate support applied before they are moved to the racetrack clinical facility for considered evaluation and discussion. The provision of fracture support equipment to all British racecourses in 2022 marked a substantial step forward in optimizing injured horse care.

The distress/anxiety that accompanies an acute unstable racetrack fracture is considered predominantly to result from loss of limb control (horses are flight-based herd animals). Pain is both suppressed and delayed by catecholamines, e.g., adrenaline (the latent pain syndrome). As a result, relief of distress and anxiety from appropriate limb support always exceeds chemical analgesia. The immobilization principles behind the fracture support equipment are that fatigue/stress fractures have predictable courses; the distracting forces can therefore be predicted and logically counteracted. This is real progress: adoption of the principles and employment of the equipment in other countries would send out a strong positive welfare message.

Neither racing enthusiasts or fervent objectors are likely to change their opinions. The preservation of social license will be determined by the open-minded majority who lie between. It is the man on the street who must be convinced; most have no concept of the frequency of injury, care available or outcome potentials. 

The task of all who appreciate horse racing's contributions to society and wish to see it continue is to remain focused  on horse welfare, if necessary, to adjust historical dogmas, absorb necessary costs and to encourage open, considered, honest (factually correct) risks versus benefits discussion. 

Country by country survey of fracture and fatality rates as reported in scientific journals and documented as injuries/fatalities per starters from 1980 to 2013.

Artificial Intelligence tools - and their growing use in selecting yearlings

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is traditionally where some of the finest horseflesh in the world is bought and sold. The 2022 record-busting auction saw 424 lots pass through its hallowed rotunda for a total of 126,671,000 guineas. One of the jewels in the crown was undoubtedly lot 379, a Frankel colt out of Blue Waltz, who was knocked down to Coolmore's M.V. Magnier, joined by Peter Brant, for 1,900,000 guineas.

 It is easy to see why lot 379 made Coolmore open its purse strings. He has a stallion’s pedigree, being out of a Pivotal mare. His sire has enjoyed a banner year on the track, with eight individual Gp/Gr1 winners in 2022. He is a full brother to the winning Blue Boat, himself a 450,000 guineas purchase for Juddmonte Farms at Book 1 in 2020. Lot 379 is undeniably impressive on the page. 

But it is not his impeccable pedigree that makes Tom Wilson believe lot 379 has the makings of a future champion. “The machine doesn’t have any biases. It doesn’t know whether it’s a Galileo or a Dubawi or a Havana Grey,” he says. “The machine just looks at the movement of the horse and scores it as it sees it. It has no preconceptions about who the elite sires in the market are. It’s completely neutral.”

The “machine” to which Wilson is referring is, in reality, a complex computational model that he claims can predict with 73 percent accuracy whether a horse will be elite (which he defines as an official rating of 90 or above, or the equivalent in its own jurisdiction) or non-elite (horses rated 60 or below) based on its walk alone. It’s a bold claim. So how does he do it?

First, Wilson taught an open source artificial intelligence tool, DeepLabCut, to track the movements of the horse at the walk. To do this, he fed it thousands of hours of footage. He then extracted around 100 frames from each video and manually labeled the body parts. “You teach it what a hock is, what a fetlock is, what a hip is,” he explains. “Eventually, when you feed new videos through, it automatically recognises them and plots the points. Then you can map the trajectories and the angles.”

He then feeds this information into a separate video classification algorithm that analyzes the video and compares it to historic data in order to generate a predicted rating for the horse. “Since 2018, I’ve taken about 5,000 videos of yearlings from sales all around the world with the same kind of biometric markers placed on them and then gone through the results and mapped what performance rating each yearling got,” he says. “So we’re marrying together the video input from the sale to the actual results achieved on track.”

Lot 379 has a projected official rating of 107 based on his biomechanics alone, the highest of all the Frankel’s on offer in Book 1 (yes, even higher than the 2,800,000 gns colt purchased by Godolphin). Wilson’s findings have been greeted with skepticism in some quarters. “There’s so many other factors that you can’t measure,” points out trainer Daniel Kübler. “There’s no way an external video can understand the internal organs of a horse, which you can find through vetting. If it’s had an issue with its lungs, for example, it doesn’t matter how good it looks. If it’s inefficient at getting oxygen into its system, it’s not going to be a good racehorse.”

“It’s not a silver bullet,” concedes Wilson. “There are multiple ways to find good horses. It’s just another metric, or set of metrics, that helps.” But is it really “just another metric,” or the opening salvo in a data revolution that has the potential to transform the way racehorses are bought and sold?

Big data. Analytics. Moneyball. It goes by many names, but the use of data in sports is, of course, nothing new. It was brought to popular attention by Michael Lewis in his 2003 book Moneyball and by the 2011 film of the same name starring Brad Pitt. 

It charted the fortunes of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. You know the story: Because of their smaller budget compared to rivals such as the New York Yankees, Oakland had to find players who were undervalued by the market. To do this, they applied an analytical, evidence-based approach called sabermetrics. The term ‘sabermetrics’ was coined by legendary baseball statistician Bill James. It refers to the statistical analysis of baseball records to evaluate and compare the performance of individual players. Sabermetrics has subsequently been adopted by a slew of other Major League Baseball teams (in fact, you would be hard pressed to find an MLB team that doesn’t employ a full-time sabermetrics analyst), and ‘moneyball’ has well and truly entered the sporting lexicon on both sides of the Atlantic.

Take Brentford FC. As recently as 2014, the West London club was languishing in the third tier of English football. Today, Brentford is enjoying its second consecutive season in the top flight (Premier League), bucking the trend of teams that gain promotion only to slingshot back down to the lower leagues after one season. 

What is their secret? Moneyball. Brentford’s backroom staff has access to vast streams of data that detail how their players rank across a number of key metrics. This information helps them make day-to-day training ground decisions. But crucially, it also shapes their activity in the transfer market by helping them to identify undervalued players to sell on for a profit. Players such as Ezri Konsa, purchased from Charlton for a rumored £2.5 million in 2018 before being sold, one year later, to Aston Villa for a £10 million profit. Think of it as the footballing equivalent of pinhooking. 

The bottom line is that data analysis has already transformed the way athletes are recruited and trained across a range of sports. It stands to reason, therefore, that statistical modeling could help buyers who are spending, on average, 298,752 guineas for a yearling at Book 1 make informed purchasing decisions.

“I’ve always been interested in applying data and technology to an industry that doesn’t exactly embrace technology.” That’s according to star bloodstock agent Bryon Rogers. Rogers is widely regarded as the godfather of the biometrics movement in racing. “The thoroughbred industry is one that moves slowly, rather than quickly,” he adds, with a dash of irony. 

Having cut his teeth at Arrowfield Stud in his native Australia and Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky, in 2011 he started his own company, Performance Genetics. As its name implies, the company initially focused on DNA sequencing, attempting to identify markers that differentiated elite and non-elite horses.

From there, it branched out into cardiovascular and biomechanical research. Rogers quickly discovered that it was the biomechanical factors that were the most influential in terms of identifying future elite horses. “When you put all the variables in, the ones that surface to the top as the most important are actually the biomechanical features: the way the horse moves and the way the horse is constructed. They outweigh DNA markers and cardiovascular measurements,” he explains. 

According to Rogers, roughly a fifth (19.5 percent, to be exact) of what makes a horse a horse is explained by the way it moves. “That’s not to say that [those other factors] are not important. It’s just that if you’re ranking them by importance, the biomechanical features are more important than the cardiovascular ones.” 

His flag bearer is Malavath. Purchased at the 2020 Goffs Premier Yearling Sale for £29,000, she was first sold for €139,200 at the Arqana Breeze Up Sale the following year. “I know when I’ve found one,” recounts Rogers. “I walked up to her [at the sale], and there was nobody else there. At that time, [her sire] Mehmas wasn’t who he was. But her scores, for us, were an A plus. She shared a lot of the common things with the good sprinter-milers that we’ve got in the database. A lot of the dimensions were very similar, so she fit into that profile.” She has since proven herself as a Gp2 winner and most recently finished second behind Kinross in the Prix de La Forêt on Arc day.

In December 2022, Malavath sold again, but this time for €3.2m to Moyglare Stud and is set to continue her racing career in North America under the tutelage of Christophe Clement.

A find like Malavath has only been made possible through the rapid development of deep learning and artificial intelligence in recent years. Rogers’s own models build on technology originally developed for driverless cars—essentially, how a car uses complex visual sensors and deep learning to figure out what’s happening around it in order to make a decision about what to do next.

But wait. What is deep learning? Here comes the science bit! Machine learning and deep learning are both types of artificial intelligence. “Classical” machine learning is A.I. that can automatically adapt with minimal human interference. Deep learning is a form of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to mimic the learning process of the human brain by recognising patterns the same way that the human nervous system does, including structures like the retina. 

“My dad’s an eye surgeon in Australia and he was always of the opinion that what will be solved first in artificial intelligence will be anything to do with vision,” says Rogers knowingly. Deep learning is much more computationally complex than traditional machine learning. It is capable of modeling patterns in data as sophisticated, multi-layered networks and, as such, can produce more accurate models than other methods.

Chances are you’ve already encountered a deep neural network. In 2016, Google Translate transitioned from its old, phrase-based statistical machine translation algorithm to a deep neural network. The result was that its output improved dramatically from churning out often comical non-sequiturs to producing sentences that are closely indistinguishable from a professional human translator.

So does this mean that the received wisdom around how yearlings are selected is outdated, subjective and flawed? Not exactly. “There are so many different ways of being a good horse;  I don’t think [selecting horses] will ever completely lose its appeal as an art form,” says Rogers. “But when we get all this data together and we start to look at all these data points, it does push you towards a most predictable horse.” In other words, following the data will not lead you to a diamond in the rough; rather, it’s about playing the percentages. And that’s before all before the horse goes into training.

After that point, the data only gets you so far. “I would say [the use of biomechanical modeling] probably explains somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of outcome,” says Rogers. “It’s very hard to disentangle. The good racehorse trainer has got all the other things working with him: he’s got the good jockeys, the good vet, the good work riders. He’s got all of those things, and their effect on racetrack outcomes is very hard to model and very hard to disaggregate from what we do.”

Nevertheless, it does not look like big data is going away any time soon. “It might be a couple of years away,” says Rogers. “As bloodstock gets more and more expensive and as the cost of raising a horse gets more and more expensive, the use of science is going to rise.” He believes there’s already an analytics arms race happening behind the scenes.

“For me, it isn’t a case of if it’s valuable; it’s a case of when it will be recognised as being valuable.” That’s Wilson again. “What you see in every sport is a big drive towards using statistical analysis and machine learning to qualify and understand performance. Every other sporting sector tells us that these methods will be adopted, and the ones that adopt them first will gain a performance edge over the rest of the field.”

Comparisons to Deep Blue’s defeat of Garry Kasparov might be premature, but it is clear that the racing industry is fast approaching a tipping point. “I don’t think the machine on its own beats the human judge,” says Wilson. “But I think where you get the real benefit is when you use the information you've been given by machine learning and you combine that with deep human expertise. That’s where the application of these types of things are the most successful in any sport. It’s the combination of human and machine that is power. Humans and machines don’t have to compete with each other.”

So will more trainers be adopting the technology? “There’s lots of different data points that you can use to predict a horse’s potential, and it’s understanding all of the pieces together,” says Kübler. “I’d want a bit more proof of concept. Show me that your system is going to save me loads of time and add loads of value. We’ll see in three or four years’ time how good it was.”

In the meantime, all eyes will be on Lot 379.

Redevelop, Revitalize and Revise

Words - Bill Heller

Gulfstream Park

Can racetracks prosper or even survive without redevelopment and/or revitalization? Must they become year-round attractions or even destination venues? Tracks have tried adding casinos, concerts, hotels, retail stores and even a village—all with a hope of increasing the handle that generates purses.

Yet several of North America’s most storied racetracks have closed their doors forever: Hollywood Park, Arlington Park, Calder Race Course, and, in the not-too-distant future, Aqueduct Racetrack.

“I think the product has to evolve,” David O’Rourke, CEO and president of the New York Racing Association, said. “Every situation is unique.”

His sure is. He’s taken on razing and rebuilding Belmont Park and closing Aqueduct. He’s also carefully tinkered with the historic Saratoga Race Course.

Woodbine, which launched a 25-year ambitious project in Toronto in March 2022, is already showing dramatic increases.

Churchill Downs has already spent millions improving its facility, so has Oaklawn Park and Kentucky Downs.

Frank Stronach was first, envisioning a very different Gulfstream Park more than 20 years ago. His 1/ST also operates Santa Anita, Laurel Park, Pimlico Racetrack, Golden Gate Fields and Rosecroft, a harness track in Maryland. 1/ST acquired Gulfstream Park in September 1999, for $95 million.

It didn’t take Stronach long to reach a conclusion about Gulfstream.

“We don’t get enough customers,” Stronach told Andy Beyer in his Washington Post column on February 7, 2001. “We don’t get a lot of young people. Something isn’t right. That’s why you’ve got to change. I like horses a lot—really a lot. But even I get bored sitting a whole afternoon. If I’m interested in the second race and the seventh race, maybe between them, I want to get a haircut or do some shopping.”

Beyer concluded 22 years ago: “Of course, it’s easy to find fault with any new ideas. But at the very least, Stronach deserves credit for trying hard (and investing confidently) to resuscitate the game he loves. If he fails, he will fail because the world has changed and there is no possible way to bring back the old days of grandeur and glory. But all racing fans would love to see him succeed, to see a day when Gulfstream is packed with young patrons sipping cappuccino by the paddock.”

Has that happened?

Gulfstream Park’s Carousel Club.

Actually, yes. Patrons at the adjacent Yard House, one of the dozens of restaurants in the Gulfstream Park Villages, can dine just outside the paddock. Whether they have come from the racetrack or will go to the racetrack after they dine is hard to tell, but at least that part of Stronach’s vision has come true.

Stronach used the mythological Pegasus to stamp Gulfstream Park with a new signature race, the Pegasus World Cup, and an enormous statue of Pegasus vanquishing a dragon is nothing less than stunning, At 110 feet, Pegasus is the second tallest statue in the continental U.S., topped only by the Statue of Liberty. The statue, which was pre-cast and shipped from China in 23 packing containers and steel beams shipped from Germany, cost $30 million.

Located adjacent to multiple parking lots separating the track and the backstretch, Pegasus guards the track. Inside the track, there is a casino on two floors, a large splashy simulcast room, two restaurants and offices. Outside, the village of retail stores is separated by the paddock and a normal-size statue of Cigar.

The Gulfstream Park Villages, which formally opened on February 11, 2000, consists of nine one- and two-story buildings spread over 400,000 square feet. offering shopping, dining, live events and booked events. There are seven fashion shops, three specialty stores, three art galleries, 11 home furnishing and houseware outlets, and four health and beauty salons. There are 36 dining options including fine dining, casual dining, quick bites, trackside eats, bars and lounges. Events occur every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Marquis events include concerts. Events for the public include weddings, parties, meetings, suites and boxes, film setting and concert rentals.

All that’s lovely, but has it enhanced Gulfstream Park’s horse race meet, now year-round with the closing of Calder Race Course? It’s tough to tell if the vast amenities have created new racing fans. “There is no way to tell,” Gulfstream Park Executive Director and Vice President Billy Badgett said.

Handle numbers, which are tough to evaluate because of the two-year pandemic, have changed little the past year and a half.

Oaklawn Park is the shining example of racetracks changing, growing and increasing handle since it completed a $100 million expansion in 2021.

In its 2022–2023 68-day meet from December to May, Oaklawn’s average daily handle was $6.67 million, up from $6.23 million for its 66-day meet when December dates were first added last year. Purses averaged more than $700,000 daily.

Those weren’t the only good numbers. “Everything was up,” said Oaklawn Park President Lou Cella, whose family has owned Oaklawn for some 120 years. Both on-track and off-track handle were up. And it’s allowed Oaklawn Park to raise purses for its 2023–2024 meet beginning in December. Cella said maiden special weights will go for $115,000, allowance races for $140,000, and stakes race minimum $150,000. 

Oaklawn Park held four Kentucky Derby point-standing stakes races topped by the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby. “We’re going to raise every one of our three-year-old stakes, and the 2024 Arkansas Derby will go for $1.5 million,” Cella revealed.

Though Oaklawn Park stopped issuing attendance figures when it stopped charging for admission some 15 years ago, attendance on Saturdays during the meet ranged from 25,000 to 35,000 despite many rainy Saturday afternoons. The Arkansas Derby drew an estimated 65,000. “Once we got into gaming, it was hard to charge for racing because we weren’t charging for gaming,” Oaklawn Park Senior Vice President Eric Jackson said.

Business was also booming in the claim box as 556 claims were made for a cumulative $10.6 million.

Continuing to experiment, Oaklawn Park held its second annual Hall of Fame Day, featuring 19 members of the Hall. Donations of $2,500 were given to each Hall of Famer’s favorite charity.

Oaklawn Park gained momentum through its highly popular instant racing slot-like machines and kept adding amenities, including a hotel with a dynamic view of the entire stretch. Several restaurants are also available to patrons.

“We feel like we’re pioneers getting racing and casinos working together,” Jackson said. “The numbers are terrific. The model is working.”   

To be sure, Oaklawn Park is sweetening the deal for trainers and owners that began last year. Trainers and owners who have a starter during the final two weeks of the meet will receive daily bonuses of $200 a day and $400 a day, respectively. “They were designed to help the smaller trainer,” Cella said. “Last year, our average number of starters the final two weeks were 9 to 9.5.”

The Woodbine community plan

Woodbine’s numbers have rocketed up since the inception of its bold 25-year Woodbine Community Plan last year to literally become part of the Toronto community. Initial returns have been huge. Woodbine set a record for handle for the 2022 Thoroughbred meeting at $621 million, a dramatic increase from the previous record: $533 million in 2018. Last year was  the first year since 2019 that Woodbine held its complete Thoroughbred season after the pandemic.

Woodbine’s surge came after CEO Jim Lawson helped secure a historic funding agreement with the Ontario government in 2019 that allots up to $105 million annually to breeders, owners and trainers through 2038. 

Lawson said in a Woodbine statement in late December, “At the start of the pandemic, I felt that through determination and resiliency, which is the trademark of this industry, we would emerge stronger; and this record is evidence we are on the right track.”

That track includes railroad tracks. A train station is one of the many aspects of the Woodbine Community Plan. “We don’t have a good rail service here,” Lawson said in June, 2023. “We want to bring in a train station.”

Woodbine can do that because it encompasses 683 acres. “Only 240 is for the track,” Lawson said. “That leaves about 400 acres developmentable. We will make two large residential units with 30,000 housing units on this site. We will be able to make a lot of those people fans of horse racing.”

What Woodbine is doing is changing the game. Instead of bringing fans to the racetrack, these people will already be a short walk away from the track. “It will be a really cool place,” Lawson said. “It will take 10 to 15 years. This is my vision. It’ll be a vibrant community. There’ll be so much going on here. They can walk to places. The sky’s the limit. We’re talking about 12 to 14 million visitors to this site by 2025. That’s about double what we have now.

Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson

“We’ve got a 5,000-seat music auditorium opening in August that can be used for conferences as well. We hope to open a retail sports book later this year overlooking the track. It’s up to us to make sure they’re also betting on horse racing. We hope to have a FIFA World Cup in 2026.”

Woodbine already has The Stella Artois Terrace, a 300-seat patio and live music at the finish line that opened last summer. “It’s been successful,” Lawson said. “It’s hard to get a reservation there. We boast our food is as good as a restaurant. It’s bringing out new fans. There’s no admission charge. No parking charge. We want people to just watch racing.”

Woodbine will open a multi-story hotel trackside on its stretch in August.

Lawson—who also co-owns the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League, the same team his father led to the 1945 Grey Cup and the Canadian equivalent of the Super Bowl when they were the Hamilton Wildcats—believes in the sport of horse racing: “I’m a firm believer that you need to get people out to the racetrack to experience the horses, experiences the jockeys. It is important for horse racing to sell that game-day experience to get people out here to see the sport.”

To that end, Lawson is proud of Woodbine’s broadcast team of 54 people. “We have 2,000 people working here and another 3,000 on the backstretch,” Lawson said.

They will be direct beneficiaries of Woodbine’s brave new world. “It’ll be a vibrant community,” Lawson said. “It’ll be a cool place. It will take 10 to 15 years with horse racing sitting in the center of it all. It’s a major transformation of the site. It will take a few years, but it will sustain horse racing for generations.”

Belmont Park has already started a major transformation of its site. That happened when the New York Islanders decided to build a new, 17,500-seat, multi-purpose arena on the Belmont Park grounds. Opened in 2021, the USB Arena has been aptly nicknamed by fans and writers as “The Stable.”

That was an appetizer. On April 30 this year, New York State Governor Kathy Hochull and the State Senate and Assembly passed The Revenue Article VII Bill, which authorized NYRA to utilize a $450 million loan to build new facilities. 

The redevelopment, the first major one at Belmont Park since 1968, will ultimately allow NYRA to end racing at Aqueduct and finally bring the Breeders’ Cup back to New York for the first time since 2005. Last November, the Breeders’ Cup announced a commitment to include Belmont Park as part of its rotation of host tracks, which include Santa Anita, Del Mar, Churchill Downs and Keeneland.

Belmont’s 28-day 2023 fall meet will be held at Aqueduct from September 14 through October 29. Following the Aqueduct winter meet, Belmont will run its 2024 spring/summer meet. The grandstand/clubhouse will be demolished after that meet. NYRA plans and hopes to have the new Belmont Park ready to hold the 2026 Belmont Stakes.

The backdrop for that historic return of the Breeders’ Cup will be completely foreign to fans accustomed to seeing Belmont’s enormous grandstand. The current grandstand and clubhouse will be razed and replaced by one a quarter of its size. “To have a healthy market, the building is a component,” O’Rourke said.

In recent years, the look of few people at the enormous facility isn’t a healthy one. O’Brien is hoping to fix that.

NYRA CEO David O’ROUrKE

O’Rourke will forever be known as the man who changed or saved Belmont Park. His background is in finance, not horses. Growing up in New Jersey, two miles from The Meadowlands, he occasionally visited that track and Monmouth Park. “It would be generous to call me a casual fan,” he said. “My first real exposure to racing was at Aqueduct.”

O’Rourke graduated from Richard Stockton College and got an MBA at Tulane University. He worked for Zolfo Cooper and Capstone Advisory Group Corporate Restructuring Practices and was vice-president of operations at Datek Online.

O’Rourke, now 49, joined NYRA as director of financial planning in 2008. Two years later, he became vice president for corporate development. In 2013, he was appointed chief revenue officer and senior vice president. NYRA  named him interim CEO on January 23, 2019, and appointed CEO and President on March 26, 2019.

“I was on the building development side,” O’Rourke said. “When I came in, another executive came in, Glenn Kozak. He’s the track guy. For me, it was business.”

He began his NYRA career at a challenging time. “We had just come out of bankruptcy in ’08,” he said. He believed his lack of experience in racing was an asset: “It gave me an advantage. It was my first look at it. It was fresh. I noticed how fractured horse racing is. The one thing that stood out to me was you could wager on-line in 2008. It was only chance to wager on-line.”

Subsequently, he has been pivotal in developing NYRA Bets, NYRA’s national advance deposit wagering (ADW) platform and expanding NYRA’s national television coverage, which resulted in daily coverage of Belmont Park and Saratoga’s meets via Fox Sports. He is proud of both: “I just saw the potential. We launched NYRA Bets nationally and worked out a deal with Fox. We self-produce 1,000 hours for Fox. We fixed the business, and that gave us credibility.”

He also came to a conclusion about NYRA racing: “NYRA had an extreme challenge downstate operating two tracks. It was obvious to NYRA to reconsolidate. How do you do that? In 2019, we began work analyzing Belmont. Then COVID hit.”

That didn’t alter O’Rourke’s conclusion. Belmont Park needed a facelift, especially if it was to operate year-round with Aqueduct closing. “Belmont itself was a massive warehouse,” O’Rourke said. “Right after it was renovated, OTB opened.”

Yet Belmont Park staged a tremendous Belmont Stakes in 2004, when 120,000 fans—the most to ever see a sporting event in New York State’s history—witnessed Birdstone’s late-running victory to deny undefeated Smarty Jones the Triple Crown. 

“The building is impressive in scale but didn’t have the amenities people wanted,” O’Rourke said. “People are looking for clubs, more intimate settings. It’s changing from 1.3 million square feet with zero suites to 275,000 square feet with suites, dining and hospitality at a very high level. We’re going to shrink the building and open up acres of green space on the track side, bring the park back to Belmont and allow families to come in. What’s special about Belmont are the trees, the iconic arches. We have a lot of freedom, a lot of land. I think Belmont is going to look different, more New York City than a country fair like Saratoga.”

Specifically, Belmont is adding a one-mile synthetic track inside the inner turf course due to open at the start of the 2024 meet and a tunnel to the infield allowing fans to watch races from there. Eventually, there will be a second tunnel for horses. “We will also redo the inner turf course and redo the main track,” O’Rourke said. “I think it will be a destination place. It’s going to be iconic. I think Belmont is going to be iconic.”

Saratoga Race Course has been iconic for more than 150 years. NYRA has already created new facilities there including the 1863 Club, a new building on the clubhouse turn. “With Saratoga, you’ve got to be very careful,” O’Rourke said. “We have worked with the local community, with the Saratoga Preservation Society and local architects. It’s like you’re playing with a jewel. You just want to polish it.”

They best be careful. Other pricy amenities like 1863 Club are targeting upper-scale customers. Meanwhile, Saratoga has raised its admission price to $10, which includes neither a seat for you or your car in a parking lot. Stopping the extremely popular Open House, which drew more than 10,000 fans the Sunday before Opening Day and benefitted local charities, was a bad decision. Countless fans brought their families to Open House, and the smiles on their children’s faces as they did pony rides, kids’ rides and watched non-betting races suggested NYRA had the solution to making children racing fans for life. Stopping that was a mistake. 

Belmont’s reconstruction will mandate a new location for the 2025 Belmont Stakes, and there is considerable interest from NYRA to stage that race at Saratoga as part of a three- or four-day mini-meet. “Part of me would love to try it at Saratoga,” O’Rourke told David Grening in his June 10th, 2023, story in the Daily Racing Form. “I think it would drive a lot of activity up there. It might set some benchmark that would be tough to ever beat. It would be such a cool event. Everybody I know would want to be there.”

That decision has yet to be made by O’Rourke and the NYRA Board of Trustees. O’Rourke welcomes the input of his Board, which boasts several extremely successful business executives. “I’ve got a lot of people involved in this,” O’Rourke said. “We have a deep Board of Trustees who work to our benefit with their expertise, guys who have worked on billion-dollar projects. Belmont is a half-billion.”

Belmont is scheduled to begin destruction of the grandstand to begin a new grandstand that will start after the 2024 Belmont summer meet. “The goal coming in is having Belmont ready for 2026,” O’Rourke said. “That might be aggressive.”

Maybe aggressive is what Belmont needed. Maybe not. But it sure will be interesting to follow. 

Horsemen and fans got to see part of the new First Turn Club at this year’s Kentucky Derby, part of Churchill Downs’ $200 million, multi-year renovation. Situated about an eighth of a mile past the finish line, the new building, which cost $90 million, drew raves. “The scope of this complex is stunning,” Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen told Frank Angst of Blood-Horse. “It forever changes the personality of this portion of our venue, which historically had been dominated by a series of temporary structures and back-of-house infrastructure.”

The First Turn Club features 2,000 seats and is climate controlled. It features high ceilings, lounge spaces and large glass windows overlooking the track. Above the indoor area are 5,100 padded stadium seats on two levels. There is a 360-degree, wrap-around LED screen.

The Paddock Project design for Churchill Downs Racetrack.

The Churchill open-air paddock with an oval walking ring and grass center has been replaced with a three-story white brick building located between the track’s iconic twin spires.

Churchill Downs expects the renovations to be completed before the 2024 Kentucky Derby.

Churchill Downs Inc. also spent $148 million renovating Turfway Park, the track it purchased in October, 2019. It tore down its old grandstand, replaced its racing surface and constructed a new grandstand, gaming floor, clubhouse, simulcast area and event center. It also increased its number of historical horse racing machines to 850, a number which could grow to 1,200 if warranted. 

Also in Kentucky, Kentucky Downs—the unique track with a seven-day, all-turf racing meet—began a $25 million renovation project in 2019. Business has been booming ever since, allowing the track to up the purse of its signature race, The Mint Million, from $1 million to $2 million, making the race the second biggest purse for three-year-olds in Kentucky after the Kentucky Derby.

“It’s been a fun ride,” Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs’ vice president of racing told Amanda Duckworth, in her August 28, 2022, story in ThoroughbredRacing.com. “I have been doing this for almost eight years now, and it has been amazing to be part of the continued growth. I have an all-star team that helps me pull off the meet, and we have been trying to take care of the horsemen as best as we possibly can.”

No lie there. The purses at Kentucky Downs and its kidney-shaped turf course are off the charts, thanks to the continued success from its historical horse racing slot-like machines. Last year, a maiden race went for $150,000 and an allowance race for $170,000.

Despite the enormous impact of COVID, Kentucky Downs expanded its open-air Finish Line Pavilion, paved roads, added 40 new stalls and installed fiber internet throughout the facility. Diners have five options: the Irons Steak House, Diner’s Choice, the Corner Café, the Center Bar and the Oasis Sidebar.  

 A lot of tracks are spending a lot of money trying to renovate, experiment and stay with the times. Their futures hang in the balance.

Cella put it this way: “The only reason we’ve been successful and open for 120 years is because we evolved. We’ve taken the pulse of our fans to see how to enhance racing.”

Asked if he believed tracks must redevelop, revitalize and revise, Cella said, “One thousand percent.”         

Graded Stakes Winning Owners - Kris Chandler (Spirit of Makena)

Article by Bill Heller

Spirit of Makena wins the 2023 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita.

When Kris Chandler’s five-year-old horse Spirit of Makena, owned and bred by her recently-deceased husband Bruce, captured the Grade 3 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita, March 1st, in his stakes debut, Kris Chandler watched on TV. When trainer George Papaprodromou pointed Spirit of Makena to the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at the same track May 27th, Chandler decided to watch the race in person. “It was the first time I went to the track in four years,” Chandler said.

It was worth the wait. Spirit of Makena won the Triple Bend by a length and a quarter under Joe Bravo, making him four-for-five lifetime. “It was emotional on a lot of levels,” Chandler said. “Horse racing was his passion, and he waited a lifetime for this. He had horses for over 40 years and never had a horse like this. So it’s beyond special.”

Patience allowed Spirit of Makena to develop. A variety of issues delayed his career debut until August 5th, 2022, when he won by 2 ¼ lengths as a four-year-old. A head loss finishing second in an allowance race has been his only blemish. Working around quarter cracks, Spirit of Makena won an allowance race before tacking on a pair of graded stakes victories. 

The one with Chandler there was unforgettable. “She was very happy, very emotional,” Papaprodromou said. “She wished Bruce was there with her. I got to meet Bruce. They’re great people and he’s a nice horse. I’m grateful to train a horse like that and I would like to thank the owners for giving me a horse like that. It’s great to train for them. We are looking forward to a nice future with him.”

That future will help Chandler move on with her life after losing Bruce last October 16th, the day before their anniversary, following a four-year battle with cancer. “I met Bruce in Maui in Hawaii 26 years ago,” Chandler said. “Bruce and I did horses together. I’ve always loved horses, since I was a little kid, with my dad.”

Bruce Chandler’s family owned The Los Angeles Times and its parent, the Times Mirror Company, for decades. 

Kris Chandler got more involved with her husband’s horses over the years. “Because I paid attention to the breeding,” she said. “He named me Director of Breeding. That was his title for me. He was breeding to horses in California. I convinced Bruce to breed to Ghostzapper (in Kentucky). I said, 'This is a great sire.’ I convinced him that if you want to get a good horse, you must breed to a good horse.

Spirit of Makena’s dam, Win for M’lou by Gilded Time, was bred by the Chandlers and named for Kris’s mom. “My mom got so excited,” Chandler said. “She was going to be famous.”

Somewhat. Win for M’lou became the Chandler’s first $100,000 winner ($115,230), surpassed only by Mai Tai ($140,405). Spirit of Makena has taken the Chandlers to a new level, having already earned $347,600 in just five starts.

Unfortunately, Spirit of Makena took forever to make it to the races. And Bruce became ill. “He got sick in 2019,” Chandler said. “He wanted to keep going. Our favorite place in the world is Maui, and part of it was because he had to live there the past few years. I’ve been taking care of my husband for the last four years. His mobility got worse and he couldn’t travel. Horse racing was the only thing he could watch. It’s still emotional being without him right now.”

She’s had and still has a ton of support from her Hawaiian community. She lives on Makena Road in Makena. “Everyone in Hawaii is behind the horse,” Chandler said. “The McKenna Golf and Beach Club are like family. The general manager, Zak Fahmie, sent a letter to all the members about this horse, a once-in-a-lifetime horse. He’s kind of like a miracle horse. We didn’t think he was going to get to the racetrack. He was at the farm in California for two years. For him to be a horse like this, it’s a miracle. From being so injured to being such a great horse. It’s a great story. We took our time with him. He’s getting better. He’s just a wonderful horse, very intelligent. You can pet him.”

Spirit of Makena keeps her and her husband connected. Initially, after her husband passed, Chandler thought she was going to get out of racing. Now she has a horse who may take her to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at his home track, Santa Anita. “I’m trying to get out, but this is getting me very excited,” she said. “Having a horse like this, I kind of feel Bruce’s spirit. I think he just knows.”

Walter Rodriguez

Article by Ken Snyder

We see them every day in the news—men, women and children trudging north across Mexico, searching for a brighter future in the best bet on the globe: the United States. For most Americans, we don’t foresee them winning that bet like our ancestors did generations ago. The odds against them are huge. 

But long shots do come in. 

Walter Rodriguez was 17 years old when he pushed off into the Rio Grande River in the dark from the Mexican bank, his arms wrapped around an inner tube to cross into the U.S. The year was 2015, which differs from 2023 only in scale in terms of illegal immigration. He crossed with two things: the clothes on his back and a desire to make money he could send home. How he ended up making money and yes, quite a bit of it at this point, meant overcoming the longest odds imaginable and, perhaps, a lot of divine intervention. 

Getting here began with a long six-week journey to the border from Usulutan, El Salvador, conducted surreptitiously and not without risk and a sense of danger. 

His family paid $5,000 to a “coyote” (the term we’ve all come to know for those who lead people to the border). 

“They would use cars with six or eight people packed in, and we would drive 10 hours. We’d stay in a house. Next morning, they would drive again in different cars, like a van; and there would be more people in it.”

Three hours into a trek through South Texas brush after his river crossing, the border patrol intercepted him. He first went to jail for several days. After that, he was flown to a detention center for illegally migrating teenagers in Florida with one thread tying him to the U.S. and preventing deportation: an uncle in Baltimore. After a month there and verification that his uncle would take him in, Walter flew to Baltimore and his uncle’s home in Elk Ridge, Maryland. From El Salvador, the trip covered about 3,200 miles. 

He worked in his uncle’s business, pushing, lifting and installing appliances, doing the work of much larger men despite his diminutive size. More than a few people marveled at his strength. Ironically, and what he believes divinely, more than a few people unknowingly prophesied what was to come next for Rodriguez. Particularly striking and memorable for Walter was an old man at a gas station who looked at him and said twice. “You should be a jockey.”

For Walter, the counsel was more than just a chance encounter with a stranger. It is a memory he will carry his whole life: “This means something. I think God was calling me.” 

Laurel Park just happened to be 15 minutes from where Rodriguez lived in Elk Ridge.  

Whether by chance or divine intervention, the first person Rodriguez encountered at Laurel was jockey J.D. Acosta. Walter asked in Spanish, his only language at the time, “Where can I go to learn how to ride? I would like to ride horses.”

He couldn’t have gotten better direction. “I’ve got the perfect guy for you,” said Acosta. That was Jose Corrales, who is known for tutoring and mentoring young jockeys—three of whom have won Eclipse Awards as Apprentice of the Year and a fourth with the same title in England. That was Irish jockey David Egan who spent a winter with Corrales in 2016 before returning to England. He piloted Mishriff to a win in the 2021 Saudi Cup. 

 “This kid—he came over out of the blue to my stable,” recalled Corrales. “He said, ‘I’m so sorry. Somebody told me to come and see you and see if maybe I could become a jockey.’”  

Corrales sized up Rodriguez as others had, echoing what others had told him: “You look like you could be a jockey.”

The journey from looking like a jockey to a license, however, was a long one; he knew nothing about horses or horse racing.

Perhaps surprisingly for someone from Central America, where horses are a routine part of the rural landscape, Rodriguez was scared of Thoroughbreds.

He began, like most people new to the racetrack, hot walking horses after workouts. Corrales also took on the completion of immigration paperwork that had begun with Rodriguez’s uncle.

His first steps toward becoming a rider began with learning how to properly hold reins. After that came time on an Equicizer to familiarize him with the feel of riding. The next step was jogging horses—the real thing.

“He started looking good,” said Corrales.

“I see a lot of things. I told him, ‘You’re going to do something.’”

Maybe the first major step toward becoming a jockey began with the orneriest horse in Corrales’ barn, King Pacay.

“I was scared to put him on,” said Corrales. In fact, the former jockey dreaded exercising the horse, having been “dropped” more than a few times by the horse.

Walter volunteered for the task. “Let me ride him,” Corrales remembered him saying before he asked him, “Are you sure?”

Maybe before the young would-be jockey could change his mind, Corrales quickly gave him a leg up.

“In the beginning, he almost dropped him,” said Corrales, “but he stayed on and he didn’t want to get off.  He said, ‘No, I want to ride him.’”

“It was like a challenge I had to go through,” said Rodriguez, representing a life-changer for him—a career as a jockey or a return to his uncle’s business and heavy appliances. 

The horse not only helped him overcome fear but gave him the confidence to do more than just survive a mean horse.

“I started to learn more of the control of the horses from there.”

Using the word “control” is ironic. In Rodriguez’s third start as a licensed jockey, he won his first race on a horse he didn’t control.

“To be honest, I didn’t know what I was doing. I just let the horse [a Maryland-bred filly, Rationalmillennial] do his thing. I tried to keep her straight, but I didn’t know enough—no tactics, none of that. We broke from the gate, and I just let the horse go.”

Walter Rodriguez receives the traditional dousing from fellow jockey Jorge Ruiz after winning his first career race at Laurel Park, 2022.

It was the first of 11 victories in 2022 in six-and-a-half months on Maryland tracks and then Turfway Park in Kentucky. Earnings were $860,888 in 2022; and to date, at the time of writing not quite halfway through the year, his mounts have earned a whopping $2,558,075. Most amazing, he led Turfway in wins during that track's January through March meet with 48. He rode at a 19% win rate.

Next was a giant step for Rodriguez: the April Spring meet at Keeneland, which annually draws the nation’s best riders.

He won four races from 39 starts. More significant than the wins, perhaps, is the trainer in the winner’s circle with Rodriguez on three of those wins: Wesley Ward.

How Ward came to give Rodriguez an opportunity goes back to 1984, the year of Ward’s Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice. One day on the track at Belmont, he met Jose Corrales. On discovering Corrales was a jockey coming off an injury and battling weight, Ward encouraged him to take his tack to Longacres in Seattle. The move was profitable, leading to a career of over $4.4 million in earnings for Corrales and riding stints in Macau and Hong Kong.

The brief exchange on the racetrack during workouts began a friendship between Corrales and Ward that continued and is one more of those things that lead to where Rodriguez is today as a jockey. 

Corrales touted Rodriguez to Ward, who might be the perfect trainer to promote an apprentice rider. Ward’s success as a “bug boy” eliminates the hesitation many of his owners might have against riding apprentices. 

He might be the young Salvadoran’s biggest fan.

“I can’t say enough good things about that boy.  He’s a wonderful, wonderful human being and is going to be a great rider.”

He added something that is any trainer’s sky-high praise for a jockey: “He’s got that ‘x-factor.’ Horses just run for him.”

Corrales, too, recognizes in Rodriguez a work ethic in short supply on the race track. “A lot of kids, they want to come to the racetrack, and in six months they want to be a jockey. They don’t learn horsemanship,” said Corrales. “You tell Walter to do a stall, he does a stall. You tell him to saddle a horse, he saddles the horse. He learns to do what needs to be done with the horses.

“He’s got the weight. He’s got the size. He’s got a great attitude. He works hard.”

Ward was astonished at something the young man did when one of his exercise riders didn’t show up at Turfway one morning: “He was leading rider at the time but got on 15 horses that morning and that’s just one time.“ Ward estimated Rodriguez did the same thing another 25 times.

“He’ll do anything you ask; he’s just the greatest kid.” 

Ward recounted Rodriguez twice went to an airport in Cincinnati to pick up barn workers flying back to the U.S. from Mexico to satisfy visa requirements. “He’d pick them up at the airport from the red-eye flight at 4:30 in the morning and then drive them down to work at Keeneland.”

Walter on Wesley Ward’s Eye Witness at Keeneland.

With Rodriguez’s success, talent is indisputable, but Corrales also credits a strong desire to reach his goal combined with an outstanding attitude. Spirituality, too, is a key attribute developing in extraordinary circumstances in his home country. 

When Rodriguez was three years old, his father abandoned him and his mother. As for her, all he will say is, “She couldn’t raise me.” His grandmother, Catalina Rodriguez, was the sole parent to Rodriguez from age three.

He calls his grandmother “three or four times a week,” and she knows about his career, thanks to cousins that show her replays of his races.

Watching him leave El Salvador was difficult for her, but she saw it as necessary to the alternative. He credits her for giving him “an opportunity in life. Otherwise, I would be somebody else, doing bad things back at home.”

Surprisingly, her concerns for her grandson in the U.S. were more with handling appliances than 1,110-pound Thoroughbreds.

“When I was working with my uncle, she wasn’t really happy; she wasn’t sure about what I was doing.

“But I kept saying to her, let’s have faith. Hopefully, this is going to be okay. Now she realizes what I was saying.”

His faith extends to the latest in his career: riding at Churchill Downs this summer. “One day I got on my knees and I said to God, ‘Please give me the talent to ride where the big guys are.’“

Gratitude is another quality that seems to come naturally for Rodriguez. After the Turfway Park meet at the beginning of April, he flew back to Maryland to provide a cookout for everybody in Jose Corrales’s barn. 

He also sends money to El Salvador, not only to his grandmother but to help elderly persons he knows back home. During the interview, he showed pictures of food being served to people in his village at his former church. At least a significant portion of that is financed by Rodriguez’s generosity.

“I love to help people. It will come back to you in so many ways. I’ve seen how it came back to me.”

According to Corrales, there have been discussions about a possible movie on Rodriguez, who just received his green card in June of this year.

“These days with immigration, crossing the border and all the trouble we’re having—to have somebody cross the border and have success, it’s a blessing,” Corrales said.

A blessing, for sure, but one that was meant to be. Walter encapsulated his journey and what happened after he went to Laurel Park with a passage from a psalm in the Bible: “The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.” 

Celebrating breeders - Howie Walton

Article by Bill Heller

Howie Walton has spent his life in Toronto loving horses, riding, racing and breeding them.

“He absolutely loves his horses,” one of his trainers, John Mattine, said. “When someone has that passion for the game, you want to do well for him and succeed.”

Walton succeeded beyond his wildest imagination in business, starting his own plastics company, Norseman Plastics, and selling it for millions. That allowed him to follow his heart and make good on a promise to himself. “As a kid, I always loved horses. I said if I ever did well, I’d buy a horse.”

He bought a riding horse, Lakeview Noel, who lived to be 31 years old. Then Howie bought Quarter Horses, doing quite well with them, and switched to Thoroughbreds—making an enormous impact on Canadian racing.

“He’s great for the sport,” another one of his trainers, Jamie Attard, said. “He really is. He’s a breeder’s breeder and an owner’s owner. He’s been supporting Ontario racing for so many years.”

There are rewards for doing so, specifically for Ontario-breds and its rich supplement program. “The bonuses for Ontario-breds are fairly high,” said Walton. “I’ve always raced at Woodbine. I’ve been there a long time.”

Along the way, his concern for his horses has never wavered. “We had a horse,” recalls Attard. “His name was Buongiorno Johnny. He broke his maiden in a stakes race (winning the $150,000 restricted Vandal Stakes July 31, 2011), then he had an issue down the line. We lost the horse for $32,000 (on June 25, 2014). Three years later, he was in some bottom-level claimer (a $4,000 claimer at Thistledown). Howie paid them double the claiming price and retired him on his farm. He always lets you do what is right. If it’s the little thing, he’ll send him to the farm for some time off. He retired a six-year-old we had and gave it to my girlfriend. The horse always comes first. His heart is as big as the grandstand.”

Jamie Attard’s father, Canadian Hall of Famer Sid, also trains for Walton and echoes his son’s opinion: “If a horse is not right, he doesn’t want to run him. If I call up saying his horse has a problem, he’ll say, `Scratch him.’”

Howie Walton (blue jacket) receives the 2022 Recognition of Excellence Award at the recent 39th Annual CTHS Awards from CTHS Ontario President & National Director Peter Berringer.

There are worse calls ro receive. Sid and Howie know first-hand. Their two-year-old home-bred filly, A Touch of Red, a daughter of Howie’s top horse and now leading stallion Signature Red, won her debut by five lengths at Woodbine in a maiden $40,000 claimer last September 19. On October 10, she won the $100,000 South Ocean Stakes for Ontario-breds by a neck as the even-money favorite.

“She was breezing seven days before her next race,” Sid said. “She worked by herself that day. She’s going five-eighths. Good bug boy on her. He noticed something wrong. He pulled her up. She started shaking. She died. Looked like a heart attack. She was such a nice, nice filly. Beautiful. Big. Strong. I was never so shocked in my life.”

Sid called Howie and told him the tragic news. “I said, `Howie, I’m very, very sorry.’”

Walton replied, “Sid, don’t worry about nothing. It’s nobody’s fault.” 

He and Sid have another talented filly who just turned three, another home-bred daughter of Signature Red, Ancient Spirit. She won a maiden $40,000 claimer by four lengths, the $100,000 Victoria Queen Stakes by 2 ½ and concluded her two-year-old season with a second by a neck in the South Ocean Stakes to her stable-mate, A Touch of Red. The torch has been passed on.

A couple months after A Touch of Red’s death, Walton said, “In this game, you have good-luck and bad-luck horses. She won a stakes race and had a heart attack and died.”

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Howie then endured the removal of his gallbladder. ”It wasn’t fun,” he said. He leaned on his family, his wife of 47 years Marilyn, their adult sons Benjamin, who is 43, works for his dad with his apartment building investments; and 42-year-old Michael, who is in the plastics business. The Waltons have four grandchildren and a standard poodle named Riley. “A house isn’t a home unless you have a dog in it,” Howie said. “Poodles are as smart as hell.”

So is his owner. “I was a pretty smart guy; I went to the University of Toronto, and I was a chemical engineer. I did well with plastics.”

He did incredibly well with the company he started. “I had it for 30, 40 years,” Walton said. “It got pretty big. It was quite an operation. I had 500, 600 people under me. We had plants around the states. I had big clients: Pepsi Cola, Coca Cola, all the milk companies—you name them. It turned out to be a $230 million company. I started at zip.”

How did he do it the first time? “I worked like hell; I wasn’t married. We used to run 24 hours, seven days a week. I don’t know if I could do it again.”

Marilyn isn’t surprised that her husband succeeded. “When he does something, he puts 150 percent into it. He makes up his mind, and he’s very focused. He was a born salesman. He knows how to talk to people, how to treat people.”

She also knows how resourceful Howie can be.

Marilyn and Howie lived near each other but hadn’t met. “We used to pass each other going to work on the same day. Then one day he wrote down my license plate. In those days, you could do that and look a person up.

“We met. We were engaged in three months and married three months after that; and we’ve been married 47 years.”

Marilyn was impressed with Howie’s horsemanship. “It started with the Quarter Horses. What I really loved about it was he was not the person who goes to the races and just watches. He went to the barn and used to clean their feet after the race. He really cares for animals. He is a true animal lover. He loves dogs. Same thing with Thoroughbreds. He truly, truly loves them. He always had a passion for them.”

Signature Red (rail side) wins the 2011 Highlander Stakes.

The horse Howie Walton is most passionate about is Signature Red. “John Mattine’s dad, Tony, picked out Signature Red," recalled Howie. (Red is Howie’s favorite color.)

John said, “My father trained for him. He was basically his first trainer. My dad bought everything for him before. Most of the good broodmares he has trace back to my dad.”
          Racing from the age of three until he was six, Signature Red, a son of Bernstein out of Irish and Foxy by Irish Open, won six of 27 starts, including two consecutive runnings of the Gr. 2 Highlander Turf Stakes in 2010 and 2011, and earned $630,232.

Buongiorno Johnny before his 2011 Vandal Stakes win.

He stands at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs in Aurora, Ontario, for C$5,000 this year and has now sired the winners of 168 races through the end of 2022. His progeny has earned more than C$6.2 million.

“I think he’s the best value stud in Canada,” says Walton. Accordingly, he has continually sent his best mares to Signature Red. “I believe in him.”

He also believes in the value of Signature Red’s offspring. That’s why at last year’s CTHS Ontario Premier Yearling Sale, he bought back three Signature Red yearlings as well as a filly by Red Explosion, a son of Signature Red, for a combined total of C$290,000. “Not really a hard decision,” said Walton. “My stock is very high quality. I believe in my stock. I believe in my stud.”

Howie has become friends with Adena’s farm manager Sean Smullen and farm owner Frank Stronach. “In 2002, he started putting some horses in here—layups. We developed a good relationship over the years. The man—he loves his animals. No matter what’s wrong, he’ll do it to save the animal. There’s no expense too big to care for his horse. He wants to give it a quality of life. He’s very loyal,” says Smullen.

Walton cherishes his friendship with Frank Stronach. “I’ve known him for a long time. He’s a dynamic guy. Anyone building an electric car plant at the age of 90 … there aren’t many guys like him. As a businessman, I admire that. I told him that. He said, `I guess I’ve made a few billion in my life.’ He’s quite a guy. I hope he lives to be 200. When he’s gone, I don’t know who’s going to run his operation. When he had his tiff with his daughter, he told me, `Howie, it’s only money. I’ll make more.’”

One of Walton’s home-breds made quite a bit of money out of just six starts before being sold. Maritimer, trained by Sid Attard, won his maiden debut by a head and then finished second by a head to his stable-mate Buongiorno Johnny in that 2011 Vandal Stakes. Maritimer then finished second in an allowance race, a late-tiring fourth in the Gr. 3 Summer Stakes and first in two stakes: the $250,000 Coronation Futurity by 2 ½ lengths then the $175,000 Display by 5 ½ lengths. After being sold, he went winless in four starts, including fifth in the Gr. 2 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine. He failed to hit the board in three starts in Dubai, including an 11th in the Gr. 2 U.A.E. Derby.

Though he concentrates on Thoroughbreds, Walton still has Quarter Horses. “What attracted me was the horse. They were big. They were strong. They were smart and beautiful. Not as edgy as a Thoroughbred. I still have a few.”

He treats them the same way he treats Thoroughbreds. And the same way he treats people: love, loyalty and a laser-like focus. “I am a loyal guy,” he said. “If I don’t like you, I’ll tell you.”

Marilyn put it this way: “What you see is what you get.”

Howie Walton and trainer Sid Attard with Generous Touch and jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva.

Air Quality and Air Pollution’s Impact on Your Horse’s Lungs

Article by Dr. Janet Beeler-Marfisi

There’s nothing like hearing a horse cough to set people scurrying around the barn to identify the culprit. After all, that cough could mean choke, or a respiratory virus has found its way into the barn. It could also indicate equine asthma. Yes, even those “everyday coughs” that we sometimes dismiss as "summer cough" or "hay cough" are a wake-up call to the potential for severe equine asthma. 

Formerly known as heaves, broken wind, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), this respiratory condition is now called severe equine asthma (sEA). These names reflect how our scientific and medical understanding of this debilitating disease has changed over the years. We now consider heaves to be most comparable to severe asthma in people.

But what if your horse only coughs during or after exercise? This type of cough can mean that they have upper airway irritation (think throat and windpipe) or lower airway inflammation (think lungs) meaning inflammatory airway disease (IAD), which is now known as mild-to-moderate equine asthma (mEA). This airway disease is similar to childhood asthma, meaning  that it can go away on its own. However, it is still very important to call your veterinarian out to diagnose mEA. This disease causes reduced athletic performance, and there are different subtypes of mEA that benefit from specific medical therapies. In some cases, mEA progresses to sEA.

Equine Asthma and  Air Quality
What does equine asthma have to do with air quality? A lot, it turns out. Poor air quality, or air pollution, includes the barn dusts—the allergens and molds in hay and the ground-up bacteria in manure, as well as arena dusts and ammonia from urine. Also, very importantly for both people and horses, air pollution can be from gas and diesel-powered equipment. This includes equipment being driven through the barn, the truck left idling by a stall window, or the smog from even a small city that drifts nearly invisibly over the surrounding farmland. Recently, forest-fire smoke has been another serious contributor to air pollution. 

Smog causes the lung inflammation associated with mEA. Therefore, it is also likely that air pollution from engines and forest fires will also trigger asthma attacks in horses with sEA. Smog and smoke contain many harmful particulates and gases, but very importantly they also contain fine particulate matter known as PM2.5. The 2.5 refers to the diameter of the particle being 2.5 microns. That’s roughly 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Because it is so small, this fine particulate is inhaled deeply into the lungs where it crosses over into the bloodstream. So, not only does PM2.5 cause lung disease, but it also causes inflammation elsewhere in the body including the heart. Worldwide, even short-term exposure is associated with an increased risk of premature death from heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. This PM2.5 stuff is not trivial!

In horses, we know that PM2.5 causes mEA, so it’s logical that smog and forest-fire smoke exposure could exacerbate asthma in horses, but we don’t know about heart disease or risk of premature death.

Symptoms, Diagnostic Tests and Treatments

Equine asthma manifests with a spectrum of symptoms that vary in severity and the degree of debilitation they cause. Just like in people with asthma, the airways of horses with mEA and sEA are “hyperreactive.” This means that the asthmatic horse’s airways are extra sensitive to barn dusts that another horse’s lungs would just “ignore.” The asthmatic horse’s airways constrict, or become narrower, in response to these dusts. This narrowing makes it harder to get air in and out of the lungs. Think about drinking through a straw. You can drink faster with a wider straw than a skinnier one. It’s the same with air and the airways. In horses with mEA, the narrowing is mild. In horses with sEA, the constriction is extreme and is the reason why they develop the “heaves line”; they have to use their abdominal muscles to help squeeze their lungs to force the air back out of their narrow airways. They also develop flaring of their nostrils at rest to make their upper airway wider to get more air in. Horses with mEA do not develop a heaves line, but the airway narrowing and inflammation do cause reduced athletic ability.

The major signs of mEA are coughing during or just after exercise that has been going on for at least a month and decreased athletic performance. In some cases, there may also be white or watery nasal discharge particularly after exercise. Often, the signs of mEA are subtle and require a very astute owner, trainer, groom, or rider to recognize them.

Another very obvious feature of horses with sEA is their persistent hacking cough, which worsens in dusty conditions. “Hello dusty hay, arena, and track!” The cough develops because of airway hyperreactivity and because of inflammation and excess mucus in the airways. Mucus is the normal response of the lung to the presence of inhaled tiny particles or other irritants. Mucus traps these noxious substances so they can be coughed out, which protects the lung. But if an asthma-prone horse is constantly exposed to a dusty environment, it leads to chronic inflammation and mucus accumulation, and the development or worsening of asthma along with that characteristic cough.

Accurately Diagnosing Equine Asthma

Veterinarians use a combination of the information you tell them, their observation of the horse and the barn, and a careful physical and respiratory examination that often involves “rebreathing.” This is a technique where a bag is briefly placed over the horse’s nose, causing them to breathe more frequently and more deeply to make their lungs sound louder. This helps your veterinarian hear subtle changes in air movement through the lungs and amplifies the wheezes and crackles that characterize a horse experiencing a severe asthma attack. Wheezes indicate air “whistling” through constricted airways, and crackles mean airway fluid buildup. The fluid accumulation is caused by airway inflammation and contributes to the challenge of getting air into the lung. 

Other tests your veterinarian might use are endoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage, and in the specialist setting, pulmonary function testing. They will also perform a complete blood count and biochemical profile assay to help rule out the presence of an infectious disease. 

Endoscopy allows your veterinarian to see the mucus in the trachea and large airways of the lung. It also lets them see whether there are physical changes to the shape of the airways, which can be seen in horses with sEA. 

Bronchoalveolar lavage, or “lung wash” is how your veterinarian assesses whether there is an accumulation of mucus and inflammatory cells in the smallest airways that are too deep in the lung to be seen using the endoscope. Examining lung wash fluid is a very important way to differentiate between the different types of mEA, between sEA in remission and an active asthma attack, and conditions like pneumonia or a viral lung infection. 

Finally, if your veterinarian is from a specialty practice or a veterinary teaching hospital, they might also perform pulmonary function testing. This allows your veterinarian to determine if your horse’s lungs have hyperreactive airways (the hallmark of asthma), lung stiffening, and a reduced ability to breathe properly. 

Results from these tests are crucial to understanding the severity and prognosis of the condition. As noted earlier, mEA can go away on its own; but medical intervention may speed healing and the return to athletic performance. With sEA, remission from an asthmatic flare is the best we can achieve.  As the disease gets worse over time, eventually the affected horse may need to be euthanized.

Management, Treatment and Most Importantly—Prevention
Successful treatment of mEA and sEA flares, as well as long-term management, requires a multi-pronged approach and strict adherence to your veterinarian’s recommendations.

Rest is important because forcing your horse to exercise when they are in an asthma attack further damages the lung and impedes healing.  To help avoid lung damage when smog or forest-fire smoke is high, a very useful tool is your local, online, air quality index (just search on the name of your closest city or town and “AQI”).  Available worldwide, the AQI gives advice on how much activity is appropriate for people with lung and heart conditions, which are easily applied to your horse. For example, if your horse has sEA and if the AQI guidelines say that asthmatic people should limit their activity, then do the same for your horse. If the AQI says that the air quality is bad enough that even healthy people should avoid physical activity, then do the same for you AND your horse. During times of poor air quality, it is recommended to monitor the AQI forecast and plan to bring horses into the barn when the AQI is high and to turn them out once the AQI has improved.

Prevent dusty air. Think of running your finger along your tack box – whatever comes away on your finger is what your horse is breathing in. Reducing dust is critical to preventing the development of mEA and sEA, and for managing the horse in an asthmatic flare. 

Logical daily practices to help reduce dust exposure:

• Turn out all horses before stall cleaning

• Wet down the aisle prior to sweeping

• Never sweep debris into your horse’s stall

• Use low-dust bedding like wood shavings or dust-extracted straw products, which should also be dampened down with water

• Reduce arena, paddock, and track dust with watering and maintenance

• Consider low-dust materials when selecting a footing substrate

• Steam (per the machine’s instructions) or soaking hay (15–30 minutes and then draining, but never store steamed or soaked hay!) 

• Feed hay from the ground

• Feed other low-dust feeds

• Avoid hay feeding systems that allow the horse to put their nose into the middle of dry hay—this creates a “nosebag” of dust

Other critical factors include ensuring that the temperature, humidity and ventilation of your barn are seasonally optimized. Horses prefer a temperature between 10–24 ºC (50–75 ºF), ideal barn humidity is between 60–70%. Optimal air exchange in summer is 142 L/s (300 cubic feet/minute). For those regions that experience winter, air exchange of 12–19 L/s (25–40 cubic feet/minute) is ideal. In winter, needing to strip down to a single layer to do chores implies that your barn is not adequately ventilated for your horse’s optimal health. Comfortable for people is often too hot and too musty for your horse! 

Medical interventions for controlling asthma are numerous. If your veterinarian chooses to perform a lung wash, they will tailor the drug therapy of your asthmatic horse to the results of the wash fluid examination. Most veterinarians will prescribe bronchodilators to alleviate airway constriction. They will also recommend aerosolized, nebulized or systemic drugs (usually a corticosteroid, an immunomodulatory drug like interferon-α, or a mast cell stabilizer like cromolyn sodium) to manage the underlying inflammation. They may also suggest nebulizing with sterile saline to help loosen airway mucus and may suggest feed additives like omega 3 fatty acids, which may have beneficial effects on airway inflammation. 

New Research and Future Directions

Ongoing research is paramount to expanding our knowledge of what causes equine asthma and exploring innovative medical solutions. Scientists are actively investigating the effects of smog and barn dusts on the lungs of horses. They are also working to identify new targeted therapies, immunotherapies and other treatment modalities to improve outcomes for affected horses.

Conclusion

Both mild and severe equine asthma are caused and triggered by the same air pollutants, highlighting the need for careful barn management. The alarming rise in air pollution levels poses an additional threat to equine respiratory health. Recognizing everyday coughs as potential warning signs and implementing proper diagnostic tests, day-to-day management practices and medical therapies are crucial in combating equine asthma. By prioritizing the protection of our horse’s respiratory health and staying informed about the latest research, we can ensure the well-being of our equine companions for years to come.

Highlights

1. Work to prevent dust and optimize barn air exchange.

2. Avoid idling farm equipment and trucks around horses.

3. Don’t ignore a cough—call your veterinarian.

4. Monitor your local air quality index—it’s a free and simple way to help prevent lung damage! 

Thermoregulation - Too hot to handle!

Article by Adam Jackson MRCVS

Exertional heat illness (EHI) is a complex disease where thoroughbred racehorses are at significant risk due to the fact that their workload is intensive in combination with the high rate of heat production associated with its metabolism.  In order to understand how this disease manifests and to develop preventative measures and treatments, it is important to understand thermoregulation in horses. 

What is thermoregulation?

With continuous alteration in the surrounding temperature, thermoregulation allows the horse to maintain its body temperature within certain limits.  Thermoregulation is part of the greater process of homeostasis, which is a number of self-regulating processes the horse uses to maintain body stability in the face of changing external conditions.  Homeostasis and thermoregulation are vital for the horse to maintain its internal environment to ensure its health while disruption of these processes leads to diseases. 

The horse’s normal temperature range is 99–101°F (37.5–38.5°C).  Hyperthermia is the condition in which the body temperature increases above normal due to heat increasing faster than the body can reduce it. Hypothermia is the opposite condition, where the body temperature decreases below normal levels as the body is losing heat faster than producing it.   These conditions are due to the malfunction of thermoregulatory and homeostatic control mechanisms.

Horses are colloquially referred to as warm-blooded mammals—also known as endotherms because they maintain and regulate their core body, and this is opposite ectotherms such as reptiles.  The exercising horse converts stored chemical energy into mechanical energy when contracting various muscles in its body. However, this process is relatively inefficient because it loses roughly 80% of energy released from energy stores as heat. The horse must have effective ways to dissipate this generated heat; otherwise, the raised body temperatures may be life threatening.

Transfer of body heat

There are multiple ways heat may be transferred, and this will flow from one area to another by:

1. Evaporation 

The main way body heat is lost during warm temperatures is through the process of evaporation of water from the horse’s body surface. It is a combination of perspiration, sweating and panting that allows evaporation to occur.

Sweating is an inefficient process because the evaporation rate may exceed the body heat produced by the horse, resulting in the horse becoming covered and dripping sweat. This phenomenon occurs faster with humid weather (high pressure).

Insensible perspiration is the loss of water through the skin, which does not occur as perceivable sweat. Insensible perspiration takes place at an almost constant rate and is the evaporative loss from skin; but unlike sweating, the fluid loss is pure water with no solutes (salts) lost. The horse uses insensible perspiration to cool its body.

It is not common for horses to pant in order to dissipate heat; however, there is evidence that the respiratory tract of the horse can aid in evaporative heat loss through panting.

2. Conduction

Conduction is the process where heat is transferred from a hot object to a colder object, and in the case of the horse, this heat transfer is between its body and the air.  However, the air has poor thermal conductivity, meaning that conduction plays a small role in thermoregulation of the horse.   Conduction may help if the horse is lying in a cool area or is bathed in cool water.  

The horse has the greatest temperature changes occurring at its extremities, such as its distal limbs and head.  The horse can alter its blood flow by constricting or dilating its blood vessels in order to prevent heat loss or overheating, respectively.

Interestingly, the horse will lie down and draw its limbs close to its body in order to reduce its surface area and to control conduction. There also have been some adaptive changes in other equids like mules and burros, where shorter limbs, longer ears and leaner bodies increase its surface area to help in heat loss tolerance.

3. Convection 

Convection is the rising motion of warmer areas of a liquid or gas and the sinking motion of cooler areas of the liquid or gas.  Convection is continuously taking place between the surface of the body and the surrounding air. Free convection at the skin surface causes heat loss if the temperature is low with additional forced convective heat transfer with wind blowing across the body surface.

When faced with cold weather, a thick hair coat insulates and resists heat transfer because it traps air close to the skin; thus, preventing heat loss. Whereas, the horse has a fine hair coat in the summer to help in heat loss.

4. Radiation

Radiation is the movement of heat between objects without direct physical contact.  Solar radiation is received from the sun and can be significant in hot environments, especially if the horse is exposed for long periods of time.  A horse standing in bright sunlight can absorb a large amount of solar radiation that can exceed its metabolic heat production, which may cause heat stress. 

How the horse regulates its body temperature

The horse must regulate its heat production and heat loss using thermoregulatory mechanisms.  There are many peripheral thermoreceptors that detect changes in temperature, which leads to the production of proportional nerve impulses. These thermoregulators are located in the skin skeletal muscles, the abdomen, the spinal cord and the midbrain with the hypothalamus being instrumental in regulating the internal temperature of the horse.   A coordinating center in the central nervous system receives these nerve incoming impulses and produces output signals to organs that will alter the body temperature by acting to reduce heat loss or eliminate accumulated heat.  

The racehorse and thermoregulation

The main source of body heat accumulation in the racehorse is associated with muscular contraction.  At the initiation of exercise, the racehorse’s metabolic heat production, arising from muscle contraction, increases abruptly.  The heat production does alter the level of intensity of the work as well as the type of exercise undertaken.  

During exercise, the core body temperature increases because heat is generated and the horse’s blood system distributes this heat throughout the body. Hodgson and colleagues have theorized and confirmed via treadmill studies that the racehorse has the highest rate of heat production compared to other sporting horses. In fact, the racehorse’s body temperature can rise 33°F (0.8°C) per minute, reaching 108°F (42.0°C). But what core temperature can the horse tolerate and not succumb to heat illness and mortality?  The critical temperature for EHI (exertional heat illness) is not known, but studies have demonstrated that a racehorse can be found to have core temperatures between 108°F - 109° F (42–43°C) without any clinical symptoms. Currently, anecdotal evidence is only available, suggesting that a core temperature of 110°F (43.5°C) will result in manifestation of EHI with the horse demonstrating central nervous system dysfunction such as ataxia (incoordination).  In addition, temperatures greater than 111°F (44°C) result in collapse. 

Heat loss in horses

A horse loses heat to the environment by a combination of convection, evaporation and radiation, which is magnified during racing due to airflow across the body. However, if body heat gained through racing is not minimized by convection, then the racehorse’s body temperature is regulated entirely by evaporation of sweat. This evaporation takes place on the horse’s skin surface and respiratory tract.  

The horse has highly effective sweat glands found in both haired and hairless skin, which produces sweat rates that are highest in the animal kingdom.   Efficient evaporative cooling is present in the horse because its sweat has a protein called latherin, which acts as a wetting agent (surfactant); this allows the sweat to move from its skin to the hair.

Because of the horse’s highly blood-rich mucosa of its upper respiratory tract, the horse has a very efficient and effective heat exchange system.  Estimates suggest this pathway dissipates 30% of generated heat by the horse during exercise.  As the horse exercises, there is blood vessel dilation, which increases blood flow to the mucosa that allows more heat to be dissipated to the environment. When the respiratory tract maximizes evaporative heat loss, the horse begins to pant. Panting is a respiratory rate greater than 120 breaths per minute with the presence of dilated nostrils; and the horse adopts a rocking motion. However, if humidity is high, the ability to evaporate heat via the respiratory route and skin surface is impaired. The respiratory evaporative heat loss allows the cooling of venous blood that drains from the face and scalp. This blood may be up to 37°F (3.0°C) cooler than the core body temperature of 108°F (42.0°C). And as it enters the central circulatory system, it can significantly have a whole-body cooling effect. This system is likely an underestimated and significant means to cool the horse.

Pathophysiology of EHI in the thoroughbred

Although it is inconsistent to determine what temperature may lead to exertional heat illness (EHI), it is known that strenuous exercise, especially during heat stress conditions leads to this disease.  In human medicine, this disease is recognised when nervous system dysfunction becomes apparent.  There are two suggested pathways that lead to EHI, which may work independently or in combination depending on the environmental factors that are present during racing/training.

1. Heat toxicity pathway

Heat is known to detrimentally affect cells by denaturing proteins leading to irreversible damage.  In general, heat causes damage to cells of the vascular system leading to widespread intravascular coagulation (blood clot formation), pathologically observed as micro thrombi (miniature blood clots) deposits in the kidneys, heart, lungs and liver.  Ultimately, this leads to damaged organs and their failure.

Heat tissue damage depends on the degree of heat as well as the exposure time to this heat. Mammalian tissue has a level of thermal damage at 240 minutes at 108°F (42°C), 60 minutes at 109°F (43°C), 30 minutes at 111°F (44°C) or 15 minutes at 113°F (45°C).  This heat damage must be borne in mind following a race requiring suitable and appropriate cooling methods, otherwise inadequate cooling may lead to extended periods of thermal damage causing disease. 

The traditional viewpoint is that EHI is caused by strenuous exercise in extreme heat and/or humidity.  However, recent studies have revealed that environmental conditions may only cause 43% of EHI cases, thus, suggesting that other factors are involved.

2. Heat sepsis pathway

In some instances. a horse suffering from EHI may present with symptoms and clinical signs similar to sepsis like that seen in an acute bacterial infection. 

A bacterial infection leading to sepsis causes an extreme body response and a life threatening medical emergency.  Sepsis triggers a chain reaction throughout the body particularly affecting the lungs, urinary tract, skin and gastrointestinal tract.

Strenuous exercise in combination with adverse environmental conditions may lead to sepsis without the presence of a bacterial infection— also known as an endotoxemic pathway—causing poor oxygen supply to the mucosal gastrointestinal barrier. Ultimately, the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract is compromised, allowing endotoxins to enter the blood system and resulting in exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome (EIGS).

However, researchers have observed that EHI in racehorses is unpredictable as EHI may develop in horses following exercise despite “safe” environmental conditions.  Even with adequate cooling and resuscitative therapies, tissue damage that occurs demonstrates that thermoregulatory and inflammatory pathways may vary, and hyperthermia may be the trigger but may not necessarily be driving the condition.

Diagnosis of EHI

The diagnosis of EHI is based on the malfunctioning of the central nervous system.

Initially, hyperthermia reduces the blood flow to the cerebrum of the brain, leading to a decrease of oxygen to that area—also known as ischemia. As a result, the clinical signs are:

• Extreme restlessness

• Confusion

• Substantial headache

If this hyperthermia continues, then the blood-brain barrier (an immunological barrier between circulating blood that may contain microorganisms like bacteria and viruses to the central nervous system) begins to leak plasma proteins, resulting in cerebral oedema (build up of fluid causing affected organ to become swollen). If treatment is not initiated at this point, then neuronal injury will result especially in the cerebellum.

EHI follows and involves serious CNS dysfunction.  The clinical signs associated with EHI are:

• Delirium

• Horses unaware of their surroundings

The final stage of EHI occurs when the swollen oedematous brain compresses vital tissue causing cellular damage. The clinical signs of end-stage EHI are:

• Collapse

• Unconsciousness

• Coma

• Death

Definition of EHI

EHI most commonly occurs immediately after a race when the horse is panting, sweating profusely and may be dripping with sweat. The most reliable indication of EHI is clinical signs associated with the dysfunction of the central nervous system in the presence of hyperthermia. Researchers have provided descriptions of levels of CNS dysfunction, ranging from level 1 to level 4.

Level 1 – The earliest recognizable signs of CNS dysfunction

The horse becomes restless, agitated and irritable. There is often head nodding or head shaking. The horse is difficult to restrain and will not stand still.  Therapeutic intervention such as cooling can resolve these clinical signs, but if the horse is inadequately cooled then the disease can escalate. 

Level 2 – Obvious neurological dysfunction

Often misdiagnosed as colic symptoms, the horse becomes further agitated and irritable with the horse kicking out without any particular stimulus present. This stage is dangerous to all handlers involved as the horse’s behavior is unpredictable. 

Level 3 – Bizarre neurological signs

At this stage, the horse has an altered mentation appearing vacant, glassy-eyed and “spaced-out”.  In addition, there is extreme disorientation with a head tilt and leaning to one side with varying levels of ataxia (wobbly).  It has been observed that horses may walk forward, stop, rear and throw themselves backwards.  It is a very dangerous stage, as horses are known to run at fences, obstacles and people. Horses may also present as having a hind limb lameness appearing as a fractured leg with hopping on the good limb.  These clinical signs may resolve with treatment intervention.

Level 4 – Severe CNS dysfunction

There is severe CNS dysfunction at this stage of EHI with extreme ataxia, disorientation and lack of unawareness of its surroundings. The horse will continuously stagger and repeatedly fall down and get up while possibly colliding with people or objects with a plunging action. Unsurprising, the horse is at risk of severe and significant injury.  Eventual collapse with the loss of consciousness and even death may arise.

Treatment of EHI

In order to achieve success in the treatment of EHI, it is imperative that there is early detection, rapid assessment and aggressive cooling. The shorter the period is between recognising the condition and treatment, the greater the chance of a successful outcome.  In particular settings such as racecourses or on particularly hot and humid days, events must be properly equipped with easily accessible veterinary care and cooling devices. It is highly effective if a trained worker inspects every horse in order to identify those horses at risk or exhibiting symptoms. 

If EHI is recognised, veterinary intervention will be paramount in the recovery to prevent further illness and suppress symptoms. It will be important to note any withdrawal periods of any non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and analgesics before returning to racing. There are a number of effective ways to cool the horse with easily accessible resources.

Whole body cooling systems

Cooling the horse with ice-cold water is an effective way to draw heat from the underlying tissues. In addition, cooling the skin redistributes cooled blood back to the central circulatory system thus reducing thermal strain with the cooling of core body temperature.

The system that works best for horses due to its size is spray cooling heat transfer. It is ideal to have two operators to spray either side of the horse. It is recommended to begin at the head and neck followed by the chest and forelimbs then the body, hind limbs and between the legs. Spray nozzles are recommended to provide an even coverage of the skin surface.   

Dousing is another technique in which horses are placed in stalls and showered continuously until the condition resolves. Pouring buckets over the entire body of the horse is not recommended as most of the water falls to the ground, thus, not efficient at cooling the horse. 

Because most horses suffer from EHI immediately after the race, the appropriate location for inspection, cooling systems and veterinary care should be in the dismounting yard and tie-up stalls.  There must be an adequate supply of ice to ensure ice-cold water treatment. 

When treating a horse with EHI, there must be continuous and uninterrupted cooling until the CNS dysfunction has disappeared. 

When the skin surface temperature decreases to 86°F (30°C), cutaneous skin vessels begin to disappear; CNS function returns to normal, and there is the normalization of behavior. Cooling can be stopped, and the horse can be walked once CNS abnormalities have resolved. It must remain closely monitored for a further 30 minutes in a well-ventilated and shaded region. It is important that they are not unattended.

Scraping sweat off of the horse must only be done if the conditions are humid with no airflow.  However, if it is hot and there is good airflow, scraping is unnecessary because the sweat will evaporate.

Cooling collars

During strenuous exercise, there is a combination of heat production in the brain, reduced cerebral blood flow, creating cerebral ischaemia as well as the brain being perfused with hot blood. It is believed that cooling the carotid artery that aids in blood perfusion of the brain might be a strategy to cool the brain. A large collar is placed on either side and around the full length of the horse’s neck and is cooled by crushed ice providing a heat sink around the carotid artery; and it is able to pump cooled blood into the brain. 

Another possible benefit of this device is the cooling of the jugular veins, which lie adjacent to the carotid arteries.  The cooled blood in the jugular veins enter the heart and is pumped to the rest of the body, hence, potentially cooling the whole body. In addition, it is thought that the cooling of the carotid artery causes it to dilate, allowing greater blood flow into the brain. 

Provision of shaded areas

Shaded areas with surfaces that reflect heat, dry fans providing air flow and strategically placed hoses to provide cool water is an important welfare initiative at racecourses in order to minimize risk of EHI and treat when necessary. 

Conclusion

The most effective treatment of EHI is the early detection of the disease as well as post-race infrastructure that allows monitoring of horses in cooling conditions, while providing easily accessible treatment modalities when they are needed.  

Evaluating the horse’s central nervous system dysfunction is essential to recognise both the disease as well as monitoring the progression of the disease. CNS dysfunction allows one to define the severity of the condition. 

Understanding the pathophysiology of EHI is essential. It is important to recognise that it is a complex condition where both the inflammatory and thermoregulatory pathways work in combination. With a better understanding of these pathways, more effective treatment for this disease may be found.