January, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Campbell: New Mexico Racing Is At A Critical Crossroads In The Face Of Another COVID-19 Shutdown

The author submitted the following open letter to the New Mexico Racing Commission to be read at its regularly-scheduled meeting on Jan. 14. The letter originally appeared on HorseRacing.net and is reprinted here with permission.

Since early last year, New Mexico has by order of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, closed racetracks across the state because of what most would agree is “a public health crisis.” Sunland Park, near the New Mexico-Texas line, cancelled the 2020 Sunland Derby. This is not only an important stop on the Kentucky Derby Trail, but has attached to it, contests that the very lifeblood of the Thoroughbred world in that part of the country.

The 2021 meeting is delayed, and at this point the running of that series probably will not take place. Over in Hobbs, New Mexico, Zia Park, which is attached to a casino attempted to run during the last part of the year, but was halted when COVID-19 cases skyrocketed. For Quarter Horses that run at Ruidoso Downs, their season is also in jeopardy as we head towards the late spring and early summer.

What is so perplexing about this situation is that other states across the nation, from New York to California, have re-opened tracks and succeeded at keeping people safe. A racetrack is no different than a Walmart. Isn't it? Social distancing actually might be more effective at the former than the latter when protocols are in place, especially when it comes to cleanliness. Thus, it appears politics and fear have come to dominate the world of racing in New Mexico, just as it has in other sectors. I am not saying that is unwarranted. However, the effects of these decisions, to remain closed, will have far-reaching ramifications on everything from breeding operations to the very livelihoods of those that make their living around horses that run.

To say that it will take years for this industry in New Mexico to recover is not an understatement. The loss of the Sunland Derby races has already forced trainers within the state to seek races elsewhere, which could in turn change the trajectory of home-bred operations.

Take Todd Fincher, for instance. He would normally be preparing his star, Señor Buscador, to run in the late March highlight of that series, but instead he was forced to move his whole operation to Sam Houston Race Park.

The loss of revenue for him, his staff, his clients, will be substantial. The pressure is mounting. Fincher has a large operation, but what about the smaller outfits that cannot afford to travel? How about the backstretch workers or exercise riders who rely on seasonal work to survive? The situation is reaching a critical juncture. How will the state respond?

Crescit Eundo…

That's a Latin phrase from Lucretius' De Rerum Natura. It is the story of a thunderbolt whose momentum steadily builds like a temporal avalanche of energy. The phrase was a “motto” for New Mexico back in 1887, but it remains on the state seal to this day. Translated…“It grows as it goes.”

As a professional turfwriter who covers horse racing, my passion for this sport delves into my bones. I am also the grandson of those who lived and loved the Land of Enchantment. I pen this statement to you, New Mexico Racing Commission, with a heavy heart, but with conviction.

The stifling nature of COVID-19 has decimated hallmark trails like the Sunland Derby, driven trainers of impeccable character like Todd Fincher to other locales, and jeopardized the future of breeding operations that help families exist. Though New Mexico is not Kentucky, lacking a legacy of state investment in racing; still, it is the third largest industry within. For now, its potential remains as an economic juggernaut, and like a Jicarilla Apache basket, an intricately woven part of New Mexican culture.

The industry is facing its darkest hour. The time is now for you to impress this upon the Governor like never before! Get the tracks and casinos open. Send those fine backstretch employees, trainers, jockeys, racing officials, and every person who is impacted by these closures, safely back to work.

The racing world is watching, New Mexico! Remember: there's power in momentum, Crescit Eundo—It grows as it goes…

J.N. Campbell is a turfwriter based in Houston.

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Sesamoid Bones: They Take A Lot Of Pressure And Raise A Lot Of Questions For Researchers

As racing continues its quest to reduce injury rates, one key area of interest for many experts is the proximal sesamoid bones.

Most racing fans who have heard of sesamoid bones know about the two small, triangular bones held inside the suspensory ligament that form the back of the equine ankle, but horses (and humans) actually have other sets of sesamoids in the body. The two that form each ankle are called the proximal sesamoid bones. The human kneecap or patella is present in the horse as a component of the stifle and is also considered a type of sesamoid bone. The navicular bone in the internal structures of the hoof is also a type of sesamoid. Sesamoids exist because they reduce friction on joints by gliding over the joint's surface, helping to pull the limb back and forth.

The proximal sesamoid bones are part of the ankle or fetlock, which drops down toward the racing surface to absorb the horse's weight during a footfall. The joint flexes farther down the harder the foot falls. The elastic tendons and ligaments (particularly the suspensory ligament) are crucial during this shock absorption procedure, and the proximal sesamoids are hard at work in this moment too – which may mean it's not surprising that they're a common source of injury.

Existing research suggests that sesamoid fractures or suspensory apparatus failures are associated with 30 to 50 percent of fatal injuries in Thoroughbred racehorses. At a recent virtual session of the University of Kentucky's annual Equine Showcase, researchers said that makes them a crucial area of study – but we have to start from the beginning.

Scientists would like to know how the structure of the proximal sesamoids changes in response to intense exercise like racing. We know bones change their shape and structure in proportion to the amount and types of forces placed on them through exercise in a process called bone remodeling. (You can learn more about bone development and remodeling here.) It would be helpful to know if somewhere in that process, sesamoid bones undergo abnormal changes that could signal or predispose an upcoming fracture.

According to Dr. James MacLeod, researcher and faculty member at the Gluck Equine Research Center, scientists first need the answers to more basic questions about proximal sesamoids. In order for researchers to know what is considered an abnormal structural change, they have to know what's normal for these particular bones – what size, shape, and internal structure is typical? How do they develop? When do they develop? How much variation is there in size, shape and structure between individuals, between breeds and between sports?

Unfortunately, MacLeod said, existing science is somewhat light on the answers to these questions.

“It turns out that in the horse, very little information was published about proximal sesamoid bone development and maturation in a normal sense,” he said.

When trying to answer the basic question of when these bones develop, MacLeod and his colleagues dug up two publications in textbooks suggesting that these particular bones don't begin to form in a developing equine fetus until very late in gestation, between Day 290 and 330 in what's typically a 340-day gestation. The end of ossification (hardening) for the bones was, according to these textbooks, complete at around month three or four of the foal's life.

“We had evidence right away that there was much more to know about the development of proximal sesamoid bones,” he said.

Soon after the research team began their inquiries, Dr. Emma Adam, assistant professor at Gluck, used advanced imaging to discover that the very beginnings of cartilage (which would eventually transition to bone) were beginning to form in what would become the fetlock at Day 46 of gestation. At that point the fetus was only three centimeters long, with a tiny forming limb only three millimeters long.

Currently, MacLeod and his colleagues are in the process of learning more about the variability of the bones in adults, assembling lots of samples from horses who have died for reasons independent of development or injury to the sesamoid bones. Researchers want to study them grossly (recording observations detectable without a microscope) as well as at a microscopic level. They're looking at elements like bone volume, which refers to the amount of a bone that is minerals. Researchers already know that sesamoid bone volume increases with age as an animal matures and the bone itself grows. Next, MacLeod said, we need to learn how bone volume may change when the horse grows old enough to begin exercise.

Another element that could be important in microscopic bone changes is the trabeculae, which are the bands or thin rods of tissue that together make up the hard structural elements of the bone. MacLeod hopes researchers will learn more about the orientation of these little beam-like supports – are they isotropic, meaning their orientation creates a look of sameness throughout a sample, or are they anisotropic, meaning many of them lie in a single, similar orientation? This matters because it impacts how easy a substance is to break. If you think about chopping an anisotropic piece of wood, he points out, it's easy to do with the grain because all the strands of the block's interior structure are pointing more or less the same direction. If you chop against that grain, it suddenly becomes tougher. With an isotropic substance like metal, its components are oriented in all different directions at a cellular level, making it equally difficult to cut or split no matter how you approach it — there's no area or angle of weakness on a microscopic level.

The initial step to understanding these elements of the bone's structure is to get as many samples as possible from a wide cross section of ages and breeds. Those breed differences could be really important, too — it won't help racehorses if the team develop their sense of normal sesamoid bones from Shetland ponies.

“You'd certainly expect [to see differences],” he said. “The skeletal system in general matures differently between different breeds. Small horses and ponies actually mature faster than larger horses.”

There could also be important differences in what's “normal” between male and female animals, as well as large, heavy-bodied and fine-boned horses within the same breed.

For now, MacLeod said his team has more questions than answers, but he is hopeful that soon – maybe even by next year's annual equine research showcase – he can provide some.

“I think as we ask the questions, as we generate quality data sets, as we advance imaging technologies, I think we will be able to answer those questions,” he said.

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Black-Eyed Susan Winner Miss Marissa Among Seven In 150th Running Of Ladies Handicap At Aqueduct

Miss Marissa found a comfort level going two turns in a stellar sophomore campaign and will look to follow a similar recipe in her 4-year-old bow as part of a seven-horse field of fillies and mares 4-years-old and up in the 150th running of Sunday's $100,000 Ladies Handicap going nine furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Miss Marissa, sixth last out in the Grade 3 Comely on November 27 over an Aqueduct track rated good, is the field's most accomplished entrant, having won the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on October 3, Preakness Day, at Pimlico Race Course for trainer James Ryerson.

Miss Marissa, owned by Cammarota Racing, won just once in her first nine starts. But the He's Had Enough filly found a comfort zone when placed at longer distances, winning three straight entering the Comely, including 1 1/8-mile victories against optional claimers on August 13 at Saratoga and the Black-Eyed Susan, where she edged Bonny South by a neck over a fast track.

After tiring in the stretch in the Comely to cap her sophomore year, Ryerson said Miss Marissa has been training forwardly at Belmont in anticipation of her 4-year-old bow. She breezed four furlongs in 47.40 seconds on Wednesday over the main track.

“We're happy with her. She breezed real well yesterday,” Ryerson said. “We're excited about running. We're hoping we get a good track, but whatever we get, we'll try either way and hopefully she'll show up.

“We'll race here and then I think we'll give her a break after this, but hopefully we'll be seeing her at Belmont later on,” he added.

Jose Lezcano will pick up the mount for the first time since riding her to a fourth-place finish in the seven-furlong Wide Country last February at Laurel Park. The duo will break from post 4 with Miss Marissa carrying the 122-pound highweight.

“We decided to make a change and Jose knows her; he got to ride her going seven-eighths and he never had the chance to ride her in a two-turn race, so we're really happy to have him,” Ryerson said.

Jeff Drown's Smooth With a Kick has finished in the money in three of her last four starts, including a victory against allowance company going the Ladies' distance on August 9 at the Spa and a 3 ¼-length score against optional claimers at 1 1/16 miles on October 11 at Keeneland.

Trainer Chad Brown moved the Candy Ride mare up to stakes company last out in the Grade 2 Falls City going nine furlongs on November 26 at Churchill Downs. Despite finishing fifth, she posted an 86 Beyer, the highest in her 13 career starts, and has trained at Belmont since December. Smooth With a Kick will carry 120 pounds.

“She's real straightforward,” said Whit Beckman, an assistant to Brown. “No bad habits and nothing too tricky about the filly. You just take her out there and she does the rest. She's easy to be around and has a professional attitude. That makes a good racehorse.”

Manny Franco will ride from post 2.

Bass Stables' Thankful earned black type in her stakes – and Aqueduct Racetrack – debut last out and will look to build on that effort in returning to the Big A.

Thankful capped her sophomore campaign with a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Comely. The Todd Pletcher trainee did not race as a juvenile but posted a 2-1-1 mark in five starts during her 3-year-old season, breaking her maiden at third asking on August 20 at Saratoga before edging next-out winner Mrs. Danvers in a one-turn mile on September 27 when facing older horses at Belmont Park, netting a personal-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

The daughter of 2015 Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah will look to register the trifecta at NYRA-operated tracks in her second start at Aqueduct as she seeks her first stakes win.

Thankful, a $625,000 purchase at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton New York Select Sale, will have the services of meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche from the outermost post 7 and carry 120 pounds.

Ten Strike Racing's Lucky Move dispatched fellow New York-breds in consecutive stakes, starting with the Empire Distaff Handicap in October at Belmont and the Bay Ridge last out on December 13 at Aqueduct, and will face open company for trainer Juan Guerrero.

Bred by Maltese Cross Stables and Stonegate Stables, Lucky Move will make the first start of her 7-year-old year, with the veteran compiling a 7-7-4 record through 32 starts. Jorge Vargas, Jr. will be in the irons from the inside post [121 pounds].

Ujjayi, a T.L. Wise Pennsylvania homebred conditioned by Mike Maker, bested optional claimers at the Ozone Park-based track on December 13 and has half of her four career wins at the Big A. The Smarty Jones mare will break from post 6 with Trevor McCarthy aboard carrying 120 pounds.

Am Impazible earned the right to try stakes company after returning from a 10-month layoff with a win against allowance company on December 18 going a one-turn mile at the Big A. Overall, the Kelly Breen trainee has won her last four starts dating to November 2019, with all those victories coming at Aqueduct.

Owned by Richard Troncone, Jr. and Troncone, Sr., the New York homebred will have jockey Eric Cancel's services from post 5 and carry 118 pounds.

Bridlewood Farm's Bridlewood Cat is seeking her first win since 2019 and will be making her third consecutive stakes appearance for trainer Jonathan Thomas. Dylan Davis has the call from post 3. Bridlewood Cat will carry 118 pounds.

The Ladies Handicap is slated as Race 8 on Aqueduct's nine-race program, which offers a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Del Mar Horsepark Closure Not Expected To Impact Training, Racing at Track

In December, tremors rippled through the Del Mar horse community when the 22nd District Agricultural Association announced the cancellation of all scheduled 2021 horse shows at the Del Mar Horsepark, and the proposed removal of all horses boarded there, in order to attend to costly water quality issues bedeviling the facility.

At a meeting Tuesday, board members expanded upon the reasons behind the temporary closure of the Horsepark–a 65-acre equestrian facility located within two miles from the Del Mar Fairgrounds racetrack–and mooted the idea of holding as many of the scheduled 2021 horse shows at the Fairgrounds instead.

According to Josh Rubinstein, president of Del Mar racetrack, if scheduled horse shows are indeed relocated to the facility this year, such developments aren’t expected to impact the track’s anticipated racing and training calendar.

“Everything is so fluid right now, but from what we’ve seen from proposed horse show activity for 2021, there shouldn’t be any impact to what we do racing and training,” Rubinstein said.

Another piece of that puzzle, said Rubinstein, concerns the $13 million that Del Mar recently invested in a new wastewater treatment system, that paves the way for year-round stabling at the facility.

“If you remember back to the Lilac fire of 2017, Del Mar was forced into action because of the closure of San Luis Rey Downs. We stabled approximately 500 Thoroughbreds here through April of 2018, when we had horse show activity on the grounds,” Rubinstein said.

“We worked closely with 22nd DAA staff to ensure that Thoroughbred training could co-exist with horse show activities. It worked well then, with not a lot of notice for planning and such, and we believe in the future it’s something that can work well, too.”

A lawsuit requiring the 22nd DAA to comply with state environmental regulations eventually prompted the board to curtail operations at the horse park in December. Compliance with these new regulations is expected to set the 22nd DAA back a minimum of $3 million.

Prior to the meeting, many in the local community feared that any closure might spell the permanent end to the Horsepark, a major equine hub in Southern California. Indeed, a change.org petition to “Save Del Mar Horsepark” was circulated, garnering nearly 12,000 signatories.

At Tuesday’s meeting, officials insisted that there were no plans to redevelop the property.

“I want the community to know and understand, this board has not made a decision to permanently close horse park,” said Fair board president Richard Valdez, during Tuesday’s meeting. “We’ve hit the pause button so we can determine the next steps.”

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