Professional Jockeys Association back rapid saliva cocaine tests
The pilot scheme, which will be launched by the BHA in the spring, should also detect other recreational drugs. A positive saliva test will be followed by a confirmatory urine test.
Month: February 2021
Economic Shortfalls, Safety Improvements In CHRB Report
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has released its annual report, covering both the fiscal year 2019-2020 and the calendar year 2020. As expected, given the onslaught of a global pandemic, it paints a rather grim economic picture, but there are major positives to be gleaned, chiefly in the equine safety arena.
When it comes to the business side of the equation, all-breed total handle generation during 2020 declined by 7% over the prior year.
Because of a wholesale shift away from bricks and mortar wagering towards ADW platforms last year–which funnels a smaller percentage of handle towards racetrack commissions and purses for horsemen–the total purse generation for all breeds dropped by 15% from 2019 to $110 million.
A separate breakdown of California purse and handle data for the past three years (excluding Los Alamitos night racing) can be read here. Similarly, the Thoroughbred Owners of California recently announced a $15-million purse enhancement program to be divided between this year and next.
Because of reduced racing in the state last year, coupled with the curtailment of bricks-and-mortar wagering, a number of industry programs that derive funding directly from parimutuel handle have been financially walloped:
- The Southern California Stabling and Vanning Fund faces an estimated shortfall in 2020 of $3.6 million.
- Last year, revenues for the workers' compensation fund fell by 21%, or $1.35 million, from the year prior.
- For the fiscal year 2019-20, the industry made additional payments of more than $4 million to support the CHRB's daily operations.
“It is too early to predict how these numbers might rebound going forward,” the report states.
When it comes to the issue of equine fatalities, the outlook was rosier.
During the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the total number of fatalities (including those not related to racing and training) shrunk by 15% over the prior fiscal year. Training and racing fatalities alone declined by 18%. This correlated with a decline in racing starts of just under 6%.
Unsurprisingly, the single most common site of catastrophic injury during racing and training concerned the fetlock joint, and the sesamoid bones in particular, which accounted for nearly 50% of all musculoskeletal fatalities.
In this regard, the report highlighted the impacts on the early detection of these kinds of injuries from the implementation at Santa Anita of the standing positron emission tomography (PET) unit and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit. “These two diagnostic imaging modalities have greatly improved diagnostic capabilities of veterinarians,” the report states.
At the track level, Del Mar saw an uptick from 2019 in a number of key areas, including field size (8.0 to 8.4) during the summer, and average daily handle during both the summer and fall meet. For the third time in a row, the facility remained the safest major racetrack in North America.
At the beginning of 2020, Santa Anita faced the double sucker-punch of a horse shortage followed by a pandemic-induced suspension of live racing. Despite these obstacles, the report highlights a number of key plusses, including implementation of the track's new turf chute, which debuted during this current winter-spring meet, as well as important strides forward in safety.
“One of the biggest challenges in California racing has always been to get everyone to work together towards the same goal. As difficult as 2020 has been, the achievements made on that effort have been the most remarkable,” wrote Craig Fravel, 1/ST Racing's chief executive officer, in the report.
Of all the facilities, Golden Gate was arguably hit hardest by the pandemic, with more than 350 workers quarantined during an outbreak towards the end of last year. As a result, live racing was suspended there between Nov. 13, 2020 and Jan. 15, 2021.
Despite a 25% decline in racing programs from 2019 figures, however, total handle at Golden Gate declined just 1.3%, to $533,619,648.
Near the start of last year, Los Alamitos came under intense scrutiny for a rash of equine fatalities, including a significant number not related to training and racing (notably according to the CHRB report, Quarter Horse trainer Chris O'Dell is responsible for one-third of non-racing and training related fatalities at Los Alamitos during 2020).
The report highlights the efforts made by track management to address these issues, including implementation of a safety plan and greater scrutiny of horses both training and entering a race.
In terms of handle, the total all-source handle of $56,361,304 for the summer daytime meet was down 14% with two fewer programs than in 2019. Total handle for the fall meet was $75,469,118, an increase of 33% with one additional racing program. All-source Quarter Horse handle increased by 25%.
Understandably, the vulnerable Northern California Fair program faced seismic disruptions last year, with both Fresno and Humboldt County Fair vacating their dates to Golden Gate Fields.
At the same time, Alameda County Fair registered a near 10% increase in all source handle with three fewer cards than in 2019. The State Fair (run at Pleasanton) saw total handle decrease roughly 18% with 45% less racing. Sonoma County Fair (run at Golden Gate Fields) saw a handle increase of 24% with two more programs than in 2019.
The post Economic Shortfalls, Safety Improvements In CHRB Report appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
17-Year-Old Joshua Attard, Grandfather Tino Attard Team Up With Plate Hopeful Keep Grinding
Joshua Attard, the 17-year-old son of multiple stakes winning trainer Kevin Attard, is hoping his colt Keep Grinding gets a shot at Queen's Plate glory on August 22.
In his last year of high school, Joshua has high praise for his 3-year-old Ontario-bred (trained by his grandfather Tino Attard), who capped off his 2-year-old year with an impressive victory.
Horse: Keep Grinding
Sire: Tizway
Dam: Samsal
Trainer: Tino Attard
Owner: Joshua Attard
Breeder: Huntington Stud Farm Corp.
Record: 1-0-0 from 3 starts
On being a teenage Thoroughbred owner:
“It feels great. I never would have expected, to be honest, to have a horse like this at my age. I'm really excited to have an opportunity to have a horse that is eligible for the Queen's Plate, and that has a chance to be in the race.”
On when he knew Keep Grinding had potential:
“I knew when he started to work as a 2-year-old last year. I used to go in the summer, when I didn't have school, to watch him work and he would put on a show. His first race on the grass, I knew he had some talent because he came from far out of it and the race was a little short for him. He's a two-turn horse. When he broke his maiden, that's when I said I had a Queen's Plate prospect.”
On why he chose the name:
“I wanted to name my horse something that motivated me. I play hockey. When I go into the corners, I always tell myself to keep grinding for the puck. So, if I ever had the chance to own a horse I would name it Keep Grinding. It's something that motivates me and I hope it motivates other people.”
On the thought of having a Queen's Plate starter:
“I'm very excited and happy. I'm really looking forward to that possibility of being in the Plate. Hopefully, everything goes well and we make it to the race. He started training in the past three weeks. It would be great if my grandfather and I had a shot to be in the Plate.”
On staying patient with the race being run on Aug. 22:
“I try not to think about it. I keep my thoughts to myself. I know it's a hard road to get to the Queen's Plate, so we'll just hope the horse keeps developing and getting better each week.”
The post 17-Year-Old Joshua Attard, Grandfather Tino Attard Team Up With Plate Hopeful Keep Grinding appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
New Legislation Creates Animal Crimes Section To Crackdown On Animal Cruelty
In a major federal legislative initiative, Congressmen Joe Neguse (D-CO-02), David Joyce (R-OH-14) and Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) introduced the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act, H.R. 1016, a bill they forged in cooperation with Animal Wellness Action, the Animal Wellness Foundation, the Horses for Life Foundation, American Horse Protection Society, and the Center for a Humane Economy to step up federal action against perpetrators of malicious cruelty. The measure would create a new Animal Cruelty Crimes section within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), housed within the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Within the last three years, Congress and the White House fortified the legal framework against animal abuse, enacting the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act and other federal statutes criminalizing malicious acts of cruelty. The new DOJ section would concentrate on enforcing those laws and other previously enacted animal welfare criminal statutes such as the Horse Protection Act (HPA) of 1970 that was designed to stamp out the cruel practice of soring Tennessee Walking Horses. The ACE Act was conceived in part to help better enforce the HPA after nearly a decade of failed attempts to pass the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) regulations that would have eliminated the use of large-stacked shoes and ankle chains in the showring and revamped the industry's corrupt self-policing program.
“We applaud Congressmen Neguse, Joyce, and Cohen for the introduction of the ACE Act that would enable DOJ to ramp up enforcement of the HPA and stamp out soring, a task the USDA has failed miserably for more than half a century,” said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action, and a past president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' & Exhibitors' Association. “Until meaningful penalties are meted out against blatant violators of the law, the cruelty practice of soring will persist. There must be a penalty to fit the crime.”
“U.S. laws are in place to protect animals from torture and abuse, but too often they aren't being enforced—including federal statutes such as the Horse Protection Act,” said Allondra Stevens, founder of Horses For Life Foundation. “Establishing a dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes Division within the Department of Justice is an essential step towards fully investigating and prosecuting individuals that prey on animals. We fully support the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act and hope to see its swift passage into law this Congressional session.”
“Proper enforcement of animal cruelty laws will protect animal welfare and help keep our communities safe from the violence so often linked to these crimes,” said Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO-02). “The Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act, which I am proud to have introduced with my bipartisan co-leads, seeks to bolster the prosecution of these crimes by providing the necessary resources and staffing for efficient enforcement.”
“As a life-long pet owner and a member of the Congressional Horse Caucus, I am proud to introduce the Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act alongside Congressman Neguse, to ensure that there is proper enforcement for crimes against animals,” said Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH-14). “As a former prosecutor, I know we can do more to crack down on criminals who abuse animals, and as a Member of Congress, I feel obligated to provide the tools necessary to do just that. The ACE Act will improve the federal government's ability to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty crimes by creating a dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes section within the Department of Justice, so that perpetrators of these heinous crimes will be held accountable in a timely, efficient manner.”
“Enforcement of laws already on the books, including those banning dog fighting and other cruel practices, is critical to ending these barbaric practices, which is what this measure aims to do,” said Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. “I'm proud to support the Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act because inflicting harm on defenseless animals has no place in a civilized society.”
“Despite the unique role that horses occupy in our nation's history, and culture, they are still subjected to terrible mistreatment and deliberate cruelty,” said Scott Beckstead, director of campaigns at the Center for a Humane Economy, and a lifelong horseman. “The Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act will fortify existing protections and elevate the mission of the Department of Justice in protecting American horses and all animals from the most cruel and depraved elements in our society.”
A dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes section at DOJ would allow for robust and effective enforcement of these crimes by designating personnel focused on these issues. DOJ already has dedicated sections on other important societal concerns, such as environmental protection, wildlife, and organized crime. Identical bipartisan, bicameral, companion legislation was introduced in 2020 by U.S. Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., John Kennedy, R-La., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and will be reintroduced in the coming months.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
The post New Legislation Creates Animal Crimes Section To Crackdown On Animal Cruelty appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
