May, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Does Increased Poll Flexion Mean Greater Equine Welfare Risk?

A new study has shown that the degree of poll flexion in a ridden horse can affect his welfare.

Horses are obligate nasal breathers, meaning they cannot swap to breathing through their mouths when their oxygen needs increase, as humans do. Because of this, horses have limitations on how much air they can take in, which may constrain their athletic performance.

Though the horse can flare his nostrils, abduct his larynx and dilate the bronchioles to a degree, these physiological adaptations can only do so much to adjust to the increase in airspeed during exercise. A horse has frictional resistance placed on his airways when he is asked to exert himself while being ridden. This creates negative pressure in the upper airways, which could cause them to collapse.

To prevent this, horses being asked to work hard will extend their head and necks to prevent collapse.

In ridden disciplines like showjumping and dressage, horses often go in a frame that bends their airway at the upper trachea and the larynx. Dr. Paula Tilley, with the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health in Portugal, and the team of scientists sought to evaluate the effects of two poll flexion positions on respiratory system and behavior of ridden horses. There was just a 15-degree difference between the positions.

The team used 20 upper-level dressage horses and 20 showjumpers for the study. They were ridden twice for 40 minutes each, three weeks apart. For the first ride, the horses were asked for 85 degrees of ground angle (the angle between the ground and the line from the forehead to the muzzle); the second time they were asked for 100 degrees of ground angle. The 85-degree angle was more open.

[Story Continues Below]

All horses were monitored for conflict behavior as well as for signs of upper respiratory collapse using a dynamic endoscope (one that is worn while ridden). The horses had their heart and respiratory rates evaluated, as were their arterial blood oxygen and lactate, pleural pressure, and pharyngeal diameter.

The horses asked to work at the 100-degree angle showed more conflict behaviors (like tail swishing, mouth gaping, excessive salivating and head shaking) and had higher intrathoracic pressure. These horses also exhibited multiple upper-airway dynamic dysfunctions like nasopharyngeal collapse, palatal instability/dysfunction and intermittent bilateral arytenoid cartilage collapse.

Considered together, blood lactate levels were significantly higher in the horses asked for the 100-degree flexion.

Horses working at the 85-degree angle were more likely to have their ears forward.

The study team concluded that more studies are needed to determine whether the amount of time a horse ridden with a poll flexion ground angle of greater than 85 degrees should be minimized to address equine welfare issues.

Pletcher Facing Three Complaints In Florida For Medication Overages

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has been issued complaints from the Florida Gaming Control Commission Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering for three alleged medication violations in December 2022 and February of this year. These came on the heels of recently reported failed drug tests for Pletcher-trained Eclipse Award winner Forte in New York and multiple Grade 1 stakes winner Mind Control in Pennsylvania, both in September.

Pletcher has said Forte and Mind Control's failed tests were the result of contamination. The three alleged Florida violations are all overages of legal therapeutic medications.

Only one of the five alleged violations has been adjudicated, that being Forte's positive test for the Class 2 anti-inflammatory drug meloxicam following his victory in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes last Sept. 5. Owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, Forte has been disqualified from that win and Pletcher received a 10-day suspension and $1,000 fine. The case is being appealed.

Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, indicated it is unlikely a case like Forte's would have been pursued as a violation under the newly formed group's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program, which has higher screening levels for certain substances and an “atypical findings” policy designed to identify contamination cases. However, the HISA program did not go into effect until May 22 of this year.

According to records obtained from the Florida Gaming Control Commission Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, two Pletcher runners tested positive at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 10 and a third horse tested positive at the South Florida track on Feb. 3.

Ari Gold, a Medaglia d'Oro colt owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, tested positive for the ulcer medication omeprazole sulfide, a Class 5 drug in Florida, following his victory in the Pulpit Stakes on Dec. 10.

Also on Dec. 10, Team Valor International's OK Boomer tested positive for the Class 4 corticosteroid dexamethasone after winning his debut in a one-mile turf maiden race. The Noble Mission colt has had two races since then, most recently finishing fourth in the Colonel Liam Stakes at Gulfstream on March 4.

On Feb. 3, Six Minus – an English Channel gelding racing for Repole Stable, Todd Pletcher and J.J. Pletcher – was found to have elevated levels of two anti-inflammatories in his system, ketoprofen and phenylbutazone, following an allowance/optional claiming race win on the Gulfstream Park turf. It is a violation of Florida medication regulations to have more than one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug above certain levels.

Ari Gold was found by the University of Florida Racing Laboratory to have 4.57 nanograms of omeprazole per milliliter in a urine sample; the regulatory threshold or screening limit is 1 ng/ml. OK Boomer was reported to have 19.7 picograms/milliliter of dexamethasone in serum compared to a threshold level of 5 pg/ml. Six Minus had a ketoprofen level of 2.49 ng/ml and phenylbutazone level of 0.967 micrograms/milliliter in serum; when more than one NSAID is found, Florida's threshold level for ketoprofen is 1 ng/ml and phenylbutazone is 0.3 µg/ml.

Pletcher requested hearings for all three cases and split samples were requested for OK Boomer and Six Minus. Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed dexamethasone in OK Boomer at a level of 18.8 pg/ml but the test for Six Minus has not been returned, according to records from Florida officials.

Mind Control's alleged positive came at Parx Racing after the Sept. 24 Parx Dirt Mile Stakes in which the son of Mind Control was elevated to first place following a stewards disqualification of Far Mo Power for stretch interference. The name of the drug has not been reported, and the case has not been brought before the stewards at this time. Mind Control raced for Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables LLC.

Pletcher is the sport's all-time leading trainer by money won. He was voted an Eclipse Award in 2022 as outstanding trainer for a record eighth time.

The post Pletcher Facing Three Complaints In Florida For Medication Overages appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mack: Switching Triple Crown To Synthetic Surfaces Is ‘An Ethical Imperative’

Longtime owner and breeder Earle Mack wrote an op/ed for the Thoroughbred Daily News this week proposing a solution to the 12 fatalities at Churchill Downs and burgeoning public relations crisis facing the entire racing industry: a switch to synthetic surfaces.

“Tradition holds great power in our sport, with our most prestigious races historically being run on dirt tracks,” Mack wrote. “However, the stark and troubling statistics demand a shift in thinking. We must abandon old norms and embrace new practices that prioritize the safety and welfare of our noble equine athletes. The benefits of synthetic tracks are not mere conjecture; they are a proven truth. Their superior safety record and fewer injuries make their adoption not just an option but an ethical imperative.”

Specifically, Mack called on the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation to lead the way for a switch to synthetic surfaces, thereby “proactively and boldly addressing the crisis of equine safety instead of reacting to a growing regulatory and societal movement to ban the sport.”

Belmont Park is already installing a synthetic surface alongside its dirt course, Mack pointed out.

“Next year marks the historic 150th anniversary of the Triple Crown,” he concluded. “This milestone should be more than a nostalgic reflection on the past; it should be a fervent pledge for a safer future. A future where our sport remains a thrilling spectacle but also evolves into a beacon of safety, integrity, and respect for our equine athletes.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Mack: Switching Triple Crown To Synthetic Surfaces Is ‘An Ethical Imperative’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Kentucky Oaks Third The Alys Look Ships West, Will Make First Start For Chris Davis In Santa Anita’s Summertime Oaks

Fresh off a solid third place finish for trainer Brad Cox in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, The Alys Look figures prominently as she goes for a new barn and makes her Southern California debut in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. A wide- open affair on paper, the Summertime Oaks, to be contested at a mile and one sixteenth, has attracted a field of seven sophomore fillies.

Owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, The Alys Look, who has been stabled at Keeneland following her 2 ¾ length defeat in the Kentucky Oaks May 5, will make her first start for Kentucky-based trainer Christopher Davis, who at entry time, had eight wins from 73 starts this year.

A 3-year-old filly by Connect out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Foul Play, The Alys Look, who shipped into Santa Anita on May 24, had her final Summertime breeze at Keeneland on May 19, going a half mile in 48.80.

An ungraded stakes winner going a mile and 70 yards at Fairgrounds in New Orleans three starts back on Jan. 21, The Alys Look was subsequently third, beaten seven lengths in the G2 Fairgrounds Oaks at a mile and one sixteenth March 25. Off at 30-1 in the Kentucky Oaks, she kept to her task to secure third money under Javier Castellano.

With Mike Smith engaged to ride on Saturday, The Alys Look approaches the Summertime Oaks with earnings of $304,278 from an overall race record of 7-2-1-3.

Although light on seasoning, John Sadler's Anywho looks to be long on ability, as she galloped to a two-length score in a seven furlongs allowance here on March 27, which was her first start for Sadler. A first-out winner at going seven eighths at Aqueduct Oct. 23, Anywho, a filly by Bolt d'Oro, rang up a Summertime Oaks best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 90 in her March 27 win.

Off at 9-2 with Flavien Prat in her local win, Anywho, who was purchased privately by Hronis Racing, LLC following her maiden win in New York, gets the services of Joe Bravo as she tries two turns, a route of ground and stakes company for the first time.

A disappointing fifth as the 3-5 favorite two starts back in the Sunland Park Oaks on March 26, Bob Baffert's Doinitthehardway returned home and bounced back with 2 ¼ length allowance score on May 12 and thus looms a solid contender.

A rollicking nine-length, one-mile maiden winner here three starts back on March 3, a race in which she earned a solid 86 Beyer, Doinitthehardway will no doubt be forwardly placed with Juan Hernandez up.

Owned by recent Hollywood Gold Cup winning connections Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Doinitthehardway is by Street Sense out of the Awesome Again mare Virtuoso. With an 8-2-2-1 mark, she has earnings of $144,920.

Distanced by 17 lengths at 45-1 in the Kentucky Oaks, Peter Miller's Grade 1 winning And Tell Me Nolies should run a much improved race with regular rider Ramon Vazquez back aboard. Second to Baffert's Faiza in both the G2 Santa Anita Oaks April 8 and in the G3 Santa Ysabel March 5, And Tell Me Nolies had an outstanding 2-year-old campaign, winning both the G1 Del Mar Debutante and the G2 Chandelier Stakes prior to running eighth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland Nov. 4.

Owned by Peter Redekop B.C., Ltd, And Tell Me Nolies is by Arrogate out of the Exchange Rate mare Be Fair. The leading money earner in the field with $485,300, she's 8-3-2-0 overall.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez to a fourth place finish going a mile and one eighth on turf in the G3 Providencia Stakes here on April 29, Ancient Peace will be handled by a red-hot Tiago Pereira for the first time on Saturday. Pereira, who is currently third in the Hollywood Meet standing with 15 wins, had four winners this past Sunday and his two wins on Monday included a score in the G1 Shoemaker Mile with Exaulted.

A runaway six length allowance winner going one mile two starts back on April 8, Ancient Peace is one of two John Sadler trainees and rates an upset chance in what will be her fifth career start and her second on the main track.

Owned by Boardshorts Stables, Inc., Ancient Peace, an Ontario, Canadian-bred daughter of War Front out of the A.P. Indy mare Deceptive Vision, has a win on turf and one on dirt.

THE GRADE 2 SUMMERTIME OAKS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

The Alys Look—Mike Smith—120
Window Shopping—Hector Berrios—120
And Tell Me Nolies—Ramon Vazquez—124
Lily Poo—Umberto Rispoli—120
Doinitthehardway—Juan Hernandez—120
Ancient Peace—Tiago Pereira—120
Anywho—Joe Bravo—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.

The post Kentucky Oaks Third The Alys Look Ships West, Will Make First Start For Chris Davis In Santa Anita’s Summertime Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post