January, 2024 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Letter To The Editor: The Implications of Choosing Not To Run in This Year’s Derby

The Derby is not just any race. It is the pinnacle of American horse racing from virtually every angle: breeding, owning, training, riding and yes, even betting (who doesn't want bragging rights for picking the winner?).

And the Derby race/event has grown to such importance for the entire industry (the hoopla around the Derby as an event got bigger in the preceding years even while horse racing has been struggling), that its import flows far beyond the private parameters of ownership of Churchill Downs, Inc. Derby day is an industry-wide event even though it is run by a private entity. And herein emerges the problem that begs for a resolution.

The owners of horses trained by Bob Baffert, in refusing to switch barns in order to get their horses eligible to the Derby race, are, in essence, calling out the management of the Derby race by Churchill and boycotting the race.

I write this from the perspective of years of graduate study in political economy during my Ph.D. work. These owners have made (and undoubtedly not deliberately so) a huge first step in challenging the balance of power in the industry between owners/breeders and the racetracks.

Churchill, in arbitrarily extending the ban on their trainer and shortening the time for the required transfer of their horses from their chosen trainer to someone else (the transfer date was conspicuously set days before the Robert Lewis prep race at Santa Anita), had, apparently gone too far. Churchill was intrinsically questioning both the owner's management and judgment in the care of their horses. The owners, in turn, by not transferring their horses to another trainer and thus choosing not to run in the Derby, are questioning the management of the Derby race itself by Churchill Inc.

The implications from this small group of owner's decisions go far beyond themselves, their trainer and Churchill itself. Not only are these owners challenging Churchill's authority to interfere with the management and use of their property rights, by boycotting this year's Derby, they are preventing (again not deliberately) the breeders of the horses in question from participating in the Derby.

This battle of the power of Churchill Inc. over the Derby race with these owners has rippling effects on the breeding industry itself. You breed a top horse, it gets sold and then doesn't get to participate in the Derby because of a battle between Churchill Inc. and a specific trainer that leads to the owners withholding the horse.

This situation needs to be resolved.

And the power of Churchill Inc. over a race that is now, de facto, an industry race (while proprietary to Churchill Inc.) needs to be curbed so that any similar situation doesn't re-occur. Decisions directly impacting the Derby race need to be subject to countervailing power by the key interest groupings in the industry-with representatives actually in the boardroom concerning key decisions on the Derby race. Such arrangements are not uncommon in business. Even the trainers do not have a voice regarding their own eligibility and seemingly arbitrary decisions regarding their participation.

The Derby is the Derby because everyone wants to run their top horses if they are ready for the race. As soon as capable, top horses are not put on the path to the Derby, the race can lose its significance before too long. The Derby race is too important to the industry to be allowed to be run without Industry-wide input to assure its continued impact.
–Armen Antonian Ph.D

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Dana Stead Named Equine Safety and Integrity Veterinarian

Dr. Dana Stead, DVM, has been named Equine Safety and Integrity Veterinarian, according to Churchill Downs Wednesday. In this role, Stead will provide veterinarian support and oversight at all CDI-owned racetracks including at Churchill Downs. Stead joins CDI's Equine Medical Director Dr. William Farmer, DVM, supporting equine safety at the Company's Thoroughbred and Standardbred racetracks across the U.S. Stead will begin his new role on Feb. 5.

“I look forward to working together with the horsemen and women across all of CDI's properties and am dedicated to promoting and ensuring the well-being and safety of each of our equine and human athletes,” said Stead.

With over 16 years in equine veterinary medicine, Stead also was the owner and operator of his own veterinary practice, serving multiple California-based racetracks, including Santa Anita Park and Del Mar. During that period, his responsibilities ranged from conducting pre-race examinations, emergency triage and serving as the racing veterinary supervisor for 25,000 races, with over 200,000 starters.

Stead, who holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University, has also been a member of the Breeders' Cup veterinary team for 14 of the last 15 years.

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HISA To Fund Three Scientific Studies On The Use of Furosemide

Following a recommendation from its Furosemide Advisory Committee (FAC), the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Board of Directors approved $773,500 in grant funding for three scientific studies on the use of furosemide (also known as “Lasix”) to be conducted over the next two years by the Nationwide Children's Hospital, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and Washington State University, HISA said in a Wednesday release.

The studies will examine the 48-hour period before the start of a Covered Horserace, including the effects of furosemide on equine health and the integrity of competition. Researchers will be required to present final reports on their findings to the FAC on or before Jan. 31, 2026.

“The Furosemide Advisory Committee is grateful to the expert researchers who responded to our request for proposals and look forward to partnering with Nationwide Children's Hospital, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and Washington State University on this important research,” said FAC Chairman Dr. Scott Palmer, VMD. “The lifelong health and well-being of Thoroughbreds is our top priority. This work will help ensure we have policies in place to safeguard these remarkable animals and the integrity of the sport.”

Under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, HISA is required to fund scientific research on the topic of furosemide to inform the FAC's future recommendations to the HISA Board on whether and how to amend their existing furosemide regulations.

A request for proposals was issued by HISA in August 2023. Out of those submitted, the following were recommended by the FAC and approved:

Examining Associations Between Furosemide Treatment & Racehorse Health and Welfare

Principal Investigator: Amanda Waller, Bsc, PhD, Research Scientist, Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital
This study will examine the effects of race day furosemide treatment on the health and welfare of Thoroughbreds as well as their long-term racing performance. An analysis will be conducted to assess the association between pre-race furosemide administration and fatal injury, while also comparing the performance metrics–including lifetime earnings, career length, lifetime starts, starts per year, placings and average speed figures–of horses that raced exclusively on furosemide as 2-year-olds and horses that did not receive furosemide as juveniles.

Effects of Repeated Furosemide Administration on Electrolyte Homeostasis and Bone Density in Healthy Adult Exercising Thoroughbreds

Principal Investigator: SallyAnne L. DeNotta, DVM, PhD, DACVIM., Clinical Assistant Professor, Large Animal Medicine, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
This study will examine the effects of repeated furosemide administration on electrolyte homeostasis, parathyroid response and urinary electrolyte excretion in exercising adult Thoroughbreds. The study will also examine the effects of repeated administration on bone density and strength using minimally invasive methods of measurement, including DEXA scan and OsteoProbe.

Does Pre-Race Administration of Furosemide to Thoroughbred Racehorses Prolong Their Racing Careers?

Principal Investigator: Warwick Bayly, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM, Professor, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University
This study will examine the impact of severe exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) on horses' careers and the health of the racing industry more broadly. In doing so, the study will assess whether regular furosemide treatment is associated with more career starts and greater longevity and the impact of banning furosemide for 2-year-olds on the duration of their careers and number of lifetime starts. The study will also seek to determine the extent to which severe EIPH impacts the number of subsequent starts, the periods between them and, when applicable, the time between the diagnosis of severe EIPH and retirement.

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Milton Harris Has Training Licence Withdrawn

Milton Harris has been ruled not to be a “fit and proper person” to hold a trainer's licence in written reasons issued by the British Horseracing Authority's Licensing Committee.

The Warminster handler was found to be in multiple breaches of his licence conditions, with the BHA citing his “misconduct in his dealings with others, including fellow licence holder Mr Simon Earle” and “concerns in respect of safeguarding arising out of MH's conduct with young persons employed at his racing yard”.

Harris, who had an enforced absence from the training ranks between 2011 and 2018 due to financial issues, also admitted to being in breach of conditions which were imposed on his licence upon his return. Harris reportedly failed “to be candid in his dealings with the BHA in respect of those breaches, particularly when the BHA was seeking to provide opportunities for MH to remedy those breaches”.

In the wake of the ruling, BHA director of integrity and regulatory operations, Tim Naylor said, “Racing is a sport that works hard to provide a safe and welcoming space for all and the ruling of the Licensing Committee in this case sends a clear message that those in positions of authority in our industry must act in a way that upholds these values.

“We are grateful to the committee for their time in considering this matter and also to those who came forward to share their experiences of Mr Harris and gave evidence at the hearing.

“Some of the details in the Licensing Committee's decision make for extremely uncomfortable reading. Mr Harris's behaviour over a prolonged period of time fell a long way short of what we expect of a licensed person and, as the committee found, would cause damage to racing's reputation if allowed to continue without repercussion.

“We are, therefore, pleased with the panel's finding that Mr Harris is not a fit and proper person to hold a licence.

“As is clear from the decision, the BHA's concerns ranged across a number of very serious issues. One of these concerns related to safeguarding. The BHA takes its safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously and, as demonstrated by its bringing this case before the Licensing Committee, will do everything within its powers to ensure that those working in our sport do so in an environment befitting what should rightly be expected by them and, in the case of young people, their parents or guardians upon taking a job in the sport.

“The BHA recently published an updated Safeguarding and Human Welfare Strategy, which built on our existing policies and seeks to protect and promote the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in the sport.

“As always, we would encourage anybody who feels they have been subjected to or witnessed inappropriate behaviour in our sport to contact us. The BHA's Code of Conduct clearly establishes the standards that everyone involved in racing is expected to uphold and we will never turn a blind eye to concerns raised about conduct which may fall below these standards.”

Harris described himself as “disappointed” by the verdict, with a further response planned in the coming days.

“I've just seen the decision of the committee and I'm obviously disappointed,” said Harris. “My immediate priority is to look after the horses, owners and long-serving staff here and in the immediate that will be my sole focus. I will make a statement [on the decision] in a few days' time.”

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