California trainer Dan Blacker may be facing sanctions after an investigation discovered that over 500 of his trainees did not have a veterinarian exam completed during the 72 hours prior to an official workout, according to a complaint posted on the California Horse Racing Board's website.
CHRB rule 1878 requires horses to be examined by a trainer's attending veterinarian within 72 hours of a workout to determine whether the runner is fit for such exercise. The rule was launched on Jan. 1, 2022, and requires the attending vet to determine “that the horse is fit to workout” via a “close inspection of the eyes, examination of the legs, and observation of the horse at rest and while in motion.”
The CHRB investigation was launched following the fatality of unraced Blacker trainee Animae after a workout at Santa Anita on July 1, 2023. The 2-year-old filly suffered a fatal musculoskeletal injury to her pelvis and vertebrae, according to CHRB records.
An investigation into the filly's fatality found that she did not have an examination by Blacker's attending veterinarian entered into the Equitaps database during the seventy-two (72) hours immediately preceding that July 1 official workout. In fact, three of the four official works for Animae did not have a vet exam listed.
As a result, an audit was conducted on all horses trained by Blacker from Jan. 1, 2022, through July 1, 2023. Of the 789 official workouts listed for Blacker's trainees, 527 did not have a veterinary exam completed during the 72 hours preceding the work.
According to the Daily Racing Form, a hearing had been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 13, but that has been postponed.
Mike Marten, spokesman for the CHRB, told the Paulick Report: “There is no automatic system in place to audit each and every workout for compliance with Rule 1878. There were more than 400 workouts at Santa Anita last weekend. The CHRB does not have the resources to check vet confidentials to determine if all of those horses complied with 1878. We do verify whenever a horse is injured. Our entry review panel often checks the workout records once horses are entered. Additionally, our investigators audit randomly for compliance and specifically when investigating a related violation.
“Santa Anita and Del Mar employ an assistant to the Official Veterinarian's secretary to check the records for horses entered to race for compliance with a similar rule, #1581.1. As a result of this case, the CHRB has asked its Official Veterinarians to perform more random checks for workouts as well.”
Marten also reported that the CHRB has filed 18 complaints over the workouts aspect of Rule 1878 since it went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. Stewards have primarily opted to fine violators of the rule, with amounts ranging from $100 up to $1,000 for multiple violations.
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