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Racist Comment By Kentucky Horseman Tom VanMeter Condemned

The Thoroughbred industry's two largest sales companies, Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton, swiftly condemned a racist post on social media by Kentucky horseman Tom VanMeter, but both companies stopped short of saying it would affect VanMeter's ability to conduct future business at their auctions.

Three organizations, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, said they were disassociating themselves from VanMeter.

VanMeter, an owner and breeder who is a longtime consignor to both Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton, is the owner of VanMeter Sales and Stockplace Farm, birthplace of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Two offensive comments on Facebook attributed to him began to circulate on Monday.

In response to a Facebook thread concerning a boycott of the National Football League, the following was posted on his account: “Defund the N– Football League.” The N-word used was the first three letters of a reprehensible term used by racists about African Americans.

Later in the thread, VanMeter added: “Put 'em back in their cage.”

In a joint statement, The Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association said it was deleting VanMeter from its listing in the consignor section of OwnerView, a resource for existing and prospective Thoroughbred owners.

“OwnerView, jointed owned by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, has suspended the account privileges of Tom VanMeter pending further review, based upon offensive content posted on social media under the same name,” the joint statement read. “There is no place in racing or our society for racially hateful language.”

Alex Waldrop, CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, posted the following statement on Twitter: “The racist remarks and views posted on social media on an account belonging to Tom VanMeter have no place in society, let alone the horse racing industry. The NTRA no longer will accept financial contributions of any kind from him or others who share his views.”

Boyd Browning, president of Fasig-Tipton, released the following statement: “Fasig-Tipton does not generally comment on social media postings made by third parties, other than to make clear that this comment was not made by an employee or representative of Fasig-Tipton and does not reflect Fasig-Tipton's values. We do not condone or support any statements or actions that do not promote a more diverse and inclusive environment for industry participants.”

A statement from Keeneland read: “Keeneland condemns Tom VanMeter's post. There is no place for racism in our sport or our society and his words are antithetical to Keeneland's values of respect, community and equality.

“Our industry must deal honestly and directly with our lack of diversity and look hard at its underlying causes. It is not only the right thing to do, it is critical for the future of the sport we love.

“At Keeneland, we have begun the process of reviewing our internal culture, structures and practices to try and build a better, more diverse and equitable Keeneland family. We do not believe there are easy answers to these complex and systemic challenges and everything is on the table as we move forward.”

VanMeter did not respond to phone calls or messages left on his cell phone.

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Hudgins Named to Virginia Racing Commission

Marsha Hudgins, owner and CEO of Hudgins Contracting Corporation, has been appointed the newest commissioner of the five-person Virginia Racing Commission, joining Chairman D.G. Van Clief Jr., Vice-Chairman Stuart Siegel, J. Sargeant Reynolds, Jr., and Stephanie Nixon.

A longtime owner and breeder of hunters and jumpers, but not involved in horse racing, Hudgins initially declined to be considered for the commission.

“I didn’t feel I was qualified and didn’t think I could be of any benefit to the industry,” she explained. “I thought there were plenty of others who had longer and stronger backgrounds in the sport who could bring lots more to the table.”

But conversations with industry insiders changed her mind.

“I still had doubts but knew upcoming years would be pivotal for racing in Virginia with historical racing, OTBs, the return of Colonial Downs and casinos. I started thinking that someone who is behind the industry, has business experience elsewhere and understands how business can impact the state should have their voice heard.”

Hudgins was appointed by the Governor May 19 and attended her first VRC meeting as a Commissioner June 25. She said she was impressed by what she saw.

“In my business, problem solving is the biggest thing you can to do to have a view of the future,” Hudgins said. “You need to work in a collaborative way with other groups to have a common goal in which we all share. That’s what I saw at the meeting. Groups with different goals coming together to figure out a way how Virginia is going to move forward. I was amazed. It bodes well for the future of our industry.”

She continued, “I see horse racing as a driving economic force in Virginia because it is our heritage. It goes back to the very beginning here. I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than a Thoroughbred horse. Anybody that has an interest and love for the sport can get involved. Racing is like my business. We have people in the field that work with heavy machinery and lay piping, are very good at what they do and earn a good living. It didn’t take a college degree. It’s the same in racing. You need education of a different sort. You need to love working outside and with animals. We have an entire industry that doesn’t go into office buildings.”

The post Hudgins Named to Virginia Racing Commission appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Attorney For Baffert Claims Human Back Pain Patch Caused Drug Positives For Gamine, Charlatan

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert claims that two horses in his barn were “unknowingly and innocently exposed” to a banned substance that wound up in their post-race test samples from May 2 at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Information leaked from initial testing by the Arkansas Racing Commission's contracted laboratory in late May indicated that Gamine and Charlatan both tested positive for the Class 2 drug lidocaine. Gamine won a May 2 allowance race by a neck. She subsequently won the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park on June 20 by 18 ¾ lengths. Charlatan won a division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and shortly thereafter suffered a minor ankle injury that will have him sidelined until after the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby. Both horses are unbeaten in three starts.

Split samples, sent at Baffert's request to the Equine Analytical Testing Laboratory at the University of California-Davis, confirmed the findings, according to published reports.

Lidocaine is used by veterinarians during lameness examinations to “block” or numb a horse's limbs. It is also commonly found in ointments and analgesic treatments and patches to alleviate pain in humans.

A statement from Baffert's attorney, Craig Robertson, said both Gamine and Charlatan were exposed to the lidocaine from a patch worn by a member of the trainer's staff suffering back pain while tending to the horses at Oaklawn.

“Even though lidocaine is a lawful, widely available therapeutic medication, it was never intentionally administered to either Gamine or Charlatan,” the statement reads. “When test results indicated that trace amounts of lidocaine were found in both horses after their respective races on May 2, Bob Baffert and his team were shocked. Leading up to May 2, both horses were healthy and worked hard to earn their victories that day.

“After investigation,” the statement continues, “it is our belief that both Gamine and Charlatanwere unknowingly and innocently exposed to lidocaine by one of Bob's employees. The employee previously broke his pelvis and had been suffering from back pain over the two days leading up to May 2. As a result, he wore a Salonpas patch on his back that he personally applied. That brand of patch contains small amounts of lidocaine. It is believed that lidocaine from that patch was innocently transferred from the employee's hands to the horses through the application of tongue ties by the employee that was handling both horses leading up to May 2.

“What I want to make clear are the following three points: 1) This is a case of innocent exposure and not intentional administration; 2) the levels of Lidocaine found in both Gamine and Charlatan that day were extremely small – 185 picograms for Gamine (in race 7), and 46 picograms for Charlatan (in race 11). A picogram is a trillionth of a gram. 3) It is our understanding that the trace amounts of Lidocaine found in both Gamine and Charlatan would not have had any effect on either horse – much less a performance enhancing one. The extreme sensitivity of modern-day testing can now pick up trace levels of innocent contaminants that have no effect on a horse. This is an issue that regulators of horse racing need to account for and address.

“Based on these facts, we intend on defending the cases involving Gamine and Chalatan before the Arkansas Racing Commission.”

Jimmy Barnes, assistant trainer for Baffert, saddled the horses at Oaklawn in the trainer's absence. He suffered a fractured pelvis in September 2017.

Recommended penalty for a Class 2/Category B penalty drug like lidocaine is a minimum 15-day suspension and $500 fine for a first offense under Association of Racing Commissioners International Model Rules. A second offense has a 30-day penalty and $1,000 fine. Some racing commissions consider simultaneous violations of the same drug as a mitigating factor and do not increase penalties for a second offense.

The Model Rule also calls for disqualification, meaning the owners would lose the purse money from the races (Gamine earned $36,600 and Charlatan $300,000). In the case of Charlatan, the 100 qualifying points earned for the Kentucky Derby would be transferred to Basin, the second-place finisher (if the case is resolved before Sept. 5). Currently sidelined Gouverneur Morris finished third, Winning Impression fourth and Anneau d'Or fifth. Points for the Arkansas Derby division are awarded on the basis of 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers.

Gamine is owned by Michael Lund Petersen. Charlatan is owned by the partnership of SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Frederick Hertrich III, John D. Fielding and Golconda Stables.

An even bigger financial stake for the owners of Charlatan may be in the sale of breeding rights to Hill 'n' Dale Farm announced several days after the Arkansas Derby. Depending on the language and when the contract between the parties was signed, the sale price may have hinged on Charlatan being a Grade 1 winner. If the Speightstown colt is disqualified from the Arkansas Derby – his stakes debut – the sale price could be reduced by millions of dollars unless and until he officially becomes a Grade 1 winner in the future.

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U.S. House Agriculture Funding Package Provides Tremendous Victories For Animals

Today, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee released its FY2021 Agriculture Appropriations package scheduled for votes by the Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations and the full Appropriations Committee this week. The package includes $3 million in funding for the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act that Animal Wellness Action worked to successfully get signed into law in the 2018 Farm Bill, and $2 million in funding for enforcement of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) of 1970. The HPA amount represents a doubling in funding for enforcement of the law against horse soring. The FY2021 bill also maintains the current ban on horse slaughter in the United States by defunding the inspection of horse slaughter plants on U.S. soil–a provision that's been regularly maintained by the Congress since the last U.S. based plants were shuttered in 2007.

“We applaud Reps. Sanford Bishop and Jeff Fortenberry for their leadership of the subcommittee and for providing additional funding to enforce the 1970 law that made it a crime to intentionally sore the feet of horses at Tennessee Walking Horse shows,” said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action and a past president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' & Exhibitors' Association. “We're also pleased that their bill maintains the ban on the slaughter of our iconic American horses for human consumption in the U.S. The Congress must pass a ban on exports of live horses for slaughter, but the ban on U.S-based slaughter plants is a key part of the larger effort to stop horse slaughter throughout North America.”

“No one should ever be forced to choose between their own safety and the safety of their pets, and full funding of the PAWS Act is a strong step to ensure domestic violence survivors are not separated from their pets,” said Holly Gann, director of federal affairs at the Animal Wellness Foundation. “Furthermore, the continued ban on horse slaughter plants in the U.S. should be a clear sign to the industry that it has no future here.”

Starting early in the year, Animal Wellness Action and the Animal Wellness Foundation pushed enhanced spending to enforce our federal anti-cruelty laws. In addition to funding the PAWS Act and HPA, the organizations are also pushing for enhanced enforcement at the USDA's Office of Inspector General to enforce the Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement (PACE) Act that AWA and AWF worked to pass in the 2018 Farm Bill and took effect in December of 2019 that outlawed all forms of animal fighting in the U.S. Territories. We are also seeking to create an Animal Cruelty Crimes section at the U.S. Dept. of Justice, to ensure enforcement of all federal anti-cruelty laws, including the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act that President Trump signed into law in November of last year.

AWA and AWF have also led the charge to eradicate the painful practice of soring – intentionally injuring Tennessee Walking, Racking, and Spotted Saddle Horses' legs to achieve an artificial high-step known as the “big lick” that's prized in the Southeastern U.S., and worked to successfully pass the U.S. Senator Joseph D. Tydings Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act through the U.S. House in July of 2019. The increase in HPA enforcement funding will also help fund the PAST Act if the Senate approves the House bill and it becomes law.

The PAWS Act was enacted to help address the issue of domestic violence against pets and the lack of ability to accommodate pets in domestic violence shelters. The measure authorized $3 million yearly until Fiscal Year 2023 to establish a grant program to provide emergency and transitional housing assistance so that more victims can flee an abusive situation with their pet. The PAWS Act also amended federal domestic violence laws to prohibit an abuser from killing, injuring, harassing, stalking, or engaging in conduct that places a victim in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury to their pet. In the FY2020, Congress included $2 million to fund this grant program.