The Jockey Club's Thoroughbred Safety Committee issued two new recommendations at the breed registry's annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing this week.
One recommendation urges public disclosure of the track surface measurements that racetracks are required to take by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. The national regulations require tracks to have a plan for daily tests of racing and training surfaces and to report those test results to the Authority within one week. These tests include geometry and slopes of straights and turns, cushion and base geometries, as well as daily monitoring of moisture content, cushion depth, weather, and penetration and shear (for turf tracks) at each quarter mile marker pole in at least two spots.
“The Thoroughbred Safety Committee today calls for that information to be frequently measured at periodic distances and made available to the public,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel to The Jockey Club. “Working with other key industry stakeholders, especially the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, The Jockey Club recommends exploring the best methods for providing the racing surface data to the horsemen and public, including through an app, website, or other electronic feed. As with all of its recommendations, The Jockey Club will help provide resources to ensure this recommendation is met.”
The other suggestion from the committee was that regulators should consider intervening in situations where trainers have two or more race-related fatalities in a short period of time. National regulations via HISA require that any on-track fatalities undergo a necropsy, and many states require a mortality review in which the equine medical director meets with the trainer to look at the horse's workout, race, and medical history to see whether the trainer could do anything differently in the future to prevent recurrence.
“The regulations suggested are not intended to be punitive,” Werner said. “Instead, the focus is on recognizing the trainer as a risk factor upon the occurrence of two or more race-related fatalities, and identifying opportunities for intervention, such as continuing education, rest, diagnostics, and veterinary consultation and care.
“In a similar fashion to other regulations in the realm of safety and integrity, the number of horses in a trainer's stable is not taken into consideration in applying the strategies. However, genuine accidents would not be included in the case criteria for intervention.”
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