Tom Pedulla presents five key takeaways from the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes on Saturday at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park and other developments this past weekend.
Botulism: A Deadly Disease
Botulism in not a disease many horse owners are familiar with—but they should be as the disease is often deadly. Caused by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, the soil-borne disease is more common in certain areas of the country, like Kentucky. The spores of the bacterium produce a neurotoxin that block the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles. This results in progressive weakness that makes the horse unable to swallow. Up to 50 percent of horses that receive supportive care can die; those that get no assistance are even more likely to perish from the disease.
Horses can get botulism in three ways:
- Ingestion of decaying plant material or animal carcasses in hay or on pasture grass
- Infection through wounds
- Ingestion of spores and vegetative cells that cause Shaker Foal syndrome
There are different types of botulism: Types and B are associated with forage, while Type C is associated with the accidental ingestion of decaying animals.
A vaccination for botulism type B is available, but it is not considered a core vaccination as it is found mainly in Kentucky and the mid-Atlantic states. A horse's risk of getting the disease should be discussed with its treating veterinarian to determine if vaccination is necessary.
Foals are at particular risk of developing botulism, so pregnant mares should be vaccinated against the disease before they foal. Foals born in areas of the country where botulism abounds should receive Botulism type B toxoid at 2, 4 and 8 weeks old even if the mare was vaccinated.
There are no licensed vaccines for botulism A or C.
Read the AAEP botulism vaccination recommendations here.
Read more at Stable Management.
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Betting Against Maximum Security in San Diego Handicap
Six horses are slated to enter the starting gate in Saturday’s rescheduled $150,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, and it’s safe to assume most eyes will be focused on Maximum Security (#5), the champion 3-year-old male of 2019.
Discovery: A Legend in the Truest Sense
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there were Thoroughbreds that could carry heavy weight assignments, set multiple track records, run 16 to 20 times a year … then come back the next year, and the next year, and do it all again. In the modern world of horse racing – an era in which the connections of champion racehorses carefully pick their spots and rarely race more often than once a month – it can be incredible to reflect on the careers of true “iron horses” like Discovery.
