The Arizona Department of Gaming confirmed last week that pre-race veterinary inspections are still not taking place consistently at Turf Paradise in Phoenix as the state remains unable to hire adequate staff.
On Jan. 28, the 5-year-old gelding Class Proof struggled in the fifth race at Turf Paradise, a $4,500 claiming contest. According to the chart, Class Proof, trained by Jorge Rosales for Remmah Racing, dueled early for the lead against Flyinunderthegraydar and traveled three wide before he “went wrong” nearing the half-mile pole and was pulled up by rider Israel Hernandez. In the process of pulling up, Class Proof's heels were clipped by rival Riviera Champ, who unseated his rider, Rigo Sarmiento and later walked off.
Class Proof was vanned off. He was determined to have suffered a catastrophic injury and was euthanized. According to the race's chart, Class Proof was claimed out of that race by Juan Pablo Silva for Tijuana Racing Stables. The chart does not indicate the claim was voided.
Although the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority dictates a claim may be voided on a horse who is found to be lame following a race, Arizona rules dictate that if the horse leaves the gate it is considered a starter and there is no option to void the claim on a horse who is considered a starter.
A failure to adhere to void claim regulations was one in a list of rule violations lobbed at Turf Paradise by the Authority in January. A stipulated agreement signed by track representatives and the Authority last week indicated that the racetrack attributed the lack of enforcement to “a lack of authority or contrary instructions from its licensing agency.” The track agreed to make a good faith effort to resume void claim procedures.
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If you appreciate our work, you can support us by subscribing to our Patreon stream. Learn more.According to the state, pre-race veterinary exams did not take place on horses running on Jan. 28 or on Jan. 26 due to “emergency staffing issues,” meaning that Class Proof went to the post on Jan. 28 without a regulatory veterinarian attesting to his soundness on the morning of the race.
In the initial days after Class Proof's breakdown, sources voiced confusion to this publication about the horse's regulatory status. In his prior start at Golden Gate Fields on Nov. 19 when trained by Jack Steiner, Class Proof was running for a $5,000 tag and was claimed but had the claim voided by the state veterinarian due to unsoundness and was placed on the California Horse Racing Board's vet list. Sharp observers of Turf Paradise racing pointed out that at the time of his death in January, Class Proof still appeared on an online page showing the California vet list, which should have prevented his entry at Turf Paradise.
Read our 2015 reporting about vet's list reciprocity here.
In fact, California officials say, Class Proof did indeed fulfill the requirements to be removed from the California list prior to running in Arizona. In December, Class Proof was in Arizona with Rosales and was examined by veterinarians there on Dec. 15, when he performed an official workout under observation. Officials in Arizona pulled a blood sample from the horse after the workout, which came back clear on Dec. 27. California Horse Racing Board equine medical director Dr. Jeff Blea said the horse was set to automatically be removed from the list on Jan. 3 since Arizona officials had fulfilled California's vet list removal requirements.
“There was a clerical error,” said CHRB spokesman Mike Marten. “The horse was removed from the vet's list on January 3 but somehow, inaccurately was placed back onto the list. We are working on improving the process.”
Arizona has struggled in recent seasons with getting enough personnel on its pre-race inspections team. While the state has sometimes been able to contract an additional veterinarian to help out, the entirety of pre-race inspections at Turf Paradise often fall to Dr. Sue Gale, chief veterinarian for the Arizona Department of Gaming. Last season, Gale told commissioners she had a system for identifying horses at elevated risk of injury but the process of combing through each race card to flag at-risk horses takes about four hours and she usually couldn't complete it. In December, Rudy Casillas, executive director of the Arizona commission, reported that although the state had been advertising an open position for an additional veterinarian for some time, it had no applicants.
Also in January, sources told the Paulick Report that Arizona officials had found illegal electrical devices (commonly called buzzers, batteries, or machines) at the racetrack. A spokesman for the state confirmed the discovery of two buzzers in the Turf Paradise paddock and said the matter remains under investigation by Gaming Department staff.
The post Pre-Race Vet Exams Still Spotty At Turf Paradise; Buzzers Discovered In Paddock appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
