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Pegasus World Cup Partners With Equine MediRecord To Digitize Veterinary Records Ahead Of Race

1/ST, owners of the Pegasus World Cup, announced Jan. 24 a partnership with Irish technology company Equine MediRecord to digitize veterinary records for this year's event. This added measure will enhance the stringent equine health and safety protocols that will be in place for the race at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Jan. 29.

The Equine MediRecord platform that will be used for the 2022 Pegasus World Cup allows for the full veterinary history of the horse to be collected digitally and recorded securely. Use of this innovative platform will be mandatory and will provide all entrants, trainers and veterinarians with a user-friendly system to comply with the strict medication protocols for this year's event. Integrity of the veterinary information will be ensured using the unique algorithms found in the Equine MediRecord technology. Once the records are entered into the system they cannot be altered. Results are submitted digitally to designated regulators and officials ensuring the highest level of integrity and transparency of veterinary records.

“The digitization of veterinary records for the Pegasus World Cup is an example of how 1/ST is innovating and using technology to improve our sport,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer, 1/ST RACING. “The partnership with Equine MediRecord and the collection of this data is a tool that we can use to protect the safety and wellbeing of horses. 1/ST is committed to integrity and accountability, and this is another measure available to us to enforce those standards.”

“Equine MediRecord's platform has seen extensive international traction in the three-years since we have launched and we are thrilled to be partnering with 1/ST for the Pegasus World Cup,” said Pierce Dargan, Chief Executive Officer, Equine MediRecord. “We are excited about our partnership with 1/ST and doing all we can to help ensure that best horse welfare and transparency protocols are followed in equine sport”

The Irish company whose technology is fast becoming the global standard for equine sport organizers has already amassed an impressive list of clients and users including the Thoroughbred Owners of California, Irish Veterinary and Welfare Commission, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the Arabian Racing Organisation, Breeders' Cup World Championships and the Saudi Cup.

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1/ST Partners With Ed Brown Society On Internship Program For African American Students

In advance of the 2022 Pegasus World Cup, 1/ST announces a multi-year partnership with the Ed Brown Society that will include a paid internship program for African American students.

Founded by Living the Dream Racing and Stables and led by respected industry connections Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels, the Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African Americans in the equine industry and creates opportunities for young people of color to gain industry exposure, training and experience through internships and scholarships.

The multi-year commitment of $150,000 made by 1/ST will cover all costs associated with the paid internship program which will enable the Ed Brown Society to identify, recruit and place qualified minority students from both historically black colleges and universities and predominantly white institutions. Chosen interns will be compensated and will have all housing and travel expenses covered as part of the program. The Ed Brown Society will provide ongoing direction to the interns as they progress toward permanent professional placements.

The first two interns will begin their placement this spring at 1/ST Racing's Gulfstream Park. This collaborative internship program will offer African American students the opportunity to learn more about the Thoroughbred horse racing industry as they work alongside members of the experienced 1/ST team.

“1/ST is pleased to be the first industry partner of the Ed Brown Society. We are impressed with the commitment of the organization and Living the Dream Stables to racing as a whole and increasing diversity in particular. We are looking forward to working with Ray, Greg and the rest of their team in the years to come,” said Jason Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, 1/ST Content.

“As a third-generation horseman, and one of the few African American professionals in the industry, I am extremely excited about the work of the Ed Brown Society, and I am delighted that 1/ST has joined us to advance our mission,” said Ed Brown Society Chairman Greg Harbut, whose great-grandfather was the groom of world-renowned Thoroughbred Man O' War.

The introductions of the first interns and acknowledgement of the partnership between 1/ST and the Ed Brown Society will be made as part of the 2022 Pegasus World Cup Kick-Off Celebration taking place on Thursday, January 27th at the Historic Ward Room House and Red Rooster in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami featuring D-Nice, Darin Atwater and the Soulful Symphony.

In addition to the internship program, 1/ST will collaborate with the Ed Brown Society to host “Ed Brown Race Days” across 1/ST Racing venues in California, Florida and Maryland to further support and promote diversity and inclusivity in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing, including for the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In at Santa Anita.

The Ed Brown Society is named in honor of Edward Dudley Brown. Born into slavery in Lexington, Ky., Dudley Brown went on to become one of the most accomplished horsemen in the history of Thoroughbred horse racing. Founded by Living The Dream Racing and Stables, Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels also furthered the cause of minority participation in the industry through their respective ownership interests in the 2020 Kentucky Derby runner, Necker Island.

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‘Let’s Talk’ Delves Into Jockeys’ Mental Health

Sponsored by 1/ST Racing

The TDN's 'Let's Talk'–a podcast series featuring TDN's Christina Bossinakis and TVG's on-air analyst Gabby Gaudet, offers candid discussion on personal, and sometimes difficult, topics that are often uncomfortable for many to speak about in an open forum.

The latest edition presents a trio of successful jockeys–Journeyman John Velazquez and retired Ramon Dominguez–both in the Hall of Fame–in addition to retired rider Richie Migliore, currently serving as a NYRA and FOX Sports on-air analyst.

Few will dispute the fact that jockeys are the iron warriors of horse racing. Physical danger is a very real part of the every day existence of a rider, as is the continual adversity they are forced to endure and adapt (and react) to.

“You really don't know what is going to happen,” admitted Dominguez. “It's different, perhaps for a jockey or it is magnified compared to other athletes, mostly because the athletes prepare and train for a specific game or perhaps for a season. Jockeys have a never-ending season–year-round racing. Even if you have a great business, doing well and had an amazing day, you have to turn the page. Because tomorrow, you can fall into a slump and things change. That [concern] is always in the back of your mind.”

Having faced more than his share of adversity, Migliore retired from the saddle in 2010, and Dominguez followed suit three years later after also facing a career-ending injury. Velazquez, who continues to compete at the highest level at age 51, also faced serious injury at several junctures in his career, however found himself among those fortunate to return to the saddle, time and again.

“For every jockey, for every athlete, there's a last ride, there's a last at bat, there's a last play,” said Migliore. “And if you're fortunate, you get to choose when that last ride is like Chris McCarron, Jerry Bailey and Pat Day. They accomplished amazing things and they made a decision that it was time to step away. The vast majority of riders don't get that opportunity. So, I tell young riders there will be a last ride and, hopefully, you get to choose last. But that's why you owe it to yourself to make the most out of the time you are able to ride.”

While the physical stress and adversity that riders face are well documented, the emotional difficulties that jockeys often face can be as prevalent, although not as easily observed by the masses.

“Unlike Ramon who was in the midst of his prime, I was in the back nine, the twilight of my career,” added Migliore. “Physically, I wasn't what I once was. Mentally, I could still see a race well, still had a great judge and feel of horses, but I certainly wasn't in what I would call my prime. Even though it was, admittedly, towards the end, I was 44 when the accident happened, and it still sent me into a deep, dark place. I went into a deep depression. Not originally when I first got out of the hospital, but when I was home. I didn't feel good, and I didn't care. I didn't care about horse racing or riding. Three or four months later when I started to feel better, and the reality was 'you're never going to do that again,' I really got depressed.”

It is widely understood that the challenges facing riders can be great, however, unity in racing can be equally strong, a bond reinforced by the necessity of taking care of one's own.

“It's funny because I always felt I had support,” said Velazquez. “And you always have the doubters, though. But I always focus on the people who want to give me the opportunity and forget about those, those people who doubted me from the get-go.”

And that support extends to the next generation of riders, which Velazquez admits is an important factor in keeping the playing field safe and equitable for the entire jockey colony.

“The more you teach those kids, the safer it is for you to ride,” he said. “You want to ride with the more knowledgeable rider rather than the kids that are more reckless. The ones who don't want to listen or to learn are the ones that make it scary to ride with. They want to learn the hard way. So, you have to show them the right way.”

To listen to the audio only version of 'Let's Talk,' click here. For the video version, click here.

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Attorney For Suspended Jockey Mychel Sanchez: ‘He Is Not A Criminal … He’s A Person Who Needs Help’

The case against jockey Mychel J. Sanchez, suspended for 60 days by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission for betting against his own horses, is not the story many of us might think it is, according to the rider's attorney, Alan Pincus.

Pincus confirmed that Sanchez opened a TVG account in his own name in late December 2021. He said that Sanchez made numerous bets over a period of about 10 days, including wagering on horses that were racing against his own mounts. But the attorney said Sanchez rode to win in those races and in fact registered two upsets at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa., during the period in question, one at 12-1 odds and the other at 18-1.

“These are extremely weird circumstances,” Pincus said. “You can never totally understand how the human mind works. People who may appear to be on top of the world – like the tennis star Naomi Osaka – can be suffering from depression. You don't know.

“Mychel Sanchez is suffering from some type of depression,” he said. “I'm not a psychiatrist, but he's someone who needs help. He started betting. Not in any cheating way, just as a way of coping with the pain he was experiencing. He's been feeling low for some time and it's been building up in him.

“He's doing this, and fortunately TVG notices who it is and what's going on and they alert the racing commission,” said Pincus. “It's inexplicable. He had races where he actually bet against his own horse, then went out and won the race. One horse paid $37 to win. Another race he bets against himself and he won the race on a horse that paid $27. He's not pulling horses, he's not doing it for evil purposes, he's doing it for crazy purposes, inexplicable purposes. But obviously it is against the rules and you can't do that.”

Sanchez rode the $38.60 winner Jakarta at Parx on Dec. 28 and the $27.40 winner No Fooling Dude on Dec. 29, according to Equibase charts.

TVG confirmed its role in alerting racing officials of Sanchez's wagering activities.

“As part of TVG's regular monitoring of new accounts and account activity, members of our team noticed wagers that warranted us suspending the account in question and alerting the regulatory authorities in the states where those races occurred,” a statement from the advance-deposit wagering platform said. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities investigating these activities.”

Pincus said the penalty was fair, given the circumstances.

“If you are betting against your own horse and stiff him, now you are talking about being barred forever,” he said. “That didn't happen.”

Sanchez has been ordered to undergo treatment facilitated by the Jockeys' Guild, Pincus said.

“He has started a treatment program,” Pincus said. “He is not a criminal. He was not pulling horses. He's a person who needs help.”

He also said regulators in Maryland and New York may be investigating the matter. Sanchez rode at several tracks in December, including Parx, Laurel Park in Maryland, Aqueduct in New York, and Gulfstream Park in Maryland.

A native of Venezuela who first rode in the U.S. in 2013, Sanchez was co-leading rider at Parx in 2019 and leading rider in 2020. He was a top 10 rider at Monmouth Park, Laurel Park and Parx in 2021. Sanchez compiled 940 career wins in the U.S. from 6,097 mounts.

1/ST Racing, which operates Laurel and Gulfstream, issued a statement saying Sanchez has been suspended indefinitely from riding at its tracks.

“After learning of the serious allegations of illegal wagering on the part of jockey Mychel Sanchez, effective immediately 1/ST Racing will institute an indefinite ban against him from training or racing at any 1/ST Racing venue,” the statement said. “Any decision regarding Sanchez's reinstatement will be made at a later time. 1/ST Racing stands on the principles of integrity and accountability, and we believe there is no place in our sport for this kind of unethical and illegal activity.”

“Although he needs to be punished and needs treatment,” Pincus said, “it shouldn't be fatal punishment.”

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