Lentenor, Full-Brother To Barbaro, Sold To Stand In Pennsylvania

Lentenor, a stakes-winning full-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, has been purchased by Ryan Campbell's RisenStorm Company from Calumet Farm and will stand the 2022 season at Cabin Creek Farm in Bernville, Pa. for a fee of $1,000 (stands and nurses).

“Lentenor has meant so much to my family for many years,” Campbell said. “It is hard to explain the excitement that my daughters and I are experiencing knowing that the horse we have loved for the entirety of his life will permanently be joining our family. I would like to thank Calumet for this opportunity and for the many years of his life while we had him in Indiana.

“We have chosen to send him to Cabin Creek Farm in Pennsylvania,” Campbell continued. “We have a longstanding friendship with Maria Vorhauer at Cabin Creek and know that Lentenor is in excellent hands to continue his stallion career with the greatest care possible. We will be announcing a breeding bonus program in the near future to give breeders added incentive to breed and race in Pennsylvania.”

Lentenor, the full brother to Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, has sired stakes winner Uphold ($276,281), as well as, April's No Fool ($150,020), and Cacahuete ($115,394) from a very limited crop of 31 foals.

A 15-year-old son of Dynaformer, Lentenor raced as a homebred for Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stables. Lentenor broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park in his third start and finished fourth in the 2010 Grade 1 Florida Derby, in his initial outing on dirt.

He set a course record of 1:40.95 for 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs in December 2011. In 2012, He won the Kitten's Joy Stakes on grass at Colonial Downs and finished fourth in the G3 Cliff Hanger Stakes at Monmouth Park. Lentenor made 17 career starts, winning four times and finishing in the money 10 times, for total earnings of $184,406.

Lentenor is out of the Grade 2-placed Carson City mare La Ville Rouge. In addition to being a full brother to Barbaro, Lentenor is a full brother to stakes-placed Nicanor, stakes winner Margano, and he's a half brother to stakes winner Holy Ground.

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Smaller, But Still Super: Michael Matz

The concept of the super trainer is by no means a new phenomenon in horse racing, but the huge stables run by super trainers have undoubtedly changed the landscape of the sport in many ways, from the backside to the racing entries. Are super trainers bad for the sport?  Are there any benefits for an owner in using a “smaller” trainer? We asked these questions and more to a few trainers who may not be considered super trainers in terms of their stall numbers, but they have made the most of the horses they're given to build competitive racing stable over their careers.

Michael Matz offers a perspective on racing and training that perhaps no one else in history shares as not only a successful trainer, but before that, an accomplished international equestrian who competed in three Olympics and took home the silver medal in the team show jumping competition in 1996. Two years later, Matz transitioned to the racing world and it wasn't long before he made it to the big stage with the unforgettable 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro (Dynaformer). Other top performers include 2012 GI Belmont S. winner Union Rags (Dixie Union) and 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff victress Round Pond (Awesome Again). As Matz approaches 800 career wins, he compares the state of racing today to that of the show jumping industry several decades ago.

 

KP: How did you first get involved in horse racing?

MM: When I first got involved in racing, I had a prior commitment with a young horse named Judgement to try and go to the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. We made it into the top 15, but we had some better horses on the team. I ended up giving him to Beezie Madden and he was a really nice horse for her.

After that, I felt like the show jumping industry was going the wrong way and I didn't like some of the things going on with management. I always enjoyed the racehorses so I thought I would give it a try and I had my first winner in 1998.

I started out with about five horses in my stable. I have always trained for my family, but over time we started to get some better horses and more clients. At one point we had 60 to 70 horses, but that got hard with the help situation and I didn't want to have so many people watching over my horses. I didn't like being separated with a barn in one place and another barn somewhere else. I like to be a little more hands-on without having these big strings.

KP: When you moved from the show jumping world to the racing world, what was the biggest challenge in making that transition?

MM: Good horses make good riders and good horses make good trainers. When I first started, I didn't have that many good horses and I was looking into how I could get better-quality horses. As anyone can tell you, the good ones are easy to train. I watched and spoke with a lot of the bigger trainers when I first started and I think mostly everyone does things the same way. It's the same as with the show jumpers–the people who have the better horses are winning. You just have to find a way to get those horses.

KP: How many horses are normally in your stable today?

MM: Now, we only have between 20 and 30 horses. It's a little hard right now because it is a numbers game. Things have really changed from how it was when I first started. I mostly train for breeders. I don't have anyone going to the sale and spending millions of dollars. We'll buy some at the sale but that's always a hard situation when you buy one or two and there are four thousand at a sale.

It's getting a bit difficult right now and I think the big thing is that the ownerships have changed. More people are going into partnerships and you have half a dozen trainers getting all the horses. When I first got involved, I think a lot of the owners were a bit more loyal than they are today. The bottom line  for them is asking their trainer, 'What have you done for me lately?' So it is a hard situation when you don't have the numbers.

Matz ponying undefeated Barbaro ahead of the colt's Kentucky Derby victory | Horsephotos

KP: What do you believe makes your stable unique?

MM: Any small stable can be a bit more personalized. You know your horses better than someone who has 200 or 300 horses. At this point in my career, I don't think I could handle that physically or mentally. Also, now that my children are competing in show jumping, I want to be able to watch them ride.

KP: What do you believe are the benefits for an owner in using a “smaller” trainer?

MM: The obvious benefit is that if you ask someone to train your horse, that person is going to be training the horse. It won't be his main assistant or second assistant or third assistant. The biggest opportunity that you have is that you know who will be training your horse and know that they can probably keep a better eye on the situation. That's my opinion and it's why it was hard for me when I had more than 50 horses. I just felt like everyone has a different view of something and if you don't keep your own eye on the horse, there are things that can happen that will go unnoticed.

KP: Do you think super trainers are bad for the sport?

MM: I don't know that they are bad. Obviously if they're getting all those horses, they deserve those horses because they've done well. For an owner, it's all about personal preference. If you want to be one of 200, that's fine. But it is all about numbers. It seems like it has gotten to the point where if one horse doesn't work out, they can just bring in the next one.

KP: What do you enjoy most about your job?

MM: It's a pleasure to be around the animals all the time. The enjoyment and thrill when a horse wins is such an accomplishment. I'm very lucky right now that the people I have as owners could not be a nicer group. I don't have a lot of clients now at this point in my career, but the people I do have are wonderful and they all really love their horses.

KP: What is the most frustrating aspect of your job?

MM: I do think there are things going wrong in our sport. It's funny, some of the things that I think were going wrong when I was involved in show jumping are the things we have problems with now in racing with each state wanting to do their own thing and have their own rules.

Matz-trained Union Rags races to victory in the 2012 GI Belmont S. | Horsephotos

I do think that when people are penalized, it should be a lot harsher penalty. Right now, I think organizations are afraid to do anything because someone can just get a lawyer and sue them. Whatever the rule is, we need to make sure it's the same for everyone and that we all start at the same starting gate and finish at the same finish line without one person starting 10 lengths in front of everyone else.

That's the discouraging part for small trainers in the business right now who want to do it the right way. I'm not saying any of these big trainers don't do it the right way, but there are things going on right now that need to be figured out.

KP: Do you think the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) would help achieve the uniformity you mentioned in regards to rules and penalties?

MM: Nothing is really happening otherwise, so I think we have to go that way so that something does happen. I wish that something could have already happened, but right now every state has their own rules and regulations and nobody has a set standard that they're going by. The disappointing part about it is that nothing changes. If people get caught with something, they have to have serious penalties.

I think the biggest thing I don't care for is that if a trainer does get suspended, all they do is put their assistant in and the stable keeps running like normal. Maybe if penalties were actually enforced, things could happen so that smaller trainers could get some more horses.

KP: What horse was the most influential to your career?

MM: With show horses, it would be [1981 Show Jumping World Cup winner] Jet Run, who I had for a long time and was a great horse.

With racehorses, the best horse I ever had was obviously Barbaro. We will never know just how good he was, but he was pretty good.

To catch up on our 'Smaller But Still Super' series, click here.

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Jacksons Stay Loyal To The Racing Game

When Roy and Gretchen Jackson purchased their 190-acre property in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1978, they christened it Lael Farm, the Gaelic word for loyalty. Today, more than 40 years into the couples' transatlantic forays in the world of breeding and racing Thoroughbreds, that name could hardly be more appropriate.

The Jacksons, both lifelong horse people, became household names in the sport and beyond in 2006 during their months-long attempt to save the life of their GI Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro (Dynaformer) after the colt suffered what was ultimately a fatal injury shortly out of the gates in the GI Preakness S. That wasn't the first time the Jacksons had worn their loves of their horses on their sleeves, and it was far from the last: today, Barbaro's dam, the 25-year-old La Ville Rouge, is enjoying her retirement in a paddock within eyesight of the Jacksons' home on Lael Farm. Her paddock mate is the 23-year-old Superstar Leo (Ire) (College Chapel {GB}), who has provided the Jacksons with so many happy days on the European racing circuits, particularly thanks to her granddaughter, the triple G1 Prix de la Foret winner One Master (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). Superstar Leo was the first horse the Jacksons purchased in Europe-a venture that would also include breeding the champion 2-year-old and 2000 Guineas winner George Washington (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who in an amazing feat won his Classic on the same day as Barbaro's Derby. After Superstar Leo was weaned from her last foal, a now 2-year-old colt by Havana Gold (Ire), the Jacksons repatriated her to Pennsylvania to enjoy her in retirement.

Even amidst breeding and campaigning Classic winners on both sides of the Atlantic, Gretchen Jackson said the experience with One Master has been “pretty up there.”

“We're really proud of her,” she said. “We have Superstar Leo in Pennsylvania now with all our retired broodmares, and to just visit her daily, and what she's accomplished with One Master, it just makes us glow inside. We love her.”

“We brought her over here to live out her life and she's turned out in a field right in front of the house here with Barbaro's dam and a filly that was very good to us named Belle Cherie, who was running around the same time as Superstar Leo,” Roy Jackson added. “They're out here enjoying life.”

Bred by legendary jockey Lester Piggott and Tony Hirschfeld, Superstar Leo was the ninth foal out of the placed Council Rock, whose family was somewhat ordinary at the time but which later blossomed to produce a plethora of black-type winners including Classic winners Footstepsinthesand (GB) and Power (GB) in addition to One Master. Superstar Leo was bought back by Piggott's daughter Maureen Haggas for 3,400gns at Tattersalls October as a yearling in 1999 and put into training with Haggas's husband William. After finishing second at first-asking in May of her 2-year-old campaign, Superstar Leo won a pair of races at Catterick before beating the boys at Royal Ascot in the G3 Norfolk S. It was that victory that caught the eye of Gretchen Jackson all the way over in Pennsylvania.

“I had read about her winning a race in England in the TDN,” she recalled. “The name Superstar Leo struck me, and I inquired about her and she was for sale. It took some negotiating with Lester Piggott and her other owner, Tony Hirschfeld, but we got her and she was a delight. She won the Cartier award for us just a few months later. We've gotten so much pleasure from her offspring and her granddaughter, One Master.”

As Jackson alluded to, Superstar Leo added victories over the colts in the G2 Flying Childers S. in the summer of 2000 and the Weatherbys Super Sprint. She was second in the G1 Phoenix S. and against elders in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye on the Longchamp card that her granddaughter One Master would make her own between 2018 and 2020.

Just as significant as Superstar Leo's victories was the relationship she solidified between the Jacksons and the Haggases. William Haggas today trains most of the Jackson runners in Europe, and was responsible for both One Master and her stakes-winning dam Enticing (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}).

“He's a great person and a great trainer, and his wife [Maureen] enters into it wholeheartedly,” Gretchen said. “She's very talented too.”

Superstar Leo was retired to stud in 2002 and her second foal was Enticing, who emulated her dam by becoming a stakes-winning 2-year-old with a victory in the G3 Molecomb S. in 2006, just months after Barbaro and George Washington had won their respective Classics. Enticing would add the Listed Lansdown Fillies' S. at three and finish second in the G3 King George S. before going one better in that Glorious Goodwood feature for Haggas at four.

One Master, the fifth of 10 foals thus far out of Enticing, certainly inherited her dam's longevity moreso than her granddam's precocity. One Master was not seen on a racecourse until August of her 3-year-old campaign, but she promptly made up for lost time, breaking her maiden at second asking and adding the Listed October S. at Ascot before seasons' end. Just a few lengths away in a trio of stakes to kick off her 4-year-old campaign, One Master won the G3 Fairy Bridge S. that August before upsetting the G1 Prix de la Foret at 33-1.

“I remember watching the Prix de la Foret when she was four and she won it,” Gretchen Jackson recalled. “And I was as mad as the devil at William for not telling us that she could possibly win it, because we would have been there. He had no idea how she won it, though he was hoping she would.”

Happily, the Jacksons were at Longchamp a year later when One Master defended her title after placing in the G1 Queen Anne S. and G1 Falmouth S. They had also traveled to Kentucky to see her run fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile the prior November, and to Hong Kong when she ran in the G1 Hong Kong Mile a month later.

“She took us on quite a tour,” Roy summarized.

The coronavirus pandemic meant that the Jacksons couldn't be there to see One Master make it a hat trick of Forets at Longchamp last October, or when she won the G3 Oak Tree S. at Glorious Goodwood in July on the same card that her year-younger half-brother Prompted (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) took the Golden Mile H.

And although One Master's racing career came to an anti-climatic close when she was scratched from last year's Breeders' Cup Mile after tying up at Keeneland, the Jacksons still have plenty to look forward to with her as she visits Dubawi (Ire) for her first covering this year. One Master resides alongside her dam and five other Lael broodmares at New England Stud in Newmarket. Roy Jackson noted that New England's Peter Stanley has been just as pivotal in the Jacksons' enjoyment of the European industry as the Haggeses have been, and after discussing options with him for One Master they decided to simply “breed her to the best.”

One Master and Prompting were among three winners last year for Enticing-her now 3-year-old filly Arousing (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) won at Yarmouth at first asking in September in the Lael silks, and Roy noted that Haggas holds her in high regard. Soon after the turn of the new year, 4-year-old gelding Craved (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) became Enticing's sixth winner, firing off victories at Newcastle on Jan. 23 and Southwell on Feb. 9. Enticing's latest produce is a yearling full-brother to One Master, and she will unfortunately not have a foal for 2021 after slipping another foal by Fastnet Rock. A mating plan for this year has not yet been set in stone.

In addition to Enticing, the Jacksons have three other daughters of Superstar Leo in their broodmare band. The Listed Fleur de Lys Fillies' S. winner and G3 Jersey S. second Sentaril (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) has bred two winners for Lael and has a 2-year-old colt by Dabirsim (Fr) this year, and her full-sister Cloud Line (GB) is the dam of a winner and has a 2-year-old colt by Showcasing (GB). The 7-year-old Yaraki (GB) (Frankel {GB}), meanwhile, has joined the Jacksons' 21-strong American broodmare band in Kentucky and has already foaled a filly by Hard Spun this year.

The Jacksons also have a half-sister to George Washington, the 10-year-old Sea The Stars (Ire) mare Wonderstruck (Ire), at New England Stud, and her 3-year-old filly Ready To Venture (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was a winner in the Lael blue, green and white at second asking in September at Yarmouth for Haggas. Roy Jackson said Wonderstruck “is producing good, sound horses.”

The story of the Jacksons and George Washington is almost as serendipitous as that of Superstar Leo. The Jacksons bought into George Washington's half-brother Grandera (Ire) (Grand Lodge) and raced him with Viv Shelton during a 3-year-old campaign in which he won the Listed Dubai Arc Trial and was placed in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, G1 Eclipse S. and G1 Juddmonte International for trainer James Fanshawe. Shelton and the Jacksons sold Grandera privately when they got a big offer from Godolphin, for whom he went on to win three Group 1s at four, and the Jacksons used part of their proceeds to purchase his dam, the Wildenstein-bred Bordighera (Alysheba), privately. The second foal she produced for the Jacksons was George Washington, who they sold to Coolmore for 1.15-million gns as a yearling. Roy said it was a tough decision to let George Washington go, but that they had decided to do so if the price was right.

“Over the years we've kept many and tried to race them, but it just made business sense,” he said. “We got a very big offer and we felt that it was time to recoup some of the money and do some other things in racing with the money. We thought it made business sense to do it.”

George Washington would, of course, go on to win the G1 Phoenix S. and G1 National S. at two and the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at three and finish second in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. Fertility issues meant that he sired just one live foal in 2006, the winning and stakes-producing Date With Destiny (Ire), and he was sadly lost during the running of the 2007 GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park.

The Jacksons have, in more recent years, continued to apply the same formula that led to such great success with Superstar Leo and La Ville Rouge: purchasing top-class fillies in training. They bought Hawksmoor (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) in 2016 from Chris Humber after she had won the G3 Prestige S. at two and placed in the G1 Fillies' Mile and G1 Prix Saint Alary for trainer Hugo Palmer, and she went on to win the G2 German 1000 Guineas in the Lael colours before transferring to American-based trainer Arnaud Delacour, for whom she won three Grade IIIs and placed in two Grade IIs. Hawksmoor is in foal for the first time to Palace Malice, a Classic-winning son of Curlin.

The Jacksons went back to Humber and Palmer the following spring to buy the listed placed Architecture (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), and she went on to place in the Epsom, Irish and German Oaks before being bought by Katsumi Yoshida for 600,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2019. Last spring, the Jacksons purchased the G3 Prix Vanteaux winner Magic Attitude (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) from Haras du Saubouas ahead of her second-place finish in the G1 Prix Saint Alary. Switched to Delacour from Fabrice Chappet, Magic Attitude won the GI Belmont Oaks and was third in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, and is currently tuning up for a 4-year-old campaign.

“We've tried to do a bit of that, I guess somewhat related to our age too,” said Roy. He and Gretchen are both 84. “If something has a foal now, by the time it's going to run it's going to be some years down the road, so we're always looking to see whether there's something coming along that's going to run that we'll pick up.”

Speaking with Roy and Gretchen Jackson, one gets a sense that there is no measuring the pride they feel and they joy they have derived from their transatlantic racing and breeding programme. Both are lifelong horse people-Gretchen as a foxhunter and Roy as the son of a foxhunter whose mother later dabbled in racehorses-and thus understand the extreme ups and downs of the game, which they have themselves withstood as much as anyone. They both grew up somewhat locally to Chester County-Roy just 10 miles away in Edgemont and Gretchen in Philadelphia-and thus can boast a deep appreciation for the land on which Superstar Leo and La Ville Rouge now graze, and where legendary steeplechase conditioner Jonathan Sheppard once trained just a stone's throw away. Roy Jackson spent six years as a stockbroker before pursuing his passion of baseball, eventually owning a few professional teams and also working with minor league teams before helping to found Convest, a management firm for professional athletes in the mid 1980s. Jackson eventually sold his share in Convest to focus full-time on horse racing, and the labours of he and Gretchen's love in that realm have been a gift to fans of racing on both sides of the Atlantic.

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Fetlock Arthrodesis Advances Provide Options

If pressed to pinpoint a single Achilles heel in the racehorse, it’s probably a fair bet to assume many would zero in on the fetlock–the intricate joint mechanism that in a racehorse travelling at top speed proves especially vulnerable to system failure. Indeed, 19 of the 22 horses that suffered catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries at Santa Anita during its benighted winter-spring meet nearly two years ago had sesamoid fractures.

In most cases, the prognosis for horses who suffer severe fetlock breakdowns is grim, but a procedure pioneered at the end of the 1970s called the fetlock arthrodesis suddenly provided a viable avenue to save some horses that would otherwise be euthanized.

Due to costs and limited range of activities for horses post-surgery, the fetlock arthrodesis–a procedure to stabilize the ankle, preventing joint movement by fusing it into a normal position for the leg–has been traditionally performed on horses with residual paddock value.

Perhaps the widest known fetlock arthrodesis recipient is Barbaro, the 2006 GI Kentucky Derby winner who suffered a complicated series of fractures to and around his right hind fetlock at the start of the 2006 GI Preakness S. In the end, Barbaro succumbed to these injuries, though only after an extended struggle.

But a program in California that has been underway for about a year has the aim of making the procedure a practical consideration for a wider net of injured horses.

“We have to recognize that there are times when we make decision based on finances,” said Ryan Carpenter, a SoCal-based veterinarian who performs the arthrodesis surgeries at Santa Anita. “So, we’re taking the approach that if you remove finances from the equation, what is the best course of action for this horse?”

As a rule of thumb, in the event an owner or trainer cannot afford the cost of surgery and convalescence–roughly $20,000 in total–expenses are shared between The Stronach Group (TSG), the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) and the horse’s owner and/or trainer, said TSG Chief Veterinary Officer Dionne Benson. In some cases, TSG has picked up the entire tab, she said.

But the program–also employed at other TSG facilities in California, like Golden Gate Fields–has courted certain concerns. For one, the procedure is intricate and invasive, with the potential for a number of post-surgery complications. That horses who receive it are essentially paddock-bound raises long-term economic considerations.

Some have also suggested the program could be used to skew state fatality statistics, an assertion both Carpenter and Benson strongly deny.

“I would never do anything that I wouldn’t do on another horse,” said Carpenter, who added that the results of the program thus far are encouraging. Of the eight horses that Carpenter has performed fetlock arthrodesis surgery on over the past year, six have proven successful, he said.

“If American Pharoah needed the procedure, and we say it’s right and ethical and humane for American Pharoah to receive the procedure, then I think you have to say it’s right, ethical and humane for the $10,000 claimer to receive the procedure,” Carpenter added. “It’s either ethical or not, irrespective of value.”

What is Fetlock Arthrodesis?…

There are two primary candidates for fetlock arthrodesis, experts say: horses crippled with degenerative arthritis, and in racehorses, those that suffer a closed biaxial proximal sesamoid fracture (when both sesamoid bones break in the same leg).

The initial portion of the surgery concerns the removal of cartilage between the bones, to make the fusion as tight and stable as possible. “That’s the most important part of the procedure that’s often not done correctly,” warned Carpenter. “You need that bone-on-bone interface so that it can heal properly.”

A plate is placed across the front of the fetlock, which holds the whole joint in place. This plate is secured with screws that can be inserted into the fetlock, pastern, cannon bone and, when necessary, the sesamoids.

A “tension band,” which is essentially a wire that goes behind the fetlock joint, provides another layer of joint stabilization.

“When the sesamoid bones break, you have nothing that supports it back there, and the fetlock drops,” said Carpenter, of the need for this mechanism.

Not every horse that suffers a traumatic fetlock fracture is a candidate for the surgery. Compound fractures come with too great a threat of infection, for example.

Existing laminitis in the opposite limb is a serious problem, and “usually enough of a red flag that we would not proceed,” wrote Dean Richardson, chief of surgery at The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center, in emailed answers to questions.

Most importantly, there needs to be a good flow of blood to the foot. “When a horse fractures its sesamoid bones and it drops its fetlock, they stretch the blood vessels,” said Carpenter, explaining the link between fetlock injuries and curtailed blood flow to the lower limb. “They don’t have a tremendous amount of collateral circulation when it comes to the foot, and that’s why tissue perfusion [the lack of adequate blood supply] is a big issue.”

Fetlock arthrodesis–pioneered by acclaimed veterinarian, Larry Bramlage–is long and complicated. In the course of perfecting the procedure, Carpenter reckons that he has shaved about an hour off the time he takes to complete the surgery, with it now taking him roughly two hours.

Because of the intensive nature of the procedure, coupled with the relative scarcity of viable equine candidates, there’s a limited number of surgeons across the country with the necessary skill sets to take the surgery on, experts say.

At the same time, “The procedure has evolved a lot from the way Bramlage first described it,” said Carpenter, pointing to the development over the years of locking compression plates, where the screws fix to the plate, making it a very “fixed, stable construct.”

And how successful is the fetlock arthrodesis surgery? In a 2008 article, Bramlage is quoted as saying that, “In the first group of horses we presented, the success rate of the primary treatment approached 70%.” For other kinds of injuries, such as degenerative arthritis, “It’s as high as 80%,” he added.

Likewise, Richardson said that success is inextricably linked to the severity of the original injury.

“Certain types of injuries such as complete disruption of the distal sesamoidean ligaments are much more difficult and the prognosis for success as defined above is probably only 50-60%, whereas fetlock arthrodesis in horses that need the joint fused for problems not related to being an active racehorse results in essentially a 100% success rate,” Richardson wrote.

Post-surgery, most horses are reasonably comfortable quickly after the fetlock is stabilized, say experts, though this is still the time when the risk of complication is high. “If you’re going to fail, you’re going to fail very quickly,” said Wayne McIlwraith, founder of the Orthopaedic Research Center at Colorado State University.

Laminitis and local infection are common medical hurdles to overcome in the short term–further down the road, experts warn of potential residual problems with the pastern region.

“The fetlock is meant to bend a lot for a reason,” said Carpenter. “Now that it can’t, you’re transitioning the stress to the other joints.”

For the first few months of convalescence, horses are restricted to box rest. After that, a process of light exercise can begin, leading eventually to a point where the horse can be turned loose in the paddock. This can take roughly six months, said Carpenter.

Though the overwhelming majority of horses will only ever be pasture or breeding-sound, Richardson said that a “small percentage” have been ridden at “low level work,” like trail riding. That these horses are essentially pasture-bound is not a reflection of pain in the fused joint, Richardson explained–rather, it’s due to the practicalities of a high-motion joint being fixed, immobile.

“Fusing it inexorably results in a marked asymmetry of gait that feels terrible when you sit on the horse,” Richardson wrote. “It is not painful to the horse but it looks bad and feels bad to the rider.”

Nevertheless, among some in the industry, the procedure carries a stigma. “When we started this, there were a lot of memories from these surgeries in the early days–how challenging they were, and how often they went poorly,” admitted Benson.

Several industry figures who spoke on the condition of anonymity also raised concerns about a lack–especially in the early days of the program–of clear guidance to determine which horses receive the surgery, and how the economics is structured.

According to Benson, TSG is in the process of developing standardized protocols to guide its California program. These primarily surround the funding mechanism, she said, but also include avenues to ensure others, like the attending veterinarian, weigh in on each case.

When asked if the CHRB, the state industry’s regulatory body, is overseeing the shape of these standards, equine medical director Rick Arthur said that, “I have certainly encouraged them to standardize protocols so all the horsemen understand what’s available, and what they’re being asked to do, and what they’re expected to do.”

The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ euthanasia guidelines outline five main points to assist veterinarian in making “humane decisions regarding euthanasia of horses.” These points are as follows:

A horse should not have to endure continuous or unmanageable pain from a condition that is chronic and incurable.

 

A horse should not have to endure a medical or surgical condition that has a hopeless chance of survival.

 

A horse should not have to remain alive if it has an unmanageable medical condition that renders it a hazard to itself or its handlers.

 

A horse should not have to receive continuous analgesic medication for the relief of pain for the rest of its life.

 

A horse should not have to endure a lifetime of continuous individual box stall confinement for prevention or relief of unmanageable pain or suffering.

The program, Benson said, has provided an opportunity to showcase the surgical advancements that have been made to the procedure over the years. “We’ve had far more successes, fortunately, than we’ve had issues,” she said, adding that ultimately, “Any decision that’s made on the medical side is made in the best interest of the horse.”

“Dr. Carpenter and the vets on our team are independent of the financial decision. They’re there to help make a medical decision for the horse,” added Benson. “And, if they say, ‘the horse has a reasonable chance of pasture soundness,’ then we turn it over to the people in the racing office to arrange the financial piece.”

Not Just Committed In The Short Term…

A not-inconsiderable sticking point to these surgeries is money. “I’ve long considered that if you’ve bred a horse and race it, or buy a horse and race it, you should be responsible for the welfare of that horse for the rest of its life” said McIlwraith. “Unfortunately, that’s an ideal that not everybody holds to.”

Which leads to the long-term economic considerations of caring for a pasture-sound horse. California’s aftercare program falls under the umbrella of the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA).

According to Madeline Auerbach, who founded the organization and remains on its board of directors, “CARMA’s position is that if this is veterinary driven, and the vets have determined that this is within their guidelines to operate on the horse, we support that and we support trying to provide services for the horse.”

Has the selection process for horses to receive the surgery thus far been vet driven? “It has been,” Auerbach replied. “It’s been vet driven in terms of: Is it worth trying or is it cruel and unusual punishment.”

Financially, CARMA is not “at this point struggling” to care for the horses, said Auerbach. But in the long-term, “We have to figure out a way that we get compensated for it,” she said, floating the idea of a fee or separate fund.

“We have not figured that out yet,” Auerbach said. “We’re still in the process of putting a dollar amount to it and trying to figure out trying to make sure that we do not deplete the funds. This year has been horrific, obviously, in terms of financial support, because we get most of our money from the purse account.”

(This recent TDN story breaks down the hit California purses have taken due to the COVID-driven betting shift towards ADW)

When asked if TSG will step in to provide additional funding in the event a horse who has undergone fetlock arthrodesis surgery finds itself in a financially precarious situation in the future, Benson replied: “If there comes a time when a horse in one of these situations, or a horse really in any risky situation, we want to help be part of the solution, not pass it down the road and assume it’s somebody else’s problem…We’re not just committed to the horses who race at our tracks for the short-term.”

Carpenter stressed the relatively small number of horses for which the surgery is applicable.

“If we have partnership from the industry to help decrease the financial burden to the owner, and we have well-respected lay-up facilities that are willing to take these horses on, maybe we find out that these horses can actually do more than we expected them to do, and we can place them at other places,” Carpenter said. “Then, this perceived burden may not be as big as it once was.”

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