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Citing Surface Concerns, Laurel Cancels Saturday’s Card

In a press release sent out just 50 minutes before the post time for the day's first race, Laurel Park management announced that the Saturday card had been postponed. The reason given was an “abundance of caution to do a full evaluation of the racing surfaces.”

According to multiple sources, two horses broke down during training hours Saturday. One of the horses had to be euthanized and the other did not. There were no incidents during racing on Thursday and Friday.

Maryland Jockey Club Acting President Mike Rogers sent a group text to horsemen Saturday at 11:10 a.m, which read: “I have received feedback from some of the horsemen that they have concerns about the track, and we are going to take the next couple of days to investigate those concerns.”

The track will be closed Sunday and Monday, but is expected to re-open for training on Tuesday. Live racing resumes Thursday.

The condition of the main track at Laurel has been an issue in recent years. In 2021, seven horses died at Laurel over a four-week period after a new racing surface was installed.

According to the Racingbiz.com, Rogers addressed concerns horsemen had with the track in an April 4 meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission, saying the company was in the midst of repairs to a spot near the first finish line.

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Study: Racetrack Fatalities In Sweden, Norway Often Result Of Sudden Collapse

A new study reveals that the main cause of racetrack fatalities in horses racing in Norway and Sweden is sudden collapse, not catastrophic injury, as was previously suspected.

Dr. Ingunn Risnes Hellings and a research team looked at fatalities recorded by the Norwegian and Swedish Trotting Associations from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2019; 48 horses died during this period—38 Standardbreds and 10 Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotters. The scientists looked at breed, age, sex, frequency of starts, time of year, and racing distance in an attempt to identify risk factors. They also noted whether the horse competed in a trotting race under saddle or in harness.

Fatalities were included in the study if the horse was euthanized after becoming injured immediately before the race, during the race, or within an hour of racing.

The researchers found that 14.5 percent of fatalities were from traumatic or orthopedic injuries, while the rest were considered “sudden athletic death.” This is a distinct difference from the primary cause of racetrack fatalities in Thoroughbred racehorses, in which most suffer catastrophic orthopedic injuries. Sudden athletic death in Thoroughbreds occurs at a rate of between 9 and 19 percent.

The team also found:

A higher number of starts in the last 30 days increased risk of sudden death
30 horses died of acute circulatory collapse due to cardiac or pulmonary failure
10 horses died from hemorrhaging after blood vessel rupture
Seven of the 48 study horses were euthanized because of catastrophic injury
70 percent of the 40 horses in the sudden athletic death category had marked bleeding in the lungs
The rate of sudden athletic death was similar between both breeds

The scientists determined that the rate of catastrophic injury fatalities was comparatively low and that suspected or confirmed cardiopulmonary causes of death were similar to previous studies. They note that additional investigation into the pathologies causing the cardiopulmonary events is warranted.

Read the full study here.

MRI Study Hopes To Turn Skeptics Into Believers

Efforts to stop racehorse breakdowns have increased exponentially in the past decade, with many high-tech tools being brought into play. The learning curve on these advanced diagnostics can be steep and additional complexities surface when veterinarians are expected to draw conclusions from current images without access to previous medical records: Something that may appear “significant” on an image may be an old, non-issue to the horse, reports Thoroughbred Daily News.

A study funded by the Oak Tree Charitable Foundation will be launched in Southern California to help racetrack veterinarians who use MRIs decipher what the images are telling them. The study will use 23 Thoroughbreds Dr. Tim Grande, the chief official veterinarian of the California Horse Racing Board, has deemed lame in their fetlock. The lame horses will be chosen from a pool of horses that are a morning-of or race-day scratch; those that are lame in the test barn or after a scheduled work or race; or those that have a voided claim.

A group of 23 control horses that show no signs of lameness will also be used; these horses will be similar in age, sex, and class to the lame horses. Researchers will be looking for changes in density within the proximal sesamoid bones and distal cannon bone, swelling in the cannon bone, and bone bruising. Each of these relates to fetlock failure and condylar fracture.

Though the MRI is not new, there is still skepticism about what it can “tell” veterinarians. Researchers hope the study will increase belief in the machine's ability to assist horses and their owners.

Study: Does Staying In A Stall Affect Bone Strength?

While it may be tempting to keep a horse in his stall to prevent unwanted injuries, this bubble-wrap approach isn't always the best for keeping a horse safe in the long term. According to academic research, stalling a horse can lead to loss of bone mass and bone strength.

Dr. Brian Nielsen has conducted multiple studies funded by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Foundation regarding bone mass and his findings have been consistent – and surprising. Though horses kept in stalls may be muscularly strong, their bones may be weak. Bone mass and strength can begin dissipating in as little as two weeks.

Though living outside 24/7 isn't a necessity to healthy bones, the ability to sprint is. A study of Nielsen's out of Michigan State University involved long yearlings kept on pasture that had normal bone growth. Half the horses were put in stalls and walked on a walker for an hour every day. The other half remained living outside.

The researchers monitored the horses' bone mass and discovered that horses living in the pastures continued to increase cannon bone mass, but the stalled horses had an immediate drop in bone mass which persisted for the next three months.

The horses then began under-saddle training as 2-year-olds. During their two months of walking, trotting and cantering under saddle, their cannon bones were monitored. The exercise was not enough to cause an increase in stalled horses' bone mass. Bone mass in the stalled horses decreased to the point where it was less than when the study began.

More studies found that sprinting – short, intense running sessions – was key to healthy bone that increased in mass. Horses must have the ability to sprint on their own or while in training, or they will lose bone mass.

Sprinting exerts force on the bone and causes it to bend, encouraging the body to lay down more bone and make the bones stronger. If horses are not allowed to sprint and their bones are prevented from bending, the body will actually take up minerals, believing the bones are strong enough for the work being asked of them.

For horses that are engaged in high-impact activities like racing and jumping, keeping horses in stalls may contribute to injuries as the horses lose bone mass. Additional research shows that adult horses who are stalled also experience bone loss.