Tag: california equine fatalities

CHRB Committee To Consider Penalties For Trainers of Fatally Injured Horses

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting by teleconference on Wednesday, Aug. 18. The public participated by dialing into the teleconference and/or listening through the audio webcast link on the CHRB website. Chairman Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by vice chair Oscar Gonzales and commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, Brenda Washington Davis, Wendy Mitchell, and Alex Solis.

The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief:

  • The Board conditionally approved the license application for the Los Angeles Turf Club (II) to conduct a race meet at Santa Anita Park with racing programs beginning Oct. 1 and concluding Oct. 31. If Santa Anita does not finalize an agreement with the California Thoroughbred Trainers before then, this application will be reconsidered at the Sept. 15 meeting of the Board.
  • The Board approved the license application for a meeting of the Los Angeles County Fair at Los Alamitos Race Course with racing programs beginning Sept. 10 and concluding Sept. 26.
  • In conjunction with those meets at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos, the Board approved separate agreements between those two tracks and the Thoroughbred Owners of California authorizing those racing secretaries to establish conditions on races limiting the administrations of certain medications and certain procedures.
  • The Board authorized TVG to amend its advance deposit wagering application, so that TVG can process wagers placed in proposed handicapping contests at Del Mar this summer and fall. Those contests are the Del Mar Pacific Coast Betting Challenge, to be offered this Saturday on Pacific Classic Day, the Del Mar Handicapping Contest on Sept. 4, both the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge and the Mini-BCBC on Nov. 5 and 6, and the Del Mar Handicapping Contest on Nov. 27.
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  • The Board received a report from its Race Dates Committee, which convened  telephonically on Aug. 17 to consider the allocation of 2022 race dates. Vice chair Gonzales said he and commissioner Mitchell did not vote on any measures but noted that the groundwork was laid for a 2022 calendar that could essentially mirror recent calendars but might also include mandatory breaks in the racing schedules. The Board will consider approving a 2022 calendar at a future meeting.
  • Executive director Scott Chaney reported that “next month the Medication, Safety and Welfare Committee will begin the process of contemplating a regulation that would seek to penalize trainers for fatalities of horses in their care.  “The regulation will seek to both recognize that there are some fatalities that are outside the control of trainers and would occur in any live animal population such as those due to some accidents and sickness, but also acknowledge that trainers are in the best position to prevent catastrophic musculo-skeletal failures,” he explained.  “We will begin this process at the committee level because, as far as I know, this would be the first rule of its kind (anywhere in North America) and because we expect and anticipate a fair amount of discussion and input from all horse racing constituencies.”
  • The Board authorized the Los Alamitos Equine Sale Company to conduct a sale of yearlings and mixed stock on Oct. 2 and 3 at Los Alamitos.
  • The Board approved the nominations of six individuals to serve on the board of directors of the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation. Commissioner Castellanos recused himself from this discussion and vote because he is one of the directors.
  • The Board approved a request by the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center for California to provide 15,000 blood samples from horses for one year to help understand the messenger RNA (mRNA) response to exercise and injury in horses. The goal is to determine whether mRNA can identify horses at risk for catastrophic injury. The samples will be collected in conjunction with blood already being drawn for other testing, posing no additional discomfort for the horse.
  • The Board gave final approval to a regulatory amendment prohibiting the use of corticosteroid injections to fetlock joints within 30 days of a race and within 10 days of a timed workout.
  • The Board approved a regulatory amendment clarifying the usage of furosemide for certain races.
  • The Board authorized WatchandWager.com to distribute $4,000 in race day charity proceeds to five beneficiaries.
  • Public comments made during the meeting can be accessed through the meeting audio archive on the CHRB website.

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CHRB Notes Substantial Drop In California Equine Deaths

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting by teleconference on Wednesday, July 21. The public participated by dialing into the teleconference and/or listening through the audio webcast link on the CHRB website. Chairman Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by vice chair Oscar Gonzales and commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, Brenda Washington Davis, Wendy Mitchell, and Alex Solis.

The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief:

  • The Board approved three license applications for race meets, beginning with the Sonoma County Fair (SCF) meet, which will be run at Golden Gate Fields (GGF) on August 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15. SCF will be required to run Arabian races during the meet in compliance with statutes. In a related matter, the Board approved an agreement between SCF and the Thoroughbred Owners of California authorizing the racing secretary to establish conditions on races limiting the administrations of certain medications.
  • The Board approved the license application for the Pacific Racing Association (PRA) to conduct a thoroughbred meet at Golden Gate Fields with racing commencing August 26 and running through October 3. As one condition, Golden Gate must provide its race signals and access to its wagering pools to all simulcast outlets in California. Additionally, Golden Gate and the California Thoroughbred Trainers must enter into a race-meet agreement before the August 18 Board meeting.
  • The Board approved the license application for the Humboldt County Fair to operate a fair meet in Ferndale on August 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, and 29.
  • The Board set a January 31, 2022, date for San Luis Rey Downs (SLRD) to complete installation of its sprinkler system, though management expects work to completed by late December. SLRD has a fire clearance and complies with all local fire regulations.
  • Executive director Scott Chaney reported a full 50 percent reduction in the number of total training, racing, and other fatalities over the last two fiscal years. In furtherance of the CHRB's safety efforts, he pointed out that Dr. Jeff Blea assumed the role of equine medical director and Dr. Tim Grande assumed the role of chief official veterinarian on July 1, and noted, “Both Drs. Blea and Grande are accomplished veterinarians and have a specific understanding regarding veterinary medicine's intersection with the regulatory arena and the promotion of animal welfare.  In the three weeks they have been on the job, I have found both to be engaged, enthusiastic and committed.”
  • Dr. Blea reported that California will be well represented in industry oversight under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). Dr. Sue Stover, director of the J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, sits on HISA's governing board and also chairs its Racetrack Safety Standing Committee, while Dr. Blea is a member of HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Standing Committee. Dr. Blea also reported that entry review panels, first established in 2019 at Santa Anita Park at the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom to ensure that entered horses are fit to compete, now are in place at all tracks and that he and Dr. Grande are reviewing their processes to make them more efficient and standardized in the future.
  • The Board approved a regulation establishing rules for public participation at meetings, which largely reflect the procedures that have been in place, including limiting each unsolicited speaker to two minutes on each agenda item.
  • The Board approved an agreement with horse-racing-industry stakeholders modifying the distribution of Advance Deposit Wagering market access fees to supplement funding for CHRB support. The Board then approved the Fiscal Year 2021-22 agreement providing funding support for the CHRB.
  • The Board approved the change of ownership for the mini-satellite California Horse Racing & Sports, LLC, doing business as The Derby Room.
  • Public comments made during the meeting can be accessed through the meeting audio archive on the CHRB website.

The post CHRB Notes Substantial Drop In California Equine Deaths appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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