CHRB | Horse Racing Free Tips

$5K Bisphosphonate Fine for Sadler

Trainer John Sadler has been fined $5,000 by the Del Mar stewards, and has entered into a settlement agreement and mutual release with the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), for “knowingly” bringing a horse into a CHRB enclosure “that had been administered bisphosphonates within previous six months,” according to a ruling Friday.

The horse in question–as first reported by the BloodHorse–was GISW sprinter Flagstaff (Speightstown), who was recently retired at the age of seven.

Flagstaff tested positive for the bisphosphonate “clodronate” after finishing second in the 2020 GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship. The Santa Anita stewards subsequently disqualified him, requiring $40,000 in purse monies to be returned, according to a ruling dated June 19 this year.

Bisphosphonates are Food and Drug Administration approved for use in horses 4-year-olds and up for things like osteoarthritis and navicular disease.

But many in the industry have been concerned about the off-label use of these drugs, especially in young horses being prepared for the sales. That's because, rather than strengthening bones as intended, misuse of these drugs could make them weaker, more susceptible to fractures.

These drugs, however, have been notoriously difficult to regulate. Part of the conundrum is that too little is currently known about how long they remain in the horse's system. Bisphosphonates potentially stay in the bone for years.

Too little is also currently known about exactly how they behave for that duration.

As of July 1 last year, the CHRB put into effect a rule broadly prohibiting administration of bisphosphonates to any horse within any CHRB regulated facility. It also prohibits any horse from entering the grounds that has been administered the drug within six months.

Sadler's attorney, Darrell Vienna, stressed that the ruling did not constitute a fine for a medication positive. “If you look at the wording of the actual rule,” he said, “this is not a medication violation.”

The post $5K Bisphosphonate Fine for Sadler appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Peter Miller Taking ‘Temporary Hiatus’ From Training

When Nov. 29 rolls around, trainer Peter Miller, one of the most numerically powerful stables on the Southern California circuit, will embark upon a temporary hiatus from training to spend “more time with his family, focus on overall health and wellness, and pursue other interests,” according to press release issued Thursday evening.

While Miller's assistant, Ruben Alvarado, is expected to take over the everyday running of the barn, Miller will take on an advisory position and maintain his role as an owner, the release states.

“I have been working virtually every day on the backstretch of a racetrack since the day after I graduated from high school in 1984. On that day, I was lucky enough to be hired by the great Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Wittingham. I am and forever will be grateful for all that he taught me,” Miller wrote in his press release.

Miller continued: “Throughout my career I have derived great joy in the pursuit of my passion as a trainer. Managing a large stable is a 24 hour, 365-day a year endeavor. The effort to compete at the highest level of my profession has taken its toll on my family and my health and I believe this decision is best for me, my family and our future.”

Miller told the TDN that he's currently unsure of how long the hiatus may last.

“I am grateful to all of my clients and my talented hard-working team. I am completely indebted to them for the successes we have shared. My extremely capable and long-time assistant Ruben Alvarado will be taking the reins and I will continue to act as an advisor/racing manager to my owners and my assistants as well as staying involved as an owner myself,” he wrote.

For the past three years–and in light of the 2019 Santa Anita welfare crisis–the state's regulatory agency has markedly tightened the rules surrounding equine safety, placing an emphasis on the role of trainer responsibility.

As such, speculation had been mounting for some time that Miller has been the target of increased regulatory scrutiny due to five horses in his care suffering catastrophic injuries during 2021–the highest number of any single trainer in California this year.

“Of the 72 [equine] fatalities during the past fiscal years, all but 14 were one-off events for trainers. Of those 14 trainers, 12 had two [fatalities], one had three, and one had four,” said California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) executive director, Scott Chaney, during an October Medication, Safety, and Welfare Committee meeting, when explaining a proposal to potentially penalize trainers for multiple equine fatalities.

The CHRB has also issued Miller three Class 4 medication violations this current calendar year.

Miller addressed these rumors in the press release, stating that his decision has not been triggered by any outside regulatory pressure. Miller wrote, “I know that there may be some speculation related to this decision; however, I want to make it very clear that it is not a result of any regulatory action, secret agreement or hidden agenda of any kind. This is strictly a personal decision.

“My love for horses lured me to the racetrack as a teenager and held me there for the next 38 years. I trust that it will bring me back after this hiatus.”

The TDN asked the CHRB for comment, and they did not respond in time for publication of this story. The Stronach Group replied that they had nothing to add as of right now.

The post Peter Miller Taking ‘Temporary Hiatus’ From Training appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

CHRB: Balch Building Accident Prevention Task Force, Breeders’ Cup Investigation Ongoing

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting by teleconference on Wednesday, Nov. 17. 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 Commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Brenda Washington Davis, Wendy Mitchell, and Alex Solis.

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

In brief:

· Alan Balch, the executive with California Thoroughbred Trainers who is spearheading the formation of a broadly based industry committee designed to develop regulations and procedures to further decrease equine injuries, reported there is widespread interest among all elements of California horse racing. He said the full committee and the smaller steering committee are in the process of being formed. Balch promised to give the Board reports every one or two months.

“I hope to have something very concrete by February,” he added.

· The Board approved two license applications for racing at Los Alamitos. The traditional night Quarter Horse meet conducted by the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse Racing Association will open Dec. 26, 2021, and run through Dec. 18, 2022. More immediately, a short, daytime Thoroughbred meet conducted by the Los Alamitos Horse Racing Association will run from Dec. 3 through Dec. 12.

· Pertaining to those two meets at Los Alamitos, the Board approved agreements between the meet operators and the horsemen's groups for those two breeds allowing the racing secretaries to set entry conditions limiting certain medications and procedures.

· The Board approved the license application for Watch and Wager LLC to conduct a harness meet at Cal Expo that will open Dec. 26, 2021, and run through May 1, 2022. General Manager Chris Schick said they will offer an expanded stakes schedule for this meet.

· The Board approved an amended license for NYRAbets, LLC, to provide Advance Deposit Wagering services, necessary because of a partial ownership change. NYRAbets President Tony Allevato reported that Fox Sports has acquired a minority interest of 25 percent in the company.

· CHRB Executive Director Scott Chaney reported on the Breeders' Cup that was run at Del Mar on Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6.

“Much of the press has centered on a premature scratch in the Juvenile Turf race, which was the last race on Friday's card,” said Chaney. “The CHRB is conducting an investigation, which will determine whether any regulations were violated and will offer suggestions with respect to how such mistakes can be avoided in the future. I also expect to convene a meeting of the Parimutuel Committee to determine if our rules relating to wagering can be improved or updated.

“On a more positive note, the Breeders' Cup achieved another record handle, which seems to be the case when it comes to California, but more importantly all races on both days, including undercard races, were conducted without Lasix or any other medication, and were completed without significant injury. Our restrictive crop rule was also in effect for the event, as it is on every racing day in California.”

· Public comments made during the meeting can be accessed through the meeting audio archive on the CHRB website.

The post CHRB: Balch Building Accident Prevention Task Force, Breeders’ Cup Investigation Ongoing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

McAnally Trainee Disqualified Over CBD Positive; Separate Hearing To Determine Sanctions

Roses and Candy, winner of the third race at Del Mar on Nov. 22, 2020, has been disqualified by the California Horse Racing Board after testing positive for a metabolite of the Class 1 drug 7-Carboxy-Cannabidiol, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News. A separate hearing will be held to determine whether any sanctions will be handed down to the mare's trainer, Hall of Famer Ron McAnally.

Better known as CBD – and marketed widely for a variety of health benefits to humans – Cannabidiol is found in a number of equine products, including tincture oil, pellets, liniment spray and poultices. While it is believed to work as an anti-inflammatory there is limited research on the possible benefits of CBD in horses and its use remains controversial. Because it is not included in the CHRB's classification list of drugs, it becomes a Class 1/Penalty Class A by default, according to CHRB spokesman Mike Marten.

The TDN reports that under CHRB rules, first-time violations of penalty class A can lead to a minimum one-year suspension or maximum three-year suspension, with a maximum fine of $25,000, absent mitigating circumstances.

The Association of Racing Commissioners International lists Cannabidiol as a Class 2/Penalty Category B substance, and the CHRB began the process of changing CBD's classification in early 2021. On Jan. 21, the CHRB pushed back the proposed rule change to make Cannabidiol a Class 3/Penalty Category B drug to the February meeting, at which point it went out for public comment.

The complaint was not made public until May 17, 2021.

CBD is now listed as a Class 3/Penalty Category B drug, for which first-time violations can result in a fine of no more than $10,000 and a minimum 30-day suspension, absent mitigating circumstances.

According to a report in Daily Racing Form, jockey Geovanni Franco, who rode Roses and Candy to victory Nov. 22, admitted to McAnally assistant Dan Landers that he used a product containing CBD the day of the race. Roses and Candy won the day's third race. Geovanni rode another winner on the same card three hours later that did not test positive.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post McAnally Trainee Disqualified Over CBD Positive; Separate Hearing To Determine Sanctions appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post