A regulatory veterinarian is present to watch horses warm up on the level before they head up the hill—on which the Sweet Life S. was run—and then again when they get to the gate.

According to California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director, Jeff Blea, the video appears to be from when Decorated My Life negotiated the incline on the way to post—a stage when a regulatory veterinarian can scrutinize individual horses on a TV monitor but not from the track itself.

“I spoke with the track vet and we're thinking of making a couple modifications, especially for horses that are warming up on the turf course—and the downhill turf course in particular—so maybe we can get an eye on these horses as they're going up the hill, not just on a flat surface,” said Blea, who followed-up the interview in an email with a study showing how even slight slopes can affect lameness exams in horses.

According to Blea, Decorated My Life passed multiple layers of veterinary oversight before Saturday's race, including an exam by the attending veterinarian prior to entry, another exam the morning of the race, along with regulatory scrutiny in the paddock, while warming up and behind the gate.

“She was evaluated when she got to the gate and there was no lameness present,” said Blea, about the daughter of Mehmas (Ire), trained by Simon Callaghan.

All horses entered to race must also pass the muster of a multi-person review panel who assess a horse's potential for catastrophic injury. “I was on this panel, and this horse did not present any what we consider at-risk factors,” he said.

But Blea doesn't deny the video appears to show Decorated My Life presents slight lameness in the video which was widely circulated on social media.

“What I saw is visual right front inconsistency or lameness,” said Blea, of the video. “It's a short window. It's there. You can't argue that. You can't deny that. Those are the facts.”

Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for 1/ST racing, said that “day-in, day-out” there are at minimum two regulatory veterinarians watching the horses on the track on race-day.

“Both vets go to the paddock. One vet then goes in the truck, follows the field. But because we realize that was a potential blind-spot, we had a camera system in the downstairs—below the winner's circle—that allows them to follow horses [on TV monitors]. But then, they could have been following a different horse when the horse was doing what is on this video. They could have been looking at a different view, a different angle,” said Benson.

Decorated My Life's jockey, Joe Bravo, was taken to hospital following the incident, and took off his mounts the following day as a precautionary measure.

“You're talking about a jockey who's not aggressive—by that, I mean he's not going to push a horse that he's not comfortable on,” said Benson. “If he didn't feel it and we didn't see in that moment what was going on—or what looked to be going on—it's very challenging to do better.”

Racing on the downhill turf course was temporarily halted in the spring of 2019, when Arms Runner suffered a catastrophic breakdown in the GIII San Simeon S. When asked if the track was considering another such moratorium, Benson pointed out that Decorated My Life was the first such injury on the course after four injury-free meets. The track also had no race-day main track fatalities last year.

“We have very strict protocols about which horses and which jockeys are allowed to go down the downhill,” said Benson. “We definitely do a good job of trying to remind the jockeys of the challenges of riding down the downhill, and that's something [ex-jockey] Aaron Gryder does very well.”

As happens with every horse that suffers a catastrophic injury in California, Decorated My Life will undergo a necropsy examination—this time at a UC Davis-affiliated facility in San Bernardino.

The CHRB will also conduct a mandatory mortality review into the incident, which includes the pulling of the horse's veterinary records and regulatory exam history, along with interviews with the attending veterinarians and other potentially involved parties.

“And then finally, the review is generally with the trainer,” said Blea. “We're taking this very seriously. One fatality is one too many. Period.”

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According to a release from EMR, “Integrity of the veterinary information will be ensured using the unique algorithms found in the EMR 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.”

“We welcome the support of Equine MediRecord to the Pegasus World Cup for a second year,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer, 1/ST RACING. “The immediate access to relevant medical information significantly enhances safety and welfare for our equine athletes and further enforces the 1/ST RACING standards of integrity and accountability in our sport.”

Pierce Dargan, Chief Executive Officer, Equine MediRecord said, “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 while ensuring participants do not have to enter information multiple times to be cleared. We are thrilled to be partnering with 1/ST for the Pegasus World Cup 2023.”

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That was the daunting statistic which set the stage at the beginning of the inaugural Horse Racing Women's Summit at Santa Anita Thursday, a two-day event designed to nurture the abilities of women already involved in the sport and engender new talent to follow after the sport's current batch of female leaders.

And what was the over-arching takeaway? Greater mutual support among the sport's female participants, and the fostering of a culture of mentorship among male leaders towards their female peers.

In a panel titled “Thriving Through Challenges,” Dora Delgado, executive vice president and chief racing officer of the Breeders' Cup, described the business that she entered in 1983 as a lot of Khaki and blue blazer-clad men sitting around the boardroom table resistant to change.

“And that hasn't changed much since,” said Delgado, adding that, despite her credentials—she was anointed last year on the Sports Business Journal's prestigious “game changer” list, for example—she still feels the need to prove her qualifications “over and over and over again.”

Part of the problem is nepotism, she and others said.

The Kentucky Blueblood aristocracy, it “runs deep,” Delgado said. “If you're not born to it, it takes a bit of work to get accepted.” That cycle needs to be disrupted, she added.

“'This guy's really great—I play golf with him. He's got a son who needs a job. Where can we fit him in?'” said Delgado, rhetorically replaying what she described as familiar conversations across racetrack boardrooms.

Dora's response? “Nowhere.”

Christa Marrillia, vice president and chief marketing officer at Keeneland, detailed the female dress code for employees at the track when she first joined in 2003, which excluded open-toed shoes and pants.

While those restrictions have since lifted, changing the work-place culture for women in the sport has proven tougher, she said.

“I would sleep with my cell-phone by my pillow,” explained Marrillia, describing herself as a workaholic who never took breaks—a common refrain among the presenters, all of whom described the challenges of maintaining a healthy work-home life balance, especially those with families and children.

What changed Marrillia's attitude, she said, was witnessing her behavior rub off on her team, some of them young mothers. “I was like, 'wow, I'm creating a bad thing here.'”

She has since altered the culture for her employees at Keeneland, she said, for the better. “I do feel like we're at a tipping point,” she added, about the role of women in the game.

“I'm still really good at my job, but I'm not going to miss the birthday parties. I'm going to sleep,” she said. “I'm not going to answer an email at two in the morning.”

Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer at 1/ST RACING, discussed the importance of male higher-ups in the sport championing their female peers.

Benson told the story of how, when on a work call, two men proceeded to disparage her, mistakenly thinking they were muted.

“Then Aidan found out about it and called all their bosses,” she said, referring to Aidan Butler, 1/ST RACING's chief operating officer.

There's also the honey-pot approach.

“What my boss finds interesting, I find fascinating,” joked Rikki Tanenbaum, 1/ST GAMING's newly minted chief commercial officer and president.

The afternoon was broken into two panels, the latter of which turned their gaze inwards towards matters of integrity—or what Del Mar Thoroughbred Club board member, Marie Moretti, called “intentional integrity.”

A key area of focus appeared to be the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), designed to provide parity in the metering out of offenses, among many other things.

“You will know what you're going to get,” said Moretti, advocating the Act's uniform rules, if not only to improve public perception of the sport. “Perception is reality in the modern world.”

Optics was a common theme. “I couldn't even get my horsey girlfriends to the track—they thought it was a cruel sport,” said Bo Derek, saying that when she took over as a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) commissioner, the industry was in the state of flux due to problems associated with drug misuse, whip abuse and the ill-fated switch to synthetic tracks.

“I'm really encouraged. The fanbase is up, the gaming is good,” said Derek, about the current state of California's racing industry.

“I don't think it's something we can be quiet about any more,” said Shannon Kelly, executive director of the Jockey Club's Safety Net Foundation, zeroing in on the public's growing awareness towards the vast human involvement in the sport.

“What other industry has to have a charity for its workers in times of need?” Kelly said, highlighting the number of food distribution centers that feed the nation's backstretches.

All panelists advocated for financial self-sustainability to fund each aspect of the industry, from racehorse aftercare to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

“If you're entering into the sport,” said Kelly, “you should be aware of the costs that are associated with `putting on the show.'”

The earlier panel looked outwards, each of the four speakers tasked with marketing and growing the sport to a world not forged upon racing's gristmill.

“We've all got one goal but we're all coming at it from different ways,” said Jodie Vella Gregory, director of the office of innovation at 1/ST RACING.

“Everyone in here has an idea,” she added. “We should all be taking to one another.”

Taking aim at horse racing's natural impulse to quickly bin new ideas if they fail to immediately take off, she extolled the virtues of perseverance, pointing to the evolution of the Pegasus World Cup—what originated a big-pot attraction first and foremost, but which has transformed into something of a place-holder on the social calendar.

That, and “we need to expand outside the bounds of our community,” Vella Gregory said.

Running with that theme, Lindsay Schanzer, senior producer at NBC Sports, warned of another of racing's bad habits: Leaning into its more insular, arcane traits, sometimes at the expense of new potential fans.

That's why NBC Sports has focused on the story-telling aspects of its race-day coverage, said Schanzer, pointing to its recent fond embrace of things like the jockey cam.

“We really want to put the people on the horses' backs as best we can,” said Schanzer, before making a plug. “If you ever have stories that we don't know of, please reach out to us.”

The other two panelists discussed the role of newer ventures, like FanDuel, as a means of funneling new blood towards racing.

“It's never been that way before—it's never been that easy,” said Shona Rotondo, head of marketing at My Racehorse US, about the accessibility of the racehorse ownership program, with its quick online sign-up process. “We want to sell everyone on the emotion of the game.”

Given the summit's remit, it seems only fitting the event's inaugural leadership award went to a long-time industry mainstay, Jane Goldstein.

Said Amy Zimmerman, when introducing the award, “She found an opening into the sport she loved through the publicity offices of several racetracks. She was always the first one done with her work. It wasn't that she was super quick but, you see, women weren't allowed in the press box after 12. Yes, that's also true. During racing, the press box was exclusive to men.

“After almost four decades,” Zimmerman said, “I'm still often asked the ridiculous question: `what's it like being a woman in racing?' When I was hired, I never thought about it, because Jane Goldstein was the one who hired me. Jane was the one who answered that question. The one who waged that battle to open the door. And then she held it open with class, so all of us could walk through it.”

Goldstein received a standing ovation.

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“These results highlight the efforts of the entire racing community to put the safety of the horse above all else,” said Nate Newby, SVP and General Manager of Santa Anita Park.  “The diligence and dedication of the owners, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians and the hardworking men and women who care for the horses each day are truly revolutionizing the sport.  We are especially indebted to our Santa Anita Park track crew, led by veteran Dennis Moore, whose tireless efforts have been instrumental in this success story. None of the protocols, however, work without our horseplayers who have backed this transformation, and we are grateful for their continued support.”

The reforms, which were begun at Santa Anita and subsequently adopted by the CHRB, make up the backbone of the new national standards which will be put in place by the Horse Racing Safety and Integrity Act that goes into effect on July 1.

“Santa Anita Park Veterinarians performed over 3,700 examinations prior to horses working at Santa Anita since Dec. 1,” said Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer for 1/ST Racing. “We appreciate that this involves extra effort for our stakeholders, but this heightened scrutiny has allowed for additional opportunities to work with everyone for the best interest of the horse.”

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The meeting, however, did signal a potential brewing storm in the shape of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's scheduled implementation of its racetrack safety rules July 1.

CHRB executive director, Scott Chaney, pointed out that HISA's crop rules–which allow for overhand use of the whip–are more permissive than those currently in place in California, which prohibits use of the whip above the shoulder.

Furthermore, HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program, which is set to go into effect early next year, currently restricts the administration of pre-race mediations to 24 hours, in contrast to the CHRB's 48-hour cut-off.

These two areas give Chaney cause for “concern,” he said, adding that he is in frequent communication with the new CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority–the broad non-profit umbrella established by HISA and commonly referred to as just the “Authority”–to find a solution to these issues “which are frankly non-starters for California.”

“I am hopeful that we can reach a resolution in which there will not be any loosening of the rules already in place here,” said Chaney.

Chaney also broached the prickly issue of HISA's cost, saying that “the current reg's require that they provide the amount of California's contribution by Apr. 1.” Before then, he added, the CHRB will begin negotiations with the Authority to conduct as many of the functions under the new federal rules as the law permits.

Needless to say, Chaney said, “this implementation is very fluid, and will require both the Authority and the CHRB to be flexible as we both seek to promote human and animal welfare.”

Earlier in the meeting, California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT) executive director, Alan Balch, provided a status update on the accident prevention taskforce created late last year to systematically study the myriad factors behind fatal equine injury.

The key component of Balch's presentation concerned shoulder fractures–a common cause of catastrophic injury in racehorses.

These types of injuries have long bedeviled veterinarians and trainers due to their subtlety of visible symptoms, and the sheer difficulty of diagnosing them prior to a catastrophic breakdown occurring.

“As you know, if we could eliminate shoulder fractures, our safety record would improve even more significantly,” said Balch.

One especially high-risk group of horses said Balch–floating the findings of a nationwide statistical survey performed by The Stronach Group chief veterinarian, Dionne Benson–are those returning to training from lay-offs.

“Generally, the factors are lay-offs of 90-days or more,” said Balch, “and possibly a premature return to serious training once they've returned to the track or an auxiliary facility.”

In short, explained Balch, the general understanding in the equine medical world is that in horses returning to training after a break, the musculature develops faster than the bone can remodel, and that horses can appear outwardly fit enough to handle a degree of exercise greater than the bone is able to withstand.

And so, what's to be done?

California trainers are required to routinely complete continuing education courses, covering a variety of topics from track surfaces to pre-race examinations, as well as those on shoulder fractures.

Most California trainers have completed the shoulder-related module, but not all, admitted Balch. In response, the CHRB discussed a variety of amendments to the rules to potentially mandate completion of the module, including making it a prerequisite for re-licensing.

In the meantime, the CTT will contact over the next 30 days all trainers who have skipped the online course to encourage them to complete it, said Balch.

More broadly, the aim of the accident taskforce “is to provide a statistically sound guide, perhaps even by way of a rule based on verified evidence, of steps which must be taken before a horse returning from a lay-off of a specified period can gallop or work at speed,” Balch explained.

During a report about the prior day's pari-mutuel and wagering committee meeting, commissioner Dennis Alfieri explained how the Xpressbet wagering platform has developed a technology allowing gamblers to select an alternative primary selection in multi-race wagers–such as a pick four, pick five, or pick six–in the event their primary pick is a late scratch.

The new feature was launched to online customers in mid-February, said Alfieri.

The technology was developed in response to the Modern Games debacle at last November's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, when a veterinarian prematurely scratched the horse, only for the Godolphin runner to be reinstated into the race for purse-money only.

Modern Games ultimately won the race, with winning returns going to the second-place finisher, Tiz the Bomb. And while many multi-race gamblers who selected Modern Games automatically received the eventual favorite, Dakota Gold, instead, that horse eventually finished out of the frame in fifth.

Alfieri explained that Chaney had suggested at the pari-mutuel and wagering committee meeting that the CHRB make this wagering option a condition of licensure for other betting platforms when their licenses are up for renewal.

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As an increased veterinary presence at tracks in California is required, the lack of veterinarians in the state – and throughout the United States – is becoming more apparent, reports Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

There are multiple reasons why fewer students are studying veterinary medicine and even fewer are interested in pursuing large animal practice, including debt, stress, mental health concerns, and work-life balance. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which is slated to launch in July of 2022, is hoping to entice more vets into the regulatory side of veterinary medicine.

In racing, veterinarians typically fall into two camps: vets employed by racetracks and vets employed by state racing commissions. In California, the veterinarian's scope of duties now extends well beyond that of a pre-race examiner: vets in the state now are asked to monitor training, help with entry review panels and sit on necropsy review programs.

Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group (TSG), has a unique proposal to attract vets into regulatory work: The creation of a fellowship program aimed at vet school graduates who have completed an internship, but who would like to do something more before entering into full-time practice.

Benson suggests the fellowship be a two-year program split between academic studies and practical experiences, with the student graduating from the program with a master's degree in regulatory or sports medicine.

Proponents are hopeful the job of a regulatory vet may soon be streamlined through HISA's creation of a nationwide veterinarian database, which could better allow regulatory veterinarians to communicate about required tasks and prevent the role from being too overwhelming. Another potentially large draw for regulatory vet work is the standardized hours.

Read more at Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

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Samples drawn May 6 and 10 by the MRC were sent to Industrial Laboratories in Colorado, while the samples drawn by 1/ST RACING and MJC on May 11 were sent to the University of California at Davis Maddy Laboratory.

The May 6 samples were screened for both prohibited and therapeutic substances and were reported clear for all horses Thursday by Industrial Laboratories.

Results for the May 10 and 11 samples will be available Friday, and are expected by 3:00 p.m. ET in advance of the GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S., in which Beautiful Gift is entered. The outcome of those results will be announced publicly by 1/ST RACING and MJC upon receipt.

“1/ST RACING is committed to achieving the highest level of horse care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing. We have been an industry leader in instituting processes and protocols that have led to nationwide medication reform and increased accountability and transparency,” said Craig Fravel, Chief Executive Officer, 1/ST RACING. “While we acknowledge the challenging circumstances that prompted this further need for transparency, it reflects, above all else, that the principles of integrity, accountability, and safety in our sport are non-negotiable.”

In addition to third-round sampling, the medical records for all Baffert trained horses have been reviewed by Dr. Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer, 1/ST RACING. Baffert has provided medical records covering the period of Apr. 1 through May 10. Medical records for Medina Spirit reportedly reflected the dispensing of Otomax Apr. 9 and 19. Otomax is a legal, topical ointment used off-label to treat dermatitis in racehorses. Medina Spirit's medical records were compared to confidential veterinary records obtained from the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) which were submitted within 24 hours of those dates and have been verified.

Baffert also voluntarily submitted radiographs of Medina Spirit's fetlocks (ankles) and carpi (knees), which his veterinarian took at Pimlico May 12. These radiographs were reviewed by the Maryland Equine Medical Director, 1/ST RACING's Chief Veterinary Officer, and a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons that consults with 1/ST RACING and MJC. All three veterinarians independently determined the radiographs showed no abnormal findings.

To view a copy of the Maryland Jockey Club and Bob Baffert agreement, click here.

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The entire track cushion will be rehabilitated in the coming weeks, with a timeline that is expected to take less than three weeks as light training (no workouts) continues over the Laurel Park main track. Meanwhile, horses will be able to ship to Pimlico for workouts using the Maryland Jockey Club shuttle.

Training tomorrow will be held from 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., with no break. Only jogging and galloping will be allowed at this time.

“From a race track operator's perspective, we have a couple of responsibilities,” said Aiden Butler, Chief Operating Officer, 1/ST RACING. “The most important one is to make sure that the sanctity and the safety of the racetrack is the best it can be at all times. Varying degrees of weather and varying degrees of protocols mean that it's not always as optimum as we would like … When we got the heads up last week that the track was not performing quite as well as we'd like it to, we immediately rallied and put a team together.

“We decided that for Maryland to be as good as it can be, there was only one approach, and it's one that's a heck of a lot of work, and unfortunately going to be a heck of a lot of inconvenience for everyone on this call. But there really is no other way. Maryland has the opportunity to be as good a racing jurisdiction and as good a racing surface as any in the country, and we're not going to get there if the track isn't as good as it can be.”

A total of four equine fatalities, one during racing and three during morning training, have occurred at Laurel this year, Stronach Group chief veterinary officer Dr. Dionne Benson told the Paulick Report. The four fatalities resulted from different types of injuries and occurred at different locations on the racetrack, Benson said, adding that the numbers are very similar to this time last year. One morning fatality occurred in February, the racing fatality on March 7, one morning fatality during March, and one morning fatality over the past week.

“The bigger issue was that we weren't happy with how the track came out of winter,” Benson explained.

The general consensus was that the issues with the track surface have been a concern for the past two weeks.

“I don't want to focus on how we got to this point,” said Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Tim Keefe. “I would like to focus on how to avoid it in the future.”

Butler continued the conversation by adding that he'll be on the grounds in Maryland over the next several weeks and is looking forward to speaking with horsemen, both formally and informally, about how to open a more direct dialog so similar issues can be avoided in the future.

“We definitely want to be proactive on this, not reactive,” said Peterson, adding that the MJC has implemented the some of the RSTL's improvements over the past couple years, including an on-site weather station and other rapid-response testing abilities.

Peterson went on to explain that the issues with the Laurel Park track cushion stemmed from several factors.

“Winter racing on a dirt track is challenging, and it's clear that in the Mid-Atlantic region, some years are more challenging than others,” Peterson said, “especially with these years where the freeze/thaw cycle leads to a lot of salt usage. The other challenge, and this is not unique to the Mid-Atlantic tracks, is getting consistent materials in the quantity required for racetrack maintenance.

“The key is not only meeting the immediate needs, but in changing the operation mode for the Maryland Jockey Club.”

1/ST RACING's Senior Track Superintendent Dennis Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club's Track Superintendent Chris Bosley have located a supplier and began the project on Friday, stripping material off the track. Moore has experience mixing the material on site for consistency, and will be confirming the process along the way with additional samples sent to the RSTL and Peterson.

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Benson said that a filly had gotten loose on the track yesterday morning, and run back to the barn area, entering a barn that was not hers. She was walked back to her barn, and was discovered down in her stall last night by a security guard.

“Late last night, @1stracing @GulfstreamPark was notified that a horse stabled onsite fell ill exhibiting neurological symptoms and was humanely euthanized,” said Benson in the early afternoon Wednesday. “Out of caution, the barns that have been affected have been quarantined. More information will follow when necropsy results are in.”

“The quarantine is lifted,” said Benson. “There is no sign of any communicable disease.”

Earlier in the day, Benson had said that Stronach Group company policy had directed an abundance of caution toward keeping horses safe. “This was done in the consideration of safety for the horse and welfare for the entire horse population,” she said. “We did not see the incident. It was not reported to us earlier in the day.”

She said that additional precautions were being taken at Gulfstream because of an outbreak of EHV-1 in the show horse population near Ocala.

“We previously had dialed back our health certificate requirements from 72 hours to 24 hours,” said Benson, explaining that horses arriving at the track must now have been seen and certified as healthy within 24 hours before arrival, while the typical window is 72 hours. “So that gives us an extra added protection of those two days.”

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A group consisting of the Dolly Green Research Foundation and The Southern California Equine Foundation as well as several individuals, recently came together to purchase and install a Standing Equine MRI system, from Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging, at Santa Anita Park racetrack. The group is working closely with the Stronach Group, owners of Santa Anita, to introduce the technology to veterinarians and trainers.

“The Stronach Group is excited about the addition of a standing MRI to the existing diagnostic options for horses at Santa Anita Park,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary office for The Stronach Group. “Together with the standing PET (Positron Emission Tomography) system, which was installed at Santa Anita late last year, these new modalities greatly improve the ability to identify preexisting conditions, is an important step in ensuring horse safety and welfare.”

The groups began fundraising for the MRI last fall and were able to reach their target goals to allow purchase and recent installation.

“Hallmarq's Standing Equine MRI (sMRI) system brings the same diagnostic capability to equine clinical practice as the human sports medicine field” said Dr. Dan Brown, vice president and chief customer officer, at Hallmarq.  According to Brown, there have been close to 70 horses diagnosed using the Hallmarq MRI at Santa Anita.

Brown said that soft tissues are very hard to evaluate on radiographs and bone changes will show up on MRI weeks before they can be seen on x-ray, which can make a big difference for a horse trainer contemplating entering a horse in an upcoming race.

With the equine patient being at the forefront of every design decision, Hallmarq's unique sMRI capability avoids the risks associated with general anesthesia and allows equine veterinarians to offer clients the most advanced lameness diagnosis method on an outpatient basis.

“Traditional lameness diagnosis is often a cycle of trial and review that relies on a slow process of elimination,” said Brown, a former veterinarian with over 20 years' experience in the veterinary profession.

“The integration of Hallmarq's standing MRI to our diagnostic imaging center at Santa Anita has been seamless,” said Dr. Ryan Carpenter, one of the on-track veterinarians at Santa Anita. “Being able to identify bone pathology at the earliest stages allows us to intervene long before these abnormalities could be seen on radiographs. Knowing that we have this technology at our fingertips where horses can literally walk out of their stall, undergo sMRI and be back in a matter of a couple hours speaks to the commitment to greater safety for our athletes.”

Hallmarq has developed unique equine expertise over almost two decades by imaging more than 100,000 horses at 100 sites over six continents. With Q-Care, Hallmarq's world-class support system, customers have experienced uptime of greater than 99% and upgrades to their systems to ensure that practices enjoy a diagnostic rate in excess of 90%.

Other racetracks have used the system, including the world-famous Hong Kong Jockey Club.

“We installed the Hallmarq standing MRI in 2013 and since then have performed hundreds of examinations of the lower limbs primarily in Thoroughbred racehorses,” said Dr. Paul Robinson, Head of Veterinary Clinical Services at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. “We have found the information obtained to be invaluable in the identification of injuries that are not visible on conventional imaging modalities and it has helped us to manage a variety of conditions using an objective, targeted approach.  Of great interest in our population is the capability to perform multiple follow-up studies of the region of interest to monitor the healing process of subchondral bone lesions in the lower cannon bone of our thoroughbred population.”

Read more about standing MRI in this 2015 Paulick Report feature.

Standing Equine MRI Benefits:

• MRI can show problems that are not visible, or at an earlier stage than they would show up on any other imaging method.
• Standing MRI occurs under very light sedation, without anesthesia. This both eliminates risk of injury and makes it much easier for a client to say “yes” then conventional 'down' MRI.
• MRI involves no radiation unlike, CT, bone scanning or radiography.

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