Dr. Mary Scollay | Horse Racing Free Tips

AAEP Honors Regulatory Vet Dr. Mary Scollay With 2020 Distinguished Service Award

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) honored a longtime volunteer leader within the association and strident advocate for the welfare of racehorses and the integrity of racing when presenting the 2020 Distinguished Service Award to Mary Scollay, DVM.

The Distinguished Service Award honors exemplary service to the AAEP or a similar organization to the benefit of the horse, horse industry or profession of equine veterinary medicine. Dr. Scollay was recognized Dec. 9 during the AAEP's 2020 Annual Convention & Trade Show, held virtually.

A 1984 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Scollay is currently serving her fourth term on the AAEP's Racing Committee, having initially joined the committee in 1997. She contributes to racing broadcasts as an On Call veterinary spokesperson and is co-author of several consequential AAEP white papers on racehorse health and welfare as well as related reference documents for equine veterinarians. Beyond her racing contributions, Dr. Scollay also serves on the AAEP's Professional Conduct & Ethics Committee, and she previously chaired the Infectious Disease Committee and served on the Equine Welfare Committee.

Dr. Scollay is executive director and COO of the Lexington, Ky.-based Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, which focuses on research, education and advocacy for science-based initiatives that promote the health and safety of racehorses and the integrity of competition. Prior to joining the RMTC in 2019, Dr. Scollay spent 11 years as the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's first equine medical director and 13 years as senior association veterinarian at Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park in south Florida. While in Florida, she conceptualized and developed the forerunner to The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database, to which she has served as a veterinary consultant since its launch in 2008.

“With her unwavering philosophy that the health and welfare of the horse remains paramount above all else, Dr. Scollay has provided many years of outstanding service to the veterinary profession, steadfast dedication to the equine industry, and deep commitment to the mission of the AAEP,” said nominator Dr. Patricia Marquis.

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The Jockey Club Elects Bell, Hertrich, McIngvale, Scollay, Sikura As New Members

The Jockey Club today announced the election of five new members: Gatewood Bell, Fred W. Hertrich III, James McIngvale, Dr. Mary Scollay, and John Sikura.

Gatewood Bell is president of Cromwell Bloodstock Agency. As a bloodstock agent, he has selected horses such as Mastery and Undrafted. In addition to his work in bloodstock, Bell is a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and a United States representative for Goffs sales agency. He previously worked for Kiaran McLaughlin and Nicoma Bloodstock and served as a jockey's agent for Fernando Jara.

Fred W. Hertrich III is chairman of the Breeders' Cup and proprietor of Watercress Farm. Horses co-bred by Hertrich include Boys at Toscanova, Catholic Boy, Diversify, Rushing Fall, Shamardal, and Street Boss. Hertrich is also the president of the Hertrich Family of Automobile Dealerships.

James “Jim” McIngvale is a longtime Thoroughbred owner who is best known as the owner of Eclipse Award Champion Sprinter Runhappy. He has also campaigned grade 2 winners During and Wimbledon. McIngvale owns and operates Gallery Furniture in Houston, Texas, and is known for his philanthropy efforts for a variety of causes in the Houston area and around the world.

Dr. Mary Scollay is the executive director and chief operating officer of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium. Previously, she was the equine medical director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the senior association veterinarian for Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park. She has served as a member of the New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety, a veterinary consultant for The Jockey Club Equine Injury Database, and a board member of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory.

John G Sikura is the president and owner of Hill 'n' Dale / Xalapa, a 1,400-acre estate founded by Edward Simms in 1903. A perennial leading consignor and breeder, Hill 'n' Dale bred/co-bred Belmont winner Touch Gold and Preakness winner Cloud Computing and owned Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, dam of Belmont winner Rags to Riches. Hill 'n' Dale stands a notable roster of stallions, including champion and leading sire Curlin. A native of Toronto, Canada, Sikura has resided in Kentucky since his early 20s.

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Report: Baffert’s Lidocaine Findings Not Likely A Sign Of An Effort To Mask Injury

Now that the results of split sample tests are back on Bob Baffert trainees Charlatan and Gamine, both of whom won races at Oaklawn Park in early May, Baffert's attorney has confirmed the positive tests were for lidocaine. Dr. Mary Scollay, executive director and COO of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, told The Blood-Horse this week that it seems unlikely a trainer would use lidocaine intentionally to mask a lame horse before a race.

Lidocaine has a number of accepted therapeutic uses — as a topical numbing agent, it can be deployed before a veterinarian puts in stitches to a wound, or can be helpful to relieve pain or swelling from a bug bite or other skin issue in a spot that's hard to bandage. It can also be injected as a temporary nerve block as part of a standard lameness exam. In order to isolate the source of a lameness, veterinarians will carefully apply short-acting nerve blocks to work out, by process of elimination, which structures are responsible for a horse's gait abnormality and then target their diagnostic imaging from there.

It seemed unlikely to Scollay that someone would numb a horse with lidocaine before a race to mask a problem or gain a competitive advantage because it's well-known as a substance easily detected in drug tests.

Still, Scollay told writer Eric Mitchell, she's of the opinion that horses should be disqualified in the case of medication violations, because not doing so unfairly disadvantages the horse that finished second with no medication overages. In the case of Charlatan and Gamine, Arkansas guidelines would allow for disqualification and reallocation of purse money if the commission determines a violation occurred.

Baffert's attorney told media Monday the overages were the result of a pain patch a member of Baffert's staff was using to relieve back pain, and that he intends to defend the cases before the commission.