dr scott palmer | Horse Racing Free Tips

Palmer: ‘PET Scan Not Appropriate As Initial Screening Tool’

New York State Equine Medical Director Dr. Scott Palmer has described Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan as a “fantastic diagnostic tool” and that “it can play a very important role” in helping to identify and pinpoint subtle musculoskeletal injuries in horses, but that the scan is not the best initial screening tool in singling out horses at risk for catastrophic injuries.

Palmer addressed the issue during an equine health and safety briefing held at Tuesday's meeting of the New York State Gaming Commission and also offered some preliminary findings on the 17 equine fatalities recorded during this summer's Saratoga meeting.

“Identification of horses at risk for catastrophic injury must begin with a screening protocol that can be scalable, practical, affordable, and can be used by every horse while training or racing without regard to any clinical indication of injury,” Palmer said in revised comments issued Wednesday. “Wearable biometric sensors are best suited to accomplish this first level of screening. These sensors detect subtle abnormalities in a horse's gait that are not detectable with the human eye. They serve as a 'check engine' light that alerts us to the possibility that there is something wrong with the horse and that the horse should be examined by a veterinarian.

“The veterinary examination is the second level of screening for an abnormality that might predispose a horse to injury. The goal is to reach a diagnosis of musculoskeletal abnormalities and typically will include use of diagnostic nerve blocks and digital radiography. If lameness is detected in a limb during this examination and digital radiographs are inconclusive, then advanced imaging such as PET can be employed as a final screening step in this process.

“In summary, PET can play a very important role in the diagnosis of subtle musculoskeletal injuries in horses, but it is not useful at the initial screening level,” he concluded.

Palmer added that biometric sensors placed in horses' saddlecloths that can help identify at-risk animals, are “not quite ready for 'prime time' use” at this time.

In referencing the 17 Saratoga fatalities–a number that is approximately 1% of the 2000 horses stabled at the track but three times higher than 2021 and 2022–Palmer noted that the incidents were clustered around Whitney and Travers weekends. He added that fetlock injuries, typically responsible for 48-50% of fatal musculoskeletal injuries in New York and California over the last decade, represented 92% of all the exercise-associated fatal musculoskeletal injuries at Saratoga, a “significant finding” in Palmer's estimation.

Twelve of the 13 exercise-associated injuries occurred either during the final furlongs of the race or during the gallop out, suggesting that fatigue was also a contributing factor.

Palmer explained that the unprecedented 11 inches of rain that fell during the meet–compared to nine inches in 2021 and 8 inches in 2022–had a material impact on the consistency of the racing surfaces. During the meet, there were 65 surface changes (16%) compared to just 17 (4%) in 2022. With those facts in mind, “increased moisture in the Saratoga main dirt track and spatial and temporal variation of the moisture content of the track during the meet were likely contributing factors to the increase in the number of racing fatalities.”

A comprehensive report of the investigation will be made available to the public as soon as the investigation is complete.

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72-Hour Pre-Race, Pre-Work Vet Exams in Pipeline for New York

Thoroughbreds in New York would be required to pass a health check 72 hours prior to a race or workout if a new rule proposed Monday by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) gets adopted after passing a public commentary period and a final vote by the commission at a future meeting.

The proposal that got put into the pipeline by unanimous voice vote after zero discussion among commissioners on Monday would require a trainer's attending veterinarian to conduct the 72-hour fitness exams. These health checks would be in addition to, and would not replace, New York's current rule that requires an exam by the racing association's veterinarian on race day.

“Adding the requirement for an examination by the attending veterinarian provides additional safeguards by ensuring an evaluation by a veterinarian with knowledge of the particular horse, while maintaining the examination by the racing association's veterinarian as an additional level of review,” stated a brief written by NYSGC general counsel Edmund Burns that was included in the informational packet for the June 26 monthly meeting.

“Furthermore, adding the requirement for examinations prior to workouts will implement equivalent protections for training,” Burns wrote.

The proposed new language, which now will get published in the New York State Register for the public's review, takes the form of an amendment to Rule 4007.5, which deals with qualifications to start.

A horse would be prohibited from entry into a race or from performing a workout unless such evaluation results in a determination that the horse is fit.

“The proposal is intended to minimize the risks of injury to horses that are unfit to perform,” Burns wrote. “The proposed rule would require such attending-veterinarian examinations to include, without limitation, a close inspection of the eyes, examination of the legs, and observation of the horse at rest and while in motion.

“Following a determination that the horse is either fit to race or to work out, the attending veterinarian and trainer would be obligated to inform the racing association's veterinarian of any changes in the horse's fitness before race day or the workout” in a to-be-determined manner of reporting, Burns wrote.

According to the text of the proposed rule, the term “workout” would be defined as “an exercise session near full speed or close to full speed.”

Burns wrote that, “While we have no reason to believe that an attending veterinarian would permit a horse under such veterinarian's care to race or participate in a workout if the horse is unfit, staff believes it appropriate to require attending veterinarians to make such representations of fitness explicitly, as a further safeguard to promote the safety and

health of New York's racehorses.”

After the vote, NYSGC chair Brian O'Dwyer noted that NYSGC staffers and the commission's equine medical director, Scott Palmer, “are working on new approaches to minimizing bad outcomes on the track and in training. And I know that they will be coming up with further suggestions in the future if warranted.”

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HISA’s Lasix Advisory Committee Set

Edited Press Release

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced the members of an Advisory Committee which has been convened to oversee a three-year study on the use of furosemide (also known as “Lasix”) on horses during the 48-hour period before the start of a Covered Horserace, including the effect on equine health and the integrity of competition.

The establishment of this Advisory Committee for the study of furosemide administration and the requirements of the study are specifically mandated and set forth in the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. The HISA Board of Directors delegated its authority to select the Advisory Committee members to HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Committee who did so based on the members' relevant expertise. The Advisory Committee will oversee the process of issuing a Request for Proposal to conduct the research, reviewing grant applications from academic researchers and allocating grant funding for the study.

When the independent scientific research has been completed and published, it will be presented to the Advisory Committee who will then relay the findings and their recommendations to the HISA Board of Directors.

The Furosemide Advisory Committee is comprised of the following members:

Emma Adam, DVM, Ph.D., is a veterinarian with over 24 years of racing experience in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia. She is board-certified in equine medicine from Texas A&M University and in surgery from the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Adam also received her Ph.D. in musculoskeletal science from the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center.
Alan Foreman is Chairman of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) and Vice-Chairman of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC). Foreman is considered one of the leading racing law and equine attorneys in the United States and is an expert on medications used in horse racing.
Scott Hay, DVM, is a veterinarian at Teigland, Franklin and Brokken, where he focuses on lameness, performance evaluations and purchase examinations. He also serves on the RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Hay previously served as President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and as a member of the Grayson-Jockey Club's Scientific Advisory Committee.
Ted Hill, VMD, is a racing steward for The Jockey Club with more than 23 years of experience. He previously served as Chief Veterinarian for the New York Racing Association (NYRA). Dr. Hill received his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Rob Holland, DVM, Ph.D., is a respiratory and infectious disease specialist in Lexington, Kentucky and partner at Holland Management Services, Inc., a consulting practice offering solutions in outcomes research and veterinary medicine. Dr. Holland has worked with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) and is an expert in equine drug testing processes.
Heather Knych, DVM, Ph.D., DACVCP, is a Professor of Clinical Veterinary Pharmacology and Head of the Pharmacology Section at the K.L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Pharmacology Laboratory at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Kynch is board-certified in Clinical Veterinary Pharmacology and has an extensive publication record in the areas of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. She received her DVM and Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of California, Davis, where she also conducted her residency in Veterinary Pharmacology.
Ryan Murphy is the Executive Director for the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC), the leading anti-doping research organization dedicated to the protection of clean athletes. Prior to joining the PCC, Murphy served as Program Officer with the Sports Diplomacy division at the U.S. Department of State and prior to that as Senior Manager for Sport & Competition for Special Olympics International. Murphy has also worked as an International Doping Control Officer for International Doping Tests & Management. In addition to his work at the PCC, Murphy serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Sports Industry Management Master's program at Georgetown University.
Foster Northrop, DVM, is a practicing racetrack veterinarian with more than 35 years of industry experience. He has served on the boards of the KHRC and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), as well as the RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee.
Scott Palmer, VMD, is a former President of the AAEP and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). He also chaired the New York Task Force for Racehorse Health and Safety from 2011 to 2013 and served as a clinician and referral surgeon at the New Jersey Equine Clinic for 38 years. He is currently a member of the RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee, the Horseracing Testing Laboratory Committee, the Association of Racing Commissioners International's (ARCI) Drug Testing and Standards Committee and the ARCI's Equine Welfare and Veterinarians Committee.
N. Edward Robinson, BVetMed, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized veterinarian, academic and researcher who spent nearly 50 years at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, during which he spent more than 20 years as the Matilda R. Wilson Professor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. Dr. Robinson has spent his career researching lung disease in horses. He received his veterinary degree from the Royal Veterinary College in London and a Ph.D. from University of California, Davis.
Corinne Sweeney, DVM (HIWU Appointment), is an American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) specialist and has spent the past 44 years at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She has served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission since 2008 and previously served as Chair of the ARCI in 2019. She is a certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner and has served as the Penn Vet Ombuds since 2015.

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Enhanced Protocols Announced For Jockey Club Gold Cup Day

The New York State Gaming Commission has announced that its Equine Medical Director Dr. Scott E. Palmer VMD and all three stewards will be made available to the media at the conclusion of the program to discuss any incidents that occur during the races at Saratoga Race Course Sept. 3.

In addition, Dr. Palmer will be available to speak to the media in the event of any equine health-related on-track incidents that take place during the day. Dr. Luis Castro, the American Association of Equine Practitioners on-call veterinarian, will provide media support for the FOX Network coverage of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Horses entered for the Gold Cup will be subject to 72-hour 'dedicated watch'–i.e. one guard stationed full time–by experienced security personnel leading up to post time. Horses are bound to the following:

Horses must be on the grounds of Saratoga Race Course no later than 72 hours prior to their anticipated post time. Exceptions are at the discretion of the Stewards.
The Commission will obtain out-of-competition blood samples of horses competing in The Jockey Club Gold Cup and have the samples tested at the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Program at Morrisville State College.
The Commission has coordinated with other jurisdictions to obtain out-of-competition samples from horses not stabled in New York.
Once arrived, horses must remain at Saratoga Race Course until after the running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Exceptions will only be granted in the case of an unforeseeable emergency, as determined by the dedicated watch security in consultation with veterinarians and the Stewards.
Horses shall reside in their trainers' current barns and/or at stalls on the grounds, which are subject to monitoring by security personnel.
No horse entered in the Jockey Club Gold Cup may be treated within 72-hours of the race unless Commission security personnel are present. NYRA or Commission security personnel will monitor all treatments performed by veterinarians.
No administration of any medication or substance by dose syringe is permitted within 24-hours of a race.
All syringes and containers for administered medication will be retained by Commission personnel for possible testing.
Veterinarians shall submit a 72-hour treatment plan for each horse entered in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Plans were due by noon Aug. 31, 2022.
Complete veterinary records for 72-hours prior to the Jockey Club Gold Cup shall be submitted to the Commission, which will review and then publicly post the records to its website.
Entry-exit logs will be maintained by NYRA and Commission security personnel.
All persons–including veterinarians, trainers, assistant trainers, farriers, owners, or other connections–on entering the stall, engaging in contact with the horse, or performing any service for the horse, must have a valid Commission license on their person.
Such persons will be logged-in by security personnel, along with the reason for their visit.
Routine stall and horse maintenance by identified grooms and staff will be monitored but are exempt from logging.
All equipment, feed, hay bales, etc. are subject to search and seizure by both NYRA and the Commission, as provided by law.
On race day, no treatments will be permitted for horses entered in any Stakes Race pursuant to NYRA policy, unless it is for an emergency or as approved by the Stewards.
All horses participating in the Jockey Club Gold Cup must report to the Assembly Barn no less than 45 minutes prior to the designated Post Time.
On race day, blood samples for TCO2 analysis will be collected from horses in the Assembly Barn between 45 minutes to 1 hour before post time. Horses will then be escorted to the paddock.

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