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Dr. Ronald Jensen, Former Equine Medical Director For CHRB Passes Away

Dr. Ronald Jensen, who served 10 years as equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board through 2005, passed away at his home Feb. 12, according to a Thursday release from the CHRB.

Dr. Jensen received his DVM from Iowa State University in 1962 and MS in 1963. He worked as a racing regulatory veterinarian for 42 years, serving as a commission veterinarian for the Illinois Racing Board for 32 years, and for 10 years with the CHRB under an agreement with the University of California, Davis. He then spent 10 years working with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Safety and Integrity Alliance Accreditation Inspection Team.

An honor-roll member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), Dr. Jensen served on the AAEP Board of Directors, chaired the Racing Regulatory Committee, and was a member of the Ethics and Infractions Committee. He was the regulatory veterinary advisor for the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) when it was first formed, and he served as Chairman of the Veterinary Advisory Committee for the Association of Racing Commissioners (ARCI).

Internationally, Dr. Jensen was a founding member of the International Group of Specialists Racing Veterinarians (IGSRV), serving first as the North American representative, and later as president and then treasurer. He also was the IGSRV representative on the Scientific Advisory Council for the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).

Dr. Jensen was a member of the Standing Committee, the Management Committee, and the U.S. Organizing Committee for the International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians (ICRAV).

Arrangements for a Celebration of Life are pending

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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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Blea Seeks California Superior Court Relief From Suspension

Sidelined California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director Jeff Blea has filed a writ of mandate with the California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles seeking to lift the California Veterinary Medical Board's interim suspension on his veterinary license.

The court filing, dated Feb. 24, also seeks declarative and injunctive relief, arguing that the position of equine medical director does not require an active license, and that Blea, UC Davis and the CHRB will continue to suffer “irreparable harm” if California horse racing's head veterinarian remains unable to fulfill his duties.

UC Davis placed Blea on administrative leave from his role as equine medical director in January. That position is first appointed by the dean of UC Davis, which then contracts with the CHRB for the appointee's services.

In the interim, UC Davis has used “school personnel” to fulfill the duties of the equine medical director for the CHRB.

Monday, Blea also set the ball officially rolling towards a formal hearing on the veterinary board's accusations against him, filing a notice of defense.

In the meantime, Blea will also likely seek to stay the interim suspension of his veterinary license until the Superior Court can officially hear the matter, explained his attorney, George Wallace.

Another purpose of the stay would be to potentially delay the formal hearing on the accusations against Blea so that the veterinary board receives guidance from the Superior Court “on what the law is,” said Wallace.

At the start of the year, the veterinary board announced that an emergency hearing had resulted in an interim suspension of Blea's veterinary license for a number of alleged offenses, including purportedly administering medications to racehorses without a prior examination, without forming a diagnosis and without medical necessity.

The veterinary board also claimed that Blea presents a “danger to public health, safety and welfare,” due to his oversight as equine medical director of the high-profile investigation into the death of the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit (Protonico), the Kentucky Derby winner who collapsed and died after a scheduled workout Dec. 6 at Santa Anita.

The necropsy and postmortem review of Medina Spirit's death is now complete, with the cause of death undetermined. John Pascoe, the executive associate dean of UC Davis's School of Veterinary Medicine, ultimately oversaw the necropsy examination.

According to various leading veterinary medical experts, the veterinary board's accusations levelled against Blea—including amended accusations from earlier this month—consist largely of lax record keeping.

Veterinary experts also suggest that the veterinary board's investigation potentially failed to account for the unusual nature of veterinary practice on the backstretch, where veterinarians–even those with multiple barns under their care–can build the sort of daily relationship with their animals absent from traditional small animal practice.

In his filing with the Superior Court, Blea argues that the interim suspension of his veterinary license is invalid for several reasons, including how the administrative law judge who issued the suspension used a “preponderance of evidence” to support her decision, instead of the legally required higher standard based on “clear and convincing proof to a reasonable certainty.”

The judge's findings “are not supported by the weight of the evidence, or by any substantial evidence, or at all,” the filing states.

Furthermore, even though Blea retired from medical practice in June of last year–to assume the role of equine medical director–there is “no substantial evidence” to suggest that even if he were still practicing, he poses a “danger” to anyone, the filing states.

“The Accusation is devoid of any assertion, or suggestion, that any equine patient of Dr. Blea was harmed in any way, or that any of Dr. Blea's clients (the owners and trainers of those horses, the “consumers” of veterinary services whose interests are to be protected by the Veterinary Medical Board) have the slightest complaint about his professional practices in the care of those patients,” the filing adds.

The veterinary board has also argued that the statutory definition of the equine medical director position means that Blea is actively engaging in veterinary medicine by conducting his duties.

In his Superior Court filing, Blea takes issue with that assessment, arguing that the veterinary board's reading of the state's Business and Professions Code is “overbroad and unreasonable,” and is incorrect “as a matter of law.”

The CHRB has thrown its weight behind Blea. Earlier this month, senior CHRB officials said that the agency was contemplating a similar legal intervention in the Superior Court on Blea's behalf.

Monday, CHRB executive director, Scott Chaney, explained the agency is still in the process of finalizing that strategy.

The TDN also asked UC Davis if Blea would resume his equine medical director duties if California Superior Court grants a stay on his interim suspension. UC Davis has yet to respond.

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Blea’s License Suspension Upheld; CHRB Equine Medical Director Remains On Leave

Judge Nana Chin has upheld the veterinary license suspension of California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director Jeff Blea, reports the Los Angeles Times. The news follows last Friday's formal hearing of the California Veterinary Medical Board's petition for his interim suspension, and Blea remains on leave from his position with the CHRB.

Blea is facing eight causes for discipline, according to formal “accusation” documents issued in late December. Blea's veterinary license was suspended at an emergency meeting held on Christmas Eve. He has not been operating his racetrack practice since taking the job of equine medical director last summer.

Blea was placed on administrative leave in mid-January. Drs. Heather Knych and Ashley Hill have been named acting equine medical directors and will perform the statutory functions of the Equine Medical Director.

“The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is aware the interim order of suspension of Dr. Jeff Blea's veterinary license has been upheld and is monitoring the situation as the legal process moves forward,” Amy Quinton, a UC Davis spokesperson, told the LA TImes. “At this time, Dr. Blea remains on administrative leave. The School of Veterinary Medicine continues to fulfill its duties to provide equine medical director services for the CHRB.”

Blea has also been removed from his role overseeing the investigation into the death of Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, who dropped dead after completing a workout at Santa Anita. The equine medical director is not responsible for actually performing necropsies or testing biological samples on horses who die in racing or training in California or elsewhere. Those responsibilities go to veterinary pathologists and toxicologists — in California, those duties are contracted to UC-Davis, though some samples have been shipped outside California in this particular case. The equine medical director would be responsible for gathering reports and interpreting them for presentation to the board and to the public.

No date has been set for a hearing into the eight charges, but the LA Times suggests that normal circumstances could see the CHRB without an equine medical director for up to a year.

The CHRB remains steadfast in it's support of Blea, releasing the following statement after it's Jan. 20 meeting.

“The commissioners of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) unanimously agreed in closed session Jan. 20 on their support and confidence in Dr. Jeff Blea to continue in his role as the CHRB's Equine Medical Director (EMD) as he deals with the accusation filed against him by the California Veterinary Medical Board (CVMB), which has resulted in an emergency temporary suspension of his veterinary license.

“The commissioners and Executive Director Scott Chaney are optimistic that the interim suspension hearing held on Jan. 21 will overturn this initial decision. However, regardless of the outcome, Dr. Blea has their full support and confidence to continue in his role as EMD throughout the full adjudication process.

“The commissioners are further committed to pursue appropriate legal avenues to protect the authority of the board, as well as preserve the contract with UC Davis, which appointed Dr. Blea as the Equine Medical Director for the CHRB.”