equine safety | Horse Racing Free Tips

NYRA Seeks Partnership With Cornell That Would Enhance Equine Safety

The annual state budget proposed by the New York State Assembly includes an initiative that would establish a new partnership between Cornell University and the New York Racing Association, Inc (NYRA) to enhance equine safety through the use of advanced imaging technology.

The budget calls for NYRA to make an initial investment of $2 million to purchase the necessary equipment. The ongoing project will be funded by assessing the most successful out-of-state ADW platforms.

The racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law will be amended by adding a new section 902-a to read as follows: “Equine screening and advanced imaging expenses. 1. In order to assure the public's confidence and continue the high degree of integrity in racing at the pari-mutuel betting tracks, clinical services related to screening and advanced imaging shall be conducted by a land grant university within this state at a location proximate to a race- track owned by the state.”

The machinery will be located at the Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists adjacent to Belmont Park. According to NYRA, the cost to horsemen to use the imaging equipment will “be reasonable to encourage use.”

Budget negotiations will take place between the NYS Assembly, Senate and Governor's Office in the coming weeks.

“This investment would dramatically expand the availability of highly-advanced imaging technology used to identify pre-existing conditions before they result in serious equine injuries,” said NYRA spokesperson Pat McKenna. “In addition to diagnosing the types of issues that may have gone unnoticed in the past, the partnership between NYRA and Cornell University will ensure the technology is located just outside the gates of Belmont Park and available to trainers and owners at a reasonable cost. In addition, the partnership will generate important academic research around the biomechanics and veterinary treatment of thoroughbreds in training. NYRA has embraced a wide variety of equine safety enhancements rooted in science and technology, and we strongly support this initiative.”

The agreement with Cornell is the latest step taken by NYRA to improve horse safety. Over the past year, NYRA has partnered with Arioneo Equine Technology to monitor heart rate and movement patterns of horses during more than 3,000 timed workouts; opened a research study on electrocardiograms with equine cardiologists and data science experts at Cornell and Carnegie Mellon University; incorporated Sleip, an AI-based equine gait diagnostic tool, into NYRA's daily regulatory veterinary exams; continuously monitored and tested various emerging applications and technologies and instituted an additional level of veterinary scrutiny for all horses seeking to compete at the NYRA venues.

The post NYRA Seeks Partnership With Cornell That Would Enhance Equine Safety appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

NBC’s Randy Moss To Talk Horses On Super Bowl Radio Show

NBC Sports analyst Randy Moss will join the Super Bowl's Radio Row to talk racing from Feb. 6-8, the NTRA announced Tuesday. Moss, a member of the TDN Writers' Room podcast and a well-known face on major racing broadcasts for NBC, will cover subjects such as the upcoming 150th running of the GI Kentucky Derby and how the sport is working to make strides in equine safety.

The post NBC’s Randy Moss To Talk Horses On Super Bowl Radio Show appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

New Training Track At Santa Anita On Course For Mid-January Opening

As part of a larger $32 million improvement plan, Santa Anita's training track should re-open in mid-January after it was closed for construction Nov. 12, as it changes from a sand-based surface to an all-weather synthetic one, the track said in a release Friday afternoon.

Constructed by Tapeta Footings, the new surface is designed to improve safety while also helping to limit weather-related training disruptions.

“The main thing is having synthetic will alleviate a complete stoppage of training because of weather,” said Jason Egan, Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary.

This week has provided a perfect example of the potential impact of a synthetic training track at Santa Anita. With back-to-back rainstorms hitting the area, the main track was “sealed” on Tuesday and has since been closed entirely for training.

“We have some unique situations in California with rules as it relates to weather,” Egan said. “Like with the rain this week. It either closes our racetrack entirely or limits what our training activities can be.”

With the worst of this week's rainstorms having passed, Santa Anita's main track is expected to be unsealed Friday. Per rules of the California Racing Board, only joggers will be allowed on the track Saturday. Full training is slated to resume on Sunday given the current forecast.

“Having a synthetic training track, we can continue on with workouts, gallops, that sort of thing. I think it will be a big assist,” Egan added.

The post New Training Track At Santa Anita On Course For Mid-January Opening appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Breeders’ Cup Outlines Comprehensive Safety and Integrity Measures in Place for 2023 World Championships

Edited Press Release

The Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park will be conducted according to industry-leading safety and integrity protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all human and equine athletes. As previously announced, Breeders' Cup introduced an enhanced pre-screening protocol in the lead-up to this year's World Championships, upholding its ongoing commitment to putting safety first.

This year also marks the first time the Breeders' Cup World Championships will run under the full jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), including the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which took effect in May.

Breeders' Cup runners are subject to strict anti-doping and medication control requirements, including out-of-competition, pre-race, and post-race testing administered by the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU). Additional safety and integrity protocols include equine security and surveillance measures, enhanced veterinary exam procedures, injury management protocols and racing surface maintenance and testing in the leadup to the event.

Early Preparations: Out-of-Competition Testing, Veterinary Coordination & Racing Surface Oversight

Beginning in July 2023, a list of potential Breeders' Cup contenders was developed. The list included a combination of graded stakes winners, Challenge Series winners, and other horses on the possible starter list. HIWU then performed out-of-competition (OOC) testing for banned substances on those potential contenders. Blood samples were taken by HIWU-trained collection personnel and sent for testing to HIWU-accredited labs. Breeders' Cup OOC testing administered by HIWU concluded Oct. 30 and resulted in the collection of 226 samples.

The Breeders Cup Veterinary Team also began holding coordination meetings with counterparts from 1/ST Racing, HISA, HIWU and the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) in July. Through a regular cadence of meetings in the ensuing months, the group outlined veterinary exam schedules, OOC testing, safety and medication regulations, injury management and diagnostic tool implementation.

Dr. Mick Peterson, Program Director of the University of Kentucky Racetrack Safety Program, has worked in collaboration with 1/ST Racing Track Consultant Dennis Moore throughout the year. Both surface experts have also consulted with HISA's new Track Surfaces Advisory Group throughout their evaluation and maintenance operations of the racing surfaces at Santa Anita Park.

Safety & Integrity Protocols: October through World Championships Week

The five-member Breeders' Cup Veterinary Review Team completed its initial phase of enhanced pre-screening protocols on Oct. 23. This included:

The assessment of veterinary and treatment records as well as training and racing patterns associated with more than 200 potential contenders;
Physical examinations conducted by veterinarians in relevant racing jurisdictions around the world; and
The use of advanced diagnostic tools in the event additional scrutiny was required.

Attending veterinarians for all potential Breeders' Cup runners were required to submit 30-day treatment records–a nationwide requirement under HISA that will inform the Breeders' Cup Veterinary Review Team's second review–upon pre-entry. 24-hour surveillance began following the mandatory equine security check-in at 10:00 pm PT on Sunday, Oct. 29 for international runners and 11:00 am PT on Tuesday, Oct. 31 for domestic runners. All horses entered in a Breeders' Cup race underwent an additional round of HIWU-administered pre-race blood testing for banned substances on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with results set to be returned by race day.

Additionally, every Breeders' Cup runner is subject to:

Comprehensive onsite veterinary exams, including jog exams and the use of diagnostic technology as needed, beginning Wednesday, Oct. 25;
Random physical examination at the determination of the Breeders' Cup Veterinary Team;
In-stall and on-track veterinary oversight during training and schooling;
Mandatory jog-up veterinary exams before exiting any racing or training surface at Santa Anita Park starting Friday, Oct. 27;
Pre-race veterinary examinations in the barn and veterinary monitoring of horses in the paddock and during warm-up on race day;
Extensive post-race testing of the first four finishers as well as any runner that does not perform as expected and other runners as designated by the stewards; and
Observation of all other finishers cooling out as they exit the racetrack to determine if any need aid.

Throughout the week leading up to the World Championships, Dr. Mick Peterson's team has been conducting various checks to evaluate all track surfaces. Additionally, TurfTrax software has been employed to measure the condition of the turf track. These results are posted daily for horsemen and the media.

Additional resources detailing Breeders' Cup's health and safety protocols for the 2023 World Championships can be found here and downloaded here.

The post Breeders’ Cup Outlines Comprehensive Safety and Integrity Measures in Place for 2023 World Championships appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post