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CHRB Completes Medina Spirit Postmortem Review

Edited Press Release

Pursuant to California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) Rule 1846.6, a Postmortem Examination Review (PER) was completed on the sudden death of Medina Spirit. This process takes place for every fatality occurring at a CHRB regulated facility and is performed by a team consisting of an Official Veterinarian, a safety steward, and a member of the Board of Stewards–in this case, Dr. Alina Vale, David Neusch (safety steward), and Kim Sawyer (steward).

In all cases, the PER panel strives to learn the circumstances surrounding the fatality, which involves reviewing the necropsy report, medical records, and training records in an effort to identify any at-risk factors in preparation for interviews with the trainers, attending veterinarians, and any other licensees deemed appropriate. A more detailed description is provided in Rule 1846.6.

Based on the forensic examination and the postmortem review on Medina Spirit, the CHRB did not identify any potential CHRB violations that require further investigation.

Click here to view the complete Postmortem Examination Review.

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Study Finds Standardbred Breakdowns Caused By Cumulative Conditions

A Canadian study investigating the cause of death for Standardbred racehorses has shown that age, sex, intensity of workload and workload volume—particularly cumulative workload—were strongly associated with fatalities. Researchers called these factors, which contribute to the likelihood of death, a “continuum of circumstances” rather than a single fatal event.

Dr. Peter Physick-Sheard and his research team looked at information provided by an Ontario-based racehorse injury registry on 978 Standardbred deaths that occurred between 2003 and 2015. Data for races and qualifiers, as well as formal workouts, were also compiled and available post-mortem exams were used.

The researchers found that younger horses have the highest mortality odds and stallions also have consistently higher odds of mortality. The research team also discovered that qualifying races at lower levels and intense competition at higher levels both carry high odds of mortality.

They determined that the deaths of Standardbred racehorse in the study were broadly associated with intensity, frequency and quality of work.

The scientists said that the way the harness horse racing environment is structured contributed to the Standardbred deaths, specifically how the horse handles the competition environment. The triggers for injury accumulation may be difficult to identify or control, but once recognized, these triggers can be managed or pre-empted to minimize an adverse outcome.

Read the study here.

Study: Four Risk Factors For Musculoskeletal Injuries In Racehorses Identified

Musculoskeletal injuries continue to plague Thoroughbred racehorses around the world, despite ongoing research into their causes. Many injuries occur during training, though many tracks report only race-day injuries.

Drs. Kylie L. Crawford, Anna Finnane, Clive Phillips, Ristan Greer, Solomon Woldeyohannes, Nigel Perkins, Lisa Kidd and Benjamin Ahern sought to determine the risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries and see if these factors were different for 2-year-old racehorses and older racehorses.

The team focused their study on Thoroughbreds training in southeast Queensland; they used injuries reported from training stables over a 56-week study. Control horses were recruited for every injury case. In total, information was gathered on 202 injured horses and 202 uninjured horses. Trainers and their staff were interviewed weekly regarding both injured and uninjured horses.

For this population of horses, the study team found four factors associated with higher odds of injury:

2-year-old horses that were prepped for racing for between 10 and 14 weeks. Increasing length of preparation was linked to higher odds for injury in all horses, but particularly in 2-year-olds. Horses not given adequate time for their tissues to repair and adapt to race training are more prone to injury.
2-year-old Thoroughbreds out of maiden mares (these horses were specifically at risk for shin soreness). They note that mares that have had multiple foals tend to have larger, heavier foals, which could be associated with bone density and ability to withstand race training.
Thoroughbreds of all ages that ran 1.5 miles to 2.3 miles at a fast gallop (faster than 34mph) in the four weeks preceding injury
3-year-olds and older horses that ran 1.9 miles to 3 miles at nearly 30 mph and faster. The scientists found that exercising a horse at a slower pace for an increasing number of days decreased the odds of injury no matter the horse's age. They reported that for horses thought to be at higher risk of injury, increasing the number of days worked at a slow pace may be more effective than completely resting the horse.

The scientists recommend that horses that fall into these categories be monitored closely for impending injury. The study team concluded that early identification of horses at increased risk, along with appropriate intervention, could significantly reduce the impact of musculoskeletal injuries in racehorses.

Read the full study here.