Fungal infections, like their bacterial counterparts, are rapidly becoming resistant to the majority of antifungal medications. Metal-containing compounds are currently being investigated for their potential as antifungal drugs, but they must overcome their negative reputation first.
The Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery (CO-ADD) has been founded to encourage the development of new antifungal and antibacterial compounds that may solve the resistance conundrum and keep people – and horses—healthy. Based at the University of Queensland in Australia, the organization allows chemists from around the world the opportunity to test any chemical compound against bacteria and fungi at no cost.
Dr. Angelo Frei, with the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Bern, found that 21 specific metal compounds showed activity against multiple resistant fungal strains. The metals included cobalt, nickel, rhodium, palladium, silver, europium, iridium, platinum, molybdenum, and gold.
Metals have a negative reputation in human medicine, despite their use in many treatments, including in Cisplatin, a widely used anti-cancer drug.
The most active metal compounds were then tested on the larvae of a wax moth. Just one of the 11 metal compounds tested showed signs of toxicity to the larvae. The next phase of the trial showed that one compound was effective in reducing a fungal infection in larvae, making its possible use as an antifungal one step closer to fruition.
Frei hopes that the work done at CO-ADD will help broaden the search for new antifungal and antimicrobials, encouraging scientists and research groups to investigate the use of metals in medical applications.
A little midday rain could not dampen the spirits of the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League members who converged on the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on Sunday for this year's $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals. A total of 35 horses from 14 states participated in the event, which has been held at the Kentucky National Horse Show since its debut in 2019. In a repeat of last year's results, MVP took the TAKE2 Hunter Final, and Riley captured the TAKE2 Jumper Final.
“It's so much fun to see the Thoroughbreds from all over the country competing,” MVP's owner/rider Tess Fortune said. “This is my third year doing the Finals, and I have a great time every year.”
MVP raced briefly without success under the name Kit's Captain before retiring through the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association's Galloping Out program. He was adopted by Fortune as a 3-year-old in 2014 and the two have been partners ever since.
“He is awesome, I just love him,” said the Kentucky horsewoman, who trains with Chris Bennings. “I started him fresh off the track and have done all the work with him. He's a horse of a lifetime.”
MVP was on his game Sunday, leading after the first round and remaining consistent through the second to post a total score of 161. The reserve champion in the TAKE2 Hunter Finals was 11-year-old gray Mo Bandit, who was retired through After the Races, a Thoroughbred rehabilitation and rehoming center in Maryland. Mo Bandit is owned and ridden by Melissa Rega and trained by David Beisel. All business in the ring, he has a different personality when he is not competing.
“Mo Bandit, better known as Mobie, would be considered the barn clown,” Rega said. “He has so much personality and he demands attention with his funny antics and playful behavior. Mobie always shows up and tries his best with whatever has been asked of him. He truly has the heart of a Thoroughbred.”
Rega added, “TAKE2 is bringing the Thoroughbred back into the national spotlight by promoting these classes at USEF sanctioned shows. Being part of the League gives us a goal to work towards all year to accumulate points and qualify for Finals. TAKE2 provides the owners and trainers an opportunity to stand out and be recognized.”
There were three in the jump-off for the TAKE2 Jumper Final. Kathryn Currey and A Lil Evil, reserve champions last year, sped around the course with just one rail down to set the pace. Cyanea Robine and Riley also had one rail, but the two were just a few strides quicker and earned the championship sash once again. Robine was also named this year's top TAKE2 Junior Rider, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, in the Jumper division. She trains with Megan O'Dwyer Thiel.
“I set high standards for myself, so there was an expectation that since we won last year, we could do it again,” Robine said. “It had also been a whole year, and Riley and I have learned so much from each other. I'm a better rider than I was last year, I've been riding a lot of different horses, and that helped me to figure out Riley even more.”
Riley, whose Jockey Club name is Pic Me First, had a couple of less-than-impressive workouts at Delta Downs before it was decided he was not cut out for a racing career. The 13-year-old had been on the USEF circuit for three years when he and Georgia native Robine teamed up at the beginning of 2020.
“He's not an easy horse to ride,” she remarked. “Like many Thoroughbreds, he can be quirky. He's quick, but you can't use too much hand or he gets mad. I needed to find that balance with him, and I think I found it this year.”
She added, “I love Thoroughbreds because their personalities are just awesome. They are so sweet. My horse is so cuddly in the barn, he lies down a lot and he's happy to let you lay down with him. That really gives you the chance to connect with your horse. I've been riding Thoroughbreds all my life and they taught me to be the rider I am today. They might not be perfect, but they want to please and they try very hard, and that's what matters.”
Robine is a staunch supporter of Thoroughbreds and of TAKE2.
“I hope more and more people find out about TAKE2, because it is a great program,” she said.
The TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals trophies honor horseman Rick Violette Jr., who created the TAKE2 program in 2012, but sadly lost a battle with cancer a year before the first Finals were held in 2019.
“I wish Rick could be here to see how the TAKE2 Program has grown, and to see the talent and enthusiasm of the horses and owners and riders and trainers who compete in the Finals,” TAKE2 Executive Director Andy Belfiore said. “Each year, the quality of the competition has been better and more people have the chance to see just how successful Thoroughbreds are in the sport horse world. TAKE2 was created to show that Thoroughbreds are amazing athletes and a lot of fun to ride, and retired racehorses have so much more to give after they leave the track. Our Finals competitors are the TAKE2 mission in action.”
The Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover has led more people to find their next sporthorse at the racetrack, providing more homes and new careers for OTTBs. It also goes the other way, and the off-track Thoroughbreds are inspiring new people to head to the racetrack.
Like Samantha Fawcett, a lifelong equestrian from Ontario, Canada, who won the Show Jumper discipline for the class of 2020 at last year's Mega Makeover with Canton Comet. In 2021, Fawcett also decided to breed the first OTTB that she ever sourced from the racetrack. Rather than taking Talize to a Warmblood stallion as she originally intended, Fawcett opted to mate the unraced Ontario-bred chestnut Thoroughbred mare with Ontario-bred Thoroughbred stallion Passion for Action. She said her goal is to learn more about horse racing by having her own racehorse before the foal eventually transitions to show jumping.
“This is really jumping into the deep end,” Fawcett said with a laugh.
Fawcett is an example of how participating in the Thoroughbred Makeover has led to trainers with sporthorse backgrounds wanting to become more involved in racing. While the Thoroughbred Makoever primarily focuses on racehorses' viability to transition to new careers, it also sets up a potential for sporthorse trainers to transition to new careers in racing.
This new pipeline can grow the horse racing industry. It can bring the racehorse and sporthorse worlds closer together, united by how incredible Thoroughbreds are as athletes overall, whether that athleticism happens to feature best in racing, eventing, jumping, polo, or any of a number of careers in which the breed can excel.
“Racing has a potential to attract the next member of the industry because of their love for these horses,” said Kirsten Green, executive director for the Retired Racehorse Project. “It could be your next track vet. It could be your next marketing and PR person that works at your farm. It could be any of these people that are out here riding Thoroughbreds and love them. They are all primed to join the industry in some way, shape, or form, whether as a fan or actively working in the industry.”
In November 2017, Fawcett, whose primary sporthorse disciplines are hunter/jumpers and dressage, started training her first Thoroughbred off the track after the connections of Talize decided to forgo a racing career for her following an injury. Until this point, Fawcett's exposure to racing included occasionally attending Woodbine Racetrack as a fan.
She intended to take Talize to the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover but said her plans changed after her father passed away that year.
However, Fawcett was in Kentucky in 2019 for her first Thoroughbred Makeover with Hemmin and Hawin, a grey Ontario-bred gelding, finishing 13th of 94 in show jumping.
Fawcett was then part of the class of 2020 at last year's Mega Makeover with Canton Comet and won the Show Jumper discipline as part of a field of 38.
Being part of the Thoroughbred Makeover and embracing the racing background of her OTTBs led Fawcett to rethink her original breeding plans for Talize.
“I thought that I would breed her to a Warmblood and cross her to have a nice jumper,” Fawcett said. “I kind of got talking and was like, 'You know, it might actually be interesting to breed her to another Thoroughbred and bring up our own racehorse.' And, I also was really thinking that would be an interesting way to get a different perspective on the racing industry.”
Talize and Samantha Fawcett
Fawcett bred Talize to Passion for Action with the vision that the foal would become a show jumper after racing. Fawcett can cite several racehorse breeding lines that she believes produce strong sporthorse prospects, like Storm Cat, Stormy Atlantic, and Speightstown. Speightstown is the sire of Passion for Action. There's a potential market for racehorse stallion owners to promote their horses as sporthorse sires as well.
In addition to breeding Talize, Fawcett acquired the stallion Muskoka Storm with the idea of introducing prominent racehorse lines for breeding sporthorses.
“We purchased [him] for the Makeover,” she said, “but we were also thinking of being able to offer him as a stallion to cross with Warmblood mares as a way to bring in a very high-quality breeding line into the sporthorses in a way that you're not going to spend $150,000 to breed your Warmblood mare to Medaglia d'Oro.”
Muskoka Storm sold for $235,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in 2018. The bay stallion is a grandson of Medaglia d'Oro by Violence.
Fawcett is an example of how the racehorse and sporthorse worlds can come together. She advocates for understanding horses' racing careers, what they learned on the track, and their race record with the belief this can help people decide which OTTB is right for them. She also believes cross-training in other sports can benefit a racing career.
“That is an intriguing aspect of breeding our own Thoroughbred racehorse that interests me,” Fawcett said. “How could some of that cross-training help them? I've heard of a couple horses, not so much recently. On the offseason, we could bring them home and play around. They really start to condition in a different way, and if you can have the Thoroughbreds have a difference in conditioning and you're not always working the same muscles and joints, maybe that helps with some longevity.”
From purchasing her first OTTB from the track less than five years ago, Fawcett said that now 10 out of the 12 horses in her barn are former racehorses. Fawcett will compete in the Thoroughbred Makeover in 2022. In 2023, she will start to undergo her own “makeover” to a racing career.
Beginning Aug. 1, 2022, the American Horse Council has been conducting surveys among its members and non-members to learn their issues, legislative priorities, and opinions on specific topics to help inform our strategic plan and help guide our use of resources. Below are some of the survey results to-date:
The AHC member survey revealed:
76% of respondents supported the most recent AHC mission statement “To Protect & Strengthen the American Horse Industry.”
40% of respondent would like to help AHC enhance grass roots advocacy.
Priorities for AHC members were ranked as 1) legislative/advocacy 2) regulatory, and 3) industry initiatives.
Of the legislative issues – priorities in order of preference 1) Tax, 2) Immigration, 3) Horse Slaughter, 4) Soring, 5) Trails, and 6) state legislation.
Of Regulatory issues – priorities in order of preference 1) Import/export of horses, 2) disease mitigation, 3) land use, 4) transportation, and 5) Wild Horse & Burro Management.
Of industry initiatives – priorities in order of preference 1) economic impact study, 2) Equine & Industry Research, 3) EDCC, 4) resources for horses at –risk, and 5) microchipping.
Top concerns were: Growing the industry, public image of horse sports.
The Non- Member survey which was conducted via social media revealed:
Week1 Question “What is the number one issue facing the industry?”
Priorities in order of preference 1) trails – access, maintenance, and multi-users conflicts; 2) Cost/Inflation and 3) Horse Slaughter.
Week2 Question “Should horses be allowed to cross the border to Mexico & Canada?”
41% responded for allowing and 59% responded against allowing.
When asked about addressing solutions for horse's at-risk, suggestions included: Aftercare programs to increase adoptions; Incentives to increase adoptions; Rescues for safe retirements and Euthanasia clinics.
Week3 Question “What occupation in the Equine Industry needs to be professionalized?”
Replies in order of preference included Farriers, Instructors/Trainers, and Rescues.
Week4 Question “What is your go-to source for information about the industry?”
Responses included: Social Media, State Horse Council, AHC, Chronicle of the Horse, Back Country Horsemen.
Overall, AHC members find equine industry issues related to tax, import/export of horses, and the EIS the most important legislative/regulatory issues and initiatives for AHC to focus on presently. Non-Members find access to trails and professionalism of farrier's important focus points.
Survey questions through AHC social media will continue over the next few weeks! Follow us on FB, Instagram or Twitter to participate. Upcoming questions include topics such as: equine liability laws, foreign workers, equine tourism and amateur rules. Look for AHC to publish more survey findings in the future.
About the American Horse Council
As the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council works daily to represent equine interests and opportunities. Organized in 1969, the AHC promotes and protects the industry by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry on behalf of all horse related interests each and every day. The AHC is member supported by individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and horsemen's associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers and state horse councils. Learn more at www.horsecouncil.org
