Clenbuterol restrictions in Maryland may be about to get tighter. According to a report from Thoroughbred Daily News, the Maryland Racing Commission has voted unanimously to propose a new rule that would take away any race-day threshold for the bronchodilator.
The current rules do not permit race day administration of the drug, but rather set a threshold under which its presence would not be a violation. Generally this is done to allow a drug to be given within a set period of days prior to race day.
Clenbuterol is an effective bronchodilator but can also have side effects similar to anabolic steroids, particularly if used in small doses over a period of time. Under the proposed regulation, veterinarians could still prescribe the drug to horses with a specific diagnosis, but would be required to report the horse's diagnosis and treatment plan. The horse receiving the medication would not be permitted to race until urine or blood tests came back with no clenbuterol in the horse's system. The drug could also be added to the commission's battery of out-of-competition tests.
The TDN notes however, that current restrictions in Maryland still do not permit the commission to perform out-of-competition tests on horses stabled away from commission-sanctioned grounds.
Penelope Miller is the winner of the 2020 Real Rider Cup.
Unanimously voted by the board for this year's title, Penelope has raised just under $14,000 since 2018 when she first competed on Team Racing Analysts. This year was a year like no other. Going virtual was definitely plan B, with COVID becoming a national pandemic early in the Spring.
Organizers quickly realized that having a live show was going to be impractical. Penelope was the first one to say “Yay! I'm in!” when we first announced the virtual plan. Her fundraising tactics are always unique – this year she announced she would dye her hair the racing colors of the first stable to donate $2,000. That was Little Red Feather, so an extra thank you to them.
Designed specifically to showcase Off The Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs), the Real Rider Cup was first held in conjunction with Plantation Field International Horse Trials in 2017 and 2018. This crowd-pleasing celebrity charity event changed venues in 2019 and served as the kick-off for the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show which followed on Sept. 21-22.
The 2019 Real Rider Cup participants included a number of racing industry personalities – jockeys, members of the media, “Racing Kids” who grew up in the sport, sidesaddle riders and representatives from world-class breeding farms. Teams competed against each other over a course of show jumping fences to determine the “real riders.” Each competitor pledged to raise at least $1,000, which directly supported our beneficiaries – the Retired Racehorse Project, New Vocations, and The Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show.
Penelope Miller grew up as a horse-crazy kid on her parents' farm in Ocala, Fla., and not much has changed since then. She is now the Senior Manager of Digital Media at America's Best Racing, and spends her weekends traveling to racetracks across the nation to photograph and write about some of the sports biggest events. Before that, she worked on farms from Kentucky to Australia, and worked for six years at Tampa Bay Downs as the Horsemen's Liaison. When she's not in an airplane or the office, Penelope can be found riding at Riverdale Stables in the Bronx or flying through the air at Trapeze School New York.
Penelope tied for second place in the 2018 Real Rider Cup aboard the outstanding retired racehorse and all-around very good boy Disco Elvis, owned and trained by Meghan Wicks Doran. In 2019 she was aboard the wonderful Fort, owned by Abi Skillman, riding for Team Racing Media.
“Horses have given me absolutely everything, and I am so grateful for the chance to give back through the Real Rider Cup,” Miller said. “If you've ever fallen in love with a pony, if you've cheered on your favorite Thoroughbred at the track, or if you just want to help out, please consider a donation here to benefit the incredibly worthy charities supported by the Real Rider Cup: New Vocations, the Retired Racehorse Project, and the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show.”
Penelope's 2020 mount was Grade 1-winning steeplechaser All The Way Jose, very kindly provided by his owner, Dr. Erica Gaertner. You can watch their flawless show jumping round here:
The beautiful silver cup will be mailed to Penelope today. CONGRATULATIONS PENELOPE!!!
This year's Peoples Choice Award goes to Laura Moquett riding Ultraslan who had the most votes on the online poll. Well done Laura for rallying so much support!! Her prize will be an assortment of goods and swag from our benefactors The Retired Racehorse Project, New Vocations and The Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show.
The total votes for all the riders exceeded 48,000, and as of this writing, we have also raised over $48,000!!
Again, we can't say thank you enough to all of our Real Rider Cup 2020 participants and supporters. You are ALL winners in our eyes!!
Drs. Christina Nagel, Maria Melchert, Christine Aurich and Jörg Aurich created a study to determine if the size of the mare affected the birthing process. The team used 23 pregnant mares and studied hormone and heart-related changes that occur in the mare and the fetus around birth. The groups consisted of six Shetland Pony (small); eight Haflinger (medium) and nine warmblood (large) mares.
They discovered that foal weight was approximately 10 percent of mare weight, no matter the size of the mare. Placenta weight was highest in Warmbloods; it did not differ between the small- and medium-sized mares. Progestins and cortisol were also highest in the larger mares. Progestin concentrations decreased as foaling got closer and cortisol increased as parturition was imminent in all sizes of horse studied.
Heart rates in all mares increased before foaling, but the most pronounced increase was in the small mares. Overall, the small mares foaled earlier than the larger mares.
Missed heartbeats during foaling occurred regularly in the larger mares, but only occasionally in the small- and medium-sized mares. The scientists report that this is most likely because of differences in heart efficiency. Small- and medium-sized mares occasionally had missed beats during the expulsive phase of foaling and the first two hours after delivery. The researchers suggest that this is an effect of breed, not size.
The team concludes that fit, athletic horses have highly efficient respiratory and cardiovascular systems; while at rest, these horses have reduced heart rates. Fetal heart rate also went down toward birth, with the most prominent reduction in full-sized horses.
The authors determined that mare of different sizes show both similarities and differences in cardiac and endocrine changes as the time for them to give birth nears. They note that late pregnancy puts substantial strain on the mare's cardiovascular system, but that mares are well adapted to these demands, no matter their size.
Florida Thoroughbred Charities has launched a virtual auction that will run until noon on November 8. Sponsored by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association, Horse Capital Television and Florida Equine Communications, this auction raises needed funds for Thoroughbred retirement and youth education programs.
Items include racing memorabilia, halters of champion racehorses and broodmares, unique artwork, handcrafted goods, quality services, and one-of-a-kind experiences.
