Tag: Horse Care

Two horses have been confirmed positive for a neurologic strain of equine herpesvirus (EHV) at FanDuel Racing (formerly Fairmount Park), according to an update provided to horsemen Dec. 6.

Trainers are encouraged to monitor horses for symptoms, which can include fever, ataxia, lethargy, or loss of coordination.

Horses will not be permitted to ship out of the facility for 21 days. The alert sent to horsemen provided no further information on the status of the infected horses or their origin.

There are nine strains of equine herpesvirus on record, and many horses are exposed to some form of EHV with no serious side effects or symptoms. Three strains are considered serious health risks, including EHV-1, which may present with fever and respiratory symptoms and can also carry neurological symptoms and a risk of death. Symptoms of the neurologic form of EHV-1 include fever and nasal discharge, followed by lack of coordination, lethargy, head tilt, and inability to balance or stand. EHV-1 is highly contagious and may be transmitted through contaminated equipment, contact between horses, and on clothing or hands of humans working with sick horses. Veterinarians aren't sure how long the virus can survive in the environment, or how well it travels through the air. The Paulick Report compiled a list of frequently-asked questions about EHV-1 during an outbreak at Sunland Park in 2016.

The post Two Confirmed Cases Of Neurologic EHV Prompt Quarantine At FanDuel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, Ky., is happy to announce that, through a group effort, Noble Indy arrived at the farm for his retirement on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.

The 8-year old bay gelding, who ran in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, was repatriated from Puerto Rico thanks to the efforts of Fred Hart, who became a big fan of Noble Indy due to his ownership of the horse's dam, Noble Maz; Kelley Stobie, owner of Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare, which has assisted in helping many Thoroughbreds in Puerto Rico; and Mike Repole, Noble Indy's original owner who paid to transport the horse home to the United States and to Old Friends.

Bred by WinStar Farm, Noble Indy, who is by Take Charge Indy–Noble Maz, by Storm Boot, was foaled in Kentucky on March 31, 2015.

Originally trained by Todd Pletcher for owner WinStar Farm, Noble Indy began his racing career in 2017 as 2-year old and won his first start in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 3. He came back in 2018 as a 3-year old and won his first start of the year in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park.

Then, following a third in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) at Fair Grounds, he scored his first graded stakes victory in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. That win punched his ticked into the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs where he finished 17th.

The once promising Thoroughbred was never able to recapture his pre-Derby form and began to drop down the racing ranks. In 2019 as a 4-year old, he only won once. It came in his seventh start in an allowance optional claiming race at Belmont Park. At the time, Pletcher was still his trainer, but Repole was the horse's only owner.

In 2020 as a 5-year old, he opened the year with a win in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park, his only win of the year. Then, as a 6-year old in 2021, he won a claiming race at Gulfstream Park, and was claimed by trainer Joseph Saffie Jr, and owner Ken Copenhaver for $35,000.

Noble Indy raced five times for them that year, and once in 2022 as a 7-year old and never won a race. However, that one race in 2022 was a claiming race at Gulfstream Park where he finished third and was claimed by trainer Gustavo Delgado and owner OGMA Investments.

Then, following an 11th in the Mr. Steele Stakes (Black Type) at Gulfstream Park on May 21, Noble Indy was shipped to Puerto Rico. There he ran at Camarero in three races in 2022, with a best finish of second in an allowance race, and two races in 2023, with a best finish of third in another allowance race, still under the care of Delgado, but a new owner, Skull Stable PR.

It was around this time that Hart got involved and wanted to retire Noble Indy. In an article in the Thoroughbred Daily News, Hart said, “I became sentimentally attached to this horse and was afraid harm would come to him if he stayed in Puerto Rico. I just wanted to get him out of there.”

Hart contacted Stobie, and the two worked together to try and retire the horse. The problem they ran into was that the owner, Skull Stable PR, was asking too much for the horse. However, they persisted, but the asking price remained too high. Then, following an injury to Noble Indy, Skull Stable PR finally lowered the price, and Noble Indy was retired and sent to Stobie's farm.

“It was a tense time since Indy came to Puerto Rico, knowing if we would be able to get him off the island in one piece,” said Stobie. “Thankfully his surgery back in February of this year did not go as planned, so he could no longer race and the owner agreed to retire him to CTA. We are grateful to Repole Stables for their generous donation, which did not only help Noble Indy, but will pay for two other horses in need to get home. Also thank you to Winstar Farms for stepping up and sending a donation.”

“We are all very excited that Noble Indy will spend the rest of his life at Old Friends in Kentucky,” said Repole. “This was an amazing team effort by so many to bring Noble Indy back from Puerto Rico and to give him the great retirement that he deserves.”

Added, Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends, “Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to allow us to enjoy Noble Indy's retirement. His story will make him a magnet for racing fans. Come visit.”

The post Old Friends Welcomes Graded Stakes Winner Noble Indy appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The tenacious gelding Eye Luv Lulu, a regular on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit from 2013-20, is readying for the next chapter of his career at Second Chance Thoroughbreds in Spencer, N.Y. thanks to his breeder Donald Newman's son, Richard Newman, and the hard work of the non-profit retraining facility.

Eye Luv Lulu's retirement came after a 61-start career that saw him win 11 races and $931,174 in total purse earnings. The now 12-year-old son of Pollard's Vision scored in the 2018 Affirmed Success at Belmont Park, and followed with a game third-place finish in the Grade 2 Belmont Sprint Championship.

After racing in allowance and stakes races for most of his career, Eye Luv Lulu ran in claiming races for his last three starts, and was haltered by Newman for $12,500 out of a close third-place finish in his last race in December 2020 for the sole purpose of retiring the veteran competitor just shy of him turning 10.

Once retired, Eye Luv Lulu laid up at Newman's farm until it was decided a new job would suit him and he was sent to Second Chance Thoroughbreds, a 10-acre 501(c)3 non-profit farm accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA).

“The Newmans kept him for three years after he retired and had him turned out. The barn he was boarded at went up for sale, so they donated him here to start a second career,” said Collette Duddy, Director of Second Chance Thoroughbreds. “Since he's been here, he's been ridden a few times and he acts like he just came off the track. He's out with a 29-year-old mare, so he's learning herd hierarchy. He's sound and has a great personality. He'll find a home, but he needs an experienced rider.”

Eye Luv Lulu, who has been nicknamed “Charm,” is one of dozens of Thoroughbreds who have gone through Second Chance Thoroughbreds' program since being founded in 2012. While many of their retirees come directly off the track at Finger Lakes Racetrack in Farmington, New York, the organization accepts Thoroughbreds of all backgrounds and ages.

Duddy said she was inspired to fill a need in her community when she saw that horses were searching for second homes and careers at the Central New York oval.

“This is our 11th year and it started after I went to Finger Lakes Racetrack,” said Duddy, who added more than 15 horses have been adopted by Second Chance Thoroughbreds this year. “There were horses coming off the track that needed help, so it made me turn over from a lesson barn to a non-profit. We do groundwork with them and we get riders on them to tell you what they can do and what level of rider should adopt them.”

Duddy cited competitions like the Retired Racehorse Project as great examples to potential adopters of what off-track Thoroughbreds can do.

“The Retired Racehorse Project has changed things and there's a demand for Thoroughbreds off the track,” said Duddy. “They're so easily adaptable to any discipline, whether it's jumping, foxhunting, western, freestyle – they're incredible athletes and so easily trainable. It's kind of a fallacy that they're crazy and only want to run. They're well-trained to begin with, and we just further their training when they come off the track.”

With several possibilities for a second career, Eye Luv Lulu is one retiree that needs some time to sort out exactly what will be best for him going forward. Duddy praised the gelding's spirit and heart, and said he is ready to make someone a best friend and companion.

“He's not a hunter type, but he's more of a jumper or dressage type. He needs work just standing at the mounting block, and that's what we're working on now,” Duddy said, with a laugh. “He's level-headed and forward, but he's very smart and he learns. He'd like to have one person working and bonding with him.”

Duddy said it is thanks to organizations like the TAA and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. that organizations like hers can make a difference for Thoroughbreds.

“There has been a lot more awareness for retirement over the past 10 years and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance gives great support, along with Thoroughbred Charities of America and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders,” said Duddy. “We wouldn't be here without them.”

Collectively, NYRA, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and New York's horsemen contribute more than $1 million annually to various aftercare programs and initiatives.

Through the efforts of accredited organizations like Second Chance Thoroughbreds, Eye Luv Lulu is one of many Thoroughbreds who have a bright future to look forward to beyond the racetrack.

“He loves to be tacked up and to be brushed. He loves human attention as much as equine attention,” said Duddy. “He was a successful racehorse and retired in time, and he certainly has 15 or 20 more years in him and is full of life.”

Second Chance Thoroughbreds provides off-track Thoroughbreds and pensioned broodmares a soft landing and rehab and retraining towards a second career while educating the public on the abilities of Thoroughbreds. For more information about adopting Eye Luv Lulu or any other horses in their program, visit secondchancethoroughbreds.org.

The post NYRA Circuit Veteran, Near-Millionaire Warhorse Eye Luv Lulu Preparing For New Career appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Determining which endocrine disorder is affecting a horse can be more complicated than basing a diagnosis on how a horse looks. Though how a horse appears (fat, shaggy, laminitic) is still an important piece to diagnose, it's no longer the only component a veterinarian will use to determine what ails the equine, reports The Horse. 

An accurate diagnosis and treatment can lower the risk of complications arising from endocrine disorders, the most common of which are pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, also known as Cushing's disease), insulin dysregulation (ID), and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).

 Adding to the conundrum is that horses can suffer from multiple endocrine disorders at once. 

A blood draw is often the first thing a veterinarian will do to narrow down the focus of which metabolic issue the horse is experiencing. Often this test must be sent to an outside laboratory for analysis. To get more-accurate information, a veterinarian may perform a dynamic blood test, where certain parameters are followed and multiple blood samples are drawn, often hours (or days) apart.  

Endocrine disorder research is ever evolving, and veterinarians often must strike a balance between new research and their personal experience with disease. 

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID)

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is an enlargement within the pituitary gland, which affects hormone regulation. The disease can be difficult to discern as its “signs” – like loss of muscle tone, lethargy, and delayed shedding – are often associated with old age and not identified as a sign of possible disease. Horses with more-advanced cases of PPID may drink excessive amounts of water (and urinate more), look potbellied, or have abnormal sweating patterns. 

In the past, practitioners have utilized a dexamethasone suppression test to diagnose PPID. This test involves a blood draw, administration of dexamethasone and then another blood draw the next day to compare cortisol levels. While this test can still diagnose late-stage PPID, it is no longer the test of choice among veterinarians. 

Now in vogue for a horse with multiple symptoms indicating that it has PPID is taking one blood sample and measuring the baseline ACTH levels. Horses who are younger or who are exhibiting mild signs of PPID can have the TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone) stimulation test administered, which gauges ACTH response to a TRH injection.

Though testing is the preferred means of diagnosing a horse's endocrine disorder, starting the horse on PPID medication without a definitive diagnosis is acceptable if the horse is exhibiting signs of PPID and the owner faces financial limitations.

Insulin Dysregulation (ID)

Insulin Dysregulation (ID) occurs when a horse's body produces too much insulin, which can cause regional adiposity, laminitis, and obesity, though the disease can present in myriad ways in affected horses. ID in horses is often diagnosed using an oral sugar test, which is a blood test after the horse is given a high-carbohydrate stimulus like corn syrup. 

An OST test can be affected if the horse is fasted, so care should be taken to administer the OST test in the same manner over time. The type of forage a horse is fed can also affect insulin response in OST tests. 

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS)

Horses with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) often have a combination of conditions: they have ID and are fat with a cresty neck and abnormal fat deposits behind the wither, over the back, and near the tailhead. Horses that are gaited or of Spanish lineage are more likely to develop EMS, as are donkeys, Miniature Horses, Morgans, Warmbloods, and some ponies.

Findings from recent studies recommend that horses suspected to have EMS be tested similarly to horses with suspected ID, as well as have genetics and clinical signs considered. 

Though many metabolic ills may be able to be diagnosed based on how a horse looks, laboratory diagnostics are imperative to ensuring accurate treatment is established. 

Read more at The Horse. 

The post Equine Endocrine Issues: More Than Meets The Eye appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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