The new tool HISA and Palantir have developed reviews health information and historical entry data to determine whether each horse entered in a race is at increased risk for injury based on various factors. The tool accounts for such risk factors as the length of a horse's previous layoff (if any), term with current trainer, history on the vet's list and other indicators of previous injury or poor performance. The process for evaluating these records for each horse entered in a race had previously taken veterinarians an average of five hours per race. This same review can now be accomplished in a matter of minutes.

“HISA continues to work with leading partners like Palantir to utilize data and technology in its mission to reduce equine injuries and fatalities,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Our hope is that this revolutionary technology is used to more efficiently and accurately identify horses at risk of injury as part of the screening process for determining if they're fit to race. This powerful, AI-enabled tool will streamline and automate a process that had previously taken significant time away from veterinarians' hands-on care of horses. We're excited to be working with the experts at Palantir on this and future initiatives.”

“Palantir is proud to support HISA in its embrace of technology to reduce equine injuries and fatalities,” said Palantir's Head of Global Commercial Ted Mabrey. “HISA came to a Bootcamp for Palantir's Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) this fall and has rapidly scaled its implementation independently. HISA is proving that real world outcomes, in this case equine safety, can be achieved in weeks with the acceleration that AIP and boot camps provide.”

“By leveraging Palantir's technology, HISA is helping to significantly reduce the time it takes to identify horses potentially at risk,” said Steve Keech, Director of Data Usage and Technology Innovation for HISA. “We look forward to rolling this tool out to all racetracks under HISA's jurisdiction. This collaboration with Palantir puts us at the forefront of sports technology, and I have no doubt this partnership will be a game-changer for the safety of equine athletes.”

HISA said they expected to begin using this tool in early 2024. It will send daily reports to racetracks and regulatory veterinarians around the country that will provide them with data and resources .

The post HISA and Palantir Develop AI-Enabled Tool to Help Identify At-Risk Horses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The suspensions came in the form of six separate rulings from the California Horse Racing Board, including two issued Sept. 4. According to CHRB spokesman Mike Marten, while the CHRB issued the rulings, it was only enforcing rules set forth by the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Fresu's agent Tom Knust said an appeal will be filed with HISA on Thursday.

The Daily Racing Form was the first to report the story.

Fresu is from Italy and began riding in Southern California in late April.

Under HISA rules, a jockey is limited to six strikes of the whip and only in increments of two strikes at a time. For each violation, a jockey is given points according to how many times he or she went over the six-strike limit.

“I am new in the country and where I rode before, you can use the crop more times,” Fresu said. “When I came here, I needed to change my style and keep count. Most of the times, I was just one over the limit. It's not so easy to keep count, especially when you are fighting for a win and are head to head with another horse. It's my own fault. The other jockeys adapted to these new rules. In the last couple of weeks, it happened three times in three days and I won every one of those races by a nose. It shouldn't have happened, but I don't think it's really fair. It's not like you're riding in a way where you get other people in trouble or in a bad spot. It's not doing something dangerous. So I think the penalty is a little harsh. Still, I want to change and I want to improve. I want to do my best and not make mistakes like this anymore.”

In the Sept. 4 ruling, Fresu was suspended 15 days for compiling 18 violations points. He was given another seven days in a Sept. 1 ruling for another 15 violations points and in an Aug. 31 ruling, he was suspended seven days for having 12 points. He was also given three one-day penalties for three other rides at Del Mar in which he violated the whip rules.

The days are served as calendar days and not racing days and Fresu will be allowed to ride in some designated stakes races during his suspension.

The post Southern California Jockey Fresu Suspended 32 Days for Whipping Violations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

In her 20-year career in racing, Bungert has worked as a groom, exercise rider, veterinary assistant, assistant trainer, racing official and program director at several Kentucky racetracks.

“Safety is the responsibility of everyone involved in racing,”  said Jamie Eads, executive director of the KHRC. “Centralized communication between officials, racing participants and track management is a key aspect of both safety and compliance. We're excited to have Beth join us, because she is someone who understands daily operations and can identify potential improvements in safety protocol. And, importantly, she is a long-time horsewoman who cares about the safety of the sport.”

Bungert added, “This position is the culmination of a career on the racetrack. I have been involved in almost every aspect of racing and look forward to bringing those experiences together for the safety of both horse and rider.”

The safety steward will make recommendations to racetrack management and regulators for the welfare of horses and riders, integrity of racing and compliance with horse racing laws and regulations.

The post Beth Bungert Named KHRC Safety Steward appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“Obviously the game has changed with the emergence of unlimited stall allocations,” Schosberg said. “It's really affected the competitiveness of it. It used to be that every barn had a different outfit. Now there are trainers that take up five barns. That has really hurt the smaller trainer. It's hard to compete. I have nothing against Todd [Pletcher] or Chad [Brown]. They did nothing wrong and played by the rules. More power to them.

“There are a lot of reasons I'm doing this now and certainly the financial part of it was a factor.  It's hard to work seven days a week living in New York and taking home $55,000.That just covers the property taxes around here.”

But Schosberg is not complaining on his way out the door. Nor is he about to disappear. Schosberg will remain active on several fronts and will continue to spend much of his time working on horsemen's issues and advancing the cause of Thoroughbred aftercare. He is a vice president with the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the president of two aftercare initiatives, Take 2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program and Take the Lead. He also sits on the board of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. He has been called the “conscious of the backstretch.”

“Something had to change,” he said. “We needed a system whereby the horsemen had an avenue that included a safety net for the horses. The industry has a responsibility to take care of these horses once they transition off the racetrack. Seventy-five percent of their lives comes after they are done racing. It's daunting task to be able to find facilities and organizations that are up to standard to make sure these horses are taken care of and rehabilitated for purposeful second careers. This work is very important to me.”

Schosberg will also continue to work with the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority and is on that organization's horsemen's advisory committee. There's more: he will continue on as an owner and has some horses in partnership with Clear Stars Stable. He also sits on the board of Marx Realty, a Manhattan-based commercial real estate company that was started by his grandfather.

“I'm still going to be around,” he said. “It's just that I don't have to get out of bed at 3:30 in the morning any more. Trust me, that gets old fast.”

Schosberg, a Cornell graduate, worked for trainers Tom Skiffington, Sid Watters and Walter Kelley before going out on his own in 1988. He won 62 races in 1993, 63 in 2000 and will finish his career with 876 winners from 5,794 starters and earnings of $38,278,409. His best horse was Maria's Mon, the champion 2-year-old colt of 1995 and the winner of the GI Champagne S. and the GI Futurity S. He also campaigned Affirmed Success, whose career included wins in the GI Cigar Mile H., the GI Carter H. and the GI Vosburgh S. Schosberg won 25 graded races.

“I've had a wonderful career and have been lucky to have wonderful clients and owners,” he said.

With his stable including about 15 horses through much of this year, Schosberg has won 12 races in 2022. He won seven last year and six the year before. He will officially continue on as a trainer for the remainder of the calendar year, but does not have any horses entered for the rest of 2022. His horses will be dispersed, some going to trainer David Duggan and the rest to trainer David Donk.

For Schosberg, Thursday was like so many other days, thousands of them in fact. He got up early, worked, drove back and forth between Aqueduct and Belmont, ran a horse who didn't live up to her 5-1 odds and put in a 13-hour day. But now that's all done with.

“How did it feel? I don't think it has sunk in yet,” he said when asked about starting his last horse.

Come Sunday and the beginning of the new year, he can catch a couple extra hours of sleep and won't have to deal with the pressures of trying to grind out a living with a medium-sized stable. It figures to be a good day.

The post Thirty Two Years and 5,794 Starters Later, Rick Schosberg Calls it a Career appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The language in the bill relating to HISA is meant to address issues raised by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in November. That court ruled that HISA was unconstitutional because the FTC's powers were limited and that HISA had too big of a role. It is believed that the relevant language in the bill allows the FTC to “abrogate, add to, and modify the rules of the Authority promulgated in accordance with this Act as the Commission finds necessary or appropriate to ensure the fair administration of the Authority, to conform the rules of the Authority to requirements of this Act and applicable rules approved by the Commission, or otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of this Act.”

While Friday's development was a win for HISA, the battle between pro and anti-HISA forces is far from over and it's unclear what will happen next. However, it appears likely that the National HBPA and other groups fighting HISA will not back down and will continue to challenge the many issues that have been raised in the courts. It's also unclear what steps will now be taken by HISA and the FTC in order to get HISA back on track. Possibilities include asking the Fifth Circuit to reconsider its ruling in light of the fact that the FTC will have more power going forward. It's also possible that the FTC can essentially start the entire process over and ask HISA to resubmit its proposed rules.

Should the Fifth Circuit reverse itself and give HISA the green light to go forward, there are other lawsuits out there that could once again change the direction of the dispute. One is a case in which plaintiffs have made familiar arguments relating to the constitutionality of HISA that has been argued in the Sixth Circuit, which has yet to issue a ruling. Another case is pending in the U.S. District Court of Texas-Northern District, Amarillo Division, which raises several constitutional problems with the law, other than FTC rule-making input. The bottom line is that, from a legal standpoint, nothing yet is certain when it comes to HISA.

After the spending bill passed the house, the NTRA issued a press release celebrating the victory that included comments from several industry leaders.

“On behalf of NTRA members, which include broad representation of every aspect of the Thoroughbred industry, we welcome the successful bipartisan efforts of Congress to reaffirm Congressional support for HISA's mission,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “HISA is critical to our sport and we look forward to working collaboratively with every industry constituency to continue to support the essential role of HISA going forward. We especially want to thank Congressional leadership in Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi, committee leadership in Chairman Pallone, Chairwoman Cantwell, and Rep. Schakowsky, and our longtime champions Reps. Tonko and Barr and Senators Feinstein and Gillibrand. Finally, I thank the many people from far and wide across the industry who advocated for this law with their elected officials.”

“The Jockey Club is extremely appreciative of the efforts Congress is making in support of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” said The Jockey Club President and COO Jim Gagliano. “The Jockey Club has supported nationwide, uniform rules and regulations for Thoroughbred racing for decades through numerous initiatives. HISA is Thoroughbred racing's best solution to greatly improve regulation of the sport and to help ensure our sport is clean and is safe for our athletes–both equine and human.”

The post Bill That Includes New Language on HISA Passes in House appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lazarus said that seven of the racing commissions in the 14 states where racing will be held on Jan. 1 have reached an agreement with HISA and are ready to pay the assessment fee necessary to be involved with the program. In states where no agreement has been reached, HISA will have to hire its own staff to perform services like drug testing that used to fall under the racing commissions. She said she has been pleased that the tracks and racing commissions seem to grow more comfortable with HISA by the day.

“Honestly, I certainly can't sit here and say that everybody is on board now,” Lazarus said. “But I definitely feel that each day we get closer and closer to acceptance and support. And I think that's really about the tone that we set and that my staff sets in terms of wanting to help make the industry better. We're not looking to make things more difficult or more complicated. We're looking to provide this foundation of safety and integrity that everyone in racing can build their businesses around.”

She reiterated that HIWU will rely on more than drug testing to police the sport. They will work closely with 5 Stones Intelligence, which was instrumental in the arrests of Jorge Navarro, Jason Servis and more than two dozen others in 2020.

“The Horse Racing Integrity and Welfare Unit is also building their own internal capability, their own internal investigations team, which is very strong and is going to include some well-known and well-established faces,” she said. “I think probably why you ask the question, and it really resonates with me, is that you want to know if the new program is going to be very much intelligence and investigations based. It's not going to be based solely on conducting a whole lot of tests. If you look at all the top-end programs in the world, equine and otherwise, you'll see that the successful ones that really deliver integrity to their sports rely heavily on investigations. That's great. What 5 Stones has uncovered over the past couple of years has really changed this industry for the better. They truly have. They have certainly done a terrific job and we're lucky to have them as part of the sport.”

On a related subject, Lazarus said she was pleased that jockeys seemed to have adapted to HISA's rules regarding the whip.

“When (the new whip rule) was first introduced back in July, there was a learning curve to get all the jockeys on the same page and fairly so because they've been operating with different rules across multiple jurisdictions,” Lazarus said. “But now a number of months in, we're seeing a lot of very encouraging signs. First of all, if you watch the Breeders' Cup, I think it was an extraordinary display of why excessive crop use is not necessary and doesn't enhance the sport. Second of all, we're seeing a real plateau on the number of violations across the country. There had been concern and negative feedback, most of which revolved around the fact that if you were over nine strikes, you would face disqualification. We believed, or at least the Racetrack Safety Committee believed, that if you were going to actually genuinely have an impact on properties, you'd have to bring in stakeholders who had more at stake than just the jockeys. And those are only 6% of our overall number of of crop violations, which I think is quite a low number. So I think over time, we'll be able to prove that these sort of balanced crop rules are better for the sport. They don't change the sport and they haven't changed anything with the betting public.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane's End, Adena Springs and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, panelists Zoe Cadman, Randy Moss and Bill Finley reviewed the Breeders' Cup and all things Flightline (Tapit). The crew all agreed that the GI Breeders' Cup Classic was the best race of his six-race career and that he deserves to be considered one of the all-time greats in the sport's history. Flightline got a 121 Beyer in the Classic, five points lower than in his win the GI Pacific Classic. Moss, who makes speed figures for the Beyer team, explained why his number fell off a bit. The domination of the European-based horses brought out some interesting insights from the trio and had Finley declaring that he will never again pick against any horse Charlie Appleby sends over to run in North America. The group also looked at the few Eclipse Award races that are not complete no-brainers and all agreed that Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), War Like Goddess (English Channel), Epicenter (Not This Time) and Elite Power (Curlin) should be named champion in their respective divisions.

Click here to watch the show.

Click here for the audio-only version.

The post Lisa Lazarus Joins the TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post