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Violations Show New Medication Rules In California Require A Learning Curve

California now has some of the strictest rules regarding medication in racehorses of any jurisdiction in the United States, and a report on medication violations for April and May show that horsemen and veterinarians are still working to understand newer regulations.

At a meeting of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) conducted via teleconference last week, CHRB equine medical director Dr. Rick Arthur reported that April saw nine medication violations, only one of which was in a post-race sample, while there were six medication violations in May, two of which were in post-race samples.

Three of April's nine violations were from horses working before the state veterinarian, and the other five were out-of-competition samples taken on horses recording workouts.

“Of the nine violations in April, six would not have been violations in other states,” said Arthur. “I suspect two others would not be violations in most states.”

Four of May's six positives were horses working for the official veterinarian. Arthur guessed only one of the six would be a violation outside of California.

In mid-March, new regulations placed restrictions on the use of “local anesthetics, narcotic analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories” on horses within 24 hours of a timed workout, and prohibiting more than one NSAID in a post-work sample. In late February, regulations went into effect prohibiting NSAIDs within 24 hours of post time.

“To my knowledge, California is the only state currently regulating these medications during training,” said Arthur. “I'm usually not sympathetic to trainers and veterinarians not paying attention to our rule changes, but we have made numerous regulatory changes recently and from discussions with trainers and veterinarians, the new rule is not as clear to licensees as I would have hoped or expected. Trainers and veterinarians appear confused between house rules and CHRB regulations.

“The most difficult change has been the new medication regulations during training. Keep in mind, regulating medication during training is a new concept in racing.”

Arthur said he is working with California Thoroughbred Trainers to guide a series of webinars aimed at educating trainers and veterinarians on the new rules. And not a moment too soon — as he pointed out, several more veterinary regulations are set to go into effect July 1, including the transfer of a health record for claimed horses and a prohibition on bisphosphonates.

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Barn Fire Kills Three Horses at Family Home of Fairmount Jockey

A fundraising campaign has been established to help the family of Fairmount Park jockey Elizabeth Thurman after a 12:30 a.m. fire on Sunday killed three horses and destroyed a barn and shed at the family’s home in Belleville, Illinois.

There were no human injuries and the family’s four dogs escaped unharmed. The house, which is about 12 miles south of Fairmount, also suffered damage, according to KSDK-TV.

The horses were described as “young” but were not identified by breed in news reports or on the funding page. They were named Clyde, Psycho and Mike.

Thurman, 23, has been riding since 2018 and is the only regular female jockey in the Fairmount riding colony. She was in Troy, Missouri, at the time of the fire and rushed back home upon learning of the news, KSDK reported.

Last year Thurman suffered a broken leg when a horse flipped over on her, and she was told by doctors that she might never ride again, according to a separate KSDK profile. She resumed riding in March but has been winless on the year from 18 starts.

“Barn is a total loss. We lost three wonderful horses. Lost tools and things I’d had my entire life,” Kelly Thurman posted on the fundraising page. “Tons of priceless photos and memories gone. I am thankful I have my kids and we are all safe. I’ve never been in a place where just I did not know what to do ’til now. Lord please help us through this one.”

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The Tenacity Of Buttercup

Kentucky pastures have exploded with the signature yellow buttercup flower. Buttercup is the common name for a group of species from the genus Ranunculus. Buttercups are sometimes classified as short-lived perennials, but often grow as winter annuals.

Four species of buttercups can be found in Kentucky: bulbous buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus), creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), tall buttercup (Ranunculus acris) and small flower buttercup (Ranunculus arbortivus). Each of these species have somewhat similar flower heads but differ in their leaf characteristics. New seeds are produced during the time petals are showy. Waiting until after flowers appear can be too late to implement control tactics. This is one reason buttercups can survive year to year.

Buttercups are more than an unsightly weed. They can also be toxic. Grazing or mowing will release a powerful vesicant, or blistering agent, which causes blistering of the skin, mouth and digestive system on contact. The blistering agent is detoxified rapidly by drying, and thus it is not generally a problem in hay.

Less is known about whether ensiling, or conversion into silage, has a similar detoxification effect. Death of horses due to buttercup is rare. A review of University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory records over the last 13 years found no cases of horse deaths attributable to buttercup ingestion. If other forage is available, grazing horses will usually avoid buttercup because the leaves, flowers and stems have a sharp, acrid taste.

Most buttercup plants emerge from seed during the fall or late winter months. Therefore, pasture management that maintains thick stands and promotes growth of more desirable plants during these months is one of the best methods to help compete against the emergence and growth of this plant. Mowing fields or clipping plants close to the ground in the early spring before buttercup plants can produce flowers may help reduce the amount of new seed produced, but mowing alone will not totally eliminate seed production.

Chemical Options

Herbicides registered for use on grass pastures will effectively control buttercup, including those that include 2,4-D. For optimum results, apply herbicide in the early spring (February-March) before flowers are observed and when buttercup plants are still small and actively growing. For best herbicide activity, wait until daytime air temperatures are greater than 50o F for two or three consecutive days. Consult the herbicide label for further information on grazing restrictions, precautions or other possible limitations.

Applying broadleaf herbicides like 2,4-D will damage clover. However, buttercup is able to germinate and grow because of insufficient ground cover of desirable forage species. In these cases, clover stands are likely not that thick or need rejuvenating.

Management Options

To prevent or inhibit buttercup germination in the fall, manage grass pastures to retain residual heights of three or four inches. Realistically speaking, pastures used for overwintering, or hay feeding will always be overgrazed and therefore will be prime spots for buttercup and other winter weed encroachment. Overseeding these pastures in early spring with forages that establish aggressively (like red clover or ryegrasses) will add some desirable forage species to the spring flush of growth even though they will not eliminate buttercup emerging at the same time. Follow up with an early spring mowing to clip the buttercup and release the desirable species.

Cover up bare ground. Fall applications of nitrogen will produce taller grass (shading the ground) and will stimulate existing grasses to thicken up or tiller out the following spring. Timely mowing in the spring followed by nitrogen application can reduce buttercup seed production and will stimulate spring forage growth that helps shade the lower growing buttercup.

No matter how you go about it, controlling buttercup is not a “once and done” project. Nor will one method work alone. Chemical control alone will leave bare ground unless there is a strategy to replant or fill in that area. However, you can manage pastures to reduce buttercup incidence and improve your pasture productivity at the same time.

Royal Ascot to Be Shown in Over 120 Countries

Royal Ascot, which will feature 36 races for the first time as the coronavirus results in a spectatorless meeting, will reach over 120 countries via television broadcasts, Ascot Racecourse announced on Monday. ITV1 in the UK will display the iconic, five-day meeting, while the royal meeting will also be available in America, Australia, the Middle East, India, the Caribbean and Europe.

ITV will cover 30 races on their main channel. Sky Sports Racing, reaching 14 million homes in the UK and Ireland, will broadcast all 36 races, and the Royal Ascot feed will be streamed to more than 20 online bookmakers in the UK and Ireland. RAI will broadcast Royal Ascot in Italy, while other European broadcasters include Match TV (Russia), Movistar (Spain), Polsat (Poland), S Sport (Turkey), Silknet (Georgia), and Sport Klub (Balkans).

In America, NBC will broadcast Saturday’s races, with Tuesday-Friday’s races being show on NBC Sports Network. NBC’s total coverage will reach almost 80 million homes Stateside. Also, ESPN will showcast the five-day stand across Latin America and Caribbean fans will have access via SportsMax.

Racing.com will broadcast the entire card in Australia, while in Asia, Shanghai TV, Beijing TV (China) and Eleven Sports (Taiwan) will also show the meeting.

The Middle East and North Africa will be served by the Dubai Racing Channel and Yas TV (Abu Dhabi TV), reaching approximately 42 million homes in 17 countries. Israel’s Charlton will show Royal Ascot. Supersport will serve 48 other countries in Africa. About 45 million Indian viewers will be able to see the races through Discovery’s Eurosport India channel.

In addition, Royal Ascot coverage will reach over 124 territories through a new distribution partnership with international horseracing media rights agency, HBA Media.

Juliet Slot, Commercial Director at Ascot Racecourse, said ,”We are delighted that the strength of Royal Ascot is once again demonstrated by the breadth of international broadcasters taking our pictures despite the meeting being held behind closed doors. It will be a unique event, as it always is but one that can be enjoyed by an ever-increasing global audience. We would like to thank all of our global and UK broadcast partners for helping us bring our event to millions of homes around the world.”

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