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Letter From Ascot–NYC Edition: Royal Ascot…2020

Forget Junes in years past. Forget the top hat and tailcoat.

Forget the long airline flight to London. Forget the face mask and gloves.

It’s a new world in 2020 for those who love top-quality horse racing and believe that “mass follows class” on both sides of the Atlantic.

Now in the light of COVID-19, the unique Royal Ascot meet will take place on the same heath behind closed doors for the first time since 1711, when Queen Anne decreed that the beautiful flatland just a mile or so from Windsor castle would be the site of top quality horse racing.

For most of the past 26 years, I would have been trying on the pants, vest and tail coat that was required in the Ascot Royal enclosure. It seemed like every June the vest needed a bit more give and the pants needed every inch of the extra waistband. This year I can wear shorts and a tee shirt at home.

Instead of the relaxing one hour clickity-clack journey on the southwest rail line from Waterloo to the Sunningdale station,

now it is just steps from my home office to my television room, where this week both sets will be tuned to the Thoroughbred sport, and a computer to my wagering racing website.

This year is a great opportunity not just for sports fans, but for everyone to join the worldwide crowd for a totally different experience through 2020 media. Throughout these five days, starting Tuesday, one can enjoy not just the great racing. It is quite a menu, beginning in the mornings with a jockey fitness session providing an eye-opening insight into the sorts of fitness regimes professional jockeys must maintain. The little guys have to be strong and agile.

For more than three centuries, at 2 o’clock sharp London time, the Golden Gates would swing open and a procession of horse- drawn Landau carriages would trot up the stretch carrying members of the Royal family and racing personalities, as the band played the national anthem. This year no processions, but we can watch great historic videos of past Royal processions, treating us to scenes of Queen Elizabeth, as a young monarch in the 1950’s. She is now 94 years old and will be watching on the telly, as we will be.

Image galleries showcasing fashion and sport photography from the past, along with a cooking show of Royal Ascot specialties by Michelin Star chefs. There will also be a competition, reminding me of the Bobby Flay throw-downs. This year it’s the ‘Coronation Chicken Stakes.’

I don’t have children, but Ascot is making an activity pack for kids, which includes a design-your-own jockey silks guide. Not a bad idea to get the kids involved in racing very early.

Last year I remember a press release said that 80,000 cups of tea, in addition to a quarter million tea cakes and scones were served. This week instead of tea and scones, the Ascot kitchen will serve up the recipe to those watching on how to create your own VIP tea.

I’m not the target market they want for the sale of Ascot Jockey teddy bears. And I never did stay for the singalong around the Bandstand, I wanted to get back to the city for a

cocktail hour. But the songbook is available on the Ascot website for the stay-at-home singers. Also on the website each day will be a different Ascot Signature Serve cocktail recipe, including the Royal Ascot Blush and Monkey Went To Ascot. I’ll stick to a Manhattan whilst overseas.

As frivolous as some of these promotions might seem, you must salute them for the creative initiative. Our industry today

should be taking the advantage of the immediate lack of live major sporting events, instead they seem to keep shooting themselves in the foot. I’m sick of petty feuds spoiling the

game for us players. And American racing should notice or maybe even copy some of their promotional ideas.

As for our American heroes, the Cambridge-born Graham Motion (yes, you can still detect the accent) is sending Sharing (Speightstown), winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, for the G1 Coronation S. on Friday. I like her chances off the excellent prep race she won at Churchill Downs and the jockey. Superstar Oisin Murphy has won races all over the globe and recently guided Kameko (Kitten’s Joy) to a resounding success in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Washington-born Wesley Ward has the best record of any non-English trainer, with 11 Royal winners. Hard to believe that this 52-year-old was the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice rider in 1984. He will send out six runners from his stable this week and knows his way to the winners enclosure anywhere in the world. For the first year he is represented at this meet, he will be watching from Florida, with top hat and tails ready for next June.

If you have a bucket list, a trip to the Royal meeting at one of the greatest race courses in the world should be on it. This year get a flavor of what it is like watching this magnificent show on television, like me, Wesley, Graham and the Queen of England.

Editor’s note: Dave Johnson is a racecaller and sportscaster (famous for his signature `And down the stretch they come!’) whose streak of 25 consecutive Royal Ascot meetings was ended by the Coronavirus pandemic this year. His annual Letters from Ascot will be written this year from his home in New York City.

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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.