joe orseno | Horse Racing Free Tips

Steve Asmussen Talks ‘Family Horse’ Super Stock On Writers’ Room

One of the few major races left to win for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen is the most significant prize in racing, so a win in this year's GI Kentucky Derby would satisfy an ultimate career goal. But if he were to do it with Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby victor Super Stock (Dialed In), a horse with the Asmussen family's fingerprints all over him, it would represent the sentimental success of a lifetime. Wednesday, Asmussen joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to discuss Super Stock, the permanent chip on his shoulder, who he would pick between some of his legendary trainees head to head and more.

Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Asmussen talked about his emotional connection to Super Stock, who is co-owned by his father and was ridden to victory by his oldest son for his first stakes win last summer.

“We've been very fortunate in racing, had many successes, but a circumstance in which you can leg your son up on a stakes winner for your parents is quite unique, to say the least, and is a very special experience,” he said. “I have so many emotions about it. You imagine having that kind of success going into a race, but I did not realize what it actually meant, and the outpouring of love, respect and support since the [Arkansas Derby] for my parents and who they are has been the best part for me. This is my mom and dad's story. They supported us unwaveringly and put me and Cash in the positions we've been in to have success in this business. They're both 79 years old and unique circumstances allowed them to keep this horse. Dad has had Grade I winners in the past, he's just sold them all. That probably would have happened with this horse as well if not for the pandemic. It's brought mom and dad to the forefront and gotten them the respect and admiration that I know they deserve.”

Asked how it would change his life to win a Derby after coming up empty with his first 21 starters, Asmussen said, “I don't know yet, but I'd hate to lose this chip on my shoulder, lose the edge. The next horse that you run is the most important horse. Our motto around here is, 'Everything matters or nothing matters.' So don't lose that chip. We've got to keep it in front of us. We get tremendous opportunities and we respect them and want to make the most of them. Whenever Super Stock won, it was meant to be, so that's what we're looking for going into the Derby. It'll happen, if it's meant to be.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers reacted to the weekend's big races and handicapped all five participants' chances to win the Writers' Room Derby Chase fantasy 3-year-old contest. In the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, they lamented yet another slap-on-the-wrist fine for a trainer with a drug positive and lauded Indiana Grand's decision to broadcast video explanations for all of its steward decisions. And, in welcoming new sponsor the Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Project, they talked about TDN's most-read story of the week, which featured trainer Joe Orseno railing against the Lasix ban in stakes races. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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Orseno: ‘Wrong And Naïve To Think No Damage Is Being Done To Horses Just Because They Didn’t Bleed Through The Nostrils’

The following statement was released by trainer Joe Orseno on Thursday, following reports from the Kentucky State Veterinarian's office earlier this week:

Published reports and social media have had some incorrect information about what did and didn't happen to my horse Imprimis, who finished second by a nose to Bound for Nowhere in Keeneland's Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes Saturday while racing without the anti-bleeder medication Lasix. I want to set the record straight:

Thank God the considerable blood coming from Imprimis' left nostril after the race was not pulmonary hemorrhaging. It also was not from what has been erroneously reported as being a cut on his nose sustained when he broke through the gate prior to the start. Imprimis does have a sizable bump on his nose – about six inches from his nostril – from where his head apparently hit the gate, but he did not sustain any cuts. The endoscopic examination that I had my private veterinarian conduct did reveal trace levels of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging. I'm just so thankful that it wasn't more severe.

The bleeding episode apparently was like being punched in the nose, when you can develop a nose bleed without being cut. So Imprimis must have banged his head pretty hard and it went unnoticed.

I also don't retract what I told journalists after the race. I'll say it again right now: It's not good for the industry what they're doing forcing horses, particularly older horses, to run without Lasix in stakes races. And apparently that's not just one trainer's opinion. I didn't know so many people had my phone number, all the horsemen who called or emailed me and said, “thank you for speaking up” — trainers I don't even know. Someone in California called me out of the clear blue and said “thank you, someone had the guts to say something.” I don't look at it that way. At the time, it wasn't about guts, it was about being very upset over my horse. I've been doing this 44 years and it's not just my livelihood, it's my life.

The state vets at Keeneland did a very thorough examination on my horse in the morning. I'm sure they looked at him after he broke through the gate, saw no cuts, saw no head abrasions, no blood in his nose then. They put him back in the gate and let him run. If they had seen anything, I'm sure they would have scratched him.

The first thing I do after a race is look at their legs, and make sure everything is OK. When I subsequently saw his nose and blood just pouring off his left nostril, you have to assume the horse bled.

When the press asked me about the race, the first thing I said was, “Well, I think my horse ran a great race, got beat by a very good horse.” I said, “He beat me, I beat him (in 2019 Shakertown), only noses separated them.”

Then I started on the bleeding, because I thought my horse bled horribly. That's when I made my statement that someone has to explain to me why we're making horses bleed, older horses that have run on Lasix their whole life, and now all of a sudden you're going to penalize the best horses in the country. It's not good for the game, when we can stop it with an easy fix.

My veterinarian's endoscopic exam of Imprimis showed that most of the blood was from banging his head. He did have traces, a trickle down his throat, showing that he did bleed a little in the trachea. We were very lucky. Now he might still be on track for his next race. I was very pleased for the owners that I didn't have to put him away for four or five months. He's bright-eyed today and looks great. He just has a bump on his nose.

There are many horses that bleed significantly but not always externally. It is wrong and naive to think no damage is being done to horses just because they didn't bleed through the nostrils. It is also deceptive for those who are trying to label an EIPH episode only by visible blood from the nostrils. How are you going to tell an owner this horse is going to only run four times this year instead of eight or nine because I need more time in between to heal them up because he bleeds and we can't use Lasix? They are going to start to get disgusted, and horses will be hurt if they return at all. Owners are not going to be as excited about buying horses and racing if they can't run them more than four times a year.

I am on the board of the Florida HBPA. We are scoping stakes horses – which must run without Lasix at Gulfstream Park – and we're paying for it so we hopefully can all learn something and together make informed and intelligent policy decisions from transparent data going forward. I'd say overall that the overwhelming majority of these horses are bleeding to some degree. The numbers aren't good. Do we really want to do this to our horses? I sure don't.

The post Orseno: ‘Wrong And Naïve To Think No Damage Is Being Done To Horses Just Because They Didn’t Bleed Through The Nostrils’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Orseno Responds to Bleeding Incident

When MGSW Imprimis (Broken Vow) finished second by a nose to Bound for Nowhere (The Factor) in Saturday's GII Shakertown S. at Keeneland, he returned bleeding from both nostrils. The horse had broken through the gate prior to the start and banged his head, but was examined on the scene by the state veterinarians and pronounced fit to run. Trainer Joe Orseno, who said he “thought [his] horse bled horribly,” issued a statement Thursday morning through the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) in response to the incident. It read, in part:

“Published reports and social media have had some incorrect information about what did and didn't happen to my horse Imprimis…Saturday while racing without the anti-bleeder medication Lasix. I want to set the record straight.

“Thank God the considerable blood coming from Imprimis' left nostril after the race was not pulmonary hemorrhaging. It also was not from what has been erroneously reported as being a cut on his nose sustained when he broke through the gate prior to the start. Imprimis does have a sizable bump on his nose–about six inches from his nostril–from where his head apparently hit the gate, but he did not sustain any cuts. The endoscopic examination that I had my private veterinarian conduct did reveal trace levels of Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging [EIPH]. I'm just so thankful that it wasn't more severe.”

Orseno reported Imprimis is doing well this week, but does have a large bump still visible on his nose. He stands by what he said about the new Lasix rules.

“I also don't retract what I told journalists after the race. I'll say it again right now: It's not good for the industry what they're doing forcing horses, particularly older horses, to run without Lasix in stakes races. And apparently that's not just one trainer's opinion. I didn't know so many people had my phone number, all the horsemen who called or emailed me and said, 'Thank you for speaking up'–trainers I don't even know. Someone in California called me out of the clear blue and said, 'Thank you, someone had the guts to say something.' I don't look at it that way. At the time, it wasn't about guts, it was about being very upset over my horse. I've been doing this 44 years and it's not just my livelihood, it's my life.

“I made my statement that someone has to explain to me why we're making horses bleed, older horses that have run on Lasix their whole life, and now all of a sudden you're going to penalize the best horses in the country. It's not good for the game, when we can stop it with an easy fix.

“My veterinarian's endoscopic exam of Imprimis showed that most of the blood was from banging his head. He did have traces, a trickle down his throat, showing that he did bleed a little in the trachea. We were very lucky.

“There are many horses that bleed significantly but not always externally. It is wrong and naive to think no damage is being done to horses just because they didn't bleed through the nostrils. It is also deceptive for those who are trying to label an EIPH episode only by visible blood from the nostrils. How are you going to tell an owner this horse is going to only run four times this year instead of eight or nine because I need more time in between to heal them up because he bleeds and we can't use Lasix? They are going to start to get disgusted, and horses will be hurt if they return at all. Owners are not going to be as excited about buying horses and racing if they can't run them more than four times a year.

“I am on the board of the Florida HBPA. We are scoping stakes horses–which must run without Lasix at Gulfstream Park–and we're paying for it so we hopefully can all learn something and together make informed and intelligent policy decisions from transparent data going forward. I'd say overall that the overwhelming majority of these horses are bleeding to some degree. The numbers aren't good. Do we really want to do this to our horses? I sure don't.”

The post Trainer Orseno Responds to Bleeding Incident appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Kentucky Commission: Hidden Scroll Was State’s First Epistaxis Case Since 24-Hour Lasix Ban

Hidden Scroll, who pulled up after crossing the wire seventh in Saturday's Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes, is the first case of epistaxis from exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in Kentucky since the state implemented new furosemide administration rules in 2020. The Brad Cox trainee went off at odds of 2-1 for his first start without the race day medication, which is commonly known by its trade name of Lasix or Salix.

Kentucky began a partial phaseout of race day furosemide last year, beginning with 2-year-old races and expanding to include stakes races this year. The drug may now be given no closer than 24 hours before post time in those contests.

Dr. Bruce Howard, equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, confirmed that Hidden Scroll's case of epistaxis (visible bleeding from the nostrils) due to EIPH was the first on record since the new rules were implemented. EIPH can occur without visible bleeding from the nostrils and is often detectable only on endoscopic examination; more severe incidents may result in epistaxis.

A frustrated Joe Orseno, who trains multiple graded stakes winner Imprimis, told media immediately after the horse's runner-up effort in the G2 Shakertown that he believed his horse also suffered from epistaxis due to EIPH. Orseno said he could see blood on the horse's nose at the finish, where he was just edged by Bound for Nowhere.

“You're not allowed to run on Lasix anymore,” said Orseno. “They're taking the best horses in the country and they're penalizing them. My horse bled today, visibly. Blood coming out of his nose. How is that good for the public's perception of Lasix? Somebody needs to answer that question. It's not fair to take a horse like this and make 'em bleed. It's just not fair. I wish you'd print every word of that, because it's total bullshit.

“My horse didn't have to bleed. Let him run on Lasix … I care about my horse and his physical condition.”

Orseno pointed out that a bleeding event from EIPH can knock a horse off its training schedule.

“I was supposed to run him in two months, now it's going to be four,” he said. “So I've got to tell the owners, forget the Jaipur, now maybe Saratoga, maybe not, because who knows. I don't know. You never know the damage it does to horses.”

The full interview, courtesy of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association's Jennie Rees, is available here, following comments from Bound for Nowhere trainer Wesley Ward:

Howard said that besides Hidden Scroll, there was one other incident on Saturday's card related to blood on a horse's nose, but it wasn't a result of EIPH.

“I think the other one which might have been commented on was a horse who broke through the starting gate before the start,” said Howard. “It was examined and reloaded, and ran its race. Post-race, there was a small amount of blood noted in a nostril. The horse was examined in the test barn and a small abrasion or laceration was noted. The private veterinarian came and scoped the horse and there was no bleeding noted in the lower airways.”

Imprimis broke through the starting gate before the start of the Shakertown.

Kentucky's commission voted unanimously for the partial furosemide phaseout in December 2019 and racetracks implemented house rules preventing the administration of furosemide less than 24 hours before a race for 2-year-olds beginning in spring 2020, as a stopgap until the new rule worked its way through legislative approval and became law. The Kentucky HBPA took the tracks and commission to court over the house rules and commission regulation changes. A judge ruled in favor of the tracks and commission in November 2020.

Kentucky does keep records of epistaxis events, and is also participating in a multi-jurisdiction study to administer scopes post-race on horses subject to the 24-hour furosemide rule. The academic study, led by Washington State University, will compare scope results from jurisdictions with a variety of furosemide administration times. Data collection is ongoing and the university is not expected to release results until analysis is complete. Howard was unable to comment on the data collected from Kentucky.

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