Letter to the Editor | Horse Racing Free Tips

Letter to the Editor: Positive Changes Coming Out of Pennsylvania, by Bryan Langlois, DVM

Over the past few months there have been stories about various State Racing Commissions doing or not doing things for the good of the sport. The Triple Crown season always brings more of a spotlight on the sport and, most times, how there is no progress being made. Quietly, however, one State Racing Commission has been making positive strides in improving the safety, welfare, and integrity of the sport and industry. That state is Pennsylvania.

There perhaps has not been a more public vocal critic of the Racing Commission than myself over the last few years (a look back at my public comments at meetings will show this). However, I must say that the changes being announced, implemented, and backed up with action are extremely pleasing to see. The issues that have plagued the industry (and Pennsylvania has often been called the prime example of these issues by many) are not something that are going to be solved overnight. It is going to take time and effort to do this. What the Pennsylvania Racing Commission has finally done is taken a good, hard look in the mirror and identified specific areas that need to be addressed and changed. That started with the Committee on Equine Welfare and Safety that the Commission created. The Committee came out with 11 “action items” that were going to be implemented in various stages of time (anyone familiar with the process to get regulations passed in Pennsylvania knows of the length of time it takes) with the goal of improving the safety of the horses, the safety of the participants, and the integrity of the sport in the public's eye.

It is one thing to just come out and say you are going to do something. It is quite another to do it, and, so far, the Commission has backed up its words with action. At each monthly meeting Thoroughbred Bureau Director Tom Chuckas gives a detailed a report on where each of the action items sits in the implementation process as well as a review of any enforcement actions taken. It is evident from what is reported at the meetings, such as barn and vehicle searches turning up syringes and medications that should not be there, “jog up” inspections of horses in various barns (leading to a few being flagged for closer inspection and one being placed on the vet's list), and an increasing number of Out of Competition Tests being done each month, that the Commission and its investigative team are taking this task very seriously and letting the public know it.

I know there are those out there that will still say the tracks in Pennsylvania are a cesspool and the Commission has no idea who the real cheaters are and such. Well, for those that claim to have all this inside info on the cheaters and what they are doing, a special “integrity hotline” has been created that allows you to leave this information anonymously. The number for this hotline is (717) 787-1942. You must leave a detailed message, and someone will only contact you back if you specifically request it. Otherwise, the calls will be investigated based on the message left. So far, 20 calls have been placed to the hotline with eight being completely resolved and 12 still being investigated. Yes, we would all like to know all the details of these investigations and who was investigated (myself included), but we also must realize that information does have to remain private for these things to work properly. So as the old saying goes, “If you see something, say something.”

A person who makes poor lifestyle choices for decades of their life is not going to turn everything around and have the effects of those choices disappear after a month at the gym. The same is true of this sport. It has taken decades for this industry to get to where it is, and it is going to take more time than any of us would like to right the ship properly. Some agencies and tracks continue to turn a blind eye to things and hope it will all be OK or offer lip service about change with no evidence to back it up. Pennsylvania is finally taking the right steps to bring integrity and safety back to the sport, and Director Chuckas and the Commission are to be commended for their efforts so far. I look forward to the continuation of these positive developments.

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Letter to the Editor: A Tale of Two Apple Blossom Winners, by Catherine Riccio

In the 1980s the horse racing game was filled with white bridles and D. Wayne Lukas winning just about every weekend stakes race from coast to coast. The slogan which handicappers used was “D. Wayne off the plane,” referring to his ability to ship horses to different tracks and pick up stakes wins.

Several of Lukas's fillies included Landaluce, Terlingua, Lady's Secret, Life's Magic, Family Style, Lucky Lucky Lucky, Miss Huntington and the list goes on. When I think back of my first years working at the track, two fillies come to my mind: Heatherten and Sefa's Beauty. Both mares at one time were trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

One prestigious thing that both athletes had in common was that they both were winners of the GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn Park. The Apple Blossom has been known to attract the finest fillies and mares to the Hot Springs track. The race has usually produced several champions, including Horse of the Year honorees Zenyatta and Havre de Grace.

What also is interesting is neither of these mares [Heatherten nor Sefa's Beauty] were inducted in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, their careers were before internet so there are no charts to see how they ran. Were they speed favoring? Off the pace? No pictures or videos. The only photo I found was one I purchased on eBay of Sefa's Beauty winning at Fair Grounds. Also, I reached out to Barbara Livingston who had a photo of Heatherten and her groom Randy.

What I do have is some statistics that are mind boggling. Both fillies made over 50 starts with a better than [combined] 44% win average.

Sefa's Beauty was a bargain at $30,000 and was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling sale. She was by Lt. Stevens out of Delightful Vie. Sefa's Beauty's record is 52 starts, 25 wins, 7 seconds and 8 thirds with earnings of $1,171,628.

Mott took over training when she was 4-years-old and she won 11 races before going out a winner in the Sixty Sails H. at Sportsman's Park in Cicero, Ill.

Sefa's Beauty raced under the colors of Farid Sefa. Jockeys Pat Day and Randy Romero were the mare's pilots while under Mott's care.

Sefa's Beauty only had two foals, both by Fappiano. One of them, Sefapiano, stood at stud in Michigan for a while, but was later moved to Louisiana. Sefapiano's best offspring was Jonesboro, who was a multiple graded stakes winner and stands at stud in Arkansas.

Unfortunately, she died prematurely on Oct. 25, 1989 at Taylor Made Farm. Sefa's Beauty is buried at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. She was owned by Farid Sefa until her death.

And then there was Heatherten. A big, beautiful gray mare by Forceten out of Heather Road by The Axe II. In 1984, while I was working at Churchill Downs, I remember walking through the barn area after feed time and would pass Mott's barn. You could not miss the tall mare in the corner stall weaving back and forth like she was listening to a disco song from the 70s.

Heatherten was purchased for $29,000 in 1980 at the Keeneland September yearling sale. In 53 starts, Heatherten had won 21 races, with 7 seconds and 4 thirds with earnings of $1,022,699.

She raced from ages three to six and had four different trainers: Robert Holthus, John Palmer, Jack Van Berg and finally Mott. From what I can see thanks to the Daily Racing Form and Equibase, John Franks had her until she was sold to [Fontainebleau Farm] for $650,000 in foal to Theatrical (Ire).

On June 2, 1984, Heatherten won the Locust Grove S. at Churchill Downs. Only eight days later on June 10, she was traveling to New York for the GI Hempstead H. at Belmont Park and she won. And 20 days later she headed back to Louisville and won the Fleur de Lis H. again at Churchill Downs. Talk about tough! In total Heatherten won five Grade I stakes races. And, still today some 38 years later, Heatherten's name can be seen in the Oaklawn program as she remains the track record holder for 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.20, which was set in the Apple Blossom in 1984.

She had several winners in Japan. Her best runner was Three Diamond (Jpn) (Theatrical {Ire}) with earnings of approximately $441,667. Heatherten was sent to Japan in 1991, while in foal to Theatrical (Ire). On June 20, 1999, the big mare passed away.

Overall, both fillies ran three times in the prestigious Apple Blossom.

Sefa's Beauty ran second in 1983; she won the Apple Blossom in 1985 and finished third in 1986.

Heatherten's quest for the Apple Blossom started in 1983, but she finished 10th; in 1984 she finished first and in 1985 she finished second.

This week, Oaklawn honored the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame members and one special trainer that came in was William I. Mott. I had the chance to sit and talk about both legends. Mott used to gallop horses that he trained and he rode both Heatherten and Sefa's Beauty in the mornings. Sefa's Beauty he said was easy to train, while Heatherten was an anxious mare that you had to be prepared for her next move. Both girls were groomed by Randy, one of Bill's best grooms, who would always wear a suit when taking his stakes fillies to the paddock on race day.

I had the past performances of both mares to show Bill. He looked at them with amazement and asked, “Did I do that?” Yes, Mr. Mott, you sure did!

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Letter to the Editor: Bryan Krantz

Editor's Note: Bryan Krantz is an owner and breeder, as well as a former owner of Fair Grounds. He shares this story about Chris Owens, the longtime famed New Orleans entertainer and club owner who passed away Tuesday.

Chris Owens was a regular Thanksgiving Day attendee for Fair Grounds opening day. Usually there were three in her group: Chris, her mom and boyfriend. She was a local celebrity and wanted to be seen. She usually requested a table across the dining room from the maitre d' stand. This insured she would pass the maximum number of people before being seated. Always decked to the nines, she swept in after most of the crowd had been seated, but just before the first race.

But I told you that story to tell you this one: Chris Owens was tangentially tied to one of the most fated stories in Thoroughbred racing history. Her club, as with many French Quarter properties, has an apartment on the upper floor which she rented for many years to a prominent local racing figure named Arthur Frost. “Frosty” was Anthony Pelleteri's racing manager. Pelleteri, in addition to being an owner of Fair Grounds, was a prominent horseman on the national stage.

Pelleteri shipped his stable to Saratoga in 1942 with Frosty overseeing the operation as racing manager. A 2-year-old in his care was entered in an allowance race which failed to fill with enough entries to be used on the program. Frosty dutifully attempted to contact his boss, to no avail. The horse was ready to run and needed a race. Frosty entered him in a $2,500 claiming race, feeling the horse was not prominent enough to be claimed. He came to the paddock with a blanket on and four bandages giving the unknowing an appearance of a horse with soundness issues.

Hall of Fame trainer Horatio Luro was looking for horses to build his stable and was impressed enough with the son of Prince Rose (GB) to try and buy him as a yearling. He was still impressed with the undistinguished 2-year-old Princequillo and haltered him for the $2,500 claiming price. When Pelleteri found out, he was livid with Frosty but the deed had been done.

Princequillo under Luro's tutelage became a multiple champion and later a major influence on the North American Thoroughbred breed.

But there is more. As racing began to shut down due to World War II, one of the only fall tracks open was Fair Grounds. Luro's horses shipped to New Orleans, but he was told no stalls were available. Luro scrambled to find lodging for the animals and hastily made arrangements for the horses to be stalled at a dairy farm in Kenner. He eventually found stall space at Fair Grounds and won some races but Princequillo made no starts.

Frosty returned to New Orleans and continued to work at Fair Grounds until he retired under a pension system set up by Pelleteri. He worked as a racing official for many years, through several track ownerships. He was always a class guy. He was a close friend and tenant of Chris Owen and a very small part of her New Orleans story.

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Letter to the Editor: Joseph S. Bertino, Jr., PharmD, FCP, FCCP

I am writing to try to clear up some of the confusion concerning the science around betamethasone as it pertains to its use in racehorses. I am a (human) clinical pharmacologist and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Why are there different forms (salts) of betamethasone (in this case acetate and valerate)?

Many drugs do not dissolve well in water, so other molecules are added to them so that they can dissolve in water in order to make useful dosage forms. Sometimes these other molecules are added to the drug to make them last longer in the animal when injected into something like a joint, that is, dissolve very slowly (think of a slow-release drug). Often, the betamethasone used to inject into a joint has two forms, one that is already dissolved to act sooner and one that remains in the joint and delivers [the] drug more slowly. For use on the skin, betamethasone valerate is used and can be absorbed into the animal. Betamethasone from any of these salts is the same in the animal's body; it's a potent drug used to reduce inflammation and pain and its effect is long lasting in any form.

What happens to these other molecules added to betamethasone?

The body removes these extra molecules added leaving the main drug (in this case betamethasone) to do its work. For betamethasone valerate in an ointment, some of it will be absorbed and the amount depends on the integrity of the area it is being applied to. The valerate added to betamethasone would be found in the urine along with some betamethasone valerate. For betamethasone acetate, the acetate is removed and used in the body to make other things so finding it in the urine would be quite unusual.

How does a drug like betamethasone work to reduce inflammation and pain?

Inflammation occurs due to the animal's immune system working and its reaction to an injury. The drug acts to calm down the immune system to produce its effect. Betamethasone in any salt form does not work immediately when injected in a vein, a joint, or applied as an ointment. This effect takes time to occur (at least a few hours after the animal gets the drug). Even when the drug is completely gone from the body, the effect remains for some time (hours or days) because it takes the immune system time to gear back up (and hopefully the injury is healed). So that means even if small amounts or no drug is found in the blood, the effect on inflammation and pain lingers after a dose.

Do we know the relationship of the amount found in the blood and the drugs' effect on reducing inflammation and pain?

Absolutely not, we do not know how much drug in the blood is needed to get the effect to reduce inflammation and pain. Measurement of the drug in blood is not a good indicator of the dose of the drug used or when the drug was given; it simply tells us that the animal has received the drug. This is the reason that there is such a long time between injection of the drug into a joint and when a horse can race “clean” as set up in the rules of a racing commission.

What can measurement of drug in the blood tell us?

Measurement of drug in blood can tell us how much total drug can be found in the blood of the horse but not how much total drug is in the body of the horse. For Medina Spirit, a measurement of 21 pg/mL in the blood was found the day he won the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The average blood volume of a horse is 54.5 liters (54,500 mL or 12.3 gallons). So, if you multiply 21 pg/mL x 54,500mL of blood, you get 1.14 micrograms total in the blood. The usual dose injected into a joint in a horse is 9 mg (9,000 micrograms), and since the betamethasone acetate used is designed to dissolve slowly, we would suspect that there could be more drug remaining in the joint than what is reflected in the blood.

So, what does this all mean?

Well first, betamethasone is betamethasone, it doesn't matter how it got into an animal (injection, ointment, etc.), it is active in reducing inflammation and pain. Next, finding low amounts of the drug in the blood does not tell us when the drug was last given. It does tell us that an exposure has occurred and may be ongoing. Since the drug effect is long lasting (and lasts even after the drug concentration is low or no longer measurable in the blood), a significant effect on inflammation and pain may still be occurring. Finding betamethasone valerate in the urine is not unexpected when betamethasone valerate is used as an ointment [as] some is absorbed. When using betamethasone acetate injection, finding no acetate in the urine is expected because the body uses the acetate that is shaved off the betamethasone to make other things.

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