His team has conducted the ongoing testing at Churchill Downs, and it will be tasked this week with being sure Ellis Park is ready to handle a race meet in expedited fashion while also helping out with the continued surface analysis at Churchill.

TDN spoke with Peterson early Friday evening in the wake of the 12 horse deaths at Churchill that caused that track's corporate ownership to move a portion of its remaining spring meet to Ellis, which has not hosted racing since last summer. An edited version of that conversation follows.

TDN: Please describe your team's role, what's been done so far at Churchill, and what are the next steps at both Churchill and Ellis.

MP: I'm a professor at the University of Kentucky, and the university has set up with the racing industry to allow me to spend half of my time running the non-profit Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory in Lexington. We now have six full-time people, and we work for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority doing testing. We also work for racetracks doing testing, and we do materials testing. Our standards, quite a few of them, have been adopted as international standards. Others, we're working on getting them accepted as international standards.

Our next priority is to do anything we can to help Churchill, and to evaluate the Ellis surface for HISA, because we're moving there and we need to make sure, to the extent that we can, that [Ellis is ready and safe to race].

We've got this really systematic “pre-flight” process we go through before each race meet. We did our testing 2 1/2 months ago to get ready for the Churchill race meet, and then we repeated it after [GI Kentucky] Derby week. It involves ground-penetrating radar, biomechanical surface testing, and we measure grades.

At the start of the race meet, everything looked good. It looked good after the Derby, too. We just didn't see anything out of whack.

I'm not going to pretend we know everything. That's not a part of what we're doing. We can work on consistency. But we've still got a lot to learn about safety. And that's really the wonderful thing about HISA. We're going to be doing this now at a [nationwide] scale, and it won't depend on who the general manager [at any given track] is. It will be every [track] just does the same thing.

So I've been thinking we're on the cusp of something good. And then the [12 fatalities at Churchill] happen, and it just makes you think, “What don't we know? What are we missing?”

TDN: What's next?

MP: At Churchill, we'll go back and I suspect we'll do some more testing. [West Coast track surfaces consultant] Dennis Moore has finished up [a round of testing this week], and I just talked to him right before you called, and we're just making sure we understand everything that we're looking at. He hasn't found anything of any note there. But we're going to keep looking.

What we're scheduling now [at Churchill] is the same testing we do for every other racetrack. We'll be doing 72 tracks this year according to the schedule. And we'll be doing the same thing at Ellis. Ellis was on the schedule for next week anyway. We're just going to [expedite] it, and if we find anything, we'll fix it. It's a seasonal track, so it's got its own set of challenges. My understanding is that before the announcement, [Churchill representatives] were over there [to try to figure out if Ellis] was ready.

I think [moving the meet to Ellis] is a good thing. We've got to figure out what was going on [at Churchill] and look at everything. And I don't mean just the track: Horse population, the history of the horses, et cetera.

TDN: Ellis hasn't hosted racing since last summer. Most dormant dirt tracks get rolled and compacted when not in use, then gradually get opened up with harrows prior to the meet starting. Where are they in that process?

MP: I don't know. We need to follow up. We just got the announcement [Friday]. But keep in mind that Del Mar, which incidentally, is a dirt track that has been the safest major track in North America for the last couple of years, they've got the [San Diego County Fair] on that [compacted] surface until like a week and a half before [racing begins].

What we generally say is the trick is to do three days of simulated racing, [which can be condensed into] a 24-hour period. We're talking watering, harrowing [and that repeated cycle]. That's how we make sure that the track is fully set up. Dennis Moore is the one who has probably perfected that.

TDN: Back in 2014-15, when Aqueduct had a spate of 12 catastrophic fatalities, TDN interviewed several veterinarians who suggested that absent of any identifiable problems, the deaths could be explained statistically as a “bad run of numbers.” That can make mathematic sense, but the theory tends not to go over well when people are demanding quick answers and causes. Could that be the case at Churchill?

MP: Remember, I'm not a veterinarian. I'm not even close. I'm a PhD engineer. But I'm pretty good with numbers. [And] if you look at this, this absolutely [could be what the New York vets] were talking about.

TDN: You've been working on track safety for the better part of three decades. Given the more intense focus on horse deaths, do you find increased pressure to come up with “magic bullet” types of answers to difficult, multi-factorial problems?

MP: The comparison that I like to make is that what I do is like the National Transportation Safety Board when they have a train derailment. I'm one of the pieces that goes into the puzzle for them to understand it so they can respond and do the analysis. But it isn't going to be just one piece. It's going to [involve] necropsy results. The drug testing. The past performances of the horses. The training history. All those pieces fit together, and then that's what a good post-mortem exam is going to look like.

It doesn't happen quickly, and it's probably way slower than it should [be], which is something that I think HISA has got to focus some effort on. But my role is to give them the track part of it. I think we've gotten to where we do a better job at that than we did. I'm not 100% satisfied. But we're working on it.

TDN: What, specifically, are you working on that could be a future game-changer?

MP: We have a prototype of a sensor that goes on the harrow, and it will give us moisture content and cushion depth in real time between every race. That really will be a “black box” that goes with the overall process. [Think of] our pre-meet testing as the pre-flight checklist. As we go forward, our goal is to make [the sensor] the black box [like the one that records in-flight data]. That's where we're headed. For better or worse, these are the sorts of events that [spur] progress.

The post Q&A on Churchill/Ellis with Track Surfaces Expert Mick Peterson appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

What also scares me is what I read in Sundays TDN in the article “Two more equine deaths at Churchill Downs” was in the statement from HISA that said: “Dr Peterson has assured both HISA and Churchill Downs that the racing surface is safe.” I knew instantly that this was not true and emailed and later called to confirm such with Dr. Peterson. I first started working with Dr. Mick Peterson in the late 1990s when he asked me to be on a committee for one of his engineering graduate students at Colorado State University (CSU). The student work led to a publication on racetrack surfaces which we published in 2000. We first published results research from racetrack surface testing in 2008 and we co-founded the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory in 2009. I was then, and still am, an equine orthopaedic surgeon and was also the Founding Director of the Orthopaedic Research Center at CSU. I also was devoid of expertise in engineering and remain so, but was very interested in getting objective data and clarification of the role of racetrack surface in the spectrum of factors that contribute to misculoskeletal injury. When I was approached by Dr Peterson, I also had a consulting referral surgical practice in Southern California (retired from that recently after 40 years) and thought, albeit it naively, that perhaps we could verify a racetrack as “safe” with this research.  However, while the methods developed by Dr Peterson's team are now the basis of International standards and the subject of more than 25 publications on racetrack and arena surfaces, the ability to certify a track as “safe” remains elusive.

Dr. Peterson was indeed engaged by both Churchill Downs and HISA to examine the track with his usual protocol that makes measurements to fit within the benchmarks (and they did), however, those benchmarks are not capable of saying a racetrack has zero contribution to risk nor does it evaluate other rick factors to musculoskeletal injury. The offending sentence in the HISA press release is at best an unforced error and, at worst, a lie. I can only presume Dr. Sue Stover, an expert in her own right on this topic and Head of HISA Safety Committee, was never consulted before the release and I know Dr. Peterson was not. While I think this is innocent incompetence, it does come across as throwing Dr. Peterson under the bus. We have enough vultures circling that we cannot afford to turn on each other, albeit inadvertently. In full transparency, I am a supporter of HISA; I was incoming President of the AAEP when AAEP hosted the Summit that led to the formation of RMTC. The main mission of RMTC was to get uniformity between States, which was not achieved, and I think HISA is the only way we can can achieve this. However, stubbing their toe as they did here opens up questions as to the 'integrity' word in the HISA title and demands a public apology and retraction in my opinion.

Respectfully,

Wayne McIlwraith DVM, PhD

Editor's Note: The TDN reached out to Dr. Mick Peterson to corroborate Dr. McIlwraith's assertions. Here is what he had to say:

I would never say a surface is safe. We have a lot to learn about risk to horses and riders. The only way this will happen is through data, which HISA will be able to collect. In a few years, folks like Dr. Stover will be able to pull together race, vet and other data like tracks and, I hope, identify changes we can make to improve safety. In the meantime. a careful analysis of known risk factors can be done–just like they approach a plane crash or the train derailment in Pennsylvania.

It will result in a stronger role for HISA and a healthier sport if we are clear on what is possible.

–Dr. Mick Peterson

The post Letter to the Editor: Wayne McIlwraith on a `Safe’ Track appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Near the midway point during last year's Turf Paradise meet, its equine fatality rate was more than 2.8 deaths per 1,000 starts. This compares to the national equine fatality rate of 1.39 per 1,000 starts last year.

Between Oct. 10, 2021, and May 7, 2022, 11 horses were fatally injured during morning training at Turf Paradise and 18 were fatally injured during racing, with another 13 lost to other circumstances.

Anyone with even a glancing understanding of catastrophic injuries knows the complex nature of causality, with the term “multifactorial” much bandied about. One of these important factors, however, is the condition of the racetrack surface–an issue that has bedeviled Turf Paradise in recent years.

To prepare for the upcoming meet–as well as for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), the racetrack safety portion of which went into effect July 1–Turf Paradise has hired a new track superintendent and has joined forces with the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (AZHBPA) to hire noted racetrack expert Steven Wood to oversee these operations.

In many ways, tracks like Turf Paradise–those with more to do to meet HISA's baseline racetrack surface standards–provide something of an inflection point for the federal law, the rubber now meeting the road.

How long do tracks like Turf Paradise have to get up to speed, for example? What are some possible implications for non-compliance?

In the long term, how soon before the data collection components of these federal rules generate the kinds of answers needed to further racetrack surface safety in the U.S.? “Patience,” extolled racetrack surface expert Mick Peterson in answer to the latter. “It's not going to happen overnight.”

HISA Requirements

The racetrack maintenance component of HISA–summarised here–sets out two main areas of compliance.

Before the start of each meet, tracks are required to perform a set of testing protocols for all dirt, synthetic and turf surfaces. These include the examination of dirt or synthetic surface bases either visually or by using ground penetrating radar, as well as measuring the geometry of turf tracks.

Then on an ongoing basis during the meet, HISA requires a set of daily measurements to be made at all quarter-mile markers at distances of five feet and 15 feet from the inside rail. This includes moisture content and, for dirt and synthetic tracks specifically, cushion depth.

Sarah Andrew

Track superintendents are also responsible for keeping a log of what kinds of daily maintenance they perform on the track surfaces and the relevant equipment used, along with the amounts of water put on the tracks.

Though key regional differences mean no two tracks work their surfaces exactly alike, “our end goal is to have every racing surface feel the same to the horses when they run on it,” said Ann McGovern, HISA director of racetrack safety, mirroring comments made about the work done in recent years at Del Mar and Santa Anita to render their main tracks physical twins–work widely regarded as instrumental in making these two tracks among the safest in the country.

That's the goal. To get there, the rollout it is, like much of HISA's broader mandate, piecemeal.

In short, the reporting component of the law is already very much at play, with track superintendents required to keep daily logs either written into notebooks or submitted digitally.

Where HISA currently affords wriggle room is to the typically smaller, less-resourced tracks that might not have all the necessary equipment to meet new demands.

Has HISA identified a specific date by which all tracks need to be up to speed? “We don't have an end date for that,” responded McGovern, adding that “we plan on giving extra help to tracks that need it, and extra guidance.”

Thistledown Racino in Ohio is one of those tracks playing catch up.

“Implementing everything has taken some time, but we're going the right way,” said long-time track superintendent John Banno. “We might be further behind some tracks, but we might be further along than some others.”

As mandated under HISA, the track has established a safety committee that Banno attends with the safety director and director of racing, along with representatives from the horsemen, jockeys and stewards.

“We cover a lot of bases,” Banno said, about these monthly meetings. “It's mostly about keeping the lines of communication open.”

Ryan Thompson

Complying with another new mandate, Banno maintains a written notebook of numbers, details and wrinkles from his workday.

“If I'm putting down 100,000 gallons of water,” Banno said, of the details recorded. “If we use harrows for the first few races and we then switch to floats. If it rains–things like that.”

But as someone “more comfortable with dirt and mud than documentation,” ducks and water would hardly be analogized in the way Banno's taken to the task. “I'm hoping it gets a little more streamlined,” he admitted. Efficiencies can also be made elsewhere.

“I have a wish list every year,” said Banno, pointing out that his crew is working with equipment that is, in some cases, more than 40 years old.

“I'm sure many smaller racetracks have to deal with that, too,” said Banno, pointing out that new equipment is both pricey–new floats or harrows can run up to $25,000 each–and fairly limited in supply.

“As far as I can tell, there's only two vendors that sell this equipment, and one of them doesn't really supply too many things anymore,” he said.

The current Thistledown meet ends Oct. 14 before kick-starting once again next spring.

With more than six months between now and then, Banno has ample time on his hands to prepare for HISA's pre-meet testing requirements. Many other meets are scheduled to launch in the interim.

This is where Peterson, who founded the non-profit Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, is expected to step in.

“It doesn't tell you anything”

HISA is in the final stages of reaching an agreement with Peterson for his organization to oversee these pre-meet stipulations.

“Our agreement is to ensure that HISA gets what information it needs when we go to the racetracks to do the testing,” said Peterson. Not that he anticipates the same degree of involvement at all tracks.

Many of the larger, more prestigious tracks already meet and often exceed the baseline track demands under HISA. Take moisture content readings–what should be measured daily–with Fair Grounds “a good example,” said Peterson.

“I can tell you what the moisture content was measured at 24 points [around the track] in 2010 at Fair Grounds, every day of the race meet,” he explained.

But not all U.S. track superintendents currently use the requisite tool to measure moisture content–a funkily called time domain reflectometry device. Those that don't typically gauge it the old-fashioned way, grabbing a clump of dirt and squeezing it with their hand. Or through the feel of the equipment on the track.

The good news is that a time domain reflectometry device will set the buyer back around $1,400–hardly a bank-breaker. Nor do these instruments require a PhD in engineering.

“Incredibly simple,” Peterson said, about the device's ease of use. “You just stick it in, press the button.”

Sarah Andrew

For run-ragged superintendents at under-resourced tracks, arguably the biggest headache under HISA's new regime has proven the time and discipline involved in keeping daily testing and maintenance logs.

Some of the tracks already affiliated with the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory use the organization's online portal to record information, though Peterson admits it can still prove laborious, the database something of a Bronze Age relic of the early digital era.

That old software, however, is undergoing a digital facelift. “The new version with The Jockey Club is going to be a lot more user-friendly,” said Peterson. That revamped software will undergo beta-testing at the Keeneland fall meet.

Which leads to the ultimate aim of what Peterson describes as the wholesale collection of “standard data taken in a consistent fashion out of a lot of tracks”: the ability to refine the information to better determine what track surface maintenance practices improve equine safety–and those that don't.

“It doesn't tell you anything,” said Peterson, dismissive of the Clegg hammer–a device measuring hardness and compaction that is still widely used around U.S. racetracks.

Then there's the issue of sealed tracks. In California, for example, horses are not permitted to train on such a surface. According to Peterson, that reticence is probably unfounded.

The “largest study to date from the Equine Injury Database [EID]” found “no significant difference when comparing off dirt versus regular dirt track for risk factors,” Peterson said.

The question then becomes: How soon can we expect the data collected under HISA to bear fruit?

“It's going to take a lot of data,” said Peterson, comparing it to the evolution of the EID.

“The first four or five years, I remember it wasn't clear that the EID was going to contribute any meaningful understanding of catastrophic injuries,” he said. “It took a lot of data, even with full participation.”

Given the steadily shifting sands of public opinion toward horse racing, there's a chance some tracks with dicey safety records might not have that four- or five-year leeway.

“This surface is not right,” warned trainer Kevin Eikleberry during an Arizona racing commission meeting before the 2021-22 Turf Paradise meet when even the commission's head veterinarian bemoaned a lack of thorough and consistent surface maintenance standards.

With a change of crucial track personnel at the Arizona facility in the interim, however, expectations are noticeably higher one year on.

Coady

“HISA would absolutely react”

“We've had to make sure the banking is how we want it,” explained Wood, before ticking off a long grocery list of other preparations already conducted at the track, including removing “a lot” of material from the existing surface, and adding tons of new sand and bark, the latter for cushioning.

“All these things should help,” said Wood, before adding that “you're still going to have to have the other guys, the vets and such, do their job” to meaningfully shift the needle.

According to George Lopez, the newly minted track superintendent at Turf Paradise–himself a former protégé of the Wood academy of track management–the facility has also splashed out on new equipment.

This includes a new grader–used to redistribute surface materials–and two new water trucks. “We also have two good tractors now,” said Lopez, who describes his new job as a “challenge” to relish.

“I'm very confident and I'm very sure we're going to have a really good, safe meet this time,” he said.

But what if the meet resumes this November and safety expectations fall short once more?

Stressing the “multifactorial” nature of equine injury, McGovern said that in such an instance, the new federal authority would “immediately” get involved, though stopped short of outlining a clear set of potential actions.

“Getting involved may mean talking to management, talking to the track superintendent, sending Mick [Peterson] to look at the track surface, looking at necropsies, looking at training methods,” McGovern said. “HISA would absolutely react to any track that had numbers as significant as we have seen at Turf Paradise last year.”

The post Racetrack Surfaces: Where HISA’s Rubber Meets the Road appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

EQUINE SAFETY, TESTING AND SECURITY

All Breeders' Cup runners are subject to:

• Randomized out-of-competition (OOC) testing (beginning internationally in June and concluded Nov. 1, resulting in the collection of over 300 blood and hair samples
• Expanded veterinary scrutiny in-stall and during training at Del Mar, Santa Anita and San Luis Rey Training Center
• Mandatory trot up observations of every horse prior to being permitted to enter a racing surface
• Comprehensive veterinary exams including diagnostics, if required, beginning Oct. 25
• Surveillance following a mandatory equine security check-in Nov. 2
• An additional round of testing for performance enhancing medications and prohibited substances on all horses entered starting Nov. 2, along with additional randomized onsite testing over the following days for a total of approximately 500 blood, hair and urine samples collected from all Breeders' Cup runners prior to the World Championships
• Extensive post-race testing of the first four finishers as well as any other runner that did not perform as expected and others designated by the Stewards.

The Breeders' Cup's veterinary team includes Dr. Will Farmer, Dr. Deborah Lamparater and CHRB Equine Medical Director Dr. Jeff Blea. Veterinary protocols include observing all potential Breeders' Cup runners in the stabling area, on the track and in their stalls leading up to the event in addition to a mandatory pre-race evaluation Nov. 2 to ensure every runner is fit to race.

TRACK SURFACE SAFETY

Breeders' Cup has retained a panel of racing surface experts, including Racetrack Safety Program Director Mick Peterson, Del Mar turf course superintendent Leif Dickinson and Del Mar racetrack superintendent Dennis Moore, to oversee testing and track maintenance in conjunction with Del Mar's racing surface team. Together, they will ensure consistency in both surfaces, measuring moisture content and footing across the surfaces and providing participants with real-time updates on track and turf conditions.

COVID-19 MITIGATION

The Breeders' Cup and Del Mar have worked closely with local public health officials and infectious disease experts to implement health and safety protocols to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 during the World Championships. Among the experts enlisted to provide effective protocols have been set in place include Dr. Richard Greenberg–former Chief of Infectious Disease of the University of Kentucky and former employee of the Center for Disease Control; Scripps Health's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ghazala Sharieff; Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten and Chief Resiliency Officer Gary Johnston.

Protocols for attending this year's event include:

• Unvaccinated individuals must wear face coverings indoors and outdoors when in close proximity to others. Face coverings should fully cover the mouth and nose and fit snugly against the sides of the face so there are no gaps.
• Guests entering the facility or placing a bet are to practice physical distancing.
• Guests are to refrain from congregating inside the grandstand and follow all posted signage and floor decals as well as any direction from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Breeders' Cup staff.
• Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and Breeders' Cup staff have implemented enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout the facility.
• Hand-sanitizing stations have been placed throughout the grandstand and additional staff will be on-site for cleaning high-touch areas.
• Media and guests with tickets located on the 6th Floor (Il Palio Restaurant and Skyroom Suite Dining) will be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours.

For complete resources detailing Breeders' Cup's health and safety protocols for the 2021 World Championships, click here.

The post Breeders’ Cup Outlines Championships Protocols appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“The track's subgrade is the foundation and without a good foundation, you can't have a good structure, which is your track's cushion,” said Harrison Young, assistant superintendent at Colonial Downs and grading school participant. “This class is a great opportunity for people like me to learn from people like Mick Peterson and Dennis Moore about practices and methods that can minimize the risk of injuries to horses and riders, through the understanding of the importance of testing, surveying and grading. Safety is our motive, and the more we can learn, the better the industry will be.”

During the three-day UK grading school, entry to mid-level track surface employees learned from Peterson, Alfredo Laureano, superintendent at Keeneland Race Course and Moore, who is a superintendent of the tracks at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and Del Mar and a private consultant.

“One of the priorities of this program is getting the up-and-coming racecourse managers experience with some of the more complicated equipment used in the critical roles on the track. One of these critical areas is the grading of the surface,” said Peterson, professor in the UK Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and director of the Racetrack Safety Program.

Surface grading is vital to keeping horses and riders safe during a race. Grading school participants received one-on-one instruction operating a new grader and an older one. They also learned how to properly grade synthetic and dirt racetracks. All hands-on instruction was at Keeneland.

“You have to keep the hard base underneath the surface consistent not only because of the impact of the hoof on the ground, but to keep the moisture content consistent,” Peterson said. “You also must have consistent banking in straightaways and the turns so the loading of the legs is even, and when lead changes occur, horses and riders can use the same visual indicators to change lead.”

The industry has a strong interest for educational programs and workforce training centered around safety. The grading school received 15 applications for the five participant spots in this first school.

“The more education we have and the more knowledge we can learn about the new methods helps allow us to keep horses on the track and to be able to continue horseracing in the safest way that we possibly can,” Young said.

The grading school is the second segment of the Racecourse Manager Certification Program, a joint effort of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance, the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory. The first part was on turf courses.

The post Racecourse Managers Learn To Make Their Tracks Safer During UK Grading School appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Grader School will consist of online lectures and examinations in preparation for a two-day intensive workshop at Keeneland. Taught by superintendents of two of the leading racecourses in the United States, Alfredo Laureano and Dennis Moore, the class will include the operation of both a state-of-the-art and an older model grader.

“The most common surfaces used for Thoroughbred racing are dirt and synthetic surfaces. One of the highest priorities and the most difficult part of maintaining a racecourse is the accurate grading of dirt and synthetic racing surfaces,” said Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL).

The post Grader School Set for Sept. 13-15 at Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Grader School will consist of online lectures and examinations in preparation for a two-day intensive workshop at Keeneland. Taught by superintendents of two of the leading racecourses in the United States, Alfredo Laureano and Dennis Moore, the class will include the operation of both a state-of-the-art and an older model grader. Practice sessions will include measuring grades on turns and straights and the proper operation of a grader on dirt and synthetic surfaces.

The initial class is limited to six students. Both the hands-on workshop and online training will be expanded as demand increases. The Sept. 13-15 session requires completion of an application form and a letter of recommendation from an experienced racecourse manager. Priority will be given to younger full-time track maintenance personnel who demonstrate an interest in a career in racetrack surface maintenance. Applications may be obtained by emailing a request to info@racingsurfaces.org.

The Racetrack Certification Program is a combined effort of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Safety and Integrity Alliance, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory.

“The most common surfaces used for Thoroughbred racing are dirt and synthetic surfaces. One of the highest priorities and the most difficult part of maintaining a racecourse is the accurate grading of dirt and synthetic racing surfaces.” said Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL).

Information about the overall program, including the turf program, is available here. The recorded courses can be watched for free on the UK Ag Equine Programs YouTube channel. The University of Kentucky will be administering the certification program. The Racecourse Manager Certification Program is sponsored by John Deere, Duralock, Horsemen's Track and Equipment, Inc., and Equinox Racing.

Individuals interested in current and future programs that are part of the Racecourse Manager Certification Program, can sign up to receive email updates at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/UZUC6mf/Racecourse.

The post Racecourse Manager Certification Program Launches ‘Grader School’ Course At Keeneland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The program is the first in a three-course program entitled “Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface.” Jamie Richardson, Racetrack Superintendent at Churchill Downs, will provide introductory remarks at the opening session. Other speakers include:

• Mike Boekholder, Boekholder & Associates;
• Logan Freeman, Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppa Maryland;
• Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University;
• Beth Guertal, Ph.D., Professor of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University;
• Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D., Director of Agronomy, Mountain View Seeds; and
• Geoffrey Rinehart, MS, Turfgrass Management Lecturer, University of Maryland

The Racecourse Manager Certification program curriculum is designed for those already engaged in careers with turf surface maintenance. The online classes are free. Individuals who complete the video courses and pass a test that requires a $50 fee will receive a certificate of completion from the University of Kentucky. Participating Thoroughbred racetracks that enroll their personnel will receive credit toward future accreditation by the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance.

Individuals who pre-register at https://www.ntra.com/rmcp/ will be sent a Zoom link prior to the webinar on June 7 at 9 am.

The curriculum for the turf management course was developed by Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL).

The post All-Star Panel Of Experts Set For Inaugural Racecourse Manager Certification Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The initial three-course program, entitled “Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface,” is designed for those already engaged in careers with turf surface maintenance. Free online classes will begin June 7 and will be archived. Individuals who complete the video courses and pass a test that requires a $50 fee will receive a certificate of completion from the University of Kentucky. Participating Thoroughbred racetracks that enroll their personnel will receive credit toward future accreditation by the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance.

The “Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface” courses are:
June 7: Selection of Turf for Climate Zones
June 14: Cultivation of Turf for Compaction and Wear
June 21: Measurement of Turf Condition

The curriculum for the turf management course was developed by Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL). Other participants in the online courses include turf experts:

• Mike Boekholder, Boekholder & Associates;
• Logan Freeman, Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppa Maryland;
• Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University;
• Beth Guertal, Ph.D., Professor of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University;
• Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D., Director of Agronomy, Mountain View Seeds; and
• Geoffrey Rinehart, MS, Turfgrass Management Lecturer, University of Maryland.

Participating experts in equine biomechanics include:

• Dr. Sarah Jane Hobbs, University of Central Lancashire;
• Alison Northrop, Nottingham Trent University; and
• Lars Roepstorff, Swedish University of Agriculture.

Racing industry leaders participating include:

• Brian Jabelman, Senior Director of Track Operations, New York Racing Association;
• Jim Pendergest, Director of Racing Surfaces, Keeneland Racetrack;
• Jamie Richardson, Racetrack Superintendent, Churchill Downs; and
• Sean Gault, Equine Racing Specialist, DCS & Associates.

Individuals interested in receiving additional information and pre-enrolling for the online sessions can visit https://www.ntra.com/rmcp/.

“This is exactly the type of collaboration we envisioned when the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL) joined forces with the University of Kentucky Ag Equine Programs. The benefits of this interaction are undeniable as we seek to further protect the welfare of the horse and develop the industry's future workforce,” said NTRA President and Chief Executive Officer Alex Waldrop.

“We have assembled a powerhouse line-up of instructors to cover multiple equine disciplines ranging from turf racing to polo to eventing,” said Peterson. “This will be a science-based curriculum for individuals who are serious about their profession and desire to be leaders in their chosen fields. We are starting with a turf curriculum, but future modules will focus on all types of surfaces and will include hands-on training with track maintenance equipment.”

“We are thrilled to see this program get off the ground and appreciate the support of NTRA. Our college has a strong commitment to getting our best information out to those in the real world who can use it,” said Nancy Cox, UK Vice President for Land Grant Engagement and College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Dean.

“The science driving progress on racing safety includes not only the horses and riders themselves, but also clearly the racing surfaces on which they compete. It is exciting to see the optimization and application of knowledge from turfgrass science applied to the management challenges of turf racing,” said James MacLeod, director of UK Ag Equine Programs and Elizabeth A. Knight chair and professor of veterinary science at the Gluck Equine Research Center.

About the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory
The Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory is a non-profit (501c3) organization that carries out on-site and laboratory testing and data services for surfaces used for horse racing and equine sports. Founded in 2009, the lab is able to compare data from a wide range of surfaces used in the horse racing industry including dirt, turf and synthetic track surfaces. In 2020 the mission of the laboratory was expanded through a major gift which will allow improved on-site testing capabilities and expanded database services. In addition to racetrack testing and the development of tools to improve the consistency of the surfaces, the laboratory works with the University of Kentucky on the study of alternative racetrack surfaces and equipment, and the development and the development and promotion of standards for racetrack surfaces. All of these efforts are focused on increased consistency of racing surfaces as a part of broader efforts for the protection of horses and riders.

About the University of Kentucky Ag Equine Programs
UK Ag Equine Programs serves as the front door to equine work being done at the University of Kentucky, representing the breadth and depth of all things equine in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. It exemplifies the college's long-term commitment to serving the equine industry and horse enthusiasts regionally, nationally and internationally.

About the Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance
The Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance, (ESTA) is a recently formed group of university and industry turfgrass experts in partnership with Dr. Mick Peterson. ESTA as an organization is dedicated to conducting research and providing education about turfgrass surfaces for racetrack, eventing, polo and other-use equine surfaces. This education event is their first offering. However, future research and educational opportunities for horse owners, trainers and equine facility managers are currently being developed. It is the goal of ESTA to bring science-backed maintenance practices to the forefront of equine turfgrass systems.

About the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance
The NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance is a standing organization formed in 2008 with the goal of establishing national uniform standards in the areas of safety and integrity. Alliance accreditation standards cover six broad areas: (1) injury reporting and prevention; (2) creating a safer racing environment; (3) aftercare and transition of retired racehorses; (4) uniform medication, testing and penalties; (5) safety research; and (6) wagering security. The standards are revised annually to adopt new and progressively more stringent requirements.

About the NTRA
The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the Eclipse Awards; the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC); NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com and social media.

The post Racecourse Manager Certification Program To Launch In June At University Of Kentucky appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

That's the longest Derby drought for grays in terms of consecutive starts since 1930, when Churchill Downs began compiling detailed records related to horse colors. There's an asterisk as to whether it's the longest stretch in terms of years. There was a 17-year gap between Decidedly (1962) and Spectacular Bid (1979), but during that span, fellow gray Dancer's Image (1968) crossed the finish wire first, then was subsequently disqualified for a controversial Butazolidin  positive.

This Saturday's torch-bearers to snap the streak are juvenile champ and 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit) and GI Florida Derby runner-up Soup and Sandwich (Into Mischief).

Gray horses have a special place in racing lore, with both negative and positive connotations largely rooted in superstition. You've probably heard the phrase, “They say a gray won't earn its hay” around the backstretch. Yet you know full well that Derby-winning Hall of Famer Silver Charm (1997) did okay in the earnings department, bankrolling $6.9 million in purses.

“Never bet an unknown gray” (a horse picked out of the program without first seeing its coat color) is another alleged trackside taboo. “Gray horses for gray days,” suggests that horses of the fairer color have some unexplained edge in the mud (someone with access to a more extensive database than me, please run a long-term query).

Some natural selection theorists have proposed that grays evolved as faster horses in the wild because their distinctly lighter color made them more visible to predators. Purportedly, this enabled surviving grays to pass along some form of superior speed to their offspring.

The modern era of fascination with gray Thoroughbreds traces to the advent of television. Can you imagine the heady rush of witnessing “The Gray Ghost” streak around the track as a luminescent blur on your cutting-edge, black-and-white, rabbit-ears set back in the early 1950s?

That would be Native Dancer, who racked up a jaw-dropping 21-for-22 lifetime record. But his one race that gets talked about the most is when the sport's first TV hero suffered his only career loss–in the 1953 Derby.

Other high-profile grays who tasted Derby defeat include Holy Bull (1994) and Skip Away (1996), both of whom still managed to win 3-year-old championship honors. Tapit lost the 2004 edition prior to rising to prolific status as a stallion.

This column has mentioned four of the eight gray or roan Derby winners since 1930 (those two separate color distinctions got merged into one descriptor by The Jockey Club in 1993). Care to pause before reading the next paragraph to name the remaining four?

You probably got champion filly Winning Colors (1988) right off the bat. The others were Monarchos (2001), Gato Del Sol (1982) and Determine (1954).

Safest Surfaces?

Two stories in the news last week involved racetrack safety on the mid-Atlantic circuit. On Apr. 20, the chairman of the West Virginia Racing Commission (WVRC) went on the record as wanting Charles Town Races to consider installing a synthetic surface (read it here). Two days later, the idea of going to synth at Laurel Park was batted around at the Maryland Racing Commission meeting after it was revealed that a dirt-track repair project there was likely to take about 40 days to complete (story here).

During the WVRC meeting, chairman Ken Lowe, Jr. asked Mick Peterson–the director of the Racetrack Safety Program, who is familiar with the work at both tracks–to tell the board at which track in North America he'd choose to train and race a Thoroughbred if he owned one.

Peterson answered that provocative question by citing positive safety profiles for three tracks on the continent.

“For the last three years, the safest racetrack in North America has been Del Mar,” Peterson said, noting that the record stands out considering “how many strikes they have against them.”

Peterson explained that Del Mar's dirt track annually gets used by “way too many horses.” Plus, he added, the seasonal meet is traditionally preceded by a county fair that allows the dirt to be compacted by heavy equipment that would ideally never cross most racetrack surfaces.

“But what they've got going for them is it never rains and the weather varies about five degrees the whole year,” Peterson said. “That's huge.”

Peterson said the recently installed Tapeta surface at Turfway Park also rates highly, and he gave a positive assessment of its predecessor, Polytrack.

“They were giving Woodbine [Tapeta since 2016] a run for the money on being the safest racetrack in North America,” Peterson said. “And that's with [Turfway] running some lower-level horses during the winter…. Running during the winter, that synthetic track has been incredibly successful there.”

Lowe seemed to be nudging Peterson to share his advocacy for switching to synthetic at Charles Town. But Peterson stopped short of doing so, underscoring that synthetic racing surfaces are not his specific area of expertise.

“There are definitely some biomechanical issues that a number of the horsemen have identified, the hind-end and soft-tissue injuries on synthetic,” Peterson said. “I don't think they're perfect right now. I think there's ways that we can improve them and improve the maintenance of them. But you just look at Turfway on their synthetics, I mean that's just incredible the record they've had over the last 10 years.”

Retreats from Racing in Illinois

During the same Apr. 22 earnings conference call in which Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) tried to spin it as a positive that it was abandoning its plans to build a $300-million hotel and historical horse race (HHR) gaming facility on the first turn of its flagship racetrack, the CEO of the corporation that put an end to racing at both Hollywood Park and Calder Race Course termed it “all good” as the process continues to sell Arlington International Racecourse for non-racing purposes (full story here).

“With respect to the Arlington Park land sale, a preliminary bid date has been set, and as those bids come in in the second quarter, we'll evaluate them and figure out next steps,” said CDI's CEO Bill Carstanjen. “The ultimate conclusion of that process is something I can't responsibly predict for you because we'll have to see the nature of the bids…. This is what it takes to run a complex process to sell a big piece of land with a lot of value like that one.”

As for whether CDI would seek to transfer its Arlington license to another part of Illinois, Carstanjen said the corporation would take a wait-and-see approach to determine, “whether there's opportunities to move the racetrack elsewhere in the state as well.”

Arlington's opening day is Friday. Another Illinois track opens for the season Tuesday, but you might not recognize the name when you see it on the simulcast calendar.

“FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing” is the track formerly known as Fairmount Park.

Obviously, Fairmount's recent decision to toss 95 years of naming history into the nearby Mississippi River isn't as harmful as CDI's decision to entirely wipe away a cherished 94-year-old racetrack itself. But both decisions speak to the disquieting nature of horse racing's supposed “partnerships” with corporate gaming entities.

The post The Week in Review: 31 Shades (and Counting) of Derby Gray appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post