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Open Letter to the Industry: Bentley Combs

Last week I was disheartened to read the Maryland horsemen had relented to outside pressure to hold 2-year-old racing without Lasix. However, I saw a silver lining in the mentioning of a possible three-year study. No matter what side of the debate you fall on, we can all agree that the race-day administration of Lasix might be the most divisive issue in an industry full of divides.

In the back and forth debate over Lasix and its need, I have heard differing numbers. I have heard anti-Lasix people say between five and 10 percent of horses experience Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging (EIPH), commonly known as bleeding. On the pro-Lasix side I’ve heard over 50 percent. This three-year study gives us the chance to answer that debate.

We have decades of anecdotal evidence through experience at the track and through studies such as the South African study partially funded by the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation. That landmark study demonstrated the effectiveness of Lasix and, also importantly, showed no harm with its usage. Knowing this, the prevalence of EIPH should be the deciding factor in the administration of race-day Lasix. What if we had a large comprehensive study answering the question of prevalence of EIPH under real-world racing conditions in horses running in the United States that have not been administered Lasix on race day?

Vital to truly understanding the extent of EIPH, we must determine the numbers of horses who might not bleed through the nostrils, to where it can be observed by the naked eye, but who experience blood in the airways that is detected only by endoscopic exam. Whether visible or not, bleeding is damaging to a horse and often is progressive.

Not having the expertise to come up with the conceptual framework of a peer-reviewed study, this just seems like the most common-sense approach to me: We scope all 2-year-olds that run in a race in Maryland for the next three years. Scope them all 45 minutes to an hour post race. This would be for the simple binary ruling of yes or no. Other things will need to be recorded as well such as sex, surface, distance, weather conditions and track conditions as these things could be contributing factors.

Certainly any such study will face hurdles, including owners and trainers objecting to participation for fear of their horses being put on some sort of bleeder list. Submitting to the study would be a condition of entry. Also people’s minds can be put to rest with the condition of anonymity for the horse. The only purpose for identifying the horse post race is to confirm that the horse was in fact one that ran in that race.

Also: who will do the scoping and who will pay for this study? I think it should be the veterinarians currently working at Maryland tracks doing the endoscopic exams. Vets aren’t going to scope horses for free, so who will pay for the scoping and compiling of the data? This might be pie in the sky, but I think every industry stakeholder should make an effort to chip in for such a study because it benefits everybody and most of all our horses. This issue of prevalence of EIPH brings us to a new starting point in a conversation over Lasix based in science.

I think any owner, trainer, breeder or stakeholder who is genuinely curious and willing to learn would contribute. Such a study would give the world as a whole a chance to learn and grow.

So many decisions in this industry seem to be emotionally based. A study like this gives the industry a chance to base policy-making on Lasix on science rather than emotion.

Given the importance of such a study, the industry shouldn’t limit the scope to just Maryland. Every racing jurisdiction that has adopted a no-Lasix policy for 2-year-old racing–whether by regulatory authority or utilizing a track’s “house rules”–should launch a parallel project.

I sincerely hope the anti-Lasix camp with their numbers of between 5 and 10 percent are correct. Given my own experiences, I don’t believe the anti-Lasix camp’s numbers to be accurate (or they’re only counting horses who visibly bleed), but I don’t know for sure. A study like this would give us a clear view moving forward in our policy-making rather than the emotionally blinded view it seems we’ve been using thus far.

Kentucky-based Bentley Combs began training horses in late 2017 after serving as assistant trainer to Dallas Stewart. The Lexington product graduated from the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program in the College of Business and received an MBA from the University of Mississippi.

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Ky Downs Set to Open The Mint Gaming Hall in September

Kentucky Downs will open its Mint Gaming Hall, a new 30,000 square-foot historical horse racing (HHR) in early September, and will coincide with the track’s live six-day racing meet. The hall, which will add more than 600 historical horse racing terminals, will also include a new multi-media Center Bar, entertainment stage and a new high-limit betting area.
The addition of The Mint Gaming Hall is the first of a multi-phase expansion and growth plan that began last year since it was sold in March 2019.
“We are always seeking ways to enhance the guest experience and can’t wait to provide more food and beverage offerings, more live music and more entertainment,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs’ senior vice president and general manager.
“Our growth continues to solidify Kentucky Downs’ role as an economic engine for the Franklin-Simpson area and beyond as both an attraction and an employer.”
For more information, visit www.themintgaming.com

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Blue Grass Farms Charities’ Monster Bash Postponed

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Directors for Blue Grass Farms Charities (BGFC) have postponed the upcoming “Monster Bash” Masquerade Ball, an annual fundraising event which was scheduled to be held at Limestone Hall in Lexington Oct. 30. Also, a date for the charities’ annual online auction has yet to be determined but will be conducted this season.
“Creativity is the key word in fundraising this year,” states Julie Berry, Executive Director. “We began our ‘Gallop and Graze’ campaign for the next six months to raise funds to offset benevolent costs the charity is incurring due to the pandemic. Plans are being made for the online auction to take place sometime this Fall. Our auction committee members are working diligently to find unique objects to bid on that will not only be exciting but hard-to-find items, as well.”
For more information on the online auction or to make a contribution to the ‘Gallop and Graze’ Campaign, visit www.bgfcky.org.

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The Next Generation with Sam Bussanich

The TDN has partnered with Amplify Horse Racing to present “The Next Generation,” an ongoing video series featuring young people who were not born into the Thoroughbred business, but are now excelling within the industry.

The only thing six-year-old Samantha Bussanich needed was a trip to Calder Race Course with her grandfather to know that racing was the sport for her. Flash forward less than twenty years later, and she’s now an alumna of the University of Kentucky, and has made a name for herself in many sectors of Lexington’s Thoroughbred industry from racing, to breeding, to marketing. ‘Sam’ just wrapped up a three-year stint working for top trainer Mark Casse, and is now preparing to board a plane for Ireland in a few weeks to begin her journey with the Godolphin Flying Start program.

One of Sam’s favorite moments in racing was when she joined Casse trainee War of Will (War Front) in the winner’s circle for the Preakness S. in 2019. She wanted other young people to experience that same thrill in racing, so she and two friends founded Nexus Racing Club, an organization dedicated to promoting youth participation in racing through partnerships with established owners.

KR: How did you get involved in horse racing?

SB: I got involved in racing when my grandfather took me to Calder racetrack when I was about six years old. Ever since then, I have loved horse racing. And then I got into riding horses, and I went to the University of Kentucky.

What I love about the horse racing industry is the competitive nature of it. I’m a very competitive person. I played basketball growing up in high school, so when that ended, I needed something to replace that in my life, and horse racing is definitely a good replacement.

KR: What is your favorite part about the business?

SB: I have two different favorite parts I would say. One is watching the 2-year-olds develop and seeing them hopefully become great racehorses. And then the second part is the team aspect. I enjoy working with everyone and it makes waking up at four in the morning a lot easier when you have a good barn to go to every morning.

KR: What was it like being a total newcomer in the industry?

SB: I do think there are a lot of challenges to not being born in the sport. I moved from New Jersey to Lexington to go to the University of Kentucky, which not everyone can do. So I do think there needs to be more ways to get involved in the industry. A few friends of mine and I created Nexus Racing Club, and there’s also Amplify Horse Racing.

Right now, just trying to get new ways of getting people involved in the sport is a little bit challenging because you do have to work. You have to be outgoing. You have to talk to people and kind of really make your own path for yourself.

KR: Tell us more about Nexus Racing Club.

SB: So two friends and I co-founded Nexus Racing Club in 2017. We thought there needed to be a better way to get new people involved in the industry because the barrier of entry was so high to get into the sport. So Nexus Racing Club partners with owners, and we have leases on racehorses. We also do a lot of networking opportunities to just try and reach out to young people ages 18 to 30, to get them involved in the sport. We think it’s really important because it is hard to get into this sport , and [so we want to] teach them the sport in an easy way because sometimes it does get a little complicated.

KR: Can you tell us about your career path and where you are today?

SB: I was a double major in Marketing and Equine Science and Management at the University of Kentucky. I started working for Mark Casse my sophomore year of college. Now I’ve graduated and I’m still working for him. I also interned for Godolphin and for Keeneland’s marketing department. I think it’s been really good to have all those different experiences in the office and with the horses working hands on with them.

I got into the Godolphin Flying Start program, which starts in August. After that, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do. I’m going to take it day by day. Luckily, this industry offers so much with so many different aspects of what you can do with your career, so I’m going to learn and see what I want to do.

KR: If there was one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be?

SB: I think something that I would change in the sport is make the start time a little bit later at the track every morning. It is hard to get new people, especially people my age involved when you say, “Oh, you have to get up at four every morning to get to the barn by 4:30.” So even if we pushed it back an hour, I think that would help and get more people out to the track in the mornings to work.

KR: Who is your all-time favorite horse?

SB: My all-time favorite Thoroughbred is War of Will. That’s always changing for me, but right now it is War of Will. He’s taken me on some of the best experiences of my life. He gave me the best day of my life when he won the Preakness. He’s just such a cool horse. He’s so smart and easygoing, and we all love him so much.

It’s been so rewarding to just watch him develop with all different strings. He’s been in Canada, New York, Florida and Kentucky. He’s also been at the farm for a while. So everyone that’s a part of Team Casse got to be around him. He really is a team Casse kind of horse because everyone has gotten their hands on him. So, he’s rewarded everyone in the program.

KR: What are some of your career goals?

SB: My career goal is not only to better the industry, but to make it easier for younger people to get involved. I want to be someone that hopefully a young girl will reach out to and say, “Hey, how do I get another step forward in this industry?” Hopefully I’ll be easy to reach, provide them with some good advice and make them want to stay and work in the industry.

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