The Biz | Horse Racing Free Tips

Maryland Commission Approves Resumption Of Racing At Laurel Park

The Maryland Racing Commission has voted to grant approval for racing to resume on Saturday at Laurel Park, reports The Racing Biz. More than 100 horses worked over the track on Thursday morning, following an analysis and changes made by veteran track surfaces manager John Passero on Wednesday.

Passero served as senior vice president of racing surfaces for the Maryland Jockey Club earlier in his career, and his assessment was requested by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association in a letter sent to track management earlier this week.

“The track seems great,” trainer Tim Keefe, also president of the MTHA, told The Racing Biz on Thursday. “It sounds good, and the feedback from some of the riders has been that it has good bounce to it, good support.”

Track management has maintained that measurements of various components of the track surface currently fall “within industry norms” and also that the rate of fatal injury so far for 2023 is below that of the same period last year, at 1.3 per 1,000 starts as compared to 1.98 per 1,000 starts last year.

Information provided by the state shows that 13 fatalities have occurred at Laurel so far this year, four of which occurred in a race, and five of which occurred in training, and four of which were listed as “medical” and not the direct result of an orthopedic injury. The state's data show six fatalities in April, though one of those was considered “medical” since it was the result of laminitis that occurred after a case of cellulitis.

A meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission was scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, but the MTHA and the Maryland Jockey Club, which manages both Laurel Park and Pimlico Racetrack, agreed prior to the MRC meeting to allow Passero to analyze the surface. Passero made a few changes on Wednesday, and recommended that he would have the track ready for racing on Saturday, April 29.

Entries were taken Wednesday for Saturday's card, including five stakes races which were originally scheduled to be run on April 22. A total of 116 horses were entered for 11 races.

Suspensions For The Tracy Brothers Made ‘Indefinite’ After Louisiana Commission Hearing

In rulings issued April 17, the Louisiana State Racing Commission has opted to edit the suspensions of trainer Greg Tracy and assistant trainer James “Jim” Tracy from six months to indefinite suspensions.

The Tracys may request a reconsideration of their indefinite suspensions, which according to the latest rulings “will be dependent on his cooperation with Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Attorney General's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office investigations.”

Stewards had issued six-month suspensions to both earlier this year after a routine search of a tack room assigned to Greg Tracy at Delta Downs by state police turned up 59 bottles of injectable medications, 352 hypodermic needles, 256 syringes, and 75 packs of Albuterol Sulfate inhalation solution.

The two brothers had requested an appeal of the stewards' ruling and were allowed to continue working on the backstretch.

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In Louisiana, six months is the maximum suspension stewards may give a licensee, but they are permitted to refer cases to the full commission for further hearing if they believe a more serious penalty is warranted. Louisiana Racing Commission executive director Charles Gardiner III told the Paulick Report in March that the licensees' appeals were granted because if they had been denied, the full commission would have to assemble within 10 days for a hearing on that decision, which is logistically difficult.

At the time of the discovery at Delta Downs, James Tracy had been listed as being under indefinite suspension for a financial issue by officials since Pennsylvania in 2015. Numerous other jurisdictions besides Louisiana had issued Tracy a license or license renewal in the intervening years despite his Pennsylvania status.

The post Suspensions For The Tracy Brothers Made ‘Indefinite’ After Louisiana Commission Hearing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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FTC: Launch Of New HISA Anti-Doping Program Pushed Back To May 22

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a final rule that extends the effective date for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control Rule until May 22, 2023.

The FTC previously issued an order on March 27, 2023, approving the Anti-Doping Rule and putting it into effect as of that date.

Today's new FTC rule notes that a recent federal court decision delayed the implementation of the Anti-Doping Rule until May 1, and the FTC rule also notes that further extending the Anti-Doping Rule's effective date to May 22 will ensure that the horseracing industry has sufficient time to prepare for the Anti-Doping Rule to become effective.

The FTC's rule notes that the extension will also avoid the chaos and confusion that could occur if the Anti-Doping Rule became effective on May 1, during the lead up to the “Triple Crown” races scheduled during May.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which recognized the Authority, includes a requirement that its rules (and any future modifications to those rules) must be submitted for approval to the FTC. The Act requires that the FTC approve submitted rules if it finds that they are “consistent with” the Act and the FTC's procedural rules governing the submission process.

The Commission vote to approve the final rule was 3-0.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the FTC on social media, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

The post FTC: Launch Of New HISA Anti-Doping Program Pushed Back To May 22 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Laurel: Veteran Passero’s ‘Quick Fixes’ Could Have Racing Resume By Saturday

Racing at Laurel Park may resume as early as this Saturday, after veteran track surfaces manager John Passero examined the surface on Wednesday, April 26, according to an agreement between track management and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. Tim Keefe, a trainer who is the president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, told the Daily Racing Form that Passero made a few fixes and that additional changes could be made in time to race by Saturday.

“He made some quick fixes, some changes he thought were necessary,” Keefe told DRF. “He's very comfortable that we'll be where we need to be on Saturday.”

Passero served as senior vice president of racing surfaces for the Maryland Jockey Club earlier in his career, and his assessment was requested by the MTHA in a letter sent to track management earlier this week.

A text message from the Maryland Jockey Club alert system indicated that normal training hours will resume on Thursday, April 27, with the first 10 minutes after each harrow break reserved for workers only. It will be the first day works have been allowed for nearly a week.

Entries were also taken for Saturday's card, including five stakes races which were originally scheduled to be run on April 22. A total of 116 horses were entered for 11 races.

According to MTHA, five horses suffered fatal injuries in April at Laurel, including two on Thursday, April 20. Live racing was cancelled the next day, and neither of last weekend's programs were run. A card that was scheduled for April 27 did not move forward due to lack of entries. Track management has maintained that measurements of various components of the track surface currently fall “within industry norms” and also that the rate of fatal injury so far for 2023 is below that of the same period last year, at 1.3 per 1,000 starts as compared to 1.98 per 1,000 starts last year.

The state's data show six fatalities in April, though one of those was considered “medical” since it was the result of laminitis that occurred after a case of cellulitis.