Tag: The Biz

At a symposium held last week in Saratoga Springs, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) announced new initiatives to support the overall wellness of jockeys and riders nationwide. As part of these efforts, HISA announced a partnership with the Jockeys' Guild to create a Steering Committee which will recommend and help implement programming to support jockey mental wellness.

“As Thoroughbred racing's national safety regulator, HISA is deeply committed to safeguarding the mental and physical wellbeing of jockeys and riders across the country,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “We owe it to these athletes, who dedicate so much of their time and talent to racing, to do everything we can to support them – including by mitigating mental stress factors as well as the risk of injury and chronic health issues.”

The newly created Steering Committee will be co-chaired by Ambassador Earle Mack and Dr. Yuval Neria. Data recently collected by a HISA and Jockeys' Guild-commissioned survey, as well as other independent research, will be used to develop specific guidelines to better support and protect rider mental wellness.

Mack, a businessman, philanthropist and former U.S. Ambassador to Finland, has six decades of experience in Thoroughbred racing as a lifelong owner and breeder and is a member of The Jockey Club. Dr. Neria is a Professor of Clinical Medical Psychology at Columbia University Medical Center and Director of Trauma and PTSD at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

“We salute HISA and the Jockeys' Guild for initiating this very important dialogue regarding the mental health and welfare of our beloved jockeys,” said Mack. “Despite my decades of experience in the industry, I was not fully aware of the mental health challenges our professional riders experience until today. Raising awareness is critical, but taking concrete steps to seek out and implement effective solutions for our riders' mental health concerns is imperative – not tomorrow, but today. Jockeys give their all to our horses every time they step on to the track. Let's afford them the care they deserve in return.”

“Jockeys in the exhilarating and sometimes dangerous sport of horse racing are repeatedly exposed to stress and trauma,” said Dr. Neria. “Physical injuries and concussions, coupled with hunger and lack of nutrients associated with weight management, place the rider at high risk for severe mental health problems, including depression, PTSD and addictions.”

Dr. Neria suggested that the industry work towards establishing a national evaluation and treatment center that can comprehensively address these very real and concerning issues.

Last week's symposium was the second gathering of industry leaders hosted by HISA and the Jockeys' Guild to address jockey wellness. During the first meeting, held at Keeneland Race Course in May, the results of the jockey survey were reviewed. In addition to Lazarus, symposium attendees in Saratoga heard from Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks, HISA National Medical Director Dr. Peter Hester, Racetrack Chaplaincy Executive Director Dan Waits and keynote speaker, retired NFL player Randy Grimes.

Donna Brothers, NBC Sports reporter and retired jockey, hosted the event and masterfully guided the powerful conversations. An important and sometimes raw panel discussion included retired Hall of Fame jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva, jockey Trevor McCarthy, FOX Sports analyst and retired jockey Richard Migliore, FOX Sports analyst and champion horseplayer Jonathon Kinchen and Dr. Neria.

“The Jockeys' Guild appreciates all of the input and interest by industry participants to address jockeys' mental health and wellness,” said Meyocks. “The Guild has long advocated for the industry to recognize the stress and everyday challenges jockeys face. The Guild looks forward to partnering with HISA in the formation of the Steering Committee to develop recommendations and programs which will demonstrate that we as an industry are able to support not only the jockeys but their family members as well and eventually all others in our industry.”

At the symposium, HISA also announced two important new partnerships that will allow HISA, racetracks and physicians to more effectively keep riders safe and healthy.

HISA will work with HEADCHECK Health, a digital concussion protocol management platform, to allow racetrack personnel to use data-driven insights to improve the care they provide riders with a suspected concussion. Through the HEADCHECK platform, riders will gain access to a new, secure system to store their medical records, which will be easily available to physicians in an emergency.

“We're very excited to be working with an innovative group like HISA,” said Harrison Brown, Co-Founder and CEO of HEADCHECK Health. “Our technology and reporting will ensure racetracks are able to consistently advance their jockey health standards and prevent mismanaged concussions.”

HISA also announced a partnership with NovaCare Rehabilitation, a nationwide physical therapy network with nearly 2,000 outpatient physical therapy centers and more than 7,000 licensed therapists. NovaCare will provide jockeys with routine physicals and baseline concussion examinations at a discounted price nationwide.

“We are excited to provide convenient and affordable nationwide access for jockey's to receive annual physical and concussion screenings,” said Matt Ries, an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist with NovaCare in Philadelphia.

The post HISA, Jockeys’ Guild Announce New Initiatives To Safeguard ‘Mental And Physical Wellbeing Of Jockeys’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Prairie Meadows-based trainer Dick Clark has been provisionally suspended after four of his trainees tested positive for methamphetamine, according to pending violations listed on the public disclosures section of the website for the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).

The multiple stakes-winning trainer is also listed with a provisional suspension for the possession of a banned substance, levothyroxine.

Also in this week's edition of the HIWU Weekly Roundup is the implementation of the newly-announced rules that allow trainers to postpone their provisional suspensions for select banned substances until a split sample result can be confirmed. Those postponements can be found below (trainer names are underlined and listed with an asterisk).

Last week's edition of the HIWU Weekly Roundup is available here, and all public disclosures can be found on the HIWU website.

Pending Violations – Provisional Suspensions For Banned Substances

The following cases include pending violations for banned substances, those that are not permitted in horses. New cases are listed in italics at the top of the list, and active suspensions have the trainer's name listed in bold.

Postponed suspensions, those for substances yet to be confirmed by split sample, have the trainer's name underlined and are listed with an asterisk (*).

• Trainer Dick Clark – possession of Levothyroxine, two runners have tested positive for methamphetamine (one horse was positive three times)
  • Colonel Klink first tested positive after finishing second in an allowance optional claiming race at Prairie Meadows on June 19. The 7-year-old gelding has since raced three more times, finishing first in a claiming race on July 3, third in a starter allowance on July 9, and second in a claiming race on July 22. He also tested positive on July 3 and 22.
  • My Heart's On Fire tested positive after finishing first in a maiden special weight race at Prairie Meadows on June 19.
• Trainer Natalia Lynch – possession of Levothyroxine, and a gelding in her care tested positive for altrenogest.
  • Motion to Strike tested positive for altrenogest after the gelding finished fourth in a claiming race at Monmouth Park on June 24. He was claimed from that race by owner/trainer Silvino Ramirez, and has since finished third in a claiming race at Monmouth on July 14. Under HISA rules, the claim will be voided.
• *Trainer Bruno Tessore – Tenebris, a gelding, tested positive for altrenogest on July 18 (no races or workouts listed on that date by Equibase).
• Trainer John Pimental – Golovkin tested positive for methamphetamine after finishing last (sixth) in a claiming race at Monmouth Park on May 29. A claim on the horse was voided from this race.
• Trainer Lorenzo Ruiz – three runners have tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine
  • Kant Beat The Rock tested positive after finishing second in a starter allowance race at Los Alamitos on July 4.
  • American Cat tested positive after winning a $16,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 25. The 4-year-old gelding has since finished third in an allowance optional claimer at Los Al on July 9.
  • Facts Matter tested positive after winning a starter allowance race at Los Alamitos on June 23. The 8-year-old gelding has since finished fifth in a claiming race at Los Al on July 8.
  • Ruiz is a multiple stakes-winning Quarter Horse trainer based at Los Al, though he has not started any Quarter Horses since 2022. Since HISA/HIWU have no jurisdiction over Quarter Horse racing, whether or not Ruiz would be able to race Quarter Horses will be up to the state racing commission and/or local racetrack. Ruiz has not started any horses, Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse, since July 9.
• *Trainer David Reid – Maligator tested positive for venlafaxine (an anti-depressant and nerve pain medication) after winning a claiming race at Hawthorne on June 25. The 8-year-old gelding has since finished second in a claiming race at Hawthorne on July 16.
• *Trainer Javier Morzan – Lady Liv tested positive for metformin (a commonly used prescription drug that treats diabetes) after finishing third in a starter optional claiming race at Delaware Park on June 24.
• *Trainer Mary Pirone – Benny The Jet tested positive for altrenogest after the gelding finished fifth in a claiming race at Emerald Downs on June 24. He was claimed from that race and moved to the barn of trainer Jorge Rosales, and has since won a claiming race at Emerald on July 14. Under HISA rules, the claim will be voided.
• Trainer Joseph Taylor – two runners have tested positive for both methylphenidate and clenbuterol
  • Classy American finished second in a starter allowance at Parx on June 20
  • Cajun Cousin finished second in a claiming race at Parx on June 18. The 4-year-old filly has since won a claiming race at Parx on July 12, prior to the positive being called. Cajun Cousin was claimed out of that race by trainer Michael V. Pino for Smart Angle LLP; the claim will be voided under HISA rules.
• *Trainer Donald H. Buckner – In the Midst tested positive for clenbuterol after finishing fifth in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 15.
• *Trainer Guadalupe Munoz Elizondo – Quinton's Charmer tested positive for metformin, a medication commonly prescribed in humans for type 2 diabetes, on June 11, 2023 (the New Mexico Racing Commission's Izzy Trejo confirmed that the positive test was incurred after a work before the state veterinarian in an attempt to remove Quinton's Charmer from the vet's list).
  • Munoz Elizondo is also a multiple graded stakes-winning Quarter Horse trainer. Since HISA/HIWU have no jurisdiction over Quarter Horse racing, Munoz Elizondo will still be able to train and race Quarter Horses in New Mexico. Trejo said that HISA gave guidance last year that jockeys suspended for whip violations on a Thoroughbred could ride in Quarter Horse races, so the NMRC has applied the same logic to a trainer with a HIWU suspension. Thus, Munoz Elizondo is permitted to participate in Quarter Horse races. Trejo added that the commission is pushing for a state rule that will apply reciprocity at the NMRC level for HISA suspensions, but that isn't in place yet.
• Trainer Milton Pineda – four runners have now tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine – find more information in this Paulick Report story, including why a supplement may be to blame for the positives
  • Chollima won an $8,000 claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 23, 2023, after which she tested positive, and has since finished second in a $12,500 claiming race
  • Big Splash won a $16,000 waiver claiming event at Santa Anita on June 10, after which he tested positive. Big Splash has since finished third in an allowance optional claiming race at Los Alamitos on June 24.
  • Flatterwithjewels finished second in a $12,500 claiming race at Santa Anita on June 9 and was claimed by Flurry Racing Stables and trainer Phil D'Amato. The claim will be voided under HISA rules.
  • Bella Renella won a $20,000 claiming race at Santa Anita on June 2, after which she tested positive. The 6-year-old mare has since won a starter optional claiming race at Santa Anita on June 18.
• *Trainer Reed Saldana – Ice Queen tested positive for the vasodilator diisopropylamine after finishing third in a starter allowance at Santa Anita on June 16 – find more information in this Paulick Report story, including why a supplement may be to blame for the positives
• Dr. Luis Jorge Perez, DVM – possession of levothyroxine (violation date June 9)
• Trainer Dennis VanMeter – Templement tested positive for isoxsuprine after finishing sixth in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 7, 2023 (see above, horse also returned positive test for controlled substance phenylbutazone)
• Trainer Jeffrey Poole – possession of levothyroxine (violation date June 2)
• *Trainer Jonathan Wong – Heaven and Earth tested positive for metformin after winning a maiden race at Horseshoe Indianapolis on June 1 (Wong told the Paulick Report he has been prescribed metformin, a commonly used prescription drug that treats type 2 diabetes in humans, since last year)
• Trainer Ray Handal – HIWU has lifted the provisional suspension of trainer Raymond Handal, who was told June 30 a horse in his care tested positive for the banned substance zeranol, but the equine anti-doping notice has not been withdrawn. (Attorney Clark Brewster told the Paulick Report that literature shows mycotoxins found on corn or grain can produce zearalenone. Zeranol is a metabolite of zearalenone.)
• Trainer Mario A. Dominguez – Petulant Delight tested positive for cobalt after winning a claiming race at Parx on May 24.

New Case Resolutions

The following cases have recently been resolved by HIWU, either by early admission and acceptance of consequences (EAAC) or by final decision (FINAL).

• Trainer Nestor Cascallares – Irazu has been disqualified from a first-place finish in a claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs on July 1 after testing positive for phenylbutazone. Purse money was ordered returned, and the claim of Irazu by trainer Douglas Jones was voided. Cascallares was fined $500 and imposed 1.5 Penalty Points (EAAC).
• Trainer Arcadio Lopez – Mo Crazy Blues has been disqualified from a first-place finish in a claiming race at Finger Lakes on June 13 after testing positive for flunixin. Purse money was ordered returned, and Lopez was fined $500 and imposed 1.5 Penalty Points (FINAL).
• Trainer Bernard Dunham – Afandi was disqualified from a second-place finish in an allowance race at Pimlico on June 2 after testing positive for albuterol, and purse money was ordered returned. Dunham will serve a seven-day period of ineligibility, was fined $1,000, and imposed 2 Penalty Points (EAAC).
• Trainer James Acquilano – Sabreen has been disqualified from a second-place finish in a claiming race at Finger Lakes on May 31 after testing positive for methocarbamol. Purse money was ordered returned, and Acquilano was fined $500 and imposed 1.5 Penalty Points (FINAL).
• Trainer Wayne Sparling – Banco Midici has been disqualified from a first-place finish in a maiden claiming race at Finger Lakes on May 24 after testing positive for methocarbamol. Purse money was ordered returned, and Sparling was fined $500 and imposed 1.5 Penalty Points (FINAL).

Pending Violations – Controlled Substances

The following cases include pending violations for controlled substances, those that are permitted for therapeutic purposes (new cases in italics at top of list).

• Trainer William Martin – Alkalinization or use of an alkalinizing agent (TCO2) on Wild Agent prior to his win in a claiming race at Presque Isle Downs on July 3.
• Trainer Samuel Calvario – Griffith Park tested positive for triamcinolone after a work at Pleasanton on June 30.
• Trainer Mario Serey, Jr. – Harper's Do tested positive for phenylbutazone after finishing seventh in a claiming race at Delaware Park on June 28.
• Trainer Tina Chamberlin – Rosebud Ryde tested positive for methocarbamol after a work at Finger Lakes on June 28.
• Trainer Jose Camejo – Fire King tested positive for promazine sulfoxide and methocarbamol after a work at Monmouth Park on June 11.
• Trainer Javier Hernandez – two trainees tested positive for salicylic acid
  • Chief Mystique won a claiming race at Belterra Park on June 10
  • Fast Fall won a maiden special weight at Belterra on June 10
• Trainer Climaco Galindo-Torres – Delaney's Grace tested positive for salicylic acid after finishing eighth in a maiden claiming race at Belterra Park on June 8. The 3-year-old filly was claimed out of that race for owner/trainer John Howard, and has since finished eighth in a maiden special weight race at Belterra on July 8. That claim will be voided under HISA rules.
• Trainer Dennis VanMeter – Templement tested positive for phenylbutazone in an allowance race at Thistledown on June 7, 2023 (finished sixth after clipping heels at the start). VanMeter is also provisionally suspended as Templement returned a positive test for the banned substance isoxsuprene in the same race.
• Trainer Sandino Hernandez, Jr. – Jonas' Dream tested positive for naproxen in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on May 25, 2023 (finished first).

Last week's edition of the HIWU Weekly Roundup is available here, and all public disclosures can be found on the HIWU website.

The post HIWU Weekly Update: Prairie Meadows Trainer Provisionally Suspended Over Four Positives For Methamphetamine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

California Horse Racing Board stewards posted an explanation in their weekly minutes concerning the July 23 accident involving jockey Abel Cedillo shortly after the start of the fourth race at Del Mar on the seaside track's opening weekend.

Cedillo's mount, Get the Gold, was pinched at the start and clipped heels of a rival, sending the rider head first into the dirt in the one-mile race that began a short distance before the finish line. Cedillo fractured a bone in his neck and will be out about four to six weeks, according to Daily Racing Form.

Get the Gold did not suffer any serious injuries, according to reports.

The details of the incident, which can be read on the eighth page of the regularly published stewards minutes here, reveals failed communications between stewards and the paramedics who quickly arrived on the scene but failed to attend to Cedillo before members of the starting gate crew picked him up and carried him across the track to the winner's circle.

Cedillo told Daily Racing Form's Steve Andersen, “I think it was a mistake. They shouldn't have touched me. They should have stopped the race.”

The CHRB stewards minutes state: “With the rider lying motionless on the track and the field of horses having to cross where he was lying, steward Luis Jauregui used the radio to ask paramedics if they were going to be able to move him because a decision needed to be made on whether to stop the field and call off the race or continue, no response was given.

“A second radio call was made with the same request with no response. By this time the field of horses had passed the 3/4 pole. The paramedics were observed by the stewards opening the back doors to their vehicle and had not made contact with the rider and were not moving toward him. Steward Jauregui made a third radio call stating that the stewards needed to know if the paramedics were able to move him or not with no response.

“By this time, the field of horses had reached the half-mile pole. That was the last communication by the stewards during the race. The stewards made the decision amongst themselves that if the field of horses reached the 3 1/2 pole the race would be stopped and the horses ordered to pull up.

“At this point the stewards witnessed the rider being moved to the outside of the track. No mention, directive, or suggestion for this to happen was given by the stewards. With no further obstructions in the track the stewards had no reason to stop the race and it was allowed to continue.”

Track officials did not comment on the incident.

Five days after the incident, steward Jauregui and safety steward David Nuesch attended a July 28 meeting presented by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club that the CHRB called “continuing education for the assistant starters/clockers/outriders.” According to the minutes posted online, “It was reported that a good discussion was held, and topics of concern were shared.”

Stewards minutes also detailed what they said were “poor preparation for the race meet.” Opening day problems involved proper views of  race videos not routed to stewards' televisions, equipment malfunctions with televisions, tote board freeze-ups, and equipment problems for placing judges.

The post CHRB Stewards Outline ‘Safety And Response Concerns’ Over Cedillo Accident At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Prominent Quarter Horse jockey Hector Aldrete has been summarily suspended by the New Mexico Racing Commission after he was found to be “in possession of an electrical device in the paddock prior to mounting his horse,” according to a ruling posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website.

The incident occurred on Aug. 6, 2023, at Ruidoso Downs, ahead of the 10th race in which Aldrete was scheduled to ride “Jingle and Go” for trainer Armando Castellanos. Jockey Daniel Amaya picked up the mount aboard Jingle and Go, finishing eighth in the 350-yard allowance race after stumbling at the start.

The jockey's suspension is listed as effective immediately Aug. 6, pending the outcome of a hearing scheduled for Aug. 13.

The jockey was also issued a 30-day suspension by New Mexico stewards in late 2022 for “failure to ride out his mount.” Mounted on Quarter Horse Starlite Eagle in the fifth race at the Downs at Albuquerque on Sept. 18, 2022, Aldrete “failed to ride the horse out, standing up approximately 1/16th of a mile before the finish,” causing the horse to drop from “3rd place to finish in 6th place.”

Aldrete has won 348 Quarter Horse races for earnings of over $6.6 million in a career that dates back to 2007. He has finished among the top 100 Quarter Horse jockeys in the U.S. by both wins and earnings every year since 2019. Among his top mounts is Cinco Menudos, winner of the Grade 1 Namehimastreaker NM Classic Championship in 2015.

The post New Mexico: Grade 1-Winning Quarter Horse Jockey Summarily Suspended Over Possession Of Electrical Device appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post