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Maryland Racing Commission Study to Scope Juveniles in Lasix-Free Races

The Maryland Equine Safety, Health and Welfare Advisory Committee, which falls under the Maryland Racing Commission, has approved a plan for post-race video endoscopies of all starters in 2-year-old races in the state through the end of the year. Details of the survey study designed to determine the extent of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging were released Tuesday morning by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and follows Sunday’s announcement of an agreement to card Lasix-free 2-year-old races in the state through Dec. 31.

Private veterinarians who practice at Laurel will conduct the video endoscopies and complete information forms for each horse that will include the horse’s name, its EIPH score, any related comments, and whether the horse trains on Lasix. Additional useful data from each race and race day will be added to the information forms, which will be transferred to an online database.

The MRC will maintain all records from the survey study, and only a horse’s owner and trainer will be given the results of a scope to maintain anonymity. Horses will be scored using a range from 0 to 3–none, mild, moderate or severe bleeding–for the purpose of simplification.

Dr. John Sivick, a Laurel-based veterinarian who is a member of the Equine Safety, Health and Welfare Advisory Committee, said endoscopies are usually performed 30 minutes to 90 minutes after a race, but the goal will be a window of 40 minutes to 70 minutes post-race to keep the scores as consistent as possible.

The survey study is part of a broader agreement between the MTHA and The Stronach Group for a Lasix-free pilot program that runs through 2023 for 2-year-old races and graded stakes only. Graded stakes in 2020 are not part of the pilot program.

The first 2-year-old race of the year in the state was drawn Tuesday and will run on Friday’s program. The five-furlong event drew a field of 10 colts and geldings and will be contested as the sixth race on the program with a purse of $40,000.

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Churchill May Require Derby Jockeys to be in Kentucky by Aug. 24

Churchill Downs may require all jockeys riding during the short meet surrounding the GI Kentucky Derby to be in the state of Kentucky by Aug. 24. Churchill Downs Senior Director, Communication & Media Services Darren Rogers said the rule is being considered but no official decision will be announced until later in week.

Rogers added that Churchill is also expected to announce shortly a complete list of protocols that will be in place for the Derby, including how many fans will be allowed to attend the race.

For jockeys who regularly ride in New York and in California, meeting the Kentucky requirements would mean missing the final two weeks at Saratoga and Del Mar. Once returning to their home base they would likely have to undergo another quarantine period before being allowed to ride again. In New York, anyone traveling to a number of states, Kentucky among them, must go into quarantine for 14 days upon returning to the state.

Anticipating that his rider will be required to be in Kentucky by the 24th and under quarantine, agent Angel Cordero, Jr. said that Manny Franco will not be giving up the mount on possible Derby favorite Tiz the Law (Constitution).

“We have to go,” Cordero said. “You don’t just find horses like this one. It’s going to be tough for all the jockeys because they’re going to have to spend two weeks without riding and then have to ride in an important race like that.”

Cordero said he was hoping that riders would be allowed in on the eve of the race if they could provide evidence that they did not have the coronavirus.

“I don’t know why they just don’t test them and if they test clean they should let them ride,” he said. “We will be missing the last part of Saratoga and then maybe another two weeks after that. All together, we’ll miss about a month. I know everyone is dealing with the same problem, but I’m a believer that if you test clean, they should let them ride. Why don’t they test them three days before the Derby or one day before the Derby and if they don’t test clean just take them off the horses.”

Mike Smith, who rides top GI Kentucky Oaks contender Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and has been riding top Derby candidates Honor A.P. (Honor Code) and Authentic (Into Mischief) said he’s not sure what he is going to do.

“I just don’t know what to do,” he said. “What they’re asking us to do seems very difficult to do. You’re going to have to be there 10 days out. I’d rather be somewhere where I feel safer and just fly in, test and ride. This way, I think you have more of a chance of picking it up, being outside of your house and having to go out to eat. I’m not saying I won’t be riding at Churchill. It’s just that this is going to be really difficult.”

Bob Baffert, who trains a number of Derby contenders, including Authentic, said he also hopes Churchill will come up with another way of dealing with out-of-town riders. Baffert took part in a virtual town hall meeting Monday with horsemen in which Churchill Downs President Kevin Flannery discussed the potential rules the track is considering for Derby week.

“I hope they are still working on this and just threw this out there,” he said. “To me, they’re playing with fire bringing them in there 10 days before. That gives them a chance to get sick. Let them come in like Monmouth Park did for the Haskell. They went to a place there and got tested and within 15 minutes they got their results. It seems to me that they should let them come in, test them, let them ride and then let them get out of there. That is as long as they come in there with a negative test. I told Kevin Flannery that this was a bad idea. If they wanted to do all this they should have just run the race in May.”

Baffert said he had yet to discuss Derby week plans with any of the jockeys who might ordinarily be riding in Kentucky for him.

Ron Anderson, the agent for John Velazquez and Joel Rosario, said Monday he wasn’t sure what his riders would do.

“Churchill Downs can do what they want to do,” Anderson said. “I don’t think it is a proper decision, but it’s their ball game. We will have to play the cards we are dealt. How many days would they have to sit out when coming back? I don’t know how to weigh any of this. I have multiple decisions to make on behalf of both of my jockeys. Right now, I have no idea what to do. This is a huge predicament for everybody.”

During the meeting with trainers, Flannery discussed several other protocols the track is considering, among them allowing only two owners per Derby horse to come on the backstretch. Under the proposal, jockeys riding Derby week must take at least two coronavirus tests before being allowed to ride, one on Aug. 24 and another on Aug. 31 A rider who tests positive during the first phase would be required to quarantine for 10 days, which would still allow them to rode in the Derby and/or the GI Kentucky Oaks.

A jockey coming into Kentucky to ride for the Churchill September meet might be inclined to stay. Returning to their home base would also likely require an additional quarantine period, while staying in Kentucky would allow them to ride uninterrupted at Kentucky Downs, the fall meet at Churchill and then the Breeders’ Cup, which will be held Nov. 6 and 7 at Keeneland.

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Fasig-Tipton Catalogues 662 for Selected Yearlings Showcase

Fasig-Tipton, which has been forced to shuffle its traditional calendar of yearling auctions due to the global pandemic, has released a catalogue of 662 head for its Selected Yearlings Showcase, which will be held Sept. 9 and 10 at its Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Fasig-Tipton cancelled its three select sales–the July, Saratoga and New York-Bred Sales–and the showcase auction will be its only select sale of 2020.

“We are thrilled with the overall quality of the catalogue, both in terms of the pedigree and the physical conformation of the horses,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. said Monday afternoon. “We couldn’t be any more pleased to have this group of horses on display in the showcase this year.”

Hips one through 330 will be offered during Wednesday’s first session of the showcase sale and hips 331-662 will be offered during the second session Thursday. The sale will begin with a group of New York-bred yearlings, which are catalogued as hips 1-164.

Of expectations when the first-ever showcase was announced at the end of April, Browning added, “I didn’t have any preconceived notions, per se. I don’t think any of us knew what to expect. I will say though, if somebody had told me that we would be able to put together a group of horses of this quantity with this quality, I would have been ecstatic. The support that we’ve received from our consignors and the men and women who own top yearlings has been very gratifying and it’s very much appreciated.”

With the coronavirus causing lockdowns across the globe and racing coming virtually to a halt this past spring, Fasig-Tipton was forced to scupper its Gulfstream 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and its Santa Anita 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The sales company produced a strong market when bidding returned with the Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at the end of June and at its July Horses of Racing Age Sale. Those results, plus the return of high-class racing across the country, should provide buyers and sellers with a level of optimism heading into the showcase sale.

“Certainly the sales that we’ve conducted have been encouraging,” Browning said. “And it is sure nice to see quality racing taking place in Saratoga and Del Mar and Ellis Park and Gulfstream Park, literally all across the United States. I think that makes owners and trainers and participants in the industry feel much more confident than they did 45 days or so ago when there was inactivity, essentially paralysis. So I think that is obviously a very positive sign. The 2-year-old sales and the horses of racing age sales that have been conducted in June and July have shown the resiliency of the men and women who participate in this game and the love they have for it.”

Among the Fasig-Tipton graduates on the showcase catalogue’s cover include GI Kentucky Derby contenders Tiz the Law (Constitution) and Honor A.P. (Honor Code), as well as GI Kentucky Oaks contender Speech (Mr Speaker). Browning said those graduates are indicative of the quality of offerings the company prides itself on.

“I think the buyers will be very impressed when they look at the catalogue online or on their iPads or when they get it in their hands,” he said. “More importantly, the buyers are going to be very impressed when they come on the sales grounds and look at the individuals. We’ve built our reputation–and we take pride in–the physical aspect of our selected sales and I think the results speak loudly with the success of our sales graduates. I am confident that people are going to come on these sales grounds and say, ‘Wow. That is a really nice group of horses they’ve assembled for the Yearlings Showcase at Fasig-Tipton.'”

At both the Midlantic and July sales, Fasig-Tipton instituted safety protocols which included temperature checks, masks and social distancing.

As for what protocols participants should expect at the showcase, Browning said, “We are having multiple discussions on an everyday basis as more information is obtained and we see trends and movements in both the state of Kentucky and around the United States. We certainly want to make sure we conduct the sale in as safe an environment as we possibly can to give buyers and sellers alike the confidence to participate.”

Last week, Keeneland announced it would be requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test for people attending its September Yearling Sale. Asked if Fasig-Tipton would make a similar requirement, Browning reiterated, “We will continue to monitor the situation and finalize our protocols in upcoming days, but they have not been finalized at this time.”

Travel concerns and restrictions have limited international participation in auctions this spring, but both Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland have been coordinating with local officials to hopefully pave the way for foreign buyers to attend auctions this fall.

“Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland are working closely with the KTA and the Breeders’ Cup and the NTRA, along with government officials, Senator [Mitch] McConnell’s office and Representative [Andy] Barr’s office to try to obtain some waivers for key participants in foreign countries to be able to attend the sale,” Browning said. “That process is ongoing and will continue to be ongoing and we will hopefully receive some positive news. I think it will be a situation that looms between now and the time of the sales in September and it is going to depend on each individual’s assessment of their level of comfort with regards to travel.”

Fasig-Tipton will unveil its newly updated Enhanced Catalogue platform for the showcase. A traditional offering at its November and July Horses of Racing Age sales, the Enhanced Catalogue will be available beginning in late August with walking videos of all yearlings available for viewing beginning Sept. 2.

Fasig-Tipton, which introduced online bidding for the first time at its Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, will again offer buyers the opportunity to bid online at the showcase.

The showcase catalogue may be viewed at www.fasig-tipton.com.

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Del Mar Adds Aug. 31 Card to Schedule

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has added a 10-race make-up date to its calendar Aug. 31. First post on the added day will be 2 p.m. The oceanside track had been forced to cancel a weekend of racing in July when several jockeys tested positive for coronavirus. The 2020 summer meet will now have 27 live race dates. It had been scheduled to have 28 days.

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