California Horse Racing Board explain their drug testing procedures
The rules of racing are intended to maintain a level playing field; any
drug testing program is meant to monitor compliance to those rules. In
reality, drug testing is a deterrent. For truly illicit activity where
the intent is to take an unfair advantage (cheat), the current program
in California is working well. But we know it isn't perfect. We are
always looking for holes in the system and ways to improve the program.
Rick M. Arthur, DVM, - (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)
THE FUTURE OF RACING IN CALIFORNIA - A NEW SAGA
California is racing into the future, or maybe not. As of writing, there
is turmoil and uncertainty as to how racing will develop in the
immediate future. A long-term prognosis is even more uncertain. The
California Legislature has placed a stranglehold on funding for the
California Horse Racing Board.
Edward I. Halpern, CTT Exec - (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)
Gregson Foundation Honors Joe & Barbara Harper
Twin Palms in Pasadena was jammed with 400 guests on April 23 to honor
Joe and Barbara Harper of Del Mar at the annual Edwin J. Gregson
Foundation benefit hosted by California Thoroughbred Trainers.
About $100,000 was raised for the foundation, which since its inception
seven years ago, has raised close to $1 million specifically for
educational purposes for backstretch workers and their families.
Steve Schuelein (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)
Jockey School - we spend a day at the North American Racing Academy
Standing in the classroom of the North American Racing Academy (NARA) at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky is a sensory thrill. The smell of leather, the sharp crack of reins slapping against outstretched necks as seven jockeys scrub hard on their mounts. If you close your eyes and listen to the strained breathing of the riders you can almost hear the cadence of the hooves. The only thing that isn’t real are the horses, but with names like John Henry, Alysheba and Sunday Silence, they are all but real.
Frances Karon (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)
Is no matter more pressing than international rules on medication?
There is a need for several changes and improvements in international racing. None can be more pressing that the issue on international regulations on the use of medication. Both on and off the tracks.
Geir Stabell (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)
The importance of worming - keeping parasites under control
The use of homespun and herbal remedies may have been superseded by
wormers formulated after lengthy research programmes, but the control of
worms in the horse remains as important for horsemen today as it was
when the significance of these unwanted passengers was first understood.
Dr Philip K Dyson BVMS Cert. EM and Barry Sangster BVMS MRCVS (19 May 2007)
Shockwave Therapy - uncovering new treatments
Doctors originally used shockwave therapy more than 20 years ago to
disintegrate kidney stones in their patients, then learned that the
therapy can also treat tendonitis, tennis elbow, heel spurs and other
ailments. Equine researchers are still uncovering everything shockwave
therapy can do for horses after it was initially and successfully used
in Germany in 1996 to treat lameness.
Bill Heller (19 May 2007 - Issue 3)
Neil Drysdale - Hall of Fame racehorse trainer
He's seen the sport of Thoroughbred racing change drastically in the past few decades. Here, he discusses some of the important issues facing his fellow trainers both in his home state and across the country.
Margaret Ransom (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)
The Asian Racing Conference – from a trainer’s perspective
Attending industry conferences and seminars, especially those staged overseas, as a media reporter can be hard work – honestly! – but when you come across speakers at the top of their game, who can put over concise points in layman’s language, the tedium of long days, and sometimes even longer nights, wafts away on a breeze of simple understanding.
Howard Wright(19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)
Are purses restraining growth?
In 1953, the average cost of a Cola drink at a U.S. racetrack was around ten cents; the minimum bet on a race, two dollars. In 2007 the average cost of a Cola drink at a U.S. racetrack is around a dollar seventy-five; the cost of a bet, in most places, still two dollars.
Caton Bredar(19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3 )
What’s happening at Hialeah?
There is action at Hialeah in 2007. On e-bay. You can buy a Hialeah glass graced by a pink flamingo for $6.99. Flamingos are also depicted on Hialeah Park linen offered at $7.99. Or maybe you’d prefer three Hialeah post cards for $3.99.
Bill Heller (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)
The Asian Racing Conference – from a trainer’s perspective
Attending industry conferences and seminars, especially those staged overseas, as a media reporter can be hard work – honestly! – but when you come across speakers at the top of their game, who can put over concise points in layman’s language, the tedium of long days, and sometimes even longer nights, wafts away on a breeze of simple understanding.
Howard Wright (European Trainer - issue 17 - Spring 2007)
Shockwave Therapy - uncovering new treatments
Equine researchers are still uncovering everything shockwave therapy can do for horses after it was initially and successfully used in Germany in 1996 to treat lameness.
Bill Heller (European Trainer - issue 17 - Spring 2007)
Guillaume Macaire - champion jumps trainer in France for many years
Guillaume Macaire is the current champion jumps trainer in France, a title he has held since 2003. He is based in the Charente Maritime region of France at La Palmyre racecourse. In 2006 he ran 231 different horses and regularly campaigns horses across Europe.
Aurelie Dupont-Soulat (European Trainer - issue 17 - Spring 2007)
Bendik Bø - the Swedish trainer and inventor
When he rode his first race, the horse was a year older than him. They did not win. ”I never was a very talented jockey”, he says. He has many other talents though. The Norwegian Bendik Bø (39) is a successful racehorse trainer and inventor, based in Sweden. He was never afraid to try his hand at new tasks. He was shoeing his first pony when he was only 14 years old.
Geir Stabell (European Trainer - issue 17 - Spring 2007)
Feeding during early training - how to minimise problems
Most of the current crop of 2yo’s will now have been broken and are in the early stages of training proper in readiness for the forthcoming flat racing season. This period brings with it numerous problems for trainers and their staff, such as horses with high muscle enzymes, episodes of tying up, respiratory infections, various lamenesses and other skeletal problems or simply over exuberance.
Catherine Dunnett (European Trainer - issue 17 - Spring 2007)
The European gambling scene – which way for horseracing?
The war is over: so said France Galop director general Louis Romanet a year ago, after he had put his name to a groundbreaking deal with British bookmakers Ladbrokes. For the first time, live pictures of all French races – Flat, jumps and trotting – were being made available to show in UK betting shops, via a new broadcasting service known as Ladbrokes Xtra.
Howard Wright (Trainer Magazine - issue 16 - Winter 2006)
Nutritional Support for bone - maintaining a strong skeleton
The expression ‘no foot no horse’ should perhaps be extended to cover all the bones of the skeleton, for as far as racehorses are concerned, without strength and durability in this area a trainer’s job is fraught with difficulties.
Dr Catherine Dunnett (European Trainer - issue 16 - Winter 2006)