TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Tony Martin

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter goes to Tony Martin. Bookmakers know where to look when they are preparing for a big race. If it's a big handicap - whether on the flat or over jumps - then the name of Tony Martin will always be at the forefront of calculations.

James Crispe (European Trainer - Issue 23 / Autumn 2008)

Michael Dickinson - "The Mad Genius"

By Frances Karon

Michael Dickinson is welcoming and instantly likeable, suffused with energy as he bounces around Tapeta Farm on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. “I don’t say I’m good or great but I’m not boring,” he promises. Along that vein, the burning question is, why do people call him “The Mad Genius,” as coined by an American turf writer? Dickinson’s standard reply is that the nickname is “only half right,” without declaring which half. No relentless line of questioning will drag it out of him. “Who do you think you are, Barbara Walters?” he deadpans. “Or the guy with on CNN with the braces [suspenders]. Larry King.” What does his wife, Joan Wakefield, think? “Don’t answer that. Keep quiet! Could be divorce proceedings here!” teases her husband. She says only, “I know which half is right!” Draw your own conclusion. If he’s mad, or if he’s a genius, or if he’s both – he embraces it.

First, there is the interview. No, not this one. His interview of the writer who has arrived at his doorstep. It’s part of the process. He has made the appropriate phone calls, compiled a character reference and studied your transcript. He begins grilling immediately, disconcertingly scribbling away with the pen and paper he is never without. This is the quintessential Dickinson. The Mad Genius at work.

At heart, Dickinson is fundamentally curious. One of his many extraordinary features is his belief that there’s potential to learn something new or something better from everyone. He might not yet know what exactly that something is, but it is there, and he will find it.

The third generation horseman is from Yorkshire, England. His father and grandfather before him, and his mother after, were trainers. His father “was very low key and didn’t want the big lights. He was happy just churning out winners.” His mother, “Mrs. D” as Dickinson affectionately calls her, “was one of the best horsewomen England’s ever produced, and that’s a huge statement. She was selected to showjump for Great Britain, and she was one of the best of her time. She was a very good point-to-point rider, the best of her era. Then she started to train on her own for three years when I went to Manton and Dad was sick. She won the King George, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Welsh Grand National, the Whitbread. Yes, there’d been good female trainers; yes, there’d been good point-to-point riders, and there’d been good showjumpers, but nobody excelled in all three disciplines.”

Dickinson began riding over fences, and in his first season emulated his father as champion amateur jockey. He was also fifth in the overall jockey’s standings, “which was perhaps higher than I should have been. I rode five winners at the Cheltenham Festival, and there were better riders than me who rode less, so that was an achievement. Dad was a North Country trainer and I was a North Country jockey and we weren’t high profile. To have a couple of runners at Cheltenham was magnificent. We walked in ten feet tall, “oh, we’ve got arunner.” And weren’t we so pleased and proud to have a runner! If it ran well, oh, it was great. And then by the end, if we didn’t have a winner we were ready to jump off the grandstand.” He continued riding competitively for ten years. “I loved it. The only thing I didn’t like was the dieting, because I had to be 140 pounds and my natural weight was 168 pounds. The falls never worried me. You never worry about the pain, you just worry because you can’t eat all day. People, if they wanted to be kind, said I was good over a fence.” And if they didn’t want to be kind? “Well, they’d say I wasn’t very strong in a finish. That was fair comment. I was too tall and I was a bit weak because I was 140 pounds and I’d have been tired at the end.” After a fall at Cartmel left him 20 minutes from death, Dickinson traded in jockey’s license for trainer’s license. Remarkably, the whip he had used for ten years was sold at the “nearly new shop.”

“I never thought I’d be top trainer,” he concedes. “I just wanted to be consistently in the top ten every year. They like saying I’m famous for the Gold Cup, but that was just one race.” He closed out his brief steeplechase training career with three consecutive championship titles each by money won and by number of wins. There is some confusion as to whether he holds five, or “only” four, Guinness World records based on his exploits with the jumpers, primarily because he is not ego-driven. “I’ve got some accomplishments and they’re about that thick.” Dickinson neatly pinches the tips of his thumb and forefinger close together. “I’ve got another book with my mistakes and it’s that thick” – moving his hands exaggeratedly far apart – “and I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about them.”

His meteoric domination of the steeplechasing segued into becoming private trainer for Robert Sangster at Manton. Though he had switched to flat racing, Michael was facing insurmountable hurdles in his new job with a yard full of backward juveniles. “One of my work riders came to me and said, ‘Michael, you’re doing too much with these two-year-olds.’ And another rider came to me and said, ‘You’re not doing enough with these horses. They’re not going to win like that.’ Who was right? Well they were both right.” That was in the same year Lester Piggott struck out as a trainer, and “the bookies were betting on who was going to train the most winners, Lester or me. At the beginning of the season, Sir Peter O’Sullevan – a great man – came, had a look around, saw the two-year-olds and saw all the new gallops which needed a bit more time and he went out and had a big bet on Lester. He said, ‘Michael, you’ve got no chance. I’ve seen the two-year-olds, and they’re all big, tall, Nijinsky-type gangly things.’ So we knew in March we were in trouble because Sir Peter, apart from being an excellent racecaller, is a very shrewd betting man.” Six months into the season, Sangster fired Dickinson. “We didn’t have enough winners. We had Golden Fleeces and Kings Lakes, which weren’t good stallions, so that was part of it. I’m not blaming Robert for that. Losing a job’s not the end of the world. Losing my reputation was.”

As is often the case with such seemingly devastating setbacks, Dickinson reflects on it as “the best thing that happened. I still love visiting England but I couldn’t have been as happy. I like the freedom in America.” With help from Dr. David Lambert, Dickinson attended the Calder juvenile sale and was in business. He set up shop at Fair Hill in Maryland that year, in 1987, and stayed until Tapeta Farm was completed in 1998 to his exact, and exacting, specifications, right down to the in-house synthetic footing.

Tapeta Farm is a culmination of a dream germinated 25 years before its inception. Dickinson still calls his summers with Vincent O’Brien at Ballydoyle in the early 70s “the two happiest of my life.” He pulls out a notebook that is so old it had cost 10 pence, filled with meticulous notes dating back to his days with O’Brien, who may have been a quiet man but has through Dickinson’s observations an eloquent verbosity. Other notebooks follow, including the one in which he chronicled his three week “vacation” in California with Charlie Whittingham during jump racing’s off season in 1983.

At Ballydoyle, “The penny dropped, and I suddenly realised whey everyone sent [O’Brien] their million-dollar yearlings, because he didn’t break them down. There were no sore horses. He ignited my passion for surfaces. Ballydoyle is a magnificent environment and Tapeta Farm is just copying what an Irishman did many years ago.” Whittingham told Dickinson, “You’ll end up going on the flat.” When Dickinson responded, “I don’t think I’ll make the transition,” the Bald Eagle rebutted, “I’m sure you will,” with confidence. “He was a lovely guy, wasn’t he? Everyone liked Charlie. But I was only with Charlie for three weeks, so Vincent had more effect on me.” Yet there was a common thread in both these great trainers, whose words laid the foundation for the Tapeta surface. The most well-worn page in his Whittingham notebook is where he jotted down Whittingham’s oft-repeated phrase: “A bad turf track is better than a good dirt track.”

Touring the farm on foot is like taking a nature walk in the woods. On the 7 furlong synthetic course, the Tapeta mixture underfoot coaxes up to a steady incline which, in the summer heat, is tiring. You begin to understand how the miracle of Da Hoss came together here well before reaching the undulating turf course, which is another product of Dickinson’s “genius” half. It is comprised of three strips of different types of grass providing ideal training ground for normal, drought and flood conditions. Earlier, Dickinson had demonstrated the quality of the “mattress” that is his turf by lying down on it. “That goes along with the public perception that I’m just a bit mad, you know, lying on the grass. They would love that, wouldn’t they?”

Near the end of the solitary hike under the searing sun and thinking of the photo shoot, I take a breather on the turf mattress and mentally play back a conversation about Da Hoss. Dickinson and his partner of 27 years – and wife of two years, Joan Wakefield – agree that their greatest day came courtesy of a win by Da Hoss in the Breeders’ Cup Mile but they squabble over a triviality: for Wakefield, that day came at Woodbine in 1996, and for Dickinson, it was Churchill in 1998.

The 1996 Breeders’ Cup brings us to an urban legend we must debunk. The popular horsemen’s sheet Indian Charlie [motto: “We Never Let The Truth Get In The Way Of A Good Story”] has made the spectacle of Michael Dickinson wearing high heels well known to all backstretch denizens.

Dickinson sets up the story. “Forty years ago I was riding in a big hurdle race, and I was dating a model who came to the race in a cocktail dress and a pair of heels. She walked around with me, bless her, and I said, ‘I’m going to come up the left-hand side.’ And she says, ‘Oh no, I’d come down on the right. My high heels go in much more on the left than on the right.’ So by accident I learned that one way to test soft ground was high heels.” Incidentally, he won.
Decades later in Canada, inspecting the turf ahead of the race, Dickinson turned to his partner and said, “This is no good. You’re going to have to buy a pair of heels.” Wakefield dutifully approached a saleswoman at a nearby Shoe Barn. “I need a pair of the highest, thinnest stilettos that you can find. It doesn’t matter what colour they are, it doesn’t matter what size they are, as long as I can get them on my feet.” Within minutes, Wakefield had bought a pair of plastic red shoes to match the colour in her face at having to wear them, and three of them began to walk the course again with what Dickinson calls “science – the penetrometer; the old-fashioned stick; and the by accident high heels. It was important. I mean, you can’t be casual about it!” None less casual than Wakefield, accompanying the men for three circuits around the track in stilettos. “She made a speech and complained and I said, ‘Marilyn Monroe had high heels and she never complained!’”

“Yes, but she didn’t walk turf tracks, either! It’s not easy walking on soft turf with high heels. The other thing was, I said to Michael, that if anybody saw me…” says Wakefield. “This was October in Toronto, and there I am in open-toed plastic shoes and I said, ‘If anybody seems me I’m going to kill you.’ So we get around, and as we’re turning into the straight all of a sudden the horses come out on the track. We’d forgotten, or didn’t know, that it was twilight racing so they were coming out for the first race, and of course they’d seen us walking the track so Michael very kindly pointed me out to the cameras, pointed at me in those ridiculous bright red stilettos.”

“They’d be worth a lot of money now, wouldn’t they, Joan? They’d have been a collector’s item. But she threw them away.” Indeed, Wakefield confesses, “They were in the trash in Toronto. I was mortified!” Nevertheless, they had served their purpose, and Dickinson drew a detailed map for Gary Stevens to follow and told him, “We know you’re a world-class jockey but it’s rained for ten days and three of us have walked the track three times, which is nine circuits, so please allow us to impart you knowledge. We’re giving you some fairly difficult instructions and if it doesn’t work I will take full responsibility.” The plan was executed brilliantly.

Bright red plastic stilettos aside, the 1996 Mile is Wakefield’s favorite. Dickinson puffs up with melodramatic apoplexy, but his wife stands her ground. “Churchill was very stressful because he’d had a lot of problems and we expected him to win. That makes it stressful.”

Dickinson counters. “Well, I thought Churchill was easy. I knew he was 100%. We had him spot on because you and Miguel and Jon-Boy did such a good job with him. I knew he was spot on, and that was it.” Dickinson dances around the room impersonating announcer Tom Durkin: “Mark of Esteem’s got a lot to do but it’s the American Da Hoss…” Wakefield: “In da mile!” Dickinson: “And Spinning World is trying to reel him in! Oh my, this is the greatest comeback since Lazarus!”

Not having raced since the Breeders’ Cup at Woodbine, soundness and fitness were a concern for the then-6-year-old gelding, and Dickinson entered Da Hoss in an allowance race at Colonial Downs. “Six weeks before the race two good vets got together and said that this horse wouldn’t make the first race, let alone the second. But he was a miracle.” Twenty-three months following his previous start, Da Hoss won an allowance in Virginia but only made first reserve on the list of 1998 Mile entrants. “I wrote to the selection committee and I said, ‘This horse is better than he’s ever been, better than he was two years ago.’ Of course they didn’t believe me. ‘How can he be?’ [Colonial’s] Lenny Hale stood up for him, because he’d seen him win.”

On the first day of every month for that entire year, Gary Stevens’ agent Ron Anderson received a phone call from Michael Dickinson. “You will ride my horse in the Breeders’ Cup, won’t you?” “Yeah, yeah,” Anderson would reply, until October, when Anderson had a different answer. “Oh no, we can’t ride. We’re riding [Among Men] for Sir Michael Stoute.” Dickinson says, “If you were Ron Anderson what would you do? The other’s just won a Grade 1 and Da Hoss hasn’t run for two years. It was the right decision by him, really.” Yet Dickinson had so much faith in his horse he suggested a Da Hoss vs. Among Men wager between him and Anderson. “I’ll bet you now $1,000, wherever we finish, whether it’s first and second, or last and next to last, we’ll finish in front of that.”

Da Hoss drew in to the mile with John Velasquez named to ride. At the press party on Thursday, Da Hoss’ head man Miguel and exercise rider Jon “Jon-Boy” Ferriday surrounded Stevens. “Big mistake!” they told him. “And Gary was beside himself because there was so much conviction in what they were saying.” On Saturday, “We went to see Johnny at ten o’clock in the morning. I said, ‘Johnny, I know you’ve got a lot of rides today but you’re going to ride a winner and it’s going to be Da Hoss.’ I was crying at the time because I was so emotional, because I knew he was spot on, and I knew he would win. I felt really proud. I wasn’t worried.” Da Hoss nosed out Hawksley Hill (Ire) with Among Men unplaced, and Anderson paid up right away. “Well what could I do?” he said to Dickinson of his decision. “We hadn’t seen your horse for two years!” Dickinson split the thousand between Da Hoss’ Miguel and Ferriday.
In contrast to the ‘ease’ of running a horse against the world’s best competition after a two year absence, Dickinson was never more nervous than before what historical annals call the “Famous Five,” a.k.a. 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he saddled Bregawn, Captain John, Wayward Lad, Silver Buck and Ashley House to fill the first five places home. “I thought we might be sort of second, third and fourth but not win the race, so I was nervous as hell. And I knew my best horse wasn’t at his best.” Wakefield offers up her assessment of his nerves. “A couple of weeks before Cheltenham he’d won an award and had to go up to London. He put a suit on and I said, ‘My God, Michael, you are so skinny it’s unbelievable. How much weight have you lost?’ I mean, it looked like he forgot to take the coat hanger out because it was just pure bones.’” He’d shed 14 pounds.

Of his many amazing training accomplishments, what does Michael Dickinson consider the greatest? “Most people would say the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but the best horse only finished fourth that day, Silver Buck. He won it the year before, so I didn’t do a good job with him. I failed. I asked him to go into battle and he wasn’t at his best, and I felt guilty for it. I still do now.” He’s not lying. Here in his office, 25 years after the fact, his eyes tear up. “His owner came to me after. She had the best horse in the race and he finished fourth, but she couldn’t have been any nicer. She was so pleased for me. And you know, I was crying for her because I’d let her down. I’d let the horse down. Afterwards, it wasn’t elation. It was just…relief. It wasn’t, ‘Wow, this is great!’ It was just, ‘Thank God for that.’”
One word Dickinson uses infrequently when discussing his successes is “I.” “People,” he says, “always say you, but we had a great team. My father used to say that you can read what you want in the press clippings but don’t believe them, and Joan’s always been the same. She’s always kept me firmly in hand.” Wakefield asserts that he has relaxed in their 27 years together. “He never, ever used to sit and eat a meal. I’d put a meal in front of him, he’d take a bite, he’d get up, he’d make a telephone call, he’d wander around the house, he’d come back in, he’d sit down and play with it a little bit. He’d get up and wander off. He was a nightmare back then. He’s relaxed now to what he used to be.”

“You’ve got to have fun in your life, haven’t you?” With Wakefield, he does, and by the sound and look of it they have done from the time they began dating. They met at Wetherby Racecourse, through the cousin of a friend. “Michael always manages to find somebody to drive him because he doesn’t like driving, so Chris drove him and in between races with Michael running backwards and forwards between the saddling area and the jockey’s room Chris and six girls all stood in the middle. Michael stops and says to Chris, ‘How is it you always get all the women?’ and we got quick introductions. ‘This is Joan Wakefield. Her father builds horseboxes.’ We met for about 30 seconds. Two weeks later apparently he had got my dad’s name and called him at work and said, ‘Can you tell me where I can get hold of Joan Wakefield?’ I was obviously in the bad books that day so my father’s reply was, ‘Around the bloody neck!” which Michael thought was highly hilarious and proceeded to tell everybody in the racing world. Anyway, we decided to meet at the Wetherby roundabout at the hotel in the car park. By this time a couple of weeks have gone by.”

“We’re walking up the street there,” breaks in Michael. “I’m walking up one side of the street and she’s walking up the other and we didn’t recognise each other. I said, ‘Oh, are you Joan?’”

“So I get in the back of the car” – one of Michael’s riders was driving – “and he turns around and he looks at me and says, ‘What have you done to your hair? When I met you you had long, flowing blond locks.’ I said, ‘You’ve got the wrong one. I’ve never had long, flowing blond locks.’”

“I had six to choose from, and I chose the wrong one! Mistaken identity!”

“And how dare you ask me what I’ve done to my hair.” Dickinson had gotten aperm. “I said to him, ‘Michael, it’s bad enough looking at you with a perm, but I cannot for the life of me imagine you sitting in the hairdresser’s with all the rollers in!’ The press started nicknaming him ‘Demiwave Dickie.’”

At the end of 2007, Dickinson retired from training and put Tapeta Farm for sale. “It’s unique,” he says. “It’s easily the best private training center in America, and the only one on the East Coast between Washington, D.C. and New York, which is where all the racetracks are. It’s a great place to train. You just do what you want. If it’s raining, you can go in, have a cup of tea and play cards and wait for it to stop raining and then go and train.” The team now focuses entirely on their Tapeta surface.

Blending the first successful formula for Tapeta was harrowing. “I thought,” he says, “it would take me three months and it took me four years.” Give up? “I couldn’t.” Near the end, “we mixed all day. We started at six in the morning and stopped at two o’clock the next morning. I got up to see and it was terrible. The dream of my farm had blown up, and my ego took a beating.” They hit it on the next try, but the original mix has continued to evolve after he threw the gauntlet at Wakefield: “Here’s my product. Make it better. Learn all you can about sand, wax, fibers and rubber. And you’d better know more than anybody else, and you better be damn good at it.” The result is that they’ve gotten progressively “better every year.”

Dickinson denies being a perfectionist. “I’m old enough to realize perfection is never obtainable. It’s not worth killing yourself trying to get a ten out of ten, because it’s never attainable. So you just have to be happy with 8s and 9s out of ten.” Then why is he still fine-tuning his Tapeta surface? “I want to be better. I’m not a perfectionist because I know I can’t get there but I do the best I can.”

“There’s a big difference between training and building tracks. If a trainer is really good, and if he’s really lucky – say he has ten horses – he’ll probably do quite well with five of them, and the other five won’t do well. You’re all the time going around apologising for them. Even when you do everything right it can blow up in your face. And then trainers tend to beat ourselves up by saying, ‘If I hadn’t done that we’d have been alright.’ How many times do we say that? We all make mistakes, and very often afterwards it’s not the trainer’s fault. It just didn’t work out. But it’s not always black and white. You can’t definitely say, ‘It’s not my fault.’ It’s very easy to blame everybody else but deep down you’ve always got to take some responsibility. So I used to beat myself up and think, ‘Why did I do that?’” The self-proclaimed non-perfectionist asserts that a perfect win percentage is now possible. “If I do ten tracks, I can do ten good tracks, and I can go ten-for-ten. If it’s not a good track I’ve just got to look in the mirror. It was my fault and I go and fix it. If it does fail it’s my fault, where you could train a horse perfectly and it fails.”

Tapeta is featured at Golden Gate Fields, Presque Isle Downs, training centres such as the nearby Fair Hill, and in Dubai, England, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. Dickinson makes a case for replacing conventional dirt surfaces. “Why is the manager of an American racetrack going to spend a lot of money on a new track? First of all, it’s safest for jockeys. Two, it’s reduced injuries to the horses, which will help fill the barn area. The horses can run more often, leading to bigger fields and a bigger mutuel handle with no sloppy tracks. Owners trying to protect their investment want to go where the horse can last its longest and where when it’s finished racing he’s got a saleable horse. And then there’s litigation. Synthetics are proven to be safer, and you’ve got to be seen doing everything you can. The last thing is peace of mind. Priceless. You’re doing everything you can as a racetrack manager, and that is peace of mind.”

The market for synthetics can be fickle. After last year’s deluge at the Breeders’ Cup led to the fatal breakdown of George Washington (Ire), “the world saw the imperfections of dirt. That can happen to any dirt track any time. It wasn’t Monmouth Park’s fault, and I’m not blaming Monmouth. Any dirt track can turn into that.” However, interest soon waned after the well-documented problems at Santa Anita, which is not a Tapeta surface. Months of silence were broken after the very public fallout afterEight Belles. “The people who were on the fence went quiet after Santa Anita in January but now they’re all back in action again.”

Dickinson’s product is more than a racing surface; his pride and passion are part and parcel of any Tapeta deal, and he often travels to check on his tracks. “My feet can tell me. I like to feel it and I like to have a little dig with my hands. I like to run on them because I can tell how they perform when I run on them. I try and go barefoot whenever I can, but I don’t do it in the winter, and I can’t do it in the summer because it gets too hot.” A barefoot man running around racetrack doesn’t always go over well with an unsuspecting security detail, which inevitably gives chase. Once, he told the guards, “If you can’t catch a 58-year-old man I don’t feel sorry for you!” Another time, running in the evening, “This guy comes over in his truck and drives along next to me, stops and comes out in his uniform and says, ‘Please tell me you work here!’” His favorite incident was in Korea. “You know, I don’t look like many Koreans. I’m running around in my shorts testing it out and the security man was absolutely freaking out. He was peddling as fast as he could on his bike blowing his whistle” – Dickinson blows an imaginary whistle – “absolutely freaking out having about three heart attacks at once.” The man didn’t speak English, and Dickinson kept on going.

With training roots in two major racing countries and the ever-expanding reach of Tapeta, where does he see our sport headed? He believes, not surprisingly, that synthetics are going to become more prevalent as they improve, and that the ProCush whip mandatory in England and U.S. steeplechases will gain popularity in North America. The Europeans exercise strict rules on overuse of the whip, and Dickinson says, “That’s the way it needs to be. No one’s ever been called up for not hitting the horse enough.” From a health-of-the-industry angle, he sees a better product in England, where “the punter has tremendous choice. Some would argue that the bookmakers take too much out of racing and don’t give enough back. However, they do a marvelous job of marketing our sport. They take it to the public, they take it to the betting offices and they started SIS. I remember when we were at school, we would start betting on the Derby and the Grand National six months before. That’s always fun to try and have a pound on a horse at 500-1 six months before the race. Contrast America with the Kentucky Derby. Of 700 horses entered in February, we can only bet on 17 of them. It’s pathetic. We did better with the quill and ink 40 years ago than the so-called computers are doing now. In America, we don’t have a good enough racing product to make it attractive for enough bettors, and that’s a big stumbling block. We are handicapped, and the racetracks have to conduct their betting with 50-year-old laws which are way outdated.

“I enjoy racing anywhere around the world,” he goes on to say. “Arc Day in France is good. I don’t think there’s anything more exciting than Dubai World Cup Day. That’s terrific. After the fourth race they have a tremendous show there – fireworks, acrobats. And they have 19 nations competing, so that’s exciting. I’d like to see the Breeders’ Cup do more to entice more people from around the world.”

With an undocumented number of high-profile racehorses on a legal steroid regiment, Big Brown has become the unwitting poster child for Winstrol. While the arguments persist on the drug’s possible healthful benefits, Dickinson’s stance is that it needs to go if for no other reason than “it’s a bad perception. The public don’t like it. We’ve used anabolic steroids for the last 20 years but it’s going to be abolished in 2009 anyhow.” His opinion on Lasix is that “it’s a kind drug, because when a horse bleeds it hurts him. They think they’re drowning. In a perfect world of course they wouldn’t need it, but the fact is that 75% of horses do bleed, and it hurts them when they bleed, so I’m not totally anti-Lasix.”

Towards the end of our conversation, he says, “I’m just a farm boy from Maryland doing the best he can.” Surely he’s joking. Surely not “just a farm boy from Maryland” – or England – is this successful jockey, trainer, miracle worker and inventor of the Tapeta footing? Surely the first thing people ask when they meet him is about the Famous Five, the 12-winners-in-a-day, or Da Hoss? Surely that’s what we’re thinking? “I prefer not to know. They’re very nice but I’m sure they realise I’ve messed up a few times, and I hope they’ll forgive me for it.” His biggest mistake? “I don’t know how to answer that. I’ll have to think about that one. I just don’t know which is my biggest mistake.” He laughs. “Anyhow, you can’t help that. We all make mistakes. The man who never made a mistake never made anything, and I’ve always been a pioneer, an adventurer.” Ah! We’re seeing through this farm boy façade now. “I’ve always tried to think outside the box, and sometimes when you do things differently you do it the wrong way. But I accept that.”

Judging by the type of horses by which he has earned his “Mad Genius” label, Dickinson could be depicted as tilting at windmills, but he is no Don Quixote. Da Hoss; A Huevo, who won the Grade 1 DeFrancis Memorial Dash at seven; former $13,000 claimer Cetewayo, sidelined by multiple injuries, a Grade 1 winner at the age of eight; and Business is Boomin, who triumphed in his first race since May 8, 1992 on May 8, 1997. Six of the latter-named gelding’s seven career wins came in that 8-year-old season. Dickinson is quick to downplay accolades. “Nobody in their right mind would have tried, would they?” At the end of the day, all he really wants is something simple: “I want to do something good, make the world a better place. I want to do all I can for racing. I want to change all the surfaces of the world. I want to repay the horse for all he’s done to me. I would like to play a part in the racing industry, a constructive part, and I hope I produce good surfaces will keep horses sounder and produce good racing.”

In the midst of a heat wave, the temperature relents and our interview comes to a close. An evening walk across Tapeta, Latin for “carpet,” is pleasant, the Dickinsonian energy that runs throughout the farm feeling like a coiled spring about to be set loose, as a storm transforms the electricity from figurative to literal. The sky is ablaze, not unlike the mind of the “Mad Genius.”

The ‘Chief' Allen Jerkens

By Bill Heller

Ask anyone in Thoroughbred racing to name the savviest trainers in the history of the sport, and you may hear: Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, Woody Stephens, Charlie Whittingham, Laz Barrera,D. Wayne Lukas, John Nerud and, certainly, Allen Jerkens.Jerkens has never saddled the winner of a Triple Crown or Breeders' Cup race, yet he's still training winners and winning stakes at the age of 79, 34 years after his induction into the Hall of Fame. At the time, he was the youngest trainer ever enshrined.Known as the ‘Giant Killer' for his historic upsets of Buckpasser, Kelso and Secretariat, and as the "Chief" for his incredible horse knowledge, Jerkens was honored by the Backstretch Employee Service Team (BEST) with a Lifetime Outstanding Trainer award at a benefit dinner in Sands Point, Long Island on May 28th this year.Rather than being passed by time, he has adapted. Though he doesn't own a computer, he has a cell phone and a website, www.AllenJerkens.com.

His beloved wife Elisabeth was asked how her husband continues to maintain a national presence. "He's very disciplined," she said. "He does everything at the same time, and his memory is excellent." Asked if he ever amazes her, she said, "All the time."

Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron recently began the country's first jockey school in Kentucky, and you immediately took in one of his students, jockey Robbie Davis' daughter. Why?

Chris just called me up. I always admired him and his riding, and he always tried to help the game, too. And Robbie Davis, I always liked him, too, and rode him. I didn't think it would hurt. She's willing to work, too. She has to get strong. She gets on two or three horses every day. She started in January.

Throughout the last couple of decades, you've repeatedly used low-profile jockeys who exercised horses for you in the afternoon in races such as Filiberto Leon, Ray Ganpath, Shannon Uske, Leah Gyarmati and Andrew Lakeman . Why?

A lot of times they started out on horses that they were taking a special interest in. They were coming back in the afternoon and taking them out to graze. Like Lilah (a top filly). Uske rode her - she was a filly that tied up a lot - she used to take her out in the evening and ride her around bareback and she got to be pretty good.
Every once in a while, I get the feeling that the horse is going to do especially good with somebody that's used to them and getting on them every day. It doesn't always happen. It's always fun to have somebody who really takes a great interest in the horse.

Leah used to ride for you, then she earned a Doctorate in Theology. When she returned to say hello at Saratoga, you got her back on a horse that day and she became a jockey and now a successful trainer in New York. What happened that morning?

Well, she had been riding a little bit. She was always one of the best in the morning, anyway. I said, "I'm going to breeze this horse." She says, "You don't want me to breeze him, do you?" I said, "You won't have no problem because he's a free-running horse. You won't have to push him or anything." (Jerkens laughed) It was a horse named Chief Master. 
He was a good horse.

You still love what you do?

Oh, yeah. We try. I always like to see horses do the best they can, naturally. And to get anybody to give you the horses to train, if they don't run good they're not going to give them to you. They don't want to hear about you being in the Hall of Fame or whatever you ever did. It doesn't matter. You just have to keep on going. If you don't keep on going, you're not going to stay in the game.
And I have to pay more attention to it than I used to. I used to play polo and everything else, take a little time off. But I have to keep reminding myself all the time: who I'm going to run and when I'm going to run. Otherwise, it gets out of your mind quicker than when you were young.
Do you still go back in the evening to check your horses and see whether or not they've eaten?

Oh, yeah. The only time I won't go is if we plan to go out later and somebody (else) wants to do it for me. It's kind of important to me. Once a week or twice a week, I'll have someone else to take care of things.

It's not only because I don't trust anybody else to do it. It's whenever you look at them it reminds you of what you had in mind. If you see one that leaves their oats that particular night, then you say, well, probably it's because the vet gave him a build-up shot that day and he's going the other way. Every once in a while, horses do change. There's always a reason why things happen.

Every once in a while, they'll just not eat. I remember Spite the Devil. I was worried about him ‘cuz' he wasn't cleaning up his feed, and I was wondering whether we should run him and he won that big race (the Empire Classic) and he won it two years in a row.

If you don't have the experience, a lot of things worry you more. If you haven't been through it for years and years and years and seen the results – both ways – then you would worry. Guys who first start training would worry more about it than I would because I know I can overcome it in some other way.
Just like training; a horse might work faster than you wanted him to, so then maybe you turn him out in the pen for two days in a row and let them relax and try to compensate for it. You can't always. But … the same thing when they work too slow. Then maybe you might go out - I‘ve done it a couple of times - even the same morning and work them a little bit again to try to have them do what you wanted.

If you don't keep reminding yourself and if you don't stay at it, I don't know how you can do it. ‘Cuz' a lot of smarter people than me, they can do it without. Well, look at these guys that have so many horses. They have to depend on other people to have the same ideas that they do. Otherwise they wouldn't able to be so successful.

You seem to always have an incredible relationship with your horses. People have even called you part horse.
Well, from the time I was a little boy, I always liked the horses. I wanted to be a jockey. Of course, naturally, I couldn't be. I rode in jumping races. Then I got to where I always thought I knew how to train them. Naturally, you make a lot of mistakes when you're young. You compensate. I mean you have to learn by your mistakes. There's a lot of trial and error.

You have to be willing to take a chance. A lot of times, modern owners think that you have to be going into a race thinking you have to be the favorite all the time. But you can't be. Every once in a while, you have to try something. If it doesn't work out, then you have to rest your horse up and try it a different way. You can't be thinking just because the figures don't show it (that you don't belong).

We won a lot of races where we had no business in the race, and a lot of times we looked stupid, too. But you've got to be able to go home and straighten it out.
If you have the kind of owner that's always going to chastise you when you don't do the right thing, it's no good for them, and it's no good for you because you're not going to learn anything.

You've had great success training first-time starters as far or even farther than the distance of their first race. Why do you do that?

I don't want them to get tired and a lot of times a slower work and going further works … I used to be successful doing that with babies that were running three furlongs. We used to breeze them half a mile in like :50, and then two days before the race, you'd send them a quarter of a mile as fast as they could go. So they would be both fit and sharp. So that's what you try to do.

If you want a horse to win first time out, you want them to be dead fit for one thing. And then you've got to sharpen them up and make sure he gets away from the gate.
But sometimes you can't go by the workouts in the paper (Daily Racing Form), because maybe you might have been intending to run him in a different race that didn't go, and then you come back to six furlongs. That's what happens a lot of times when you see the longer works. I intended to run him longer, and then that race didn't go, and then he went to six furlongs.

It worked for Society Selection, who won her first start at two at Saratoga, then the 2003 Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park in her next start, and then won both the Grade 1 Test and Alabama Stakes at three at Saratoga. Did you have second thoughts about going into a Grade 1 stakes off a maiden win?

I wasn't thinking about running her and then, I don't know what it was, maybe that a lot of people in the barn thought she could win. I didn't see that. She never impressed me that much. But then she won nice. We tried to run in a non-winners of two and it didn't go. Then, I was awful proud of that, that she could win a Grade 1 mile race the next start. It worked out. Of course, Ray (Ganpath) was riding her. We worked her one morning a couple of times coming from behind. One time it worked out just perfect. We had the two horses in front of her and she slipped through between the two of them… she beat the champ that day, Ashado (eventual 2-year-old filly champion). So she wound up being a good filly. To win the Test and the Alabama. That's really good.

Was she one of your best training jobs?

That was one of the best, I thought, when she won the Alabama. Uske was instrumental in that because we worked her a mile about four days before the Alabama and I wanted her to work even and go good at the finish. I was on the pony in the backstretch and I thought she was going to pick it up too fast. And just when I thought it, she must have thought it, too, and she slowed her down slightly, and then when she got into the stretch, she really let her go and she went the mile in 1:39 and did it the right way. It was perfect. If you see those two races (the Test and Alabama), she really had to be the best because she lost a lot of ground.Yet you haven't won a Triple Crown or Breeders' Cup race. Does that bother you?

Well, it doesn't bother me, but you just wish you have done it at least once.

You must have been thrilled when Miss Shop won last year's Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga.
We won that twice. We won another one (Passing Shot in 2003) with a horse that hadn't been a stakes horse until she won that race. We had tried to get Miss Shop stakes placed in one of those overnight stakes and she was fourth. And then she goes back to Saratoga and she wins a non-winners of two, and she comes back and wins the Personal Ensign. That was terrific.

You almost won the Alabama again with Teammate who opened a clear lead in mid-stretch in 2006.

You talk about disappointments. I thought Teammate was home the day that filly of Shug's (Pine Island) beat her. Of course, she turned out to be great anyway.

Teammate ran well in last year's Spinster then didn't fire on the sloppy track at Monmouth Park in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. What happened?

She ran good in the Spinster, but she was never a big mud filly anyway. A couple of her bad races were in the mud.

Was the track changing as the day went on?

That's what happens in modern racing. You see, years ago, when it was mud, it was just mud and that was the end of it. Now they do all the floating and the sealing. So different horses have different advantages.



What's your opinion of synthetic tracks?

I've always said I don't like it. It doesn't make any sense to me. I figure if they spent that kind of money on the track to start with, they wouldn't have any problems. Besides, if it is great, then how long is it going to be great? Between rain and all that manure from the horses and everything, it can't stay good. The thing that proves to me that it can be done is Pennsylvania and New York and a few places race all the time and they still have a dirt track. So it can be done.

What are the best tracks for horses?



Look at Calder. They race year-round on their track. Belmont is good because you have the option. Gulfstream is good since they built the new track. It's been a little hard to figure out when it rains, but most tracks are fine.

Do you use the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga?



No. Every once in a while, I'll take one over there and work him. We try to time it right after it's harrowed. There are so many horses on it now. It's narrower than an average track so there's more holes, more footprints, in it.



As your career continues, do you ever think back how it almost ended several years ago in Florida when you nearly died from pancreatitis?

It was 2000. You're lucky. Not a day goes by that I don't see how lucky I am. 
 

Andrew Lakeman - life after being paralyzed

By Bill Heller

Andrew Lakeman was paralyzed from the waist down in a racing accident at Belmont Park. Originally from England, Lakeman came to the United States in the mid-1990s and worked for Michael Dickinson, Hall of Famers Nick Zito and D. Wayne Lukas, Barclay Tagg and Tom Skiffington before finding a home with Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens. Jerkens, who used Lakeman extensively in the mornings and afternoons, said, "Naturally, it's tough. He has better days than others. It's got to be an awful thing to get used to." It is.
"In the beginning, sometimes I thought, 'Why me?'," said the 33-year-old Lakeman. "Now I'm handling it better."

He proved that by attending "Simply the BEST," a dinner benefitting the Backstretch Employee Service Team of New York, Inc. and honoring Jerkens with a special award as Lifetime Outstanding Trainer.

At the dinner, Lakeman was treated like a rock star. "I thought it was really cool," he said. "I haven't been in contact with many people at all. There were so many people who came over and said, 'Hi, how are you doing?' Allen spent a lot of time at my table. He's very emotional. I'll never forget one time I won a stakes for him, he cried. He said, 'Way to go Andrew.' He was crying in the winner's circle. He's amazing. He not only helps people out, he changes lives. He changed my life."



Lakeman thought he had already endured the greatest challenge of his life when he overcame substance abuse problems with the help of BEST. "I went to them for help," he said. "The Racing and Wagering Board was going to take my license away because I had problems the previous two years with drugs and alcohol."



Lakeman earned his stripes working and/or riding four of Jerkens' top horses: Political Force, Miss Shop, Swap Fliparoo and Teammate. Lakeman is especially proud of his work with Political Force.

Though he never rode him in a race, Political Force might never have finished second in the Grade 1 Met Mile, won the Grade 1 Suburban Handicap and finished third in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup without Lakeman's intervention. 

"I always had a connection with horses, just a real good connection," he said. "They're like a mirror to your soul. Because they can't speak, but they feel you."
With other stronger exercise riders, Political Force was uncontrollable. "This is when I'd just come back from rehab," Lakeman said. "One of the exercise riders, a big guy, 170 pounds, he dumped him. And two other guys. He'd rear up and they hit him."

Lakeman eventually convinced Jerkens to give him a shot with Political Force. "He said, 'What the hell are you going to do with him? You weigh 110 pounds,'" Lakeman recalled. Jerkens told him to go ahead.

 "What happened was the guy would pull the reins before hitting him," Lakeman said. "So what I did was put some spurs on and a pair of blinkers on him. When he got to the point where he'd begin acting up, I hit him. And he went good. Then I took the blinkers off. Then he really liked me. He used to go to the track and wheel. I got him on the track and gave him peppermints."

 "The Chief said, 'Now we have to work on him in the gate.'

The gate crew didn't want anything to do with him. I said, 'Don't worry about it.' I walked him toward the gate. He sniffed the gate. I gave him a candy. And he walked straight in. He left the gate awesome."

But the owners of Political Force, as well as the owners of Teammate, insisted Jerkens use a more experienced jockey in races.


However, Lakeman rode eventual Grade 1 stakes winner Miss Shop in her first two races, winning her maiden debut on a sloppy track at Delaware Park by 4 ½ lengths before finishing fifth in an allowance race. He also rode the eventual Grade 1 stakes winner Swap Fliparoo 10 times, winning a maiden and allowance race and finishing third in the Grade 2 Nassau County and second in an ungraded stakes.

In the fourth race at Belmont Park, May 25th, 2007, Lakeman's mount, Our Montana Dream, clipped heels and fell, throwing him hard to the turf. He was paralyzed.
From his hospital bed three days later, he watched on TV as Political Force finished second by three-quarters of a length to Corinthian in the Met Mile at 24-1. "He was awesome," Lakeman said. "That was my favorite thing: difficult horses. They want to run.

Allen is very good at that. He trains them as individuals. He really gets into their heads and gets the best out of them."

Lakeman is rebuilding his life with the help of rehabilitation and therapy. "At first it went really slow and I wasn't getting anywhere," he said. "I wasn't improving. But today I'm doing very good. I worked hard in therapy. I can transfer from my chair to the bed. I can shower on my own. I've become more self-dependent."

In January, he told his therapist he wanted to drive a car. "I took the lessons, 12 lessons," he said. "I did the course on a computer and the driving course right at St. Charles Rehabilitation. I got a car with hand control. Now that I'm driving again, I'll go by the track.

Allen said he wanted me to come with him and stay by him. I really want to train horses."

He knows other trainers and owners will help him, because dozens of them have already helped him get through the roughest part of his ordeal. And he takes heart in the continuing career of Dan Hendricks, the top California trainer who didn't let paralysis from the waist down suffered in a 2004 motocross accident end his career. He was back training in less than two months and developed Brother Derek, one of the top three-year-olds of 2006 who won the Santa Anita Derby.
Lakeman said, "There's no reason I can't do it, because it's already been done."

Is Conformation Relevant?

By James Tate

This year’s yearling sales are just beginning with Fasig-Tipton July in Kentucky quickly followed by Fasig-Tipton August taking place in Saratoga. Then it is the turn of the monstrous Keeneland September catalogue to lay host to thousands of blue-blooded Thoroughbreds desperate to have their conformation analyzed by trainers, owners and those conformation experts – the bloodstock agents. The 2007 September Keeneland yearling sale sold nearly four thousand horses for just short of four hundred million dollars in seven books, each illustrated with photographs of the current superstars sold at last year’s sale. Does examining a horse’s conformation really give you a better idea as to whether you are looking at next year’s superstar?

If you visit the saddling enclosure before the Breeders’ Cup, you will notice that some of the runners are offset at the knee, toe in or toe out, have long pasterns or perhaps even sickle hocks and curbs. Then you could visit the saddling enclosure before a maiden claimer and you would see just how many of these poor performers have good conformation. The racing media only concentrates on the good horses whose conformation often becomes exaggerated by winning lots of races. The legendary John Henry, the richest gelding in history, was unmistakably small, ugly, temperamental and back at the knee, but there are millions of other horses just as poorly conformed to which our attention is never drawn. In the same way, there are many poor performers with technically perfect conformation but we are led to believe that Secretariat’s conformation is superior because he won the Triple Crown.
 
Many U.S. trainers believe that training methods, tight turns and the unforgiving dirt surface make it difficult for horses to overcome poor conformation. Indeed, an argument could perhaps be made that some of the high-profile poorly conformed European Champions such as the dual guineas winning filly Attraction, may not have done so well on the other side of the pond. However, John Henry is far from the last Grade One winning performer with less than perfect conformation. Real Quiet, who missed out on the Triple Crown by a nose in the Belmont, passed through the sale ring as a yearling with both imperfect conformation and a poor veterinary report. Baffert said “When I bought Real Quiet for $17,000, I didn’t vet him. I just bought the athlete. I’ve had horses that didn’t pass the vet when they were yearlings and then went on to become great racehorses.” Five-time Grade One winner Congaree had poor knee conformation but that did not stop this giant colt winning twelve times in twenty-five career starts. Steve Asmussen will be hoping that his massive superstar Curlin continues his current great win streak, which includes the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Dubai World Cup and now the Stephen Foster Handicap despite his less than perfect limbs. Ken McPeek purchased him at the yearling sales despite imperfect forelimb conformation as well as an OCD in his front ankle.
 
 
One thing is certain – a perfectly conformed horse in all areas except one bent foreleg will cost considerably less than the same horse with perfect conformation. Is it really correct to pay so much more to have little or no conformational faults, or should we be concentrating on certain faults and not others, or perhaps pedigree, size and stamp are more important? One only has to stand in the Keeneland sales pavilion for a minute to hear the phrase “I couldn’t buy a horse with hocks like that.” At this point, I would like to question the evidence supporting an opinion like this. Mike Ryan, one of the most successful yearling buyers in the history of auction sales believes that “it’s not a beauty contest where we should be looking for the perfect specimen. It is easy to find what you don’t like about a horse and strike him off the list. I go the other way and start with what I like about a horse. Then I look at whatever faults are there and ask myself, ‘Does he look like a runner?’ ‘Does he have the demeanor of a good horse?’ Good horses usually overcome their faults.” This article will attempt to illustrate some aspects of conformation before examining some of the available evidence concerning its scientific relevance to performance.
 
Conformation is defined as the form or outline of an animal but it may be expanded to include its movement. The conformation of the Thoroughbred racehorse today is a result of a combination of natural selection and the demands we have put on it. The assessment of a horse’s conformation is a personal process but many begin with the body, move onto the limbs and then assess the horse’s movement. The conformation of the body assesses the horse’s balance and center of gravity but in my opinion is an underestimated area of the assessment. Conformation textbooks detail limb ‘faults’ for pages after pages, but hardly mention assessing the future athlete’s body as a whole. When examining a yearling as a potential superstar surely it is vital to assess the whole horse– its height, length, width, girth and muscle mass, not to mention its neck, head, outlook and temperament.
 
When examining the biomechanics of the galloping Thoroughbred, one can see that its propulsion comes from its backend, hence the commonly held belief that sprinters are bigger in this area than distance horses. It also makes sense that any horse should have a large body allowing plenty of room for the heart and lungs. Good distance horses do not always have large girths but they are usually long, whereas sprinters are often shorter but stronger with a large girth and a big muscular back end. As a result, professional horsemen tend to use comments such as short-coupled, weak behind, weak necked, narrow and tubular. I would also suggest that this is an area in which so-called amateur owners can provide valuable insight when looking at yearlings, as some ‘experts’ seem to spend too much time assessing minor details and forget to look at the horse!
 
 
The assessment of limb conformation is quite complex but it is not a matter of opinion – a curb is a curb and back at the knee is back at the knee – conformation can change a little as the horse matures, but usually it is the onlooker’s assessment that varies, not the horse. The horse is assessed from a number of angles both at rest and in motion. Both hindlimb and forelimb conformation is important but their functions should not be forgotten – the hindlimb is providing most of the athlete’s propulsion whereas perhaps the most important function of the forelimb is simply not to break under the considerable pressure of training and racing.
 
Much is said about the side-on conformation of the knee in relation to the rest of the forelimb and everyone seems to have a different opinion. The 2007 Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association ‘Vet Work Plain and Simple’ booklet interviewed a cross-section of leading trainers with regard to conformational faults. Christophe Clement believes that “training methods in the U.S. make it difficult to overcome being back at the knee” and Carla Gaines, Eoin Harty, Bob Hess, Larry Jones, Richard Mandella, and Kiaran McLaughlin all supported his view to some extent. Yet in the same publication, Todd Pletcher is not so concerned by this conformational fault, stating that a lot of his best horses have been back at the knee and John Kimmel goes so far as to say that he would not buy a horse who was significantly over at the knee. From a veterinary perspective, horses who are over at the knee have extra strain placed on their sesamoid bones and the suspensory ligament, whereas horses who are back at the knee have extra strain placed on their knee ligaments, as well as having extra force placed on the front of their knee bones, thus knee chip fractures should theoretically be more common in such horses. However, statistical evidence for such injuries is severely lacking and as an anecdote, the over at the knee colt in the photograph has fairly major knee problems, whereas the back at the knee filly is a winner who has barely taken a lame step throughout two years of training!
 
 
Many buyers will also not buy a horse with long sloping pasterns, but is this sensible? A long sloping pastern theoretically predisposes a horse to injury of the flexor tendons, sesamoid bones and the suspensory ligaments. However, upright pasterns, which are not considered to be anything like such a serious fault, theoretically predispose a horse to fetlock joint injuries, ringbone of the pastern joint and navicular disease. The pastern angle is also irreversibly linked with the horse’s foot. This is a part of the horse that is often underestimated by non-professionals but trainers cannot help but notice poor feet as they seem to spend their entire lives trying to keep them right. Club feet are hated by trainers but also severely disliked are boxy feet, flat feet, contracted heels and unbalanced feet just waiting to form quarter cracks when training commences.
 
 
When looking at a yearling’s forelimb from the front there are several terms that are widely used – base-wide/base narrow, toed-out/toed-in and offset/rotated from the knee and/or fetlock, not to mention whether the horse is considered to have enough forelimb strength or ‘bone’. In order to be accurate, the yearling must be standing squarely and in most circumstances the horse’s gait will mirror its forelimb conformation. While none of the conformations listed above are considered desirable, all are seen in the paddock for most Grade One races, which is hardly surprising when it is remembered that although the forelimb has great relevance to the future superstar’s soundness, it has very little relevance to its future ability.
  
The hindlimb of the racehorse is where the majority of its propulsion comes from and therefore, despite the fact that there is slightly less lameness here than in the forelimb, their conformation is every bit, if not more, important. Whilst some of the forelimb conformational points carry relevance to the hindlimb, for example, pastern angle and foot-path, some new points have to be considered. When assessing the horse from side-on, the hindlimb/hock position is generally considered to be either ‘sickle-hocked,’ ideal or ‘camped behind.’ Sickle-hocked horses are predisposed to curbs (injury of the plantar ligament) and considered to have weak hind legs. However, it is also considered a ‘fault’ to have the limb too far behind the body as it is likely to be associated with upright pasterns. Also, there are horsemen who believe that a horse should not have an excessively straight hindlimb as this theoretically predisposes the horse to hock arthritis and a ‘locked stifle.’
  
When assessing the horse from behind, the onlooker is assessing pelvic and muscle symmetry as well as hindlimb conformation. ‘Cow-hocked’ horses are criticized because there is excessive strain on the inside of the hock joint, which may cause hock arthritis. This comment should be taken lightly when assessing yearlings as to some extent this is a normal conformation in weak, growing, young Thoroughbreds. ‘Bow-legged’ yearlings are also criticized as it is believed that excessive strain is placed on the outside aspect of the limb. These bow-legged horses which are base-narrow behind are often prone to knocking themselves at exercise.
 
Having considered some of the conformational faults of the Thoroughbred and cited some of the reasons why these may cause veterinary injuries, it would now make sense to advise potential purchasers to avoid horses with any significant conformational faults. However, the statistical evidence must be considered first. In 2002, one of the most renowned equine orthopedic surgeons in the world, Dr Wayne McIlwraith, presented the findings of his research into Thoroughbred conformation leading him to famously question corrective surgery performed on foals. His research concluded that “a perfectly correct leg is not ideal for soundness” and some degree of carpal valgus can be a good thing. The extensive study came up with several mildly unexpected conclusions. A longer toe increases the odds of knee problems, a longer shoulder decreases the odds of a fracture and offset knees lead to fetlock problems, not knee problems. The study also found that a longer pastern predisposes to forelimb fractures, Thoroughbred foals achieve 95% of their full height by 18 months of age and manipulating the knee for cosmetic reasons is not helpful and can actually contribute to unsoundness.
 
McIlwriath is not the only person to have carried out valuable research into this area. The late English veterinarian and trainer Peter Calver conducted a much more extensive survey of the conformation of Thoroughbred yearlings seen at the British sales. The study categorized and looked for statistical differences in the performances of many different conformations, for example: Back at the knee, offset and weak hocks. It concluded that the pedigree was more important than any conformational fault and that it was difficult to determine if conformation actually affected performance at all, or if horses performed poorly due to other, inherited characteristics, such as heart and lung function or size.
 

In summary, assessing the conformation of a Thoroughbred yearling is complex, personal and of questionable relevance. The size and shape of a future athlete should be relevant, as should its limb conformation. However, neither is proven to be relevant in determining whether or not it can win a Grade One race. This is the beauty of the sales – what one man loves, another hates, and no-one knows for sure who is right until at least a year or two down the line!

First time on turf - how to prepare a horse

By Bill Heller

Preparing a horse for his first start on turf is trickier than most people realize. Most tracks ban maidens from their grass courses, and many allow only grass stakes-nominated horses who have not made their last start against maidens or claimers to work on the turf course.

On Saturday, June 14th, 14 first-time turfers were entered at Belmont Park; one at Monmouth Park; one at Churchill Downs; nine at Delaware, eight at Philadelphia and three at Hollywood Park. On Colonial Downs' all-turf card, 35 starters were making their grass debuts. Of the 71 first-time turfers across America, only two had a workout on grass.
 

"I don't think it's very important," said California based Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella "If they like it, they like it right away. If they don't, they don't."
When asked if he's ever trained any grass stars who hadn't even galloped on turf before racing on it, Mandella said, "The Tin Man. His first start ever was on grass."


Mandella paused a second. "But he had about a year and a half in Kentucky in a big paddock," Mandella laughed. "I said that as a joke, but it's something they grow up doing. It's pretty natural for them.

"

It sure was for The Tin Man, whose sire, Affirmed, had never raced on turf. After overcoming two bowed tendons which required surgery when he was two years old, The Tin Man became one of America's outstanding grass horses, capturing the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial and the American Handicap twice, the San Louis Obispo Handicap, the Arlington Million, the San Marcos, and, at the age of nine, the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile. He finished his career with 13 victories, seven seconds and two thirds from 30 starts and earnings of more than $3.6 million.



New York trainer Rick Violette, Jr., also trained a Grade 1 grass stakes winner who had never worked on it before winning a race, Man From Wicklow. "He was very disappointing on dirt," Violette said June 7th. "And, actually, he was disappointing on the grass the first few times as well. We finally put blinkers on him and he sprouted wings.

" 
In his first two starts on dirt in 1999, Man From Wicklow, finished fifth in an allowance race and 11th against maidens. Switched to grass, he was seventh, eleventh and eleventh (which could be thought of as a work on grass). When Violette added blinkers, the horse still didn't win, checking in fifth in a maiden race at The Meadowlands. But in his seventh lifetime start, a maiden race at Belmont Park, he finally clicked, winning by three-quarters of a length.



In the winter of 2002-2003, Man From Wicklow won the Grade 2 W.L. McKnight Handicap at Calder and the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap by 4 ¾ lengths, easily the best performance of his life. Not bad for a horse who finished 11th three times before breaking his maiden.

"It can happen," Violette said. "Marquette, who got beat 40 lengths on the dirt, I ran him as a maiden against winners at Gulfstream and he broke his maiden.It can be a dramatic reversal of form."



Both ways. Cigar was an ordinary horse on grass and an extraordinary champion on dirt.Most trainers never get to train such stars, but all trainers have maidens and young horses. Some of them are better on grass; others on dirt. Finding out which they prefer may not happen until later in their career. In the beginning, it's easy to see how inexperienced horses perform on dirt or on a synthetic track simply by working them on it. That's an option not available to maiden grass runners unless they're stabled at training centers with turf courses.
 


Barclay Tagg, who is having a phenomenal spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, says most of his maiden grass winners never worked on turf first. "Absolutely, mostly all of them I had for the last 30 years I trained," he said. "Because I didn't have anywhere to work them on the grass. They don't usually let you have a grass work unless you're down at Palm Meadows Training Center (in South Florida) for the winter. Nowadays, I try to get them all a grass work down there. I don't really think you need a grass work for them, but if you can do it, fine. But at most racetracks you can't do it. They won't let you on it with a maiden.

"

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey wasn't sure whether his first-time starter Tourism would handle grass or not when she made her debut in the sixth race at Belmont Park, June 6th. The three-year-old filly is by Seeking the Gold out of the Pleasant Colony mare Resort, and she had never even galloped on grass. "This filly here, we couldn't have her on the turf at Belmont; maidens can't go on grass," he said. "So she had never been on it before. But there was a race going seven-eighths the other day, and I had another filly I wanted to run there. So I knew this race was coming up. So I said, `Well, let's go on and give it a try'. Being by Seeking the Gold, she probably should like it."



Just like all of McGaughey's young horses, Tourism had been thoroughly prepared for her debut. She showed workouts in the Daily Racing Form from mid-February through late March at Payson Park in Florida, then seven workouts at Belmont Park. McGaughey rarely works first-time starters quickly, but Tourism's final work was a sharp one, four furlongs breezing in :48 3/5, the 19th fastest of 50 horses working that morning at that distance on Belmont's main track.



Tourism loved the turf. Breaking from the rail and benefiting from an excellent ride by new Hall of Famer Edgar Prado, Tourism got through on the inside and won her debut narrowly.



If Tourism had made her debut at Saratoga, she might have had a grass work first. In New York, maidens are barred from working on grass at Belmont Park, but that's not true at Saratoga Race Course, thanks to the Oklahoma Training Track turf course. "Saratoga is a little different because of the training track," Race Secretary P.J. Campo said. "Maidens can work on it any time. On the main course, maidens are not allowed during the meet. We don't want 100 horses to go over there every week. We work Monday, Wednesday and Friday."



During the six-week Saratoga meet from July 23rd through September 1st, McGaughey will work his first-time turf maidens on grass. "At Saratoga, I will, just to see," he said. "Sometimes, a change in atmosphere helps them."



The day after Tourism scored for McGaughey, George Weaver and Keith O'Brien sent out first-time turfers in a $57,000 New York-bred maiden grass race at a mile and an eighth at Belmont. Weaver's Beyond Challenge had been beaten badly in three dirt starts. O'Brien's Imperial Way had a pair of thirds, a sixth and a fifth in four dirt starts.


Because Beyond Challenge was stabled at the Oklahoma Training Track, Weaver was able to give him a grass work, and he went four furlongs around dogs (pylons) in :50 1/5, 11th best of 16 at that distance on the grass course that morning. Imperial Way had not worked since finishing fifth in his last start.
Neither excelled on grass. Beyond Challenge finished eighth and Imperial Way 10th.



Like Weaver, trainer Tom Bush is more inclined to work first-time turfers on grass at Saratoga. "Every trainer at Saratoga utilizes that option," he said. "Some horses, you like to see them on the turf before you run them."



He wanted that look at Belmont for A Zero Trap, a three-year-old New York-bred colt by Quiet American out of Gold 'n Sugar by Java Gold, who had won his debut by a neck, then finished third and fourth in three dirt starts.
 


Bush gave A Zero Trap a grass work at Belmont before he made his grass debut in a $49,000 non-winners of two allowance race for New York-breds at Belmont Park, June 12th. A Zero Trap breezed four furlongs around dogs in :50 4/5 on a good Belmont turf course, 15th best of 20 that day. Then Bush breezed him on dirt, and A Zero Trap went four furlongs in :49 4/5, 14th fastest of 21.



"I had nominated him to a turf stakes, probably one I won't run in, so I could work him on grass," Bush said the morning of the race. "He hits the ground pretty hard, this horse. He's kind of big and chunky, a heavy, thick kind of horse. My hope is that he can stay sounder on turf if he likes it."
He didn't. The grass work didn't help. A Zero Trap finished 10th.



Regardless, Bush said, "I've actually had a few surprises recently, horses that did well on turf. Sweet Madness, who is by Freud, she fit the profile. She's kind of long and has big feet, too."



Gary Contessa, New York's leading trainer and the country's sixth leading trainer in earnings halfway through 2008, is less enthusiastic about turf works for first-time turfers. "If the turn is open on the day that I was planning to breeze them at Saratoga, I will," he said. "But I don't have to. It's not a prerequisite. The ones that I think are going to run well on the turf generally do anyway. I think horses are either naturals on it or not."



Violette voiced a similar opinion: "Sometimes, it can give you a little bit better educated opinion on whether they're going to adapt to turf or not, but it's not necessary to work them out there. I don't really know that it's an edge. I think, a lot of times, pedigree and the way they look and their running style is more important than works on the grass, because I really do think they either like it or they don't. I really think it goes to, a lot of times, just the female family. If they have some turf there, you might have a good shot they'll like it."



Racing principally in Florida and New York, Violette's horses work mostly on dirt, even those about to make their grass debut. How first-time turfers who have been racing on a synthetic course will fare in their grass debuts is still conjecture. Will they do better than first-time turfers who have raced on dirt? "Well, it seems like more grass horses like the synthetic; I'm not sure about the reverse," Violette said. "You would think it would be true."

There's only one way to find out.

Feed contaminants - how big a risk are they?

By Dr Catherine Dunnett and Dr Mark Dunnett
​

For all professionals associated with the training and competition of horses under the rules and regulations of racing, the choice of which feed products to use has never been greater, and the range appears to grow on a daily basis.  This is especially true of the plethora of dietary supplements (otherwise known officially as complementary feeds) available.

Feeds and other contemporary nutritional supplements are not pure products in the same manner that veterinary pharmaceuticals are and thus they will, in a traditional sense, contain foreign substances, even though this is commonly only at trace levels that will have no discernible effect on the horse. Numerous harmful or undesirable substances can potentially contaminate the equine diet, whether manufactured feeds and supplements, or grazing and preserved forages. 

These dietary contaminants can be divided into groups including heavy metals, non-metallic toxic elements, pesticides, mycotoxins, plant toxins, and pharmacologically/physiologically active substances that are considered prohibited or foreign substances within the horse under racing rules and regulations.  There is some crossover between plant toxins and prohibited substances, but it is the latter category that concerns us within this article.

Prohibited (foreign) substances
Under the framework of the International Federation of Horseracing Authority's International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering, Article 6, a prohibited substance is described as  -
"…substances capable of giving a horse an advantage or being disadvantaged in a race, contrary to the horse's inherent merits."

Article 6 further defines prohibited substances as- "

Substances capable at any time of acting on one or more of the following mammalian body systems:


•    the nervous system


•    the cardiovascular system


•    the respiratory system


•    the digestive system


•    the urinary system


•    the reproductive system


•    the musculoskeletal system


•    the blood system


•    the immune system, except for licensed vaccines against infectious agents


•    the endocrine system


•    Endocrine secretions and their synthetic counterparts


•    Masking agents

In broad and simple terms, a prohibited substance can be described as any substance (usually but not exclusively drugs/medicines) that has been given to a horse in its feed, or by any other means, that can exert an effect upon the horse.
 
Certain factors make the presence of prohibited substances as contaminants in the production of equine feedstuffs almost inevitable. 

Analytical techniques employed are increasingly sophisticated and sensitive and this latter fact serves to increase the likelihood of the detection of contaminants at levels that have been historically unattainable.  Furthermore, the increasing diversity of dietary supplements leads to the introduction of unusual components into the equine diet.  This is particularly the case with products that contain herbs or plant derivatives or extracts.

Additionally, there is increased sourcing of feedstuff raw materials from previously unaccessed regions of the world where quality control measures may be below the desirable standard and where novel crop infesting plants may be found. 
 

Contamination in compounded equine feeds and raw materials is varied, but the major sources can be categorized as follows:


Endogenous, natural feed constituents     

Salicylates, DMSO
Ubiquitous environmental contaminants   

 Arsenic
Transport contamination of raw materials Caffeine, theobromine
Manufacturing cross-contamination     

Antibiotics
Crop contamination by invasive plants   

 Morphine, atropine
Racing yard feed contamination         

Veterinary medication



The most commonly encountered prohibited substances in equine feedstuffs include salicylates, dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), caffeine and theobromine, morphine, hyoscine, atropine and hordenine.  There are however, a considerable number of pharmacologically active compounds potentially present in manufactured feeds, grazing and preserved forages that will be viewed as prohibited substances. Examples of these are listed in the table below, however the list is indicative rather than exhaustive.




Prohibited substances potentially present in feedstuffs and grazing:


Prohibited substance   

Feedstuff


Salicylic acid    Alfalfa (Lucerne), willow
Dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO)    Alfalfa, others
Caffeine    Coffee
Theobromine    Cocoa
Theophylline     Coffee, Cocoa
Morphine    Poppy
Codeine    Poppy
Hordenine    Germinating barley, Phalaris grasses
Hyoscine    Belladonna plant species
Atropine    Belladonna plant species
Lupanine    Lupin seed
Bufotenine    Phalaris grasses
Valerenic acid    Valerian
Dicoumarol    Spoiled sweet clover
Borneol    Carrots, wood shavings
Camphor                Rosemary

Unlike in the US, in Europe it is common practice for feeds and supplements to be tested by their manufacturers for potential contamination with prohibited substances before being released for sale.  This practice is particularly evident for those products marketed to the performance sector.  Typically, the service offered by laboratories such as HFL Ltd in the UK and the Laboratoire Des Courses Hippique (LCH) in France screens for the presence of commonly recognized feed contaminants which includes:

Contaminant        ARCI Classification† 
Morphine        UK/France    1
Hyoscine        UK/France    3
Atropine        UK/France    3
Hordenine        UK/France    Not stated*
Caffeine        UK/France    2
Theobromine        UK/France    4
Theophylline        France    3
Bufotenine        France    Not classified/not actioned
Methylbufotenine        France    Not stated*
Dimethyltryptamine        France    Not stated*

? ARCI classification defines the regarded severity of a positive post-race test with these contaminants which will affect the severity imposed, with class 1 being the most severe.*Presumably, these would be regarded as being akin with bufotenine as they can all be associated with Phalaris grasses.
Such pre-sales laboratory analysis is not common for US feed manufacturers.

To some extent this may reflect a reduced risk of contamination of feed with naturally occurring contaminants such as these above, due to less importation and transportation of raw materials.

 Natural feed constituents
 Salicylates and dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) are present in numerous feed ingredients and pasture species.  Salicylates are particularly abundant in grazing and forage legumes, such as clover and alfalfa respectively, and in willow-containing herbal supplements. 

Plant salicylates are metabolized in the body to salicylic acid, a mild pain killer (analgesic) and anti-inflammatory.  Salicylic acid is a metabolite of Aspirin.  DMSO occurs at high levels in alfalfa and is also a weak analgesic and anti-inflammatory. DMSO can be used to enable other drugs to penetrate the skin. Owing to their widespread occurrence and pharmacological properties, international racing jurisdictions have established thresholds for their presence in post-competition urine and blood samples.  In itself it is unlikely that feed-related salicylate load will cause testing thresholds to be exceeded and feed products are not tested to identify the presence of these substances.



Hordenine and bufotenine are recognized as occasional contaminants of equine feedstuffs.  Both substances are constituents in Phalaris grass species (Reed Canary grass), and hordenine also occurs in germinating barley and other cereal grains. 

Hordenine and bufotenine affect the central nervous system (CNS) of horses and are thus are regarded as prohibited substances under racing rules. They have both been detected in post-race urine samples across the US, Europe and Australia  

Feed crop contaminants
 Morphine and codeine present a less common but significant feed contamination issue.  Their presence in post-race samples is a breach of prohibited substance rules as they can exert a significant stimulatory effect in the CNS of horses even at low doses.

During the last decade post-race urine samples have tested positive for opiates in the US, Australia, the UK and Ireland.  Whilst the route of contamination has not always been established, feed contamination with material from opium poppies (Papaver somniferum ssp. somniferum), wild poppies (P. somniferum ssp setigerum) or ornamental poppies (P. Orientale) is likely due to the use of contaminated raw materials.
  
The alkaloids hyoscine (scopolamine) and atropine are also known contaminants of horse feed that derive from contamination of growing cereal crops by Solanaceous plants including Deadly Nightshade, Henbane and Jimson Weed.  Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) contains predominantly atropine, whereas Henbane (Hyoscyamous niger) contains primarily hyoscine. Owing to their potent pharmacological effects within the central nervous system and cardiovascular system, the presence of hyoscine or atropine in post-competition urine samples is regarded as a breach of the rules relating to prohibited substances. 



Manufacturing and shipping contamination


Caffeine and theobromine are recognized contaminants of feeds and numerous instances of feed contamination and post-race positives occurred globally during the 1980s and 1990s.  In the past, cocoa husk was used as a bulking agent in feed manufacture however, more recently its presence in feeds is believed to have arisen from contamination from other feed residues, such as biscuit meal or from contamination of raw materials, usually grains, during transport. 

We are all aware of caffeine as a constituent of coffee and tea, whereas its chemically similar cousin theobromine is found naturally in tea and cocoa (chocolate). When ingested, both substances can act as stimulants to the heart, lungs and brain, and may also exert some degree of diuretic action (increased urination). As a consequence of the prevalence of caffeine and theobromine in the feed production chain and the difficulty in removing them, racing's regulatory authorities worldwide have largely implemented a threshold for theobromine in post-race urine samples. 

In the recent past in the US mepyramine, an antihistamine, has been identified in post-race samples and its appearance on these occasions was attributed to contaminated vitamin preparations. 

Procaine, a local anaesthetic, has also been implicated in post-race positives on a number of occasions where on further investigation the source was discovered to be horse feed cross-contaminated at the mill with pig feed containing the antibiotic procaine penicillin.  

Environmental contamination
Arsenic is a prohibited substance under equine competition rules, but as it is a ubiquitous environmental substance, a threshold level has been established for its presence in post-competition samples. 

Additionally, arsenic levels in the racing environment can be increased by contamination from the use of pesticidal arsenic compounds, the most commonly encountered being wood preservatives used to treat construction timber and fencing materials.  

Cross-contamination
Many veterinary drugs used therapeutically in a racing environment are formulated as powders so they can be administered mixed in with normal feeds. 

Although this is a convenient method in contrast to a reliance on injections for example, it can present a significant risk of dietary contamination to horses other than the animal under treatment if shared feeding equipment is not kept scrupulously clean.  Dusts from some drug formulations can contaminate and linger on surfaces in feed rooms, mangers or stables. 

Certain drug formulations including isoxsuprine, clenbuterol and flunixin, can present a particular problem in this regard.
Dietary supplements
Racing is first and foremost a business, with the end-point being to maximize race wins and prize money and hence hopefully to increase future income from training fees.  It is consequently understandable that any legitimate dietary approach which might benefit race performance and training capacity, or reduce the incidence of illness and injury, and accelerate recovery both from racing and ill health, might at the very least be evaluated. 

This search for an ‘edge' is common to business and sport.  Indeed, the perceived beneficial effects of dietary supplements in human sports have been to some extent translated to equine sports including racing. 
 
The increased availability of dietary supplements for horses can often be supported by sophisticated technical marketing and detailed scientific research. 

But, whatever the motivation for the use of such products might be, whether backed by rigorous evidence of efficacy or not, the reality is that complementary feedstuffs are also potentially at risk of contamination.  Although there has been no comprehensive survey of contamination in equine feed supplements, three such surveys have been conducted on human sports supplements, the results of which indicated that up to 20% of supplements tested contained prohibited substances (under IOC rules), principally anabolic steroids including nandrolone and testosterone. 

As the levels of contaminants found were generally low and variable it was assumed that their presence arose through poor manufacturing practice on the part of the manufacturer or the ingredient supplier(s).  Undeclared stimulants, such as caffeine and ephedrine, have also been identified in human sports supplements and these findings suggest deliberate adulteration to improve efficacy. 

A recent doping case suggests that equine supplement contamination may become an issue for the feed and supplement industry and regulatory authorities, but on this occasion this post-race positive for the presence of the anabolic nandrolone seems to have arisen through the use of a human sports supplement in the horse, rather than a contaminated equine product.

The use of dietary supplements in racing is becoming commonplace.

Products containing herbal or other plant based or nutraceutical ingredients are increasingly popular, possibly through a belief that these are not drugs and thus do not infringe the rules relating to prohibited substances. A useful example here would be products containing Devil's Claw powder or extracts.  Devil's Claw is a plant related to Sesame and is native to southern Africa. It has recognized pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties in people and has been offered as an alternative to established over-the-counter pain relief medicines, such as Aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen, for many years, and is currently undergoing clinical trials.

Widespread promotion of Devil's Claw, as an herbal alternative to phenylbutazone for horses, began at a time when the continued approval for the use of this veterinary pain-relieving drug was in doubt.  It is worth pointing out that the French racing laboratory, Laboratoire Des Courses Hippiques, have recently published methods for the detection of harpagosides, the active components in Devil's Claw, in equine post-race samples, and thus is it reasonable to assume that US regulatory laboratories may be screening for these substances.



The irony here is that, when viewed within the strictures of the rules and regulations of racing, if a supplement, or more accurately one or more of its constituents, has efficacy, by extrapolation it must affect one of the horses' body systems and is therefore prohibited, whether or not the laboratory is able to test for it.

Trainer protection
We should not be complacent on this issue and it would be prudent for trainers, wherever practical, to retain representative samples of all batches of feeds and supplements that they use, indeed the regulatory authorities proffer just such advice. This is certainly a worthwhile exercise, as in the event of a failed post-race test a defense of feed contamination will be strengthened by such physical evidence, which can be subjected to analytical scrutiny. 

In practice, a successful demonstration of contaminated feed or supplement will not exonerate the horse's connections from a regulatory offense, but may well be a persuasive argument in mitigation concerning subsequent sanctions.
In addition, being fully aware of the ingredients within feeds or supplements and of the nature and extent of any pre-sale quality assurance analysis by a manufacturer for the common contaminants (prohibited substances) should afford trainers some further protection and allow them to make informed purchases.

Federal Intervention in the regulation of steroids in racing

On February 27th, the United States Congressional Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection conducted a day-long hearing on drugs in sports. Discussion of one of the topics, anabolic steroids in horseracing, triggered the typical, knee-jerk reaction by the horseracing industry: heaven help us if there's federal intervention.

 But anabolic steroids, which are barred in most, but not all, racing states, are just the latest red flag telling the federal government that racing cannot adequately regulate itself because of the lack of uniform medication rules. The racing industry was put on notice in 1981 that if an effective, uniform national medication policy wasn't implemented, the federal government would reluctantly step in.

There has been progress recently. In its seven-year history, the not-for-profit Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), working with the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI), has made significant progress toward uniform medication rules. Yet today, seven of the 38 racing states in the U.S. have not adopted the RMTC's model rules, which include one on anabolic steroids.

The sad reality is that not everyone in horseracing is on the same playing field. How could they be, without uniform, national rules? Could you imagine the National Football League, the National Basketball Association or major league baseball operating under different rules from state to state?

"The federal government is not going to stand for this very long,” said Cobra Farm's Gary Biszantz, a long-time owner/breeder and former board member of the RMTC. "If they come in, they are going to ban just about everything. It's a very risky thing.”

That risk is one racing has been living with for more than three decades, ever since it allowed the anti-bleeding diuretic Lasix and the analgesic bute to infiltrate backstretches around the country. Since then, a sea of new drugs has plagued horseracing, forcing trainers to decide whether or not they will stick to the rules or chase the latest drug of choice, hoping that their veterinarians can stay one step ahead of the drug tests which would reveal their illegal presence in horses.

"The integrity of our sport is in question and has been for years,” Biszantz said. "The fans know they need two Racing Forms, one on past performances and a second on medication in the horses' system on the day he races.

"Some of them are on the cutting edge trying to get away with what they can; the others are following the rules and they can't keep up,” Biszantz continued. "All we're doing is maintaining a way to keep the veterinarians alive. Many owners have left the game because they know some trainers have an edge and others don't. The owners who stay pay a horrendous price for that.” So does anybody who loves horseracing. On August 9, 1981, speaking to industry leaders at the annual Jockey Club Round Table, the late Maryland Senator Charles "Mac” Mathias, said: "The time has come to do something about horse drugging, horse medication. My position is that the federal government should only be the regulator of last resort. It should only intervene where there is a widely perceived need for action and where no action is being taken either by the individuals in groups who are effected and involved, or lacking that, by the states. And I think there is a widespread feeling that we have that kind of situation in relation to horses.” He continued, "Right now, more than a third of the (then) 30 states with pari-mutuel betting do not restrict in any ways the use of anti-inflammatory or steroids or diuretics.”

In conclusion, Mathias said, "The choice is clearly before you and before state officials now. If you don't want the federal drug busters sniffing around your stables, then act now on your own to remove any pretext for federal intervention in your affairs. I can't say it any more simply than that. The Sport of Kings doesn't needdrugging, so let's get rid of it now.” Obviously, that message didn't hit home. "We're 27 years later and there's still no uniformity around the country,” said Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky), who was the ranking member of the Congressional Subcommittee Hearing on drugs in sports. "There is cause for federal intervention. You go to Europe, Asia, Dubai – they have uniform rules and everyone knows what they are. I firmly believe that medication does contribute to the number of breakdowns on the track. I find that appalling. There are jockeys on every one of those horses. What kind of injuries do they face?”

In Europe, Asia, Dubai and almost all of the racing world outside of North America, there is no race-day medication allowed, period. "Around the world, we're frowned on,” Biszantz said.

He's right. Speaking at the Irish Thoroughbred Association Trade Fair & Symposium on January 24th, 2008, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, spoke on the issue of medication as it relates to global Thoroughbred racing:

"I feel very strongly about the harmonization of medication, which I think is essential. And not being disrespectful about our colleagues in America, I am convinced that the medication approach in America will not be able to sustain itself in a much more different environment where people are much more critical. They call it good help from the vet, and it is important that we play them on a level playing field.

"Even a horse like Takeover Target, who was racing around the world before he came to Hong Kong, we found out that obviously he was on medication, an anabolic steroid. This is not in the global world acceptable. We have to have one standard. I have very strong feelings as a breeder, too. I, as a breeder, would like to know what is the real potential of the horse, and for the selection process in breeding. And therefore I think it is absolutely important from a horse welfare standpoint that we get an international racing platform to be harmonized.”

Harmony has never been a word associated with racing in the United States. Heck, for a very long time, there were two different national groups of racing commissioners. How can you achieve uniform rules when you can't even decide which group is going to be responsible for them?

The sad truth of racing in the U.S. is that each individual state operates independently of all the others. Being only human beings, each state's regulators think they've got the right answer and the others don't.

Even Alex Waldrop, the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association who testified on behalf of Thoroughbred racing at the Congressional Subcommittee hearing, acknowledged the heart of the problem in a commentary he wrote for The Blood-Horse: "Much of what Rep. Whitfield said was hard to refute. Seven states have yet to adopt the model medication rules. Far fewer have adopted the model penalties, and 22 states have taken little or no action on the model anabolic steroid rule. That doesn't even count those jurisdictions that passed the model rules, but only after modifying them to some degree.”

During the hearing, Whitfield made it clear that if the racing industry did not adopt all model rules and penalties, including a rule banning anabolic steroids from competition, by December 31st, the federal government would.

Whitfield then asked Waldrop, "Would it be unreasonable to say if a state doesn't adopt the rules, they could lose simulcast rights as authorized in the International Horseracing Act (IHA) of 1978?”

Waldrop answered that it would not be unreasonable, and he has been asked about that response many times. In his Blood-Horse commentary, he explained, "I could not honestly say that it would be ‘unreasonable' for Congress to premise the IHA projections on the adoption of specific medication rules and penalties. Clearly, some in our industry are urging Whitfield to do just that. Is federal intervention the preferred route? The answer to that question is categorical – ‘No.'”

Waldrop explained why. "Federal intervention in medication issues shifts significant control of our industry from the states to the federal government, which has no expertise and little or no interest in effectively regulating our industry.”

Waldrop also said such a shift would increase taxation on commerce under the IHA. "Too much money is already being siphoned off our industry by antiquated, state government-imposed excise taxes – money the RMTC would rather see spent on research and testing by the states,” he wrote. "Federal intervention might force uniformity, but at a price our industry cannot afford.”

The obvious solution would be all racing states adopting the model rules proposed by the RMTC/RCI.

The conclusion of Waldrop's commentary is simple, yet chilling: "As long as states drag their feet in adopting the RMTC/RCI model rules, federal intervention is a real possibility. We in horse racing are faced with a simple choice: we can move with purpose and resolve to gain national adoption of the model rules as put forth by RMTC and RCI following broad scientific and regulatory input from the industry, or we can delay implementation and await the very real possibility of federal intervention. Given this choice, the time to pass the model rules – including the anabolic steroid rule – is now.”

But that call to action has been made many times without unifying the industry. Nobody is more aware of that than RMTC Executive Director Scot Waterman, who has piloted the RMTC since its inception. "On the face of it, we should have uniform rules, but the devil is in the details,” he said. "I'm not trying to apologize for the industry. That's just the way it is.”

That's the way it's been for decades.  Mathias' speech at the 1981 Round Table was dovetailed around proposed legislation which would have rocked horseracing. Called the Corrupt Practices in Horseracing Act, the bill would have banned the use of all drugs in horses, as well as nerving, numbing and freezing. "State racing commissioners descended on Senator Mathias' office after that speech, and they assured him 27 years ago that they were going to address the problems, that they were going to crack down on the use of these drugs in racing,” Whitfield said at the hearing. "Here we are 27 years later, and not much has changed.”

Maybe the only way to change racing is by federal intervention. Time is running out.

Maryland - can slots solve the problem?

By Sean Clancy

It's come to this. The Maryland racing industry starts and ends at the same place, the same date, the same issue – the voters' booth come November. The slots referendum – the denouement – will decide once and for all whether Maryland will attain slots to help staunch the losses of horses, horsemen and handle to neighboring states.

The once storied tradition of Maryland racing has come to this. The slots uncertainty has replaced all that was Maryland racing – the spectacle of the Preakness, the buzz of the Maryland Million, the hype of the renovated dirt and turf courses at Laurel Park, the history of Sagamore and Windfields Farm and the legacies of Northern Dancer and Native Dancer. Today, ask anybody about Maryland racing and it goes no further than the slots referendum in November.

Destined to put 15,000 slot machines in five sites across five counties, the bill could generate up to $700 million in state tax revenue and pump nearly $100 million into the racing industry. Presently, the annual purse structure at Pimlico and Laurel taps out around $33 million. The numbers are complicated – a percentage goes to Standardbreds, another part goes to the Maryland breeders, some goes to facility improvements –  but any direction it's doled, the passage of the slots bill remains paramount to Maryland racing.

If there's a one-word answer to why Maryland remains in the throes of the slots woes, it's politics. The slots bill has been locked in dispute in Annapolis for over a decade. First there was Governor Paris Glendening's "No Slots" manifesto. Then Governor Bob Ehrlich's tepid endorsement of the slots bill was basically declared a non-starter. Gridlock on the Beltway has had more wiggle room. Finally, Governor Martin O'Malley decided, it's up to the voters. Yes or no. What's it going to be, yes or no?

That's when the 12-year odyssey to land slots in the state will come to a head. Vote yes, and Maryland racing receives a life rope. Vote no, and it slips further into oblivion behind states with slots-induced purses. Worst of all, the waiting game will finally be up and owners, trainers, breeders who have been hanging on will wait no longer. Pack your bags, this bus is leaving.

"I'm in the same spot as a lot of people are, hoping that come November something good happens for us," said trainer Mike Trombetta, who led all trainers last year in percentage at the major Maryland meets of Pimlico and Laurel. "We can start aiming in the right direction again. My worst fear is what would happen if November doesn't go well."

Richard Hoffberger, the president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, knows what will happen. He's represented horsemen throughout this maze of inefficiency.

"If it doesn't pass now, the people in Delaware Park, Philadelphia Park, Charles Town, they're going to break out the champagne," Hoffberger said. "We'd still have some semblance of a race meet but you've got no horses around here, I mean it's bad here. The racehorse business in Maryland sucks."
 
There was a time when Maryland's product towered above Delaware, Charles Town or anything offered in Pennsylvania. Those days are over.

At Laurel Park on a recent Thursday, the first race, a $25,000 claimer for 3-year-old fillies running for a $24,000 purse attracted three horses. The second for $10,000 claimers collected five runners. It didn't get much better through the rest of the card – 59 horses competed in nine races. It's not a titillating product. Turf racing on Laurel's state-of-the-art turf course will jump start the product in the spring and the Preakness build-up will invigorate the scene at least for a week in May. But there are fundamental flaws which damage the vibrancy of racing. Pimlico, the second oldest track in the country, remains decrepit and Laurel Park's facility is only marginally better. Laurel closes for much of the summer when the Colonial Downs meet in Virginia begins, leaving the turf course dormant for some of the most viable days of the year. The Maryland Jockey Club operates Bowie as a training center, adding to the accounts payable side of the ledger.

But still it's Maryland – the best racing state in the Mid-Atlantic area. They don't run the Preakness in Pennsylvania. The Washington D.C. International wasn't run in West Virginia. It's not the New Jersey Million, it's the Maryland Million. Bernie Bond didn't call Delaware home.

But here it lies in limbo – like a transplant patient, waiting for the call. The slots bill has tantalized horsemen in Maryland for over a decade. The jackpot has always been a house bill or a vote or a referendum away. Like teasing a Labrador Retriever with a tennis ball. Pumping up your racing product with slot money doesn't necessarily offer a palatable solution, but a necessary one when neighboring states Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia employ slots to raise money for their racing product. They have forced the issue. Bigger purses across state lines create an exodus for horsemen and horses. It hasn't been a mad dash but more of a Chinese water torture as horsemen have moved in search of the almighty dollar. And that's a credit to Maryland horsemen, most have hung in there like they're defending the Alamo.

High-profile trainers such as Graham Motion, Tony Dutrow and Tim Ritchey have already taken that bus route off the Maryland racing circuit. Trainers who used to stick around Laurel Park for the winter now venture to other circuits like Oaklawn Park or Tampa Bay Downs. It's one thing to go to Gulfstream Park, but now they flee for tracks that used to operate well below Laurel's par.

"Aww, it's horrible," Trombetta said when asked what it was like to watch his state falter. "We went through this exercise every year for I don't know how many years now, and the best the legislators could come up with is to basically tell the voters, ‘Ah heck, you guys decide on this.' It's definitely frustrating."

Maryland's purse structure has slipped behind neighboring states. The slots-induced purses in West Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania have sapped Maryland's pool of horses. In a state that was renowned for its horsemen – the year-round lifers who trained a string, utilized a farm and bled Maryland are waning. Some stick around because they like the lifestyle, they own that farm and they keep thinking "one of these days..." Horsemen like Dickie Small, Larry Murray, Ann Merryman, Jimmy Murphy; they represent the old-school Maryland mystique. Then there are prolific number runners like Dale Capuano, Scott Lake, Ben Feliciano Jr. and Trombetta who win consistently wherever they go but stay despite the purses. How long any of them will last is the question and threat. If the bill in November fails, start crossing off the calendar blocks.

Hoffberger has lived the slots debate, from the time he and former Maryland Jockey Club president Joe DeFrancis stood up in front of the media at Pimlico Racecourse and tried to choreograph the impact slots could have on racing. That was three governors, one DeFrancis and countless horses and horsemen ago. Still no slots.

"The referendum is the big story," Hoffberger said. "If it passes, we should be in halfway decent shape. If it doesn't pass...we're a small-time market."

But will it pass?

Right now the proponents of slots are on the lead while the opponents lag about 20 points behind. But read the form.

"The anti-slot people are come-from-behind runners, and you've got to be at least 20 points ahead, because they'll come get you at the end," Hoffberger said. "We're about 20 points ahead now. What's that mean? It's almost a photo."

Most horsemen who were originally against slots have long since hugged the monster. Have a better plan to balance Maryland's budget shortfall? Another way to inject some life into to Maryland's racing and breeding industry? Think the lesser of all evils.

"We're competing with the state – the state's running a lottery system. We're competing with casinos in New Jersey that are funding purses to the tune of $25 million a year. We're competing with Delaware Park, with Pennsylvania, with West Virginia," Hoffberger said. "Is it the answer? No. But if you want to run a track meet, having a good pair of shoes is not the only answer, but if you don't get dressed up, you don't have a chance."

Breeders in the state continue to dress up, surviving on tradition and striving for change. Northview Stallion Station, near Northeast, continues to churn out winners with a stallion brigade led by Not For Love and Two Punch. The Pons family's Country Life Farm survives, despite being nearly engulfed in urban sprawl, ducking and jiving in search of the next Malibu Moon who will reach across state lines. Don Litz has led a small group of investors in the development of Maryland Stallion Station which houses eight regional stallions. Allen and Audrey Murray guide their family-oriented operation, Murmur Farm; the couple hit the jackpot buying and quickly selling Our Emblem, in middle of the firestorm created by War Emblem's victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

Dr. Tom Bowman of Northview sees a much bigger picture than just slots at racetracks.

"The whole thing is highly disappointing, but not surprising," Bowman said. "It runs much deeper than just the demise of the racetracks, it symbolizes a radical change in our state and the philosophy on our state's well being. We're no longer a state that sees agriculture as important. Most of the states that approved slots recognized the value of keeping their state an agricultural state and saw horse racing as a way to protect rural land and agriculture."

There's the rub, it's hard to convince politicians and citizens that open spaces actually keep taxes lower and slows the expense account. The more houses that grow in the fields, the more tax money needed to supply police, roads, education and everything required to keep a society moving.

"Several of my children work with me and the future isn't too bright for them in this state," said Bowman, who served as the president of the Maryland Horse Breeders. "With a magic wand, they can affect racing. Look at Penn National, they're up and running again and you're seeing some big-name trainers run there. But when you try to sell the slots legislation in this state, the open spaces, the agriculture, the horse racing, it means nothing to the politicians and their constituents. They can't comprehend how it's going to affect them."

All the Maryland breeders operate under the encroaching shadow of neighboring states' breeders incentive programs. Breeding

a Maryland-bred doesn't hold the same appeal as it once did. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, even a Delaware-certified program has leached some of Maryland's prominence.

Northview made the first tangible step to develop in other states, breaking ground on a division in Pennsylvania. Right now, yes, they're still tried-and-true Maryland but it's not unfathomable to think of them as one day being pure Pennsylvania.    "Northview is a little bit of an enigma because we have a couple of stallions that reach across state lines," Bowman said. "For two years we set a record of mares bred in Maryland but we noticed where the mares were coming from and where they were going. You have to be where the business is, we moved 30 miles up the road and the economic picture is grossly different. I don't like it but you can't be an ostrich."

Trombetta makes up another high-profile trainer moving into Fair Hill Training Center, one of the few thriving Thoroughbred entities in the state. The sprawling spread in the northeast corner of the state struggled to hold its own for years. Now it's booming. Prominent owner Earle Mack recently purchased two barns. Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm purchased a barn site, flattened the existing barn and will place Larry Jones (of Hard Spun fame) there this spring. Tickets to Fair Hill Steeplechase Meeting are sold out.

Trombetta owns a small farm in Maryland, will train at a training center in Maryland, and will have horses at Laurel in Maryland. That's how committed he is to the state, but he also had horses at Gulfstream this winter, will have horses stabled at Delaware and will race his nearly 100 horses all over the East Coast.

"For me Maryland is home. It's where I grew up, where I came around the racetrack. It's got a long-standing history

and tradition. The Preakness is very nice and all, but it's more than just the Preakness," Trombetta said. "It's everybody in the industry in Maryland. But it's struggling. First the breeders, now the racehorses stables are the next ones to go. This thing is very much changing and evolving, and you've kind of got to roll with the punches as you go."

Trombetta has accepted that sometimes you have to dance with the devil.

"I'm not a big fan of the slots, but unfortunately it's the money that keeps everything rolling," Trombetta said. "When your competitors have that asset and you don't, you don't stand to stay at it very long."

See you in November.

Eco Trainers - converting manure to electricity

By Katherine Ford

Trainers at the main French training base, Chantilly, have gone green and are soon to be the envy of their contemporaries around the world with a ground-breaking manure-disposal project. Faced with piles of manure, the bane of all trainers' lives, Chantilly professionals are working together to launch a pioneering scheme which looks set to solve all their problems and at the same time reap both environmental and financial rewards. The 10-million euro project, which should be operational towards the end of 2009, is at the cutting edge of technology and consists of using a process of methanization to convert the waste into electricity which will then be sold to the EDF (French Electricity Board), and into heat which will be used locally.

With some 2500 Thoroughbreds currently in training in and around the towns of Chantilly, Gouvieux and Lamorlaye, the region is France's leading training center and among the most prestigious sites for preparing racehorses in the world. A further 700 polo ponies and 800 riding horses are stabled in the area to make a grand total of 4,000 equine inhabitants. Slightly less glamorous than the haul of Group 1 victories which the four-legged stars of Chantilly bring home each season is the waste they produce. Each horse creates one ton of manure per month. The muckheaps of Chantilly are overflowing and a solution is urgently needed.

Dual-purpose handler Richard Crépon was one of the first to react to the issue, and in early 2006 he became president of the Lamorlaye Bio-Resources Association. "We started to research ways to deal with our large quantities of manure and initially came up with the idea of converting it into compost, or incineration. Local farmers made a small contribution by spreading shavings-based manure on their land. But none of these systems were perfect and we realized that we needed to take control of the situation ourselves." It was then that the current CUMA (Co-operative for the Utilization of Agricultural Material) was born, again under the presidency of Crépon. All of Chantilly and the surrounding area's hundred or so license holders, as well as the towns' riding school, livery and polo proprietors, have been invited to invest the modest sum of 100 euros to join the co-operative which, as Crépon explains, "needs manure in order for our project to be feasible."

The CUMA'S methanization project offers a mutually-beneficial solution to a relatively new problem. Until recently trainers had been able to rely on the abundance of mushroom producers in Chantilly to dispose of their troublesome "by-product." The farmers had chosen Chantilly for its combination of an unending supply of the horse manure necessary for their fungus to grow, and the geological characteristics of the surrounding area. Chantilly is built on valuable limestone which has been excavated over the centuries, notably to construct the spectacular Grandes Ecuries and Chateau which give such charm to France's Classic racecourse. The quarrying left vast underground caves perfect for mushroom cultivation and thirty years ago the area was home to around 25 mushroom farms. "They used to pay us to take away our manure. Nowadays, the industry has largely moved to Eastern Europe, leaving only 4 mushroom producers in Chantilly. We have trouble to get anyone to empty our manure pits and it costs more and more." In Chantilly it now costs 15 euros per ton for trainers to dispose of their organic waste.

Aside from the purely practical inconvenience of evacuating the tons of waste produced weekly, fellow trainer Tony Clout, making a regretful gesture towards a steaming skip full of manure, comments, "we don't realize it, but we contribute to the greenhouse effect every day with all this manure." Clout is another board member of the French Trainers' Association who is an active player in the CUMA. Like all his trainer colleagues, he is primarily concerned by another form of pollution. "Horse manure is officially considered as a waste product and we are responsible for it until it has been completely destroyed. At the moment we have no control over where it ends up. In the current crazy situation, our manure is transported the length and breadth of France. It is always worrying to see piles of manure left standing in fields across the countryside, as they could easily have originated in our stables. There is a real risk that effluent from the waste will pollute the ground water in these instances and the trainer will be held liable and fined."

The increased environmental awareness on the part of the authorities, aside from making them more likely to take trainers to task for inadequate disposal of their waste, has another more beneficial side for the CUMA. "The timing has been ideal for us," explains Crépon. "We started to think about environmentally-friendly ways to recycle our manure at the same time as the government was creating grants and finance schemes for exactly this type of project." One such policy is that proposed by EDF, who pay a special tariff of 140 euros per megawatt hour (compared to usual rate 60 euros MW/h) for electricity produced by renewable sources. This price operates on the basis of a 15 year contract, which the CUMA has secured. "All this is possible thanks to our contract with EDF," states Clout.

Although the finer details have yet to be settled, the principle behind the Chantilly project is the same as that used in Germany by around 4,000 methanization plants for pig slurry. Nevertheless this will be the first time the technology has been used for horse manure. Bruno Battistini, consultant to the Lamorlaye Bio-Resource Association, explains, "We are setting a European and worldwide precedent. The pig manure operations are common in Germany and function in the same way as sewage processing plants as the slurry is highly-concentrated and in liquid form. However this is the first time anyone has attempted the process with dry matter, although it is similar to that used for household waste." In France there are two such plants, in Calais and Lille, for recycling household waste but there remain a number of unknowns concerning Chantilly's innovative project and the CUMA is still conducting research in conjunction with the INRA (National Institute for Agronomic Research) of Narbonne. "Our primary concern is to verify that our horse manure is compatible with the anaerobic breakdown process. We must also be sure of the levels and composition of the biogases produced, and finally that the equipment will stand the test of time." At the current time, around 18 months before the project is due to leave the starting stalls, Battistini and the trainers are certain that the process will work with straw-based manure and are expecting confirmation from the INRA that shavings will be able to be recycled in the same conditions.

Methanization is an anaerobic fermentation process through which the waste is decomposed by bacteria in an air-free environment. The manure will therefore be collected in giant sealed silos, where it will ferment to give off biogas consisting largely of methane and carbon dioxide. These gases will in turn be used to drive turbines which produce the electricity destined for EDF. "While EDF is our guarantee of income," explains Battistini, "we have a legal obligation towards them according to which, in order to benefit from their favorable rates, we must not waste potential energy." The latent heat generated during the methanization process therefore becomes a secondary resource. In addition to its utility in heating the plant's reactors, which need to be maintained at an operational temperature of 131°F, it will also be sold locally for heating purposes.

A 3 ½ acre site has been chosen for the plant, on land owned by the Institut de France and subsidized by France Galop. Its central location at Mont de Po, between the training centers of Chantilly and Lamorlaye, while being practical for trainers, is of vital logistical importance for the sale of the heat. Within just a few hundred meters of the site are the AFASEC jockeys' school and the Bois Larris Red Cross Hospital, the two major clients whose heating systems are to be supplied by the warmth created by the turbines. Their proximity means that a minimal amount of heat will be lost during transfer.  Another bonus with the location is that there is already a 20,000 volt cable running underground across the site to cater for the hospital, which means that no unsightly pylons will be required.

After the three-to-four-week methanization process has been completed, around 60% of the initial volume will remain as biologically stable residue. "Our profitability is also dependent upon the use we make of this residue," says Battistini. "The heat we sell to the hospital and the AFASEC will be running at 100% of its potential in December and January, however that will be reduced to 10% in the summer months. This seasonal issue will affect our global efficiency and in order to qualify for the subsidies on offer, we need to prove that we utilize at least 75% of the energy produced."  The solution to this final conundrum is to recycle the residue a second time to create fuel briquettes. The latent heat which is surplus to requirements over the summer will be used to dry, and then carbonize, the waste from the digestors at temperatures of up to 752°F. The resulting matter will be compressed into briquettes for use either in households or possibly by the AFASEC or the hospital if their boilers could be converted to use this type of fuel. The CUMA are also keen not to leave the remaining mushroom-growers in the lurch and are working together to determine whether the farms can make use of the residue.

The project is expected to cost in the region of 10 million euros. "We have yet to finalize a finance plan as we are still awaiting the various technical validations from the INRA. When we have these we will be able to make an accurate evaluation of the cost of the plant and then source funding for our operation." However Battistini does not have any concerns on this score. In addition to the EDF contract, a whole range of grants and support dedicated to the development of biomass projects and the recycling of waste are proposed on regional, national and European levels, including Grenelle Environment and Brussels. The scheme is supported by the government ministries of agriculture and environment as well as by Finance Minister Eric Woerth, who is Mayor of the prestigious racing town. Indeed the town of Chantilly itself, thanks to its status as a Pole d'Excellence Rurale (Center of Rural Excellence), is eligible for European money dedicated to this type of project. Another source of income could quite simply be a bank loan. This may be more simple than it first appears, as Battistini confirms, "According to a law which was passed five or six years ago, all the major French high-street banks offer loans called ‘Sofergies' which are dedicated to the financing of this type of equipment. The interest rate is negotiable but the real advantage of the idea is that banks must give priority to innovative projects such as ours which will produce renewable energy." In the future, carbon credits may be recuperated by the CUMA, although there is still work to do on this front as they are currently only available for porcine and bovine schemes. Battistini intends to change this state of affairs. "We are lobbying the CITEPA (Technical Interprofessional Center for the Study of Atmospheric Pollution) to convince them to change this ruling and hope to benefit from carbon credits within a year or two."

Richard Crépon and Tony Clout aim to have written off the cost of the factory within seven or eight years, whereas Battistini offers the slightly more conservative estimate of ten years. Whoever is right on this minor issue, the CUMA seems assured of success on both economic and ecological levels. "Once we have repaid the cost of the plant, the trainers, who are the shareholders in the CUMA, will reap the financial benefits," says Clout. "In the future we should be able to return to a situation in which trainers are paid for the removal of their manure, and not vice versa." While the renewable energy supplied to EDF and local services will make a small impact on country-wide electricity production, the project is also advantageous in cutting down on primary pollution which currently originates from the currently steaming muckheaps of Chantilly. The CUMA will seek to standardize manure storage for all the region's trainers so that all waste is kept in covered pits or containers prior to transportation to the plant's closed fermentors, thereby considerably reducing current methane emissions.

While the project is far from completion, the ensemble of favorable circumstances mean that the members of Chantilly's CUMA can be confident of a cleaner, cheaper future in which they will be in control of the manure their horses produce. Their progress will be followed with interest by trainers around Europe and the world.

Kentucky Downs - America's only European-style turf course

By Ken Snyder

Working as a groom between his junior and senior years in college, Corey Johnsen wagered his entire week's salary on a horse in his care in hopes of earning his second-semester tuition. Decades later, Johnsen, now president and part owner of Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Kentucky, gambles on the success of a turf-only course accommodating shippers-only with just a six-day annual race meet. Will it be a winner? If uniqueness were a guarantee of success, Kentucky Downs, hard by the Tennessee border, would be a huge overlay. It is billed as the nation's only European-style turf course but General Manager John Goodman modifies this slightly and perhaps best expresses its essence: "It's English racing meets the county fair."

Only the whine from tractor trailer tires on nearby Interstate 65 disturb a pastoral setting that might surpass the most scenic track in Ireland. There is no tote board in the infield, and the "grandstands" are the balcony on the two-story clubhouse and two well-weathered bleacher sections at the finish line that look as if they have been imported from the nearest football field. The large clubhouse, with tall palladium windows and white columns at entrances fore and aft, is Southern Colonial meets Belmont Park minus the ivy.

There is also a touch you won't find at a county fair: The jockeys' quarters are in a doublewide trailer, the kind likely to be found throughout a rural Kentucky far removed from the plank-fenced splendor of Bluegrass horse farms to the north. Taken together, Kentucky Downs is a delight, a jewel in comparison to big-city "race factories," and a total surprise among the chain restaurants and motels that are the obligatory fixtures at the Franklin interstate exit and seemingly all others in America.
Johnsen and ownership partner Ray Reid, a Texas investment banker, bought the track in August of 2007, gaining an 85% controlling interest from former owners Churchill Downs, Turfway Park and Kelley Farms. (Each of these entities retained a 5% ownership in the track.) They are proceeding with renovations and other changes as if the odds are far better than the 8-1 that Johnsen got on Hi Ho Dash many summers ago at Centennial Park in Denver.

The path to Franklin and ownership of Kentucky Downs is a long one for both Johnsen and Reid. For Reid it began in his college days, also. While at the University of Pennsylvania, he roomed with a member of the Hanover family of harness racing fame and became interested in racing. Perhaps not surprisingly, given that he was a student in Penn's Wharton School of Business, his interest specifically was in racetrack ownership.
Ownership of horses in partnership with Johnsen preceded Reid asking his partner to create a list of five tracks that might be in play for possible purchase. Kentucky Downs was on the list.

For Johnsen, his position is the latest in what has been a career lifetime at racetracks. From groom, he progressed to the grandstand side, working seasonal jobs first at Turf Paradise in Phoenix then at Arlington Park in the marketing and publicity department. "I was director of media relations for the inaugural Arlington Million," he said.
His first year-round job was at Louisiana Downs before becoming part of the management team that developed Remington Park. He moved from there in 1994 to help develop Lone Star Park in Arlington, Texas before leaving for the presidency and part ownership of Kentucky Downs. Additionally, he helped with the reopening in 1999 of Hipódromo de las Americas in Mexico City and Hipódromo Nacional de Maroñas in Uruguay a few years after that.

Perhaps reflecting his experience in developing tracks from the ground up like Remington and Lone Star, Johnsen's first priority at Kentucky Downs was, quite literally, the ground; and renovation of the turf course.

"I feel that a racetrack surface is the foundation to the success of any track," he said. In November, after Kentucky Downs' six-day September meet, Game Day, a company that maintains several different kinds of athletic fields throughout Kentucky, renovated the turf course. Game Day mowed the mile-and-five-sixteenths course down to the base, aerated it, seeded it with a specialty seed, and then top-dressed the turf with fine sand. Improvements followed in the clubhouse. A new sports bar opened and a chef was brought in from the Hyatt Regency hotel organization to add appeal to non-racing fans in the area looking for a night out. Significant, too, the track gained a liquor license last year.
With things seemingly in place for the new owners, the question is how can the track build on last year's second-highest on-track handle in history, $444,601, and a $9,618,208 all-sources handle that was 21% over 2006 numbers?

With only a six-day September meet that, while obviously brief, culminates in a $500,000 Kentucky Cup Turf Festival, the possibilities might seem limited. It is, however, the inactivity of Kentucky Downs, aside from six-day-a-week simulcast racing, that creates potential, according to Johnsen.
Future plans call for a regional horse center on the grounds--a "Kentucky Horse Park South," as Johnsen refers to it, or a counterpart to the real Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington that is a center for equine events for all breeds. "We have 250 stalls that sit empty 50 weeks every year. Why not utilize that infrastructure for horse shows, events, auctions, and those types of things?" Johnsen said

Steeplechasing is also a natural for Kentucky Downs and not just because of the gently undulating turf course. Nashville, barely 45 miles away, annually hosts the biggest steeplechase race in the country every year, attracting between thirty and fifty thousand people every May. "The event is a fund-raiser for a local hospital down there," Johnsen said. "What we want to do is tie in to that same hospital with a fall event."

Johnsen also foresees a time when his track would be in line to host the Breeders' Cup Steeplechase as well as turf races that would serve as strong prep races for the main Breeders' Cup event.

The foundation for the plans would seem to be solid. In addition to good numbers from last year, Kentucky Downs attracts top horsemen. Todd Pletcher sent out Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf winner Quiet Royal and won three other races during the meet. Calvin Borel, rider of ‘07 Kentucky Derby Winner Street Sense, also came down to ride the final three days of the meet. In addition, Jeremy Rose, regular rider of 2005 Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex, piloted the Grade III, $200,000 Kentucky Cup Turf winner, General Jumbo, to victory last year. Indicative, too, of the niche carved by the racetrack with Kentucky horsemen is field size: Over nine starters on average went to the post per race last year.
David Carroll, Churchill Downs-based trainer and conditioner of Derby third and Belmont second show-finisher Denis of Cork, is an unabashed fan of Kentucky Downs. "We've never had a problem with a horse there coming back," he said. "It's a fun place to go and I love going down there."

He does acknowledge that some trainers are concerned for the safety of their horses because of the gently rolling surface but believes concerns are misplaced. "What I find is that it is not so much the horses that don't handle it, but the riders," he said.

Jockey James Graham, also an Irishman who has ridden at Kentucky Downs, seconds Carroll. "You're best off walking the course before you ride it.
"Believe me, it's not a course you can ride like you ride every day," Graham added
.
A false straight on the kidney-shaped course's far turn has caused riding mistakes, according to Carroll. "You turn and you've got another turn too, and that's where a lot of jockeys get caught out and move too soon," he said.

With improvements, success, and acceptance by horsemen, a move to more race dates would seem obvious, but there are obstacles. First and foremost, a commission structure unique to Kentucky hampers purses at Kentucky Downs. "It calls for 50% of the commission earned on simulcast wagering at Kentucky Downs to go to the host track in Kentucky that is running at the time," explained Johnsen. Basically, half of what could go into purses or association expenses at Kentucky Downs goes to Ellis Park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland or Turfway Park.

Kentucky Downs must also weather something already experienced by Turfway Park and Ellis Park especially in Kentucky: trainers leaving the state for bigger purses at casino-supplemented tracks or racinos. Presque Isle in Pennsylvania, specifically, has already caused problems for Kentucky Downs.
"We had trainers who had run many horses with us in the past who have actually moved their Kentucky division to Presque Isle," acknowledged Johnsen.
"I can't blame them. They're running for $500,000 a day and we run for about $200,000."

Any purse total below that, according to Johnsen, would take away from Kentucky Downs. "You drop below that and I think the quality of our race meet decreases dramatically and thus the handle decreases and you head into a negative spiral.

"What we've found out is our year-round simulcast efforts and our on-track live handle for our race meet supports about six days of racing. If we wanted to do 10 days, then all of a sudden your purses drop significantly and then you don't get the horses.

"I think we've found a nice niche that has a limited effect on other tracks in the state, if there's any effect at all. At the same time we're an additive to the racing industry here by helping Kentucky benefit from the Nashville market." Penetration of that market, a tantalizingly short drive away, is a key objective but one contingent on increased purses and the bigger handle that would come with them. Casino gaming at Kentucky tracks, according to Johnsen, could increase purses and fund the kind of marketing efforts that Johnsen oversaw at Lone Star Park in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

This year the Kentucky legislature thwarted new governor Steve Beshear's push for casino gambling that would have brought slot machines to Kentucky Downs. Despite the defeat, Johnsen believes casino gambling at Kentucky racetracks in one form or another is inevitable. "We going to have fun without gaming and then, when we can supplement our purses, it'll be tremendous," he said.

Others without a stake in the success of Kentucky Downs echo a sunny outlook for the racecourse. Sports writer Michael Compton, who has covered Kentucky Downs racing for several years for Bowling Green's Park City News, believes the racetrack is "the little engine that could." Of the new owners he said, "You get the sense that they definitely are thinking about the future and have some nice ideas." Already, according to Compton, they've piqued interest in the area beyond racing fans with restaurant improvements and the liquor license.

The location, too, despite the small size of Franklin (population 8,000, approximately) is a plus. "Franklin, Kentucky used to be a sleepy little town, but now every month it seems there's an announcement about a new distribution center or a new manufacturing plant," Johnsen said. In short, the Nashville-Bowling Green, Kentucky corridor is growing, Johnsen observed, and he even sees some parallels between it and growth of San Antonio and Austin in Texas.

Johnsen would hope that there are similarities between his bet on Hi Ho Dash while a college student and his investment with Reid in Kentucky Downs.
With a knowing smile he recounted how he came to bet his week's wages- "$82 take home"-which he put on the horse. "Hi Ho came to us from California and the owner insisted he be run right away and ran horribly because of the climate and altitude," Johnsen said. "Three weeks later, he was acclimated and I knew he was ready." He won going away. "My tuition was $620, so I basically won it in my bet."

Inside knowledge might not be at work with Kentucky Downs but the improvements, strategy, and ownership seem to be in place. Johnsen is, after all, the same man who while president at Lone Star, snared the ‘04 Breeders' Cup from more established tracks. Continued and long-term success might not be nearly the surprise for industry observers as it would be for those venturing off Exit #2 - Franklin to discover Kentucky Downs. 

Is the Grass Greener? Investigating State Incentive Programs

By Caton Bredar

When lifelong horsemen Nancy and Harvey Vanier were married in 1960, state racing programs were barely in the discussion phase. The concept of millions of dollars allocated specifically to and for horses bred or raced in a particular state was at least a decade away. The closest thing to an Illinois-bred was Nancy herself.

A handful of Illinois champions, hundreds of winners and hundreds of thousands—if not a million purse dollars and breeder bonuses later, the Vaniers are virtually synonymous with the Illinois breeding and racing program. But with increasing complications in state oversight, increasing competition from states like Pennsylvania- with new or rapidly growing incentive programs and new found dollars from venues like casino wagering- the Vaniers and several others are wondering if the old adage no longer applies; “No place like home”.

     Finding specifics for state incentive programs is a little more complicated these days than clicking your heels together three times. Figuring out the ideal or best program, particularly for a trainer, is even tougher. With programs from Arizona and California extending across the country to Florida, New York and West Virginia … the choices are endless and extend not only from state to state, but in some cases, track to track.

     A quick internet search reveals at least a dozen web sites detailing specifics of breeding programs for Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and a host of others. Most of the websites are similar, focusing on the benefits of membership—everything from scholarships and educational programs, to discounts at gift shops, and free admission to the state’s racetracks. Most include at least an outline of rules and deadlines for registration of foals, stallions or broodmares. Some include news releases and political updates.   Many sites are outdated. No site that was discovered includes any mention of specific dollars to be given away.

     While there is no definitive history or record of the development of state incentive programs for Thoroughbred breeding and/or racing, the earliest programs appear to have come into existence in the early 1970’s, an offshoot of state farm or agricultural agencies.

     “I remember they were talking about it soon after we got married,” Nancy recalls. “The intent was to encourage people to raise horses that would help support agriculture and racing in Illinois.”

     Nancy’s father Dr. Louis Aiken had a farm in Illinois, so when the program was finally unveiled just a few years after her and trainer Harvey’s wedding, the decision to focus their efforts on the Land of Lincoln was a no-brainer.

     “We were racing at the time on the East Coast, and one of our main owners had died,” Nancy explains. “We pretty much had to start over. But I had been following the discussions and the program all along,” she continues. “Even though we weren’t racing there, and even though there weren’t any races for Illinois-breds at the time, I had been going through the Department of Agriculture and registering all our horses.”

     When the program finally got off the ground, the Vaniers were ready to be a part of it.   She remembers a misconception, though, that plagued the program in its earliest stages and continues, to at least some extent among state leaders and decision makers today.

     “They thought everyone would just breed to the horse next door, because it saved gasoline,” Vanier recalls. “I said; I’ll travel to California to breed to a stud if it means I can get a nice horse.”

     Similar to the incentive programs in most other states, the Illinois program was initially based around added-money or stakes events specifically for Illinois registered horses, along with daily restricted races “so Illinois horses could exceed” their usual earning potential, according to Vanier, and “we wanted to keep it closed to Illinois stallions.”

     Somewhere along the way, the program was opened up to include stallions outside Illinois, as is the case today in many, if not most, state programs. But the concept of a lucrative stakes program along with a restricted overnight schedule has existed to this day and is, in fact, the backbone of most state racing and breeding programs, for better or for worse.

     “The restricted races keep you alive,” Vanier says, although the current requirement of two restricted Illinois races a day is something many racing officials and some horsemen would argue- keeps at least one hand tied behind the back of the industry in terms of the fight for quality as well as diminishing gambling dollars. 

     While the core base of Illinois breeders and horses remains viable, the long-term vibrancy of the program is questionable.   In other states, such as Ohio where over-all purses have dropped to among the lowest in the nation, the core base of breeders’ isn’t even enough, long-term, to keep a program afloat.

     In Illinois, as is the case even in New York and California, state-restricted races generally prove less attractive to gamblers thus generating fewer dollars in handle. Vanier points to a combination of factors, including a reduced number of racing dates in Illinois along with an uninformed state government and a troubled economy as reasons for uncertainty.

     As budgets have tightened in Illinois and most states throughout the nation, and culture has shifted from farming and agriculture to industry and technology, the importance of Thoroughbred incentive programs has become increasingly difficult to maintain or justify.

     “I don’t know about the program needing tweaking, so much as the state needs tweaking,” Vanier concludes. The same could be said in New York, arguably one of the more successful state breeding programs in the U.S., but where the New York Breeders’ Association increasingly finds themselves in the position of defending their program against political assault.

     While the home page for the N.Y. Breeders’ Association website proclaims the group’s vision, to “create an environment which maximizes the opportunity for New York’s Thoroughbred breeders to produce horses competitive at the highest levels of racing,” the latest news, as of June 1, was much more combative.

     In a self-proclaimed “strongly worded” letter to Governor Paterson, the breeders’ voiced opposition to a proposal to cut OTB payments to outside groups by 20 percent. Chief among OTB’s “partners” are the breeders.

     “This proposed cut represents a $1.2 million annual loss to New York’s Thoroughbred breeding programs,” wrote New York Breeders’ President, Michael McMahon. “It would have devastating effects on over 400 mostly small, family-owned and operated farms, and ultimately damage the entire horse racing industry in New York State.”

            An official statement from McMahon in response to a New York Post article in May detailing OTB’s plans for liquidation echoed the same sentiments.

     “Mayor Bloomberg should stop threatening and start thinking about how the city’s OTB can reform its ways, improve efficiencies and become more profitable, without hurting horseracing and taking money out of New York’s thoroughbred breeders’ who are the backbone of our state’s horseracing industry.”

     The statements, and the situation itself in New York, underscores the role government and politics directly play in state horse racing programs, even programs occurring under the most ideal of circumstances. But if government is the puppet master controlling incentive programs, revenue from casino gaming may turn out to be the strings from which everything dangles. Maybe nowhere is that more evident than in the state of Pennsylvania.

     At the start of 2007, Pennsylvania horses and horsemen may have met their messiah, at least for the time being, in the form of one-armed bandits. Coins from the slot machines started clinking in to the tracks by July of that year. For the breeders, the subsequent impact--$5.2 million in awards, up over 80 percent from the previous year, was obvious.

    The subsequent impact in racing, according to longtime racing official Sal Sinatra, is also nothing short of remarkable.

     “People are calling from all over the place,” Philadelphia Park’s Racing Secretary since 1999 explains. “Guys from New York are bringing in P.A.-breds now. There are big changes. The former President of Panama was at the track the other day. The Eagles coaching staff is putting together a string of horses. It’s definitely different.”

     Which is also the best way to describe the program, a program of incentives manifesting itself differently at each Pennsylvania track. According to Sinatra, track officials and horsemen at each location have worked to come up with a plan for distributing the new-found money, with the system varying by location.

     A glance at any of the condition books tells the story. On any given day, for every race in the Philadelphia Park condition book, there’s a 40 percent bonus for registered Pennsylvania horses, including lower level claiming races.

     “A decent P.A.-bred who breaks his maiden (in open company) then puts together a couple seconds or thirds,” Sinatra says, “can earn close to $200,000. That’s big.”

      Maybe not quite as big, but equally important: Penn National’s condition book lists a 25 percent bonus for every race, along with more races restricted to state-breds. With a smaller population base to draw from, the size of the slot revenue for Penn National is generally lower than Philadelphia Park. The base of Pennsylvania-bred horses, though, is solid on location, and the condition book caters to it, with more restricted races for state-breds. Generally, Penn National offers at least one state-bred restricted race a day, in addition to the bonus.

     And then there’s the newest track, Presque Isle. As soon as the track opened last year, horsemen from throughout the Midwest started making the trek to the sport’s newest, synthetic track facility, with the added slot money part of the jackpot.

     “They can’t spend the money fast enough,” Sinatra says. In addition to a 50 percent bonus on every race, Presque Isle offers an average of two restricted Pennsylvania-bred races every weekend, and a $1,000 guaranteed bonus for every Pennsylvania-bred that just makes a start.

     “Basically, the track makes a proposal,” Sinatra offers as to the process by which the program is set, “and then everyone tries to fit their horses into a program.”

     In addition to the overnight opportunities offered at each track, the stakes program is strong, too, with well over $3 million given out this year through events like Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races and other Pennsylvania stakes, the majority of which are $75,000 events. It’s the most stakes money ever offered in Pennsylvania, but something Sinatra says he would like to see changed.

     “I still think a championship race should be at least a $250,000 race,” he says. “Then, if there’s a Hard Spun out there, he might use one of those races as prep for a Triple Crown race or a Breeders’ Cup race.

     Hard Spun, who played a strong supporting role in the 2007 Triple Crown races before winning the King’s Bishop at Saratoga, was one of three Pennsylvania-breds to reach millionaire status, the first time in history Pennsylvania-breds have reached such lofty standards. Sinatra talks of a state head to head challenge with New York’s breeding program one day, similar to the Sunshine Millions, an annual event designed by Frank Stronach and his Magna Entertainment pitting California-breds against Florida-breds for over one million dollars in purses.

     “I think Pennsylvania-breds have gotten fairly competitive on most levels with New York-breds,” Sinatra says, adding that discussions with P.J. Campo, the racing secretary for the New York Racing Association, are already underway. “I’d hope we could have something by 2010 or so and think it would be a nice little challenge.”

     The concept of single day, big money events is not necessarily universally endorsed. Vanier says that while her family has been the beneficiary of Illinois showcase days, she, for one, would rather see bigger purses daily, and that the purpose of an incentive program should be about encouraging people to breed in the state and race in the state—not just for one day, for every day.

     Still, she has her eye on states like Kentucky, which in 2006 instituted the Kentucky Breeders Incentive Fund, which paid out $15.6 million in incentives last year, to breeders of Kentucky maiden and allowance winners.

     Or Indiana, where slot machines were scheduled to roll out this summer.

     Or Pennsylvania, where as of June, a Philly Park conditioned claiming race carried a purse of $18,000.    For a Pennsylvania-bred winner of such a race, that translates to $9,600 plus the 40 percent bonus, or over $14,000 for winning a $5,000 claiming race.

     “These days, a P.A.-bred has to run above what he’s worth,” Sinatra says. “We’re averaging eight claims a day.”

     The changing economy has led Sinatra to make some changes in his condition book. “We’re trying to keep the small guy in the game,” he says, and added starter allowance races to his menu, to give owners and trainers of winning claimers the opportunity to at least run once or twice more before risking the loss of the horse in the claiming box.

     “The bottom line is, we’ve tried to get the bottom claiming horse to at least be able to earn $25,000,” Sinatra says. “The goal -- that a horse, if he can run a little, could pay for his keep.”

    The end result, according to Sinatra and others, is a trickle up effect.

    “My guys,” he says referring to his local core of owners and trainers, “… are solid guys. These guys are doing okay now, and it’s nice to see.”

     “In the Fall, our guys were at first getting their heads beaten in…it was Todd Pletcher shipping in and winning by ten, Kiaran McLaughlin coming in from New York, winning by ten. And while it was nice for me to see those horses and horsemen, it wasn’t great for our horsemen.”

     With some minor changes, Sinatra says local horsemen can still protect their horses, and now some of the better horses are finding local places to stay.

     “Some of my guys used to get third string horses from major outfits. Now that the money is there, those outfits are sending better horses.”

      For the moment, it seems, even from loyal supporters of other state programs, Pennsylvania is worth looking at.

     “Everybody’s looking at Pennsylvania now, and it’s just nice to see.”

Can fractures be predicted?

While catastrophic fractures are relatively rare - less than 2 percent of all horses racing worldwide sustain them - they account for nearly 80 percent of racing-related fatalities. Even with advances in modern veterinary medicine, fracture diagnosis can often be elusive. What if a simple blood test could reveal a fracture or a predisposition to one before it became a crisis?

Dr. C. Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, Ph.D., the Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair in orthopedics at Colorado State University, professor of surgery and director of the university’s Orthopedic Research Center, said, "We have been working with biomarkers for more than 10 years. If we get good biomarkers to predict a fracture, then we can draw blood samples to identify horses at risk. We are working with a company to develop a commercially viable platform for a blood test to be available within two years."

A biomarker is a substance in the blood or urine that indicates a certain disease state. In normal bone, anabolic and catabolic processes are balanced and release molecular entities as they function. Biomarkers are these molecular entities and when their levels deviate from normal, they depict a risk or progression of disease. 
There are two types of biomarkers: direct and indirect. A direct biomarker supplies a straightforward assessment of what disease process is happening while an indirect biomarker reflects inflammation, which is usually a secondary result of damage or disease.

 "We have a collection of biomarkers, which are antibody-based, that we do the testing with," McIlwraith said. "The principle is to get early degradation of the molecule and we have the antibodies to mark changes in the collagen or protein of the cartilage and bones."

In a study published in 2005 and funded by the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation, McIlwraith, in conjunction with fellow faculty members Dr. David Frisbie, DVM, Ph.D. and Dr. Chris Kawcak, DVM, Ph.D., studied the biomarkers of 2-and 3-year-old Southern California Thoroughbred racehorses over 10 months. They analyzed biomarkers for four types of musculoskeletal disease: bone chips, damage to the tendon and/or ligament structure, stress fractures and bucked shins.
 
From the group of 145 horses, 74 sustained an injury during the study with 60 percent incurring either bone chips or stress fractures."Not all of the markers were specific for bone but that doesn’t always mean something," Frisbie said. "It’s weird because you would think if it’s a fracture you would see the bone turnover biomarker go up, but we realized that is not always the case and as long as the marker, whatever it’s for, is related to the disease, it doesn’t really matter in the end. If you don’t have something which can predict injury in general, it’s not going to be worthwhile. What we wanted was a screening tool to say there is an impending injury and then use diagnostics like radiographs to deduce the specific injury."

The four disease processes examined are the most common in Thoroughbred racehorses and the researchers found they could predict a disease was going to occur 65 or 66 percent of the time before it did.Bone disease is "a pretty innocuous thing, but it’s like cancer," Frisbie said. "Picking it up doesn’t have to be horribly accurate because you throw a big net. If there’s a possibility, you would want to take a closer look and are happy when it’s a false alarm. As long as you do a better job, even if it only improves your percentage 10 or 15 percent, you are not letting somebody that has cancer go undetected."

Biomarkers were endorsed as useful predictors of disease in the laboratory but only one prior study was performed in a clinical setting.  A study conducted at the Royal Veterinary College in London, England, at roughly the same time as the Colorado State University project, showed significant biomarker variances in horses with bucked shins compared to horses with normal shins.

 "We wanted biomarkers to hit the pavement and work in a clinical situation," Frisbie said. "The studies in the United Kingdom were at the tracks but concentrated mainly on shin splints. We wanted to run the entire gamut of the most common Thoroughbred diseases and as far as I know, we were the first to do that." 

Racehorses are prone to fracture because they place intense pressure on their musculoskeletal system. Any location where damage from repetitive loading surpasses a horse’s innate ability to lay down new bone can become a fracture. In normal bone, cells called osteoclasts eradicate damaged or diseased bone and cells named osteoblasts replace the unsound bone with healthy tissue. When the bone cannot be restored quickly enough, open pockets develop, which make the entire bony structure susceptible to an eventual catastrophic fracture.

Dr. Susan Stover, DVM, a professor at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, in Davis, California, has examined numerous post-mortem fractured bones from Thoroughbred racehorses and determined that stress fractures are the precursor to catastrophic fractures.

Stover discovered a predominant fracture pattern with new bone structure on opposite surfaces in the identical site for each bone. The bone was fresh and therefore, formed shortly before the complete catastrophic fracture. Stover approximates almost 90 percent of the catastrophic fractures she has studied originated from a prior injury.
Most veterinarians believe fractures rarely occur from spontaneous events, such as a bad step or hitting the starting gate, but are the end result of insidious bone disease. 
 "I’m not saying that a misstep can’t complete the fracture propagation but the disease is already there," McIlwraith said. "All fractures start as subchondral bone disease, with subchondral bone being the bone under the cartilage. If you can identify that bone disease before the fracture then you can save the horse."

Subchondral bone’s two primary functions are to absorb stress and maintain the shape of joints.  Undue stress to this bone causes micro-damage which alerts the body to increase production to strengthen the bone. If the bone cannot remodel itself quickly enough, micro-cracks develop and could lead to bone sclerosis, an abnormal hardening of the bone, or necrosis, when cells that create bone cells die. All these forms of subchondral bone disease ultimately weaken bone structure, paving the way for catastrophic fracture and/or joint disease.Signs of disease are subtle."That’s the trouble," McIlwraith explained.

"When you have a complete fracture you can see it on radiographs but you can’t see that early bone disease. That is why we want to screen with biomarkers and go from there." 
Radiographs or x-rays illustrate pathologic change in bone and have been the main tool to diagnose fractures. While computer and digital radiography systems have improved bone definition, the bone must lose 50 percent of its density before disease can be found.

In bone scanning or nuclear scintigraphy (a subject covered in depth in Issue 8 of North American Trainer magazine), a horse is injected with radioactive technetium bonded to phosphorus and is scanned several hours later with a gamma camera for "hot spots." This technique works well by identifying early areas of inflammation and stress fractures but is very expensive and is usually used only after a horse comes up lame.

Computerized tomography (CT) diagnoses inflammation, stress fractures, early subchondral bone sclerosis and variations in subchondral bone density, but most machines require anesthesia. A portable machine is under investigation in France, but until this becomes widely available, it will remain difficult to use.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) could prove instrumental in detecting early disease but like CT, until a portable model or standing model is developed, it’s difficult to use because it requires anesthesia.

Even though biomarkers are an exciting breakthrough, they have limitations. The liver and kidneys play a crucial role in the metabolism; therefore, the function of these organs must be considered whenever biomarkers are measured. Other factors that affect biomarker levels are exercise, age, breed, diet, sex, surgical history and general anesthesia. 
Biomarkers originate from all the bones or joints in the body, so they may not show what is happening in a specific location.

 "Biomarkers do vary," McIlwraith said. "In our study we took monthly blood samples and when a horse was injured, we looked at that horse’s biomarkers compared to a horse that was the same age and the same sex. The blood test is only a screening tool. If you find a horse at risk, then you would have to do imaging to localize it to a certain area." 
Can biomarkers discern the difference between diseased bone and bone that is remodeling to accommodate stress, but is otherwise perfectly healthy?

"In our control study, we were able to differentiate between normal exercise and pathologic change," Frisbie explained. "All the horses in the study were exercising and we were still able to deduce they were experiencing disease, so it stands to reason we could distinguish between remodeling and disease."

When the blood test is presented on the open market, its initial use will probably be relegated to trainers and owners, and not sales agencies.
 
"In a sales environment you don’t necessarily know the horse’s history," Frisbie explained. "A trainer or owner knows when a horse isn’t performing well and a blood test showing biomarkers three deviation levels above the mean would scream out to you something was wrong."
Biomarkers alone are not a cure for bone and/or joint disease, but they do hold tremendous promise to predict or prevent catastrophic injury.

Kimberly French
 (10 July 2008 - Issue 9)

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is an increasingly common problem in the Thoroughbred racehorse, causing a range of symptoms from depression to aggression, and often impacting negatively on performance.

Diagnosis is sometimes difficult, although there are methods by which they can be swiftly identified and treated. Equine gastric ulcers are graded on a scale of 0 to 4 where 4 is the most severe. A grade of 2 or more is clinically significant and usually warrants treatment. The primary objectives of treatment of equine gastric ulcers are to facilitate healing and relieve symptoms.

This can be accomplished by the use of antacids, histamine receptor antagonists or acid pump inhibitors. Ulcers are an issue - especially for racehorses- as they can be a source of chronic pain, leading to reduced appetite, loss of condition and sometimes colic. The clinical signs of the problem are often intermittent, and can vary tremendously depending on the horse and the types of discipline they compete in.

Two types of tissue line the equine stomach. The bottom of the stomach is lined with a pink glandular mucosa which constantly produces concentrated hydrochloric acid, whilst protecting itself with a sticky mucus and bicarbonate secretion.

At the top, the squamous (or non-glandular) mucosa is found – this tissue has no useful role in the stomach as it does not produce acid nor any protective mucus - squamous mucosa is therefore very susceptible to acid injury.Racehorses are more prone to ulcers in the squamous mucosa.
 


A pairing of equine vets that regularly diagnose and treat equine gastric ulcers are Rachael Conwell and Richard Hepburn, who are based in England. Hepburn estimates that 80% of ulceration is found in the top part of the stomach and Conwell's experience in practice also supports this. She explains: "With increasing intensity of exercise, it is thought that acid splashes up to cause ulcers in the squamous region.

This can vary from low grade to quite significant degrees of ulceration". "Quite often there can also be glandular ulcers at the exit from the stomach into the duodenum so it's important to look here," says Conwell.

Hepburn explains: "Horses may exhibit poor exercise tolerance, be reluctant to gallop and have slower race times. Post-race heart rates are higher when ulcers are present." Conwell adds: "A problem with ulcers is that they can manifest as low grade colic or failure to maintain bodyweight, particularly in racehorses." They may also have reduced exercise tolerance, refuse to gallop, and have poor jumping performance.

Poor coat hair can be another indicator. "Generally trainers are pretty good at spotting the signs. They may notice that feed doesn't get cleaned up in quite the usual hungry way. They also know their horse's character and so will notice small changes in attitude. The horse might become more grumpy, look miserable, resent being groomed or having their girth done up.

Perhaps they are just not the happy horse they used to be. It can be as subtle as that."  "In some situations there are no outward signs at all, only that the horse's performance is reduced." Says Conwell. 

According to Hepburn, the incidence of EGUS may be up to 100% in racehorses, with ulcers most severe in horses that are in full training or have just raced. 
Conwell and Hepburn regularly use gastroscopy as a method of ulcer detection. Gastroscopy is a visual examination technique through which a veterinarian will assess the stomach health of an animal using an endoscope, determining the presence and severity of ulcers and monitoring the success of prescribed treatment. Moreover it is a non-surgical and relatively simple procedure which takes less than fifteen minutes.

The same kit can also be used for airway examinations looking at the larynx, trachea and bronchi for respiratory problems, and inside the guttural pouch to check for infections such as strangles. This is useful as it means horses do not need to be sedated on more than one occasion to assess both airway and stomach health. 

Using gastroscopy to diagnose ulcers is a relatively simple procedure. The horse is starved for 8 hours but is allowed free access to water. It is then given a short acting sedative, and an endoscope is passed up the nose, down the esophagus and into the animal's stomach.

The stomach is inflated with air using a pump attached to the endoscope and any food is washed off with water- squirted through the endoscope. Once the end of the endoscope is in the stomach, it can be ‘driven' by the vet using hand-held controls to move it up or down, to the left or right. In this way the inside wall of the entire stomach can be examined.

A key difference between regular endoscopy and the specialist gastroscopy kits now available is that there is 3m of length to enable full examination of the entire stomach. Endoscope diameter is another difference, with 9 or 11mm being better tolerated by the horse for gastroscopy work than the standard size of 13mm.

Conwell has been using a 3m video-endoscope for two years now for diagnosing and treating racehorses. She says "I don't normally scope all horses in a training yard, only the ones where there is a suspicion that gastric ulcers could be affecting them. That said, it's rare that we don't find any ulcers in the racehorses we investigate." 

Other methods of detecting ulcers within the digestive system, anywhere from the stomach to the intestinal tract, are also proving effective. Kits which allow the handler to test for blood in the feces of the horse, an indicator of possible ulceration, are becoming more widely available, and may be a cheaper and less invasive method of diagnosing digestive health issues. 

In treating gastric ulcers, most vets will turn to a licensed acid suppressant product for equine use.

Treatment will vary in duration and intensity depending on the individual case, taking into account a number of factors including severity of ulceration and importantly, the horse's training regime, as there is some evidence that treatment effectiveness of some medications vary when the horse is still in full work. Antacids (which neutralize acids in the stomach), omeprazoles in paste and suspension (which suppress acid production) and histamine receptor antagonists are commonly used to reduce symptoms, heal lesions and reduce the likelihood of future problems.

Acid suppressants fed once a day are an effective remedy, believes Conwell, who adds: "Alternatively, histamine receptor antagonists, such as ranitidine, can be used. I normally re-scope horses about four weeks after treatment. If the problem has resolved then I recommend a quarter dose of an acid suppressant to prevent recurrence of ulcers during training." 

Trainers often notice a character change in their horses once treatment is started, according to Conwell.

Hepburn reports that some owners are ‘amazed' at the difference in horses given treatment for their ulcers: "Even though they may have been performing well before, resolving the problem makes their performance consistently good."

In addition to prescribing medication, ulcers can be reduced and in some cases, totally resolved by changing the feeding and/or stabling routine. High grain diets and a limited access to forage - which buffers stomach acid - are a factor in the prevalence of EGUS in racehorses. Ideally, horses should be given more access to a selection of forages, just as they would in the natural wild.

Conwell and Hepburn both recommend putting several haynets up, some with hay and others with haylage, to allow the horse to browse for forage. 
Hepburn says: "Turning horses out every day may help, although ulcers are just as common in NZ racehorses that are trained from pasture. Interestingly, some ongoing Danish work has shown that giving horses the choice of staying in or going out can reduce stress and associated gastric ulceration."

Various feed supplements are also available which help to maintain digestive health, both in horses which have received treatment for ulcers and are recovering, and in horses showing no symptoms of ulceration, in order to lessen the chance of digestive problems.

This is especially useful where it is not possible to radically change management practices, such as with horses stabled at the racetrack.
Hepburn concludes: "Some horses are more prone to ulcers than others – hence the need to assess each individual case. Also some ulcers heal more quickly depending on their location in the stomach."

Rachel Queenborough
 (10 July 2008 - Issue 9)

At home with Tom Busteed in his "nursery" for young racehorses

When I visited Audra and Tom Busteed in Cork freak gales were ravaging the coastline. Tranquil was hardly the best word to use; yet down at the bottom of the steep four furlong woodchip gallop, set within a wooded glen, was a peaceful stream in which many a Cheltenham hero had paddled as it carried its first ever rider. Slow, calm, meandering; oblivious to the storm of the outside world. This is indeed the tranquil nursery of Tom Busteed, the master tutor of the horse.

There is nothing rushed about Tom's preparation of a horse. "We do a lot of driving," Tom explains, "groundwork is so important. It keeps horses balanced and they can tell you when they're ready. We take our time. We like to have them for twelve weeks and those weeks are the most important of their career. We ride them like showjumpers, improving their head carriage, which helps to keep a horse well-balanced.

"These are tried and trusted traditional methods. I was fortunate enough to work with very good horsemen such as Tommy Ryan, Eddy O'Grady's head man, Tim Finn and Fergie Sutherland. Fergie is a great man, great patience with a horse, I rode many point-to-point winners for him." Tom puts his experience and knowledge to good use. "We assess the horses and also advise the owner whether they should go straight into training or have a break. It's usually better to give a horse a rest after breaking. The whole process is very stimulating for them and to then go straight into another new environment can be stressful. They mature so much quicker if they go away for a break between here and training.
"I'll ride eight or nine myself a day. It's not like work, it's a passion. And I feel very proud to have taken such a decent part in shaping these horses. Good horses are few and far between so it's rewarding to see them and know that I helped in some way. Sizing Europe, for example, is a serious chaser in the making. People say his jumping is a problem. It's not a problem at all, he's just such a natural big jumper, he's in the air for that extra bit of time."

"We are so lucky," agrees Tom's wife, Audra, "we see them arrive as ragamuffins straight from the field and then they're transformed into glossy muscular racehorses." Keen Leader, Asian Maze and Sizing Europe are just some of the illustrious names to pass through their academy. "It's very rewarding to change a horse around, to smooth out awkward traits. We start them over trotting poles. They haven't a clue when they first start, then after four sessions they're so clever. Loose schooling is vital, they learn how to correct themselves, when to shorten and when to lengthen. It's a natural progression for them then to fences."

Tom ensures that the horse progresses at its own pace, but there is one vital factor that can make an immense difference to his work. "If a horse arrives with us very well done it stands them well. The weight falls off them when they begin to work. If they've simply been left grazing in the field they are very backward and wouldn't usually be ready to race at their best until six or seven. A two year old that has been well fed as a yearling would have been in training in September and cantering by December. If they're broken in December they've no chance of a summer run. It's easy for a backward horse to get lost in this system. By April or May they'll start to fall away and they'll be dismissed very early on the Flat. It's good to break National Hunt horses early at two and then bring them back each year to educate them further, it matures them quicker. It's a method they've always used in France."
When it comes to formative education, Tom has just as rich a pedigree. "I started in ponies and hunting; my first venture into racing was in Newmarket with Gavin Pritchard-Gordon. That same summer Eddy O'Grady was looking for an amateur to replace Mouse Morris who'd turned professional. I started riding for him in 1973 and rode my first winner at Mallow on Prolam that year. In five or six seasons I rode 60 or 70 winners " point-to-pointers and bumpers. My fondest memories are of the very nice people I was lucky enough to ride for. Your first winner is always special, but another highlight would be riding a winner at the Curragh on The Arctic. It was one of the very first bumpers to be run at the Curragh so to ride a winner there was very special."

Tom also had a couple of spins for Nicky Henderson in Britain before finally finishing up with Eddy O'Grady in 1978, when returning home to Ireland. In 1979 Tom married Avril Hitchmough, who sadly lost her battle with cancer seven years ago. "I started training point-to-pointers," Tom says of those early years, "we had our first son, Desmond, three years later. Desmond is a keen showjumper." 
Tom himself is very much an all round horseman. "I did a lot of showing for Captain Tom Morgan and his wife Elsie, who have hunted with the West Waterford for thirty years. It has all helped to make me a better horseman." It's this natural skill that gradually established him in a niche market in which he has been happy to settle. "I was asked to take a lot of horses to break. I had work from J P McManus, young horses to break and quite a few in training recovering from injuries. Horses could be here for up to three months recuperating from tendon injuries. We recently started to break horses for Yorkshire owner Alan Potts. It's been widely documented how Alan travelled around the west of Ireland buying horses. His trainer, Henry de Bromhead, approached us and asked if we'd break them for him. And one morning they all arrived in a large lorry, Sizing Europe among them.

"If we built more boxes we could fill them, but I made the decision from the start that I wasn't going to pack them in and just put them on the walker," Tom says, "so we have twenty-one boxes, for pre-training and mature horses, with a maximum of nine at any one time to be broken. This week six or seven were ridden for the very first time. We had tried to cut down on the number of horses for breaking, but demand has shifted the emphasis back, with about half the horses coming in to us requiring breaking. We always have a waiting list and the business has been very busy for about eight years now. I'm happy that I've found a niche. Racing is so competitive and it's difficult to get a start in training, I've never really been tempted to go down that route."

Through his good friend, Enda Bolger, Tom met Audra six years ago and they've been married four years. Their first child together, Joshua, was born at the end of April. Audra is an accomplished horsewoman in her own right, competing in eventing and point-to-points, and has recently taken out a restricted licence, which means she can train for up to four different people. "That's useful for horses who are settled and their owners don't want them to leave here," Tom explains. Looking around, it's very easy to see why.

"Our facilities have improved a lot over the last year, we have a four furlong woodchip gallop on the hill, a sand arena and both an indoor and outdoor school. We also have a very good team working with us. Jordan Reidy from Mallow has been with us seven years and really knows the art of driving and breaking horses. Michael O'Connor and Melanie Forbes are very important to us, and Tom Drynan comes in regularly to ride for us, he is a very good horseman." In this respect Tom is lucky. "Yards are under pressure for staff and horsemanship is a quality that has become very rare. This means that the bigger yards need the young horses straight in and broken. I can see no point in this shuttle system of breaking."

Surprisingly, Tom reveals that the Flat horses are much easier to pre-train than National Hunt horses. "They don't need half the work and are much easier to handle. The National Hunt horses are strongly built, bullish and very unpredictable. We do a lot of groundwork with them to encourage calmness. When it comes to breaking in, Tom does things slowly, gently and traditionally. "Everything is devoted to care and attention and safety. I've broken over five hundred horses and I can count on the fingers of one hand the horses who have given us problems. We back them for the first time indoors. We get up on them for the first time, just lying across their backs, in the coral, which has very high rubber sides and deep sand. Safety for horse and rider is very important. We then take them down to the glen and they're ridden for the first time in the stream. It's the first time they're taken down there, so it's all new and interesting for them. The stream runs through a lovely wooded glen, so it's very peaceful and calming. They're so fascinated at watching their feet in the water that it takes their attention off the rider. They're given two or three days in the stream, then their first trot and canter is up the woodchip.
"You do sometimes ride a horse for the first time and be given a great feel. It's very exciting and it's lovely to give an owner that news, I'll often be picking up the phone just after getting off! Many live abroad and can't visit their horses, so we like to keep them involved and enable them to stay in touch. We take plenty of photos - the first time they're driven, the first time they're ridden, photos of their trips away, the ‘picnics'." Tom is a great believer in taking the horses out in the box for a change of scenery. "We take them to the sea. Fergie Sutherland calls them ‘picnics'. Pat Breen has a jumping facility at Ardmore, which is invaluable to point-to-point people, and we'll sometimes take horses there." A high priority for Tom is good head carriage in a horse. "And the first thing I do when they arrive is have their teeth checked. It's amazing the number of horses who have never had their teeth checked and they're not eating right."

Not every horse will go on to racecourse success and Tom's pre-training assessments are vital to owners. "Racing at all levels is so competitive now, you can't even expect to pick up a point-to-point with a moderate horse. It's a bad situation, with maiden races for seven year olds and up, and even they are being split into three divisions. The abolition of low grade races is a very good thing, over-production will have to end when there is no longer a market for moderate horses. It's ludicrous that owners fail to win with a filly then have a go at breeding from her instead. Lots of hopeful owners send us some poor horses and we recommend they go in a different direction.

"It's lovely to see horses successful in other roads," he says, "it's good to see owners giving them a chance elsewhere. We do a lot of restructuring for showing, it takes a lot of work. There are no shortcuts. They need to be perfectly balanced and a good ride. But it's good to see owners allowing them the time and work and channelling these horses in a new direction." And that really sums up the ethos of Tom's academy. His horses are educated not just for the racecourse, but for life.

Are racecourses selling their customers?

The world has gone gambling mad, and perhaps it will hit us harder than most people anticipate in coming years. Quite how it hits us, will be crucial to the future of horseracing. Or, perhaps one should say, quite how it does not hit us will be of great importance.

There is fierce competition out there, for the betting pound, the gambling euro and the wagering dollar. Therefore, this is not a good time for horseracing to lose its share of the gambling pot. This is not the time to "sell our customers". This is the time make some shrewd business decisions and draw up some productive long term strategies. These are also days when we are heading into a global recession. Believe it or not, that will not necessarily slow down the betting market. Studies have shown that people are quite likely to bet more when times are hard. Gambling becomes the only way to put a little bit extra in the pocket. So, this is the time for racecourses, racing publications and racing communities to be competitive to promote racing as a betting product. To promote the sport as the best betting product.

Are they taking this opportunity? To a certain extent yes', but unfortunately in many cases no', and seemingly never very well. Many courses are today promoting sports betting, online poker betting and online games. Yes, sponsors and advertisers from these sectors of the betting market plough money into racing, in the short term, but it is my guess that long term, racecourse managements and racing editors will be regretting taking that carrot in the first place. Why are companies taking bets on sports, such as football, golf and tennis, eager to advertise at our racecourses, in racing publications and in our racecards in the first place?

The answer is very simple, they are trying to move gambling money across from horseracing to their own betting products. That is the only reason they promote their products at the racecourses. And, to our astonishment, the racecourses allow it. What is happening is as absurd as it would be if all McDonald's restaurants in this world had huge posters promoting Kentucky Fried Chicken. "No, hang on a bit" you might think. But that is actually quite a good comparison to what is going on in horseracing these days. Let's take a premier European racecourse as an example. Why not look at Newmarket, and their Guineas weekend last year. Stan James Bookmakers sponsored the Guineas meeting, and over the two days this company had 14 full pages of advertisements in the racecards (plus the four cover pages on both days). This is how they decided to make use of the 14 pages: 8 pages promoted online poker and online games. 4 pages promoted Stan James Bookmakers only. 2 pages promoted betting on horseracing (although as free bet competitions). To put this another way, 57% of the sponsor's advertising space was used to promote forms of betting which is in direct competition with horseracing. Only 14% of the space was devoted to horseracing alone. The two most strategically placed advertising pages, immediately preceding the 2,000 Guineas pages and immediately before the 1,000 Guineas pages, were both used to promote online poker. This is a typical example of how bookmakers use a sponsorship deal with a racecourse these days. They are clearly not going into such an agreement solely to get people to bet more on racing. They are not even primarily trying to get people to bet more on racing.

Quite the opposite. The Stan James Guineas meeting is not the only example. On Saturday August 11, the opening day of the Football Premiership season in England, Newmarket's card was sponsored by the bookmaking firm Skybet.com, and their four sponsored races on the day had the following titles: The Skybet.com for all you football betting handicap The Premiership kick off with Skybet.com handicap The Skybet.com Sweet Solera Stakes (g3) The interactive football betting with Skybet live stakes Only the feature event, the Sweet Solera Stakes, was not used to promote betting on football. Again, the bulk of the sponsor's advertising went towards attracting punters to bet on others sports not on horseracing.

There can be no doubt that racecourses need their sponsorship revenue quite badly but this is probably not an ideal way to earn it. When a racecourse with a high profile like Newmarket can be dictated to in such a way by sponsors, what about the smaller tracks? Don't forget that sponsorship deals like those described above are, in effect, a case of horseracing "selling their customers". For every pound or euro bet on other sports, casinos, or poker, there will be one pound or euro less bet on horseracing.

Why does a company sponsoring a classic horserace choose to devote nearly 60% of the advertising space included in the package to promoting non-racing betting products? It is hardly because the company sees a great future in horseracing, is it? Nor is it as a result of their care for the future of horseracing. It is simply a business decision - and it is part of a long term plan. When you go to a big football match, or watch a match on TV, do you see many adverts, banners or boards promoting horseracing and betting on horseracing? If you do, please let me know, as I believe it would be a rare sight indeed. If you decide to try your luck in online games or online poker, you enter a web site offering such products. How many ads or banners promoting horseracing will you see on these sites? Having done a quick test, looking at ten poker sites, my discovery was, to no little surprise, "0-from-10". As touched on in my piece on the Global Superbet in Trainer Issue 20 (Winter 2007), one big danger for horseracing is that these competing products are so, so much cheaper to operate, which puts horseracing at a great disadvantage. Should horseracing break loose altogether from these other forms of gambling, or should racing people work towards making these relationships closer, and hopefully healthier for racing?

The current state of affairs is not a case of horseracing in a mutually beneficial co-operation with other betting markets. It smacks more of a case of other betting markets exploiting horseracing. And the powers to be in horseracing seem to be happy to let this to continue. The installation of slot machines has generated revenue for racecourses in North America; that is a fact. It is also a fact, however, that at many of these courses, the betting turnover on the races has gone down since the slots arrived. The horse is becoming less and less important.

Take a look at this cutting, from an article published on the web site videopokerslots.co.uk last year: "Maryland racing industrialists were curious and apprehensive about the potential impact of their new nemesis: Delaware Park's slot machines. But after several weeks of operation, the apprehension between Marylanders has disappeared - now it has become an all out hysteria. The reason: slots have overtaken horse racing. Delaware's slot machines have become a hit that any business would consider phenomenal. Imagine, they're making $300 per machine, and they have a total of 715 slot machines - that's more than $200,000 a day. As stipulated, slot machines should earn $10 million as additional revenues for the Delaware's racing season, consequently grabbing the thoroughbreds from Maryland. Delaware's minor league harness track has quintupled since the installment of slots in the area and is now a major competitor with other race tracks. If this were any other industry, Maryland's tracks would also install slot machines. But slot machines are a hot political debate, while the racing tracks are so strictly regulated that minor changes needs a state-wide approval. These are troubled times for the thoroughbred industry. If racing tracks continue to lose revenue, they would have to ask for slot machines. If legislators won't approve, they'd ask to at least give them economic relief to help them commercially survive." Betting on slot machines has overtaken' betting on horseracing, but at least this North American course operates their own casino-like betting products.

Many racecourses in the USA do have the opportunity to take a "if we can't beat them, let's join them" stand. Still, while the gamblers are taking an increasing interest in betting on slots and other games, they seem to be losing interest in horseracing. US racecourses do not, unlike courses in England, allow extensive advertising from companies in direct competition with their own betting products.

In England the financial muscle of non-racing betting operators is making an all-round mark on racing, not just by ambushing the racecourses with seemingly lucrative sponsorship deals. The media is another side to this, with TV channels and publications offering advertising opportunities. This is all black and white The Racing Post, Europe's principle horseracing daily, and one of the biggest in the world, has developed in a similar way to the racecourses over the past ten years. This paper has a daily "sports betting section" at the back, typically taking up 20 to 24 pages, including the greyhound racing coverage. On Saturdays, the sports section is a separate paper in the middle, often up to 40 pages thick. Now, that may not seem too bad, as the main paper will have 100 pages. What is interesting though is to take a look at the proportion of editorial pages and advertisements. Taking a randomly chosen Saturday, I discovered that the paper had 11 editorial pages on horseracing (excluding the racecards) yet as many as 10 editorial pages on football and other sports. This balance, or imbalance if you will, is simply driven by market forces. Of course the paper needs advertising revenue, and they therefore need to cover the areas their advertisers are interested in.

This is all so easy to understand, it is all "black and white". To the accountants, that is. Examining the same Saturday issue of The Racing Post reveals the facts about how the advertising space for betting was sold. The chosen day was January 26, with the Festival Preview day at Cheltenham, and racing at six courses in all in England and Ireland: Approximately 10 advertising pages exclusively devoted to betting on horseracing Approximately 11 advertising pages exclusively devoted to betting on other sports When looking at the full-page advertisements on the same day, it is interesting to note that the paper carried four full-page ads promoting betting on racing (including one for a betting system), compared to six full-page ads promoting betting on other sports. When watching horseracing on TV, the situation is very similar. On big days, a large proportion of the commercial breaks are promoting non-racing betting products. We have all seen them, the online games commercials, the commercials promoting betting on football, or playing poker online, nicely positioned before a Group One race is due to go off. This happens also on the TV channels originally devoted to and backed by horseracing. In England, the channel At The Races last year decided for a trial period to end its North American program at 11pm GMT (when the pubs are closing), in order to make room for a poker program lasting three hours. What did this mean? It meant that the racing went off air before many of the big stakes events are run in the USA. So, lower grade racing was being shown, and competing with high profile football matches and other TV programs, before eventually making way for poker. What this also means, and this is the most interesting side effect: that horseracing has lost control over its own product.

It seems bizarre that while horseracing authorities and racecourse managements have been fighting long and hard for their control over the rights of live pictures from the racecourses, they have accepted broadcasting schedules that include loads of commercials promoting betting products that are in direct competition with horseracing. They may believe that they have indeed protected the rights to live pictures, and technically they have, but they have absolutely no control over the end product being offered to the viewer. In the TV world, it is sometimes a bit difficult to say who makes the crucial decisions, but it is fair to say that in many cases it is the sponsors. Perhaps you will now be saying, yes, this article is interesting but there is precious little here that we did not already know'. Well, that may be. But don't forget, sometimes stating the obvious is the best way of saying why is nobody doing something about this?'

The further you drive down a narrow dead end street before realising your mistake, the more troublesome it will be to reverse all the way back out again and the longer it will take. And, in the fierce competition for the betting pound, euro and dollar, time is of the essence. Do not let it run out. If someone is going to instigate serious changes in this muddle, that someone will certainly have to come from within the horseracing industry. It is all in our own hands. For the time being.

The importance of warm-up and cool-down in the racehorse

Human athletes pay great attention to detail when warming up and cooling down for competition. Research studies have shown that warming up prior to competition is an important factor in preparation to enhance performance and potentially reduce injury risk. Both the physiological and psychological benefits have been investigated, although human physiologists are divided in their opinions as to the benefits of warming up.

When it comes to cooling down the research is more unified, showing that active cooling down is more beneficial than passive cooling down. There is limited research available into the benefits of the warm-up and the cool-down in horses and racing, and it is certainly an area that warrants further investigation.

The importance of a warm-up period before racing How a warm-up programme is developed depends on the sport. The main considerations in warming up prior to racing are how long before the race to start warming up, how long to warm-up for and the intensity of exercise. The two main reasons for warming up are to improve performance, and to reduce the risk of injury. A period of warm-up will have both physiological and psychological effects; with direct effects on the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system and the neuromuscular system. Warm-up consists of an activity or series of exercises that raise the total body temperature, preparing the body for vigorous activity. As well as raising temperature, muscle blood flow and oxygenation are also increased. This enhances the ability of the muscles to work aerobically and to reduce lactic acid build up. Therefore a good warm-up should delay the onset of fatigue due to lactic acid accumulation. However, there may also be some negative physiological effects that can be attributed to excessive warm-up, so too long spent on it can be just as detrimental as too little. Increasing muscle temperature over its working optimum can result in dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, as well as lactic acid production and therefore the onset of fatigue before the race. Warm-up can also increase the horse’s range of motion by lengthening the stride and improving gait coordination, resulting in a decreased likelihood of tears, sprains and strains. Warm-up should be adjusted depending on the environmental temperature. In cold weather it may take longer for muscles to reach their optimum working temperature than in hot weather.

Active warm-up prior to racing An active warm-up programme will begin with aerobic exercise such as walking and trotting, to raise heart rate (but to remain under 170 beats per minute) which will increase the muscle temperature. Most racehorses will routinely have an adequate period of aerobic warm-up prior to racing consisting of walking in the pre-parade and parade ring. This is followed by cantering down to the start which equates to the sports specific warm-up, and has the effect of preparing the muscles for the exercise ahead. Passive warm-up and products available Active warm-up is more beneficial than passive warm-up as it increases the heart rate. However, in some circumstances it may also be beneficial to use passive warm-up prior to active warm-up. Massage will increase the muscle temperature and will change the muscle tone. It will also have a relaxing effect, so it is important to get the timing right, and not to massage immediately prior to racing, although it does provide an opportunity to check that there is no muscle soreness that could have occurred during travel to the racecourse.

Massage is used extensively in human professional sports as part of warm-up, but there is very little research available into the effects of massage on injury prevention in the horse. However, there is some evidence from small studies that massage increases stride length and range of motion, and therefore potentially has a positive effect on performance. Stretching can be performed after massage (when the muscles are warm), but this is an area where research is available to show that although there are benefits from stretching, there are also some negative effects. New technology has recently been developed which uses the body’s own heat to enhanced physical performance and provide effective prevention and treatment of injuries.

For example, the Mirotec and Back On Track rugs can be used as a warm-up aid prior to exercise (and can also be used post-exercise to ease any muscle soreness), but are not a substitute for active warm-up. These rugs contain a heat reflective layer of metallic material, which can maintain body temperature and boost circulation. This is a relatively easy and cost effective way to warm up the muscles prior to any exercise, and may therefore a useful aid to warm-up, especially in colder climates. The aims of a cool-down period Active cooling down has been shown to be more beneficial than passive cooling down, therefore maintaining a slow trot or canter for a few minutes or so will have greater benefit than walking or standing still.

The aim of a cool-down period is a progressive reduction in exercise intensity allowing a gradual redistribution of blood flow, enhanced lactic acid removal from the muscles, and a reduction of body heat through convection and evaporation. If a horse is inadequately cooled after competing, any residual lactate in the system will affect performance if the horse is required to compete again within a short space of time. The application of cold water will result in heat loss by conduction from the skin to the water, thus reducing body temperature. The active cool-down will also result in an effective return to normal breathing and heart rate.

Actual post-race cool-down regimes These routinely consist of a slow canter back around the course to the exit, followed by a period of walking to where the saddle is removed. After this a horse will be washed with cold water and continually walked until heart rate and breathing return to normal. Shower systems are increasingly being used to aid quick and effective wash down. In hotter climate conditions the cool-down may include the application of iced water and iced blankets to ensure a return to normal body temperature in the shortest possible time. Products such as Equi-N-ice, cooling rugs and bandages are available to speed up cool-down. They use a combination of coolants and specialist fabrics to cool the skin and evaporate moisture more effectively. It is important that the horse is kept walking during the cool down period. When the horse is sufficiently cool many trainers will apply a cooling product to the legs before travelling home. The Zamar system is a portable system which provides thermostatically controlled cold therapy (or heat therapy) via insulated pipes to specially designed leg and body wraps. This particular product consists of a specially adapted refrigeration system that circulates a glycol liquid to produce the required temperature.

It maintains a pre-set consistent cold temperature for the required treatment time. The system also provides cyclical compression to the area treated. The application of Game Ready wraps after racing or a strenuous workout will minimise the inflammatory reaction and subsequent tissue damage that can result from strenuous activity. The technology behind this portable system is the continuous rapid circulation of ice water through circumferential wraps, thus providing ice treatment and compression. Post-race practical applications of these cold systems may be most effective when used on the tendons. The core temperature of tendons after racing is known to be over 40°C which can have a detrimental effect on the physiological function associated with the maintenance and repair of the tendons.

The immediate application of cold treatment can quickly and effectively cool the tendon core, returning the temperature to normal. The above mentioned cooling systems also have many other uses in the treatment of various injuries, and can provide more consistent colder temperatures than the application of ice or a cold hose, although these practices are still very popular and widespread within the racing industry. The combination of ice and compression causes capillary vasoconstriction and pressure on the connective tissue to restrict blood and fluid leakage from damaged tissue. The first 48 hours after injury are critical in the restriction of development of oedema or swelling. A simple but efficient way of applying immediate cold and compressive therapy post-race is to soak polo wraps in iced water before applying them.

The application of immediate cold and compression will minimise post-race inflammation and swelling. Cold water hosing is a cheap and effective way of applying cold treatment to the horse’s body and legs, but although this method will provide cooling of the skin surface, the temperature may not be low enough to affect deeper structures. There are also many other ice gel packs and ice boots available for cold therapy, which often provide a cost effective and simple way to provide cold treatment to the tendons and other structures. The application of ice is a well researched and excellent treatment modality in the prevention of swelling and inflammation after exercise.

Massage to aid recovery after racing Muscle soreness often develops 24 to 48 hours after racing or strenuous exercise, and is thought to be largely due to microtrauma. Until this pain disappears, the muscle is in a weakened condition, predisposing it to injury. Massage and stretching can be used to release muscle tension and reduce soreness. It may be beneficial to treat the horse with massage immediately post-race (when sufficiently cooled and with heart and breathing rate returned to normal). This can then be followed up with further regular massage treatments to restore suppleness and range of motion. The next issue of European Trainer will feature more detailed analysis of how the application of ice and cold therapy affects the horse both pre and post-race, including its benefits and physiological effects.

KER Nutrition Conference - management of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases

Kentucky Equine Research (KER) has maintained a prominent international presence in the nutrition research community for the past 20 years. Research trials have been conducted at the company’s research farm since the late 1980s, and results of this research have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and proceedings of scientific conferences.

More importantly, findings from these studies have been put to use in the formulation of feeds for KER’s global network of feed manufacturers. The KER Nutrition Conference, held on the 16th and 17th of April in Lexington, Kentucky was attended by 130 guests, including feed manufacturers, sales representatives, veterinarians, nutritionists, and academics from 16 countries.

This year’s conference focused on the management of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases. Founder and President Dr. Joe Pagan began by introducing Dr. Larry Lawrence, senior nutritionist at KER, who presented an in-depth review of the development of the gastrointestinal system. Dr. Lawrence addressed the changes that occur as a foetus grows within the womb and as the foal matures and begins to digest a diet of forages and concentrates.

A thorough explanation of the physical, enzymatic, and fermentative changes that occur to the gastrointestinal tract during gestation and growth gave conference attendees a better understanding of the importance of proper feeding. Colic, the most pervasive disease of the gastrointestinal tract in horses, was the next topic of discussion.

Dr. Nathaniel White, the Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director at Virginia Tech’s Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center and a world-renowned expert on equine gastrointestinal disorders, reviewed the prevalence of colic in today’s equine population.

He mentioned several risk factors: breed and gender predilection, dietary management, and other environmental and management practices. Additional risk factors such as previous colic episodes, parasitism, cribbing, gestation, transport, and anesthesia were touched on as well. In addition, he chronicled measures to prevent the syndrome. In a related lecture given later in the day, Dr. White addressed standard treatment protocols for colic including decompression of the stomach or intestine, use of systemic analgesics, strategies to promote gut motility and hydration, and treatment of impactions.

He then discussed proper nutrition of the horse after an episode of colic. A review of enteral (traditional) and parenteral (intravenous) nutrition followed. The speaker noted that although enteral nutrition is preferred, parenteral nutrition can provide long-term nutritional support, and stated that horses have been kept on complete parenteral nutrition for up to a month and have been able to maintain or gain weight. Dr. Frank Andrews, section chief of the department of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, spoke about the diagnosis and treatment of gastric and colonic ulcers in horses.

Gastric ulcers have been studied for several years and their prevalence among horses is well documented. Though colonic ulcers occur less frequently than gastric ulcers, Dr. Andrews listed several nonspecific signs including mild intermittent or recurring colic, lethargy, and partial anorexia that may hint at a problem.

As the problem worsens, so do the signs with complete anorexia, fever, diarrhoea and associated dehydration, and weight loss is common. Dr. Peter Huntington, the director of nutrition for KER’s Australasian branch, spoke to conference attendees about recent advances in laminitis research.

Despite the fact that a complete understanding of laminitis and its complex pathophysiologic processes remains elusive, laminitis seems to occur as a consequence of inflammatory, vascular, and enzymatic interactions. Dr. Huntington explained that a trend in laminitis research involves interest in metabolic or endocrine events that lead to laminitis. In regard to prevention, Huntington pointed out that genetic research could identify at-risk horses, and therapies such as intracecal buffering are helpful in preventing the shifts in cecal pH that can lead to laminitis.

In closing the first day of presentations, Dr. Joe Pagan spoke about gastrointestinal health, the foundation of which, he made clear, is good-quality forage. He identified four primary factors that affect forage quality: plant species, stage of maturity at time of grazing or baling, latitudinal effects (tropical versus temperate forages), and inhibitory substances that reduce digestibility of fibre and minerals.

The buffering capacity of certain forages is a burgeoning area of interest among equine nutritionists. Pagan explained that certain feeds and forages can counteract changes in gastric pH, thereby playing an important role in the prevention of gastric ulcers in horses. This ability to resist changes in pH is called buffering capacity.

Alfalfa hay has been shown to be effective in reducing the severity of gastric ulcers by providing superior buffering capacity when compared to grass hay. The second day of the conference featured several topics related to metabolic conditions. Dr. Anna Firshman, a large animal internist at Oregon State University, began the day with a thorough overview of insulin resistance, a problem that has been receiving much attention recently as it is thought to be closely associated with other diseases such as equine metabolic syndrome, equine Cushing’s disease, laminitis, hyperlipedemia, and osteochondritis.

Firshman reviewed the mechanisms of glucose transport in muscle and fat, and then described the tests that are currently available to assess insulin resistance in horses. Firshman concluded that though tests may become useful clinical means to assess the degree of insulin resistance and responses to treatments, there is no one ideal test that is both practical and accurate. Dr. Frank Andrews then settled onto the stage for a second presentation.

He presented a detailed outline of the metabolic-related conditions that most commonly affect horses: equine Cushing’s disease and equine metabolic syndrome. For each condition, he methodically outlined the clinical signs, diagnosis, course of treatment, and management goals.

For equine Cushing’s disease, Andrews stated that diagnostic tests, when coupled with clinical signs, will confirm the presence of advanced disease but may not be sensitive enough to detect early stages of the disease. KER has been instrumental in developing ideal growth curves for equine athletes. Dr. Clarissa Brown-Douglas reviewed the research compiled by KER over the last two decades, stressing the importance of properly feeding young, growing horses.

To fuel maximum growth, breeders often feed young horses large amounts of grain. However, rapid growth achieved by overfeeding energy has been implicated in developmental orthopedic disease (DOD). The source of energy may be important for many young horses. Those that experience an exaggerated and sustained increase in circulating glucose or insulin in response to a grain meal might be predisposed to osteochondritis dissecans (OCD).

Research conducted by KER suggests that hyperinsulinemia may influence the incidence of OCD. Based on the results of this research, young horses should be fed concentrates that produce low glycemic responses such as feeds in which energy is provided by fat and fermentable fibre sources (beet pulp and soy hulls). Once the audience had an understanding of the metabolic disorders that affect horses, Dr. Joe Pagan identified a commonality among them.

All of the problems are either triggered or aggravated by excessive starch and sugar intake. After a brief review of carbohydrates in horse feeds, Pagan gave general feeding recommendations for each disorder, noting that high-fat, low-starch feeds are appropriate for certain disorders such as tying-up but may not be recommended for others such as equine metabolic syndrome.

Once a horse has been diagnosed with a metabolic disease, an equine nutritionist and veterinarian should team up to formulate a suitable diet. Maintaining appropriate body condition is usually a trick for those who own horses diagnosed with a metabolic condition. These horses are often too thin or too fat. Dr. Laurie Lawrence, a professor at the University of Kentucky, addressed energy balance and methods to increase or decrease body condition.

She presented reasonable timelines for weight gain and emphasised management programs that allow ample time for weight gain so horses are not fed extremely high levels of concentrate. Lawrence also noted that as a horse is adapted to a diet with increased feed intake, there may be a fairly immediate increase in body weight due to changes in gut fill and/or gastrointestinal tissue mass, followed by a period of slower body weight change. Change in condition score will frequently lag behind change in body weight. Lawrence classified obese horses into two groups: those that have become fat temporarily because of a change in management or food availability, and those that have been fat for a long time.

Adjusting the body weight of the first group, Lawrence explained, is usually much less complicated than reducing the body weight of the latter group, and she gave a step-by-step approach to helping these horses lose weight. Kathryn Watts of Rocky Mountain Research and Consulting in Colorado gave the final presentation of the conference. She explained differences in the nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content in various forages, and how stage of growth and environmental factors might significantly alter the amount of NSC present. Watts advised that all of the most commonly recommended varieties of grass have the potential to contain high levels of NSC under certain conditions, but stands of these grasses can be managed for lower NSC concentration.

This year’s Kentucky Equine Research Nutrition Conference offered valuable information about gastrointestinal and metabolic problems affecting horses today. For those individuals unable to attend the KER conference, proceedings are available by logging on to www.shop.ker.com. This 150-page booklet contains a detailed paper for each of the lectures presented. As part of its dedication to world-class nutrition, KER has been recruited to help formulate and distribute feeds for the equine athletes of several international competitions.

In 2004, KER was named the official nutritionist of the United States Equestrian Federation. In this capacity, KER nutritionists use their knowledge to sort out nutritional challenges encountered by the world’s most elite equine athletes, those that represent the United States in international competition. For more information on KER, visit www.ker.com.

Feed Contaminants - how big a risk are they?

For all professionals associated with the training and competition of horses under the rules and regulations of racing the choice of which feed products to use has never been greater, and the range appears to grow on a daily basis. This is especially true of the plethora of dietary supplements (otherwise known officially as complementary feeds) available. Feeds and other contemporary nutritional supplements are not pure products in the same manner that veterinary pharmaceuticals are and thus they will, in a traditional sense, contain foreign substances, even though this is commonly only at trace levels that will have no discernable effect on the horse.

Numerous harmful or undesirable substances can potentially contaminate the equine diet, whether manufactured feeds and supplements, or grazing and preserved forages. These dietary contaminants can be divided into groups including heavy metals, non-metallic toxic elements, pesticides, mycotoxins, plant toxins, and pharmacologically/physiologically active substances that are considered prohibited substances under racing rules and regulations.

There is some cross-over between plant toxins and prohibited substances, but it is the latter category that concerns us within this article. Prohibited substances Under the rules of racing commonly applied across Europe, a prohibited substance is defined as - a substance originating externally, whether or not it is endogenous to the horse, which falls into one of the following categories :

1. Substances capable at any time of acting on one or more mammalian body systems

2. Endocrine secretions and their synthetic counterparts

3. Masking agents Substance includes the metabolites of the substance and the isomers of the substance and metabolites. In broad and simple terms, a prohibited substance can be described as any substance (usually but not exclusively drugs/medicines) that has been given to a horse in its feed, or by any other means, that can exert an effect upon the horse.

Certain factors make the presence of prohibited substances as contaminants in the production of equine feedstuffs almost inevitable. Analytical techniques employed are increasingly sophisticated and sensitive and this latter fact serves to increase the likelihood of the detection of contaminants at levels that have been historically unattainable. Furthermore, the increasing diversity of dietary supplements leads to the introduction of unusual components into the equine diet.

This is particularly the case with products that contain herbs or plant derivatives or extracts. Additionally, there is increased sourcing of feedstuff raw materials from previously unaccessed regions of the world where quality control measures may be below the desirable standard and where novel crop infesting plants may be found. Contamination in compounded equine feeds and raw materials is varied, but the major sources can be categorised as follows:

Endogenous, natural feed constituents Salicylates, DMSO Ubiquitous environmental contaminants Arsenic Transport contamination of raw materials Caffeine, theobromine Manufacturing cross-contamination Antibiotics Crop contamination by invasive plants Morphine, atropine Racing yard feed contamination Veterinary medication The most commonly encountered prohibited substances in equine feedstuffs include salicylates, dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), caffeine and theobromine, morphine, hyoscine, atropine and hordenine.

There are however, a considerable number of pharmacologically active compounds potentially present in manufactured feeds, grazing and preserved forages that will be viewed as prohibited substances. Examples of these are listed in the table below, however the list is indicative rather than exhaustive. Prohibited substances potentially present in feedstuffs and grazing: Prohibited substance Feedstuff Salicylic acid Alfalfa (Lucerne), willow Dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) Alfalfa, others Caffeine Coffee Theobromine Cocoa Theophylline Coffee, Cocoa Morphine Poppy Codeine Poppy Hordenine Germinating barley, Phalaris grasses Hyoscine Belladonna plant species Atropine Belladonna plant species Lupanine Lupin seed Bufotenine Phalaris grasses Valerenic acid Valerian Dicoumarol Spoiled sweet clover Borneol Carrots, wood shavings Camphor Rosemary In the UK, the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory (HFL) offers an equine feed testing service that screens for the presence of six commonly recognised contaminants, whereas in France a similar service provided by the Laboratoire Des Courses Hippique (LCH) includes an additional four contaminants in its testing procedure: Morphine UK/France Hyoscine UK/France Atropine UK/France Hordenine UK/France Caffeine UK/France Theobromine UK/France Theophylline France Bufotenine France Methylbufotenine France Dimethyltryptamine France Natural feed constituents Salicylates and dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) are present in numerous feed ingredients and pasture species. Salicylates are particularly abundant in grazing and forage legumes, such as clover and alfalfa respectively, and in willow-containing herbal supplements. Plant salicylates are metabolised in the body to salicylic acid, a mild pain killer (analgesic) and anti-inflammatory. Salicylic acid is a metabolite of Aspirin.

DMSO occurs at high levels in alfalfa and is also a weak analgesic and anti-inflammatory. DMSO can be used to enable other drugs to penetrate the skin. Owing to their widespread occurrence and pharmacological properties, international racing jurisdictions have established thresholds for their presence in post-competition urine and blood samples. In itself it is unlikely that feed-related salicylate load will cause testing thresholds to be exceeded and feed products are not tested to identify the presence of these substances. Hordenine and bufotenine are recognised as occasional contaminants of equine feedstuffs. Both substances are constituents in Phalaris grass species (Reed Canary grass), and hordenine also occurs in germinating barley and other cereal grains.

Hordenine and bufotenine affect the central nervous system (CNS) of horses and are thus are regarded as prohibited substances under racing rules. They have both been detected in post-race urine samples across Europe and Australia. Feed crop contaminants Morphine and codeine present a less common but significant feed contamination issue. Their presence in post-race samples is a breach of prohibited substance rules as they can exert a significant stimulatory effect in the CNS of horses even at low doses. Feed contamination with material from opium poppies (Papaver somniferum ssp. somniferum), wild poppies (P. somniferum ssp setigerum) or Oriental poppies (P. Orientale), resulting in post-race urine samples testing positive for opiates occurred in Australia in the 1990s and the UK and Ireland in 2002.

The spate of morphine positives in the UK and Ireland arose through the importation of contaminated raw materials; however it is possible that a home-grown problem could evolve in the near future as recent research has shown that the opium poppy grows quite widely in the wild in Ireland. The alkaloids hyoscine (scopolamine) and atropine are also known contaminants of horse feed that derive from contamination of growing cereal crops by Solanaceous plants including Deadly Nightshade, Henbane and Jimson Weed. Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) contains predominantly atropine, whereas Henbane (Hyoscyamous niger) contains primarily hyoscine.

Owing to their potent pharmacological effects within the central nervous system and cardiovascular system, the presence of hyoscine or atropine in post-competition urine samples is regarded as a breach of the rules relating to prohibited substances. Manufacturing and shipping contamination Caffeine and theobromine are recognised contaminants of feeds and numerous instances of feed contamination and post-race positives occurred globally during the 1980s and 1990s.

In the past, cocoa husk was used as a bulking agent in feed manufacture however, more recently its presence in feeds is believed to have arisen from contamination from other feed residues, such as biscuit meal or from contamination of raw materials, usually grains, during transport. We are all aware of caffeine as a constituent of coffee and tea, whereas its chemically similar cousin theobromine is found naturally in tea and cocoa (chocolate). When ingested, both substances can act as stimulants to the heart, lungs and brain, and may also exert some degree of diuretic action (increased urination).

As a consequence of the prevalence of caffeine and theobromine in the feed production chain and the difficulty in removing them, racing's regulatory authorities ultimately implemented a threshold for theobromine in post-race urine samples. In the recent past in the US mepyramine, an antihistamine, has been identified in post-race samples and its appearance on these occasions was attributed to contaminated vitamin preparations. Procaine, a local anaesthetic, has also been implicated in post-race positives on a number of occasions where on further investigation the source was discovered to be horse feed cross-contaminated at the mill with pig feed containing the antibiotic procaine penicillin. Environmental contamination Arsenic is a prohibited substance under equine competition rules, but as it is a ubiquitous environmental substance, a threshold level has been established for its presence in post-competition samples.

Additionally, arsenic levels in the racing environment can be increased by contamination from the use of pesticidal arsenic compounds, the most commonly encountered being wood preservatives used to treat construction timber and fencing materials. Cross-contamination Many veterinary drugs used therapeutically in a racing environment are formulated as powders so they can be administered mixed in with normal feeds. Although this is a convenient method in contrast to a reliance on injections for example, it can present a significant risk of dietary contamination to horses other than the animal under treatment if shared feeding equipment is not kept scrupulously clean. Dusts from some drug formulations can contaminate and linger on surfaces in feed rooms, mangers or stables. Certain drug formulations including isoxsuprine, clenbuterol and flunixin, can present a particular problem in this regard. Dietary supplements Racing is first and foremost a business, with the end-point being to maximise race wins and prize money and hence hopefully to increase future income from training fees.

It is consequently understandable that any legitimate dietary approach which might benefit race performance and training capacity, or reduce the incidence of illness and injury, and accelerate recovery both from racing and ill health, might at the very least be evaluated. This search for an edge' is common to business and sport. Indeed, the perceived beneficial effects of dietary supplements in human sports have been to some extent translated to equine sports including racing. The increased availability of dietary supplements for horses can often be supported by sophisticated technical marketing and detailed scientific research.

But, whatever the motivation for the use of such products might be, whether backed by rigorous evidence of efficacy or not, the reality is that complementary feedstuffs are also potentially at risk of contamination. Although there has been no comprehensive survey of contamination in equine feed supplements, three such surveys have been conducted on human sports supplements, the results of which indicated that up to 20% of supplements tested contained prohibited substances (under IOC rules), principally anabolic steroids including nandrolone and testosterone. As the levels of contaminants found were generally low and variable it was assumed that their presence arose through poor manufacturing practice on the part of the manufacturer or the ingredient supplier(s). Undeclared stimulants, such as caffeine and ephedrine, have also been identified in human sports supplements and these findings suggest deliberate adulteration to improve efficacy.

A recent doping case suggests that equine supplement contamination may become an issue for the feed and supplement industry and regulatory authorities, but on this occasion this post-race positive for the presence of the anabolic nandrolone seems to have arisen through the use of a human sports supplement in the horse, rather than a contaminated equine product. The use of dietary supplements in racing is becoming commonplace. Products containing herbal or other plant based or nutraceutical ingredients are increasingly popular, possibly through a belief that these are not drugs and thus do not infringe the rules relating to prohibited substances.

A useful example here would be products containing Devil's Claw powder or extracts. Devil's Claw is a plant related to Sesame and is native to southern Africa. It has recognised pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties in people and has been offered as an alternative to established over-the-counter pain relief medicines, such as Aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen, for many years, and is currently undergoing clinical trials. Widespread promotion of Devil's Claw as an herbal alternative to phenylbutazone for horses began at a time when the continued approval for the use of this veterinary pain-relieving drug was in doubt.

It is worth pointing out that the French racing laboratory, Laboratoire Des Courses Hippiques, have recently published methods for the detection of harpagosides, the active components in Devil's Claw, in equine post-race samples, and thus is it reasonable to assume that the regulatory laboratories will be screening for these substances on a pan-European basis. The irony here is that when viewed within the strictures of the rules and regulations of racing if a supplement, or more accurately one or more of its constituents, has efficacy, by extrapolation it must affect one of the horse's body systems and is therefore prohibited, whether or not the laboratory is able to test for it. Trainer protection We should not be complacent on this issue and it would be prudent for trainers, wherever practical, to retain representative samples of all batches of feeds and supplements that they use, indeed the regulatory authorities proffer just such advice. This is certainly a worthwhile exercise, as in the event of a failed post-race test a defence of feed contamination will be strengthened by such physical evidence which can be subjected to analytical scrutiny. In practice, a successful demonstration of contaminated feed or supplement will not exonerate the horse's connections from a regulatory offence, but may well be a persuasive argument in mitigation concerning subsequent sanctions.

In addition, being fully aware of the ingredients within feeds or supplements and of the nature and extent of any pre-sale quality assurance analysis by a manufacturer for the common contaminants (prohibited substances) should afford trainers some further protection and allow them to make informed purchases. Chris Gordon, Chair of the Feed Committee at the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA), states that, BETA is at an advanced stage of discussion with individual feed manufacturers, the National Trainers Federation and the British Horseracing Authority in seeking to establish a Code of Practice for the production of feeds intended to be used in racing. It is anticipated that this will take the form of an appendix to existing accreditation through the UFAS feed safety system. Furthermore, in conjunction with our French and Irish counterparts, the CNEF and the Irish Grain and Feed Association (IGFA) and the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC) we are attempting to establish a harmonised approach to feed testing for common contaminants across the major European horseracing jurisdictions. Within this framework we are hoping to establish common reporting levels or thresholds. 

Sir Mark Prescott - a racehorse trainer completely comfortable in his own skin

Love him or hate him - odds are against indifference - trainer Sir Mark Prescott needs little introduction. The unapologetic Prescott isn't bothered whichever the sentiment, as he is very much his own man and comfortable - some might say all too much so - in his own skin.

Frances Karon (European Trainer - issue 22 - Summer 2008)