Darin Lamoureux - horseman with focus on long-term success
Lamoureux is anything but a one-hit wonder and since Super Saver, a yearling he broke and trained, won the 2010 Kentucky Derby, he has delivered winners with unfailing regularity.
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 32
Treating Sore Shins - Can research make a breakthrough in treating 'bucked shins'
Consignors on both sides of the Atlantic are preparing their horses for the two-year old sales and, no doubt, are battling the phenomenon of 'bucked shins'. Can current research make a breakthrough?
Food for thought - feeding fillies - does diet make a difference in their performance
Are fillies 'dynamic divas' or the weaker sex? Should we treat them differently to colts when it comes to feeding and management? And are these differences real, or just perceived?
Dickie Small - Celebrating the life of a legend
The consummate horseman and larger than life trainer of Breeders' Cup Classic winner Concern died April 4th at his home in Monkton, Md. His life-long friend, Ted Mudge, offers a very personal obituary.
Ionicare - successful, expedited recovery
Tim Ritchey, trainer of Afleet Alex, had a problem. Two of his most promising young horses had come up with tendon lesions.
An ultrasound in September 2012 of a prize 2-year old thoroughbred filly showed a 12% Palmar Border Lesion right front superficial digital flexor tendon.
On the same day a promising 2-year old thoroughbred colt injured his right front superficial digital flexor tendon. An ultrasound diagnosis confirmed an acute 7% Core Lesion.
The typical chance of recovery from this type of injury with traditional modes of therapy is at best about 50%. His vet, Dr. Kathleen Anderson, DVM (Vice President of the AAEP) of Equine Veterinary Care at Fair Hill Training Center, suggested he try a recently released technology to treat the problem.
On Dr. Anderson’s, recommendation, Tim started daily therapy with the IoniCare® System 3, along with hand walking for both horses. Follow up ultrasounds in October showed “significant improvement” in both cases.
Tim and Dr. Anderson were excited to see that ultrasounds in December showed “excellent healing” in both cases.
Based on the ultrasound and clinical exam, both horses were able to resume training in early January 2013. Because newly healed tissue has not had time to mature, and isn’t as stable as mature tissue, the horses were brought along carefully.
The filly has raced six times (3 wins and 2 thirds). She continues on daily IoniCare therapy and is racing sound.
The colt has raced 7 times (2 wins and 2 seconds). The tendon has remained sound and daily maintenance IoniCare therapy continues.
Ritchey says "In my 40 years around the track, this is by far the most successful form of therapy with the quickest recovery time of any system I have encountered or experienced." He is currently using the System on nearly all his horses either for injury treatment or maintenance.
Dr. Anderson commented
“Soft tissue injuries in racehorses often frustrate owners, trainers and veterinarians with a slow rate of healing and frequent re-occurrence. I have observed encouraging outcomes on both upper level event horses and thoroughbred racehorses with focused rehabilitation and maintenance programs utilizing the IoniCare unit. Clinical and ultrasound findings both support these observations. Definitely worth a try!”
According to System developer Equine OrthoCare, LLC, the patent pending IoniCare System 3 is based on the principle that external electrical field therapy positively influences the repair mechanisms of bone, cartilage and other connective tissue. It has been specifically designed and adapted to apply a proven technology for horses.
The System delivers a patented, low amplitude, subliminal electrical signal to the treatment site. This unique signal creates a specific electrical field within the treatment site designed to mimic or enhance the internal electrical fields that are naturally produced in the body.
Daniel V. Flynn, V.M.D., past president of AAEP, medical director Equine OrthoCare, and the man with the most clinical experience with the System, reports:
“Common tendon and ligament injuries of the lower limb respond very well to the IoniCare System. A significant reduction in healing time is seen and the size of the injured tendon or ligament remains closer to normal. This is confirmed by diagnostic ultrasound.”
Other prominent vets who have had success treating soft tissue injuries with the IoniCare System include Gayle W. Trotter, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVS (Co-editor of the standard text Joint Disease in the Horse), and Scott Morrison, DVM, (Podiatry Specialist, The Podiatry Center, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, KY)
Equine OrthoCare says the effectiveness of the IoniCare System in treating causes of equine lameness has been demonstrated by years of field testing by equine veterinarians, trainers and horse owners in the United States. This versatile non-drug, non-invasive technology has been used in equine veterinary practice to successfully treat joint and connective tissue injuries including bone, cartilage, tendon and ligament. When properly used, the System is safe and has no known adverse side effects. Its design allows for treatment of two sites simultaneously, and can be used on multiple horses each day.
For more information call 855-446-6422, or visit www.ionicare.com
Relative Values - Edward & Eoin Harty
With 5 generations of horsemen behind them, it was inescapable that the Harty brothers' lives would also revolve around racing. Edward trains in Ireland close to his father, Grand National winning jockey Eddie Harty; Eoin is in the US. But their shared passion keeps their familial bond strong.
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 31
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Author: Bill Heller
State Awards - state of hope?
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 31
Royal Ascot - history, tradition - and 5 days of unsurpassable racing!
Royal Ascot attracts the best trainers and horses from around the world. Watched over by Her Majesty The Queen, with pomp and ceremony adding to five fabulous days of racing, it's easy to see why Ascot draws the international crowd.
"The history and tradition of the place are what makes it so special; it has been going since the early 18th Century." said Ramsey, who has been involved in ownership since 1969 and numbers the 2005 Dubai World Cup among the long list of big races he has plundered, months before the Royal Ascot meeting last year.
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 31
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Author: James Crispe
Tie-back surgery - a trusted treatment
All trainers are familiar with a horse that makes a noise. If performance is poor, laryngoplasty has, for over 40 years, been the next consideration.
The aim of the procedure is to reverse the effects of larynx weakness that occurs due to a degenerative condition of the nerve that controls the muscles on the left side. A synthetic implant is placed along that side of the larynx to hold it open where the muscle is too weak.
It has long been suspected that the procedure has other effects on the airway, other than simply trying the collapsed part of the larynx back and out of the way.
Diagnostic imaging in young horses
So often we are dazzled by the youth and beauty of the next generation at the yearling sales. But what lies beneath that glorious skin? We take a deeper look at diagnostic imaging.
Few issues spark more debate and controversy than the interpretation of a juvenile Thoroughbred's radiographs and their relevance to the horse's future racing career. This article aims to review the most common radiographic finding, sesamoiditis, in the Thoroughbred yearling and discusses new research published in 2013 exploring the link between sesamoiditis and suspensory branch injuries and the effect these conditions can have on soundness and racing performance. This research can provide horsemen with accurate information with respect to the risk associated with these conditions and can aid them in the selection process and training of the young Thoroughbred racehorse.
Classic Mile - a thriving training facility
Nearly three decades after his plan to open a racetrack in Ocala, Florida failed to materialize, Domenic Martelli's Plan B is still flourishing. Martelli, a New Jersey real estate maven, thought legislation to approve a racetrack in Ocala was imminent in the mid '80's. He didn't wait for that approval, instead purchasing a 704-acre parcel on U.S. Highway 40 near the now late Fred Hooper's Farm, and building a one-mile racetrack with a seven-furlong turf course, a three-furlong training track and 26 barns with 776 stalls, each barn featuring several paddocks for turnouts.
He named his facility Classic Mile and planned to have a mixed-meet of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses. He was sure racing would be approved. "It looked like a piece of cake," Martelli told Dave Goldman in his October 12, 2006 story in the Daily Racing Form. "Boy, was I wrong."
Photos by Sandra Madison
How eating aids the skeletal structure
It has been said that 'equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse's bone structure, musculature and its body proportions in relation to each other.' This is undeniable, but there is remarkably little information in published literature regarding the importance of the position of the head, despite the fact that this has a direct effect on balance, posture and subsequent performance.
The horse is documented as a prey species and as such retains, despite domestication, ares of hyper-sensitivity in loins, abdominal tunic, and poll; pain experienced in any of these areas, no matter the cause, gives you a rise to an immediate fright, flight and/or flight response.
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 31 - read this version
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN - EUROPEAN TRAINER - ISSUE 44 - read this version
TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Mike Trombetta
The 47 year old native of Baltimore, Maryland couldn't have got off to a more successful 2014 with Bold Curlin winning the Native Dancer and Extrasexyhippzster the Miracle Wood at Laurel Park.
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 3
Clifford Sise Jr - excited about coming back
After a hiatus of nearly three years, Clifford Sise Jr is back and regrouping at San Luis Rey Downs. "I miss the competition" - that says it all!
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 31
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Author: Steve Schuelein
Alan Balch - Hope Smiles
With the closure of iconic Hollywood Park, the sport is relying on hope even more. This year could be critical.
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 31
Leah Gyarmati - a trainer to watch in 2014
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 31
Sid Fernando - Why are intact males such a rare breed?
His like is endangered nowadays. I was jolted by thoughts of this while watching the HRTV broadcast of the Eclipse Award Ceremony from Gulfstream Park on January 18. Wise Dan was the equine star of the evening, a "people's horse" in the same way as Curlin. He, too, is a two-time Horse of the Year and top older horse, plus top turf horse. But Wise Dan is a gelding, and he's by the unheralded Wiseman's Ferry. And he's a turf miler - the weakest division of North American racing.
Sid Fernando - Focus on the top tier ignores the bigger picture.
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Sid Fernando (North American Trainer - issue 31 - February 2014)
TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Paul Buttigieg
The TRM Trainer of the Quarter goes to Paul Buttigieg for when Phil's Dream bred, owned and trained by Paul Buttigieg overcame traffic problems in early stretch to win $328,826 Grade 1 Neartic Stakes by two lengths at Woodbine on October 13th.
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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 30
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Author: Bill Heller
Increasing Equine Fitness
Horses, like humans, experience the seemingly inevitable onslaught of aging. Stiffness, reduced energy, limited mobility and (not surprisingly) downright irritability are symptoms most of us are familiar with!
A wealth of research now shows a direct correlation between athletic injury, age-related decline and decreased performance, and the degeneration of connective tissues and associated structures i.e. ligaments, tendons, fascia, bone, blood vessels, and more.
Over time and with use, connective tissue becomes dry and inflexible due to reduced stability of cell membranes and limited production of glycosaminoglycan (moisture-holding structures). This can be the cause of a range of conditions including osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, osteochondrosis, laminitis to name but a few. In all cases, inflammation is a universal complaint. Chronic inflammation induces fatigue, dampens enthusiasm and ensures poor performance—also signs and symptoms of accelerated aging. Therefore, what appears to be an inevitable degenerative process might actually be an acute or chronic condition that is both preventable and treatable.
If pain is the problem, RECOVERY EQ is a potent solution that targets the root causes of the pain. By inhibiting damage to cells, curbing inflammation, relaxing tension and increasing a cell’s ability to receive hormones, RECOVERY often brings results far beyond expectations.
Recovery EQ has been developed over 10 years to improve circulation to tissues, speed repair and slow or halt tissue damage. The primary active ingredient is Nutricol, a potent blend of naturally-occurring substances derived from foods that have been shown in numerous clinical studies to profoundly affect cell health. Nutricol, is a proprietary blending of plant nutrients known as polyphenols. These are the same substances that have made green tea and red grapes the subject of much scientific study in recent years. Nutricol decreases trauma - from chronic lameness, surgery, injury and over-training – by both increasing the cell's resistance to damage & improving its ability to repair damage.
For more information, please go to www.recoveryeq.com
Published in North American Trainer Fall/Winter 2013 Issue 30