Archive for February, 2010

Alex Brown is among those in the anti-horse slaughter community who pointed out to the Paulick Report recent changes in Canadian regulations regarding drugs not permitted in horses intended for slaughter in Canada. In this following article, Brown says an extremely high percentage of American-trained Thoroughbreds are prescribed one of the newly prohibited drugs, phenylbutazone, otherwise known as Butazolidin or Bute. What isn’t known is how this new ban will affect the transportation and slaughter of horses from the United States into Canada. – Ray Paulick
 

By Alex Brown
Bute is banned for food animals, our horses are not food animals.
 
The United States Food and Drug Administration released a document in 2003 establishing that phenylbutazone (Butazolidin, or Bute) is not fit for horses intended for the food chain.  According to the document, Bute is a carcinogen, as determined by the National Toxicology Program.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently released a document establishing revised guidelines or horses intended to be slaughtered in slaughter houses in Canada.  In that document there is a list of substances that are not permitted for horses intended for the human foodchain, regardless of when the substance is ingested.  No quarantine period for these substances.  They are simply banned.  Bute is on that list.
 
Data compiled by the Daily Racing Form indicates that in 2009 99% of horses that ran in California pre-raced on Bute (7391 out of 7443).  In a similar study of Suffolk Downs runners, 92% of horses pre-raced on Bute (1062 out of 1158).  As I ask trainers about their use of Bute for pre-racing, trainers tell me they pre-race on Bute regardless of the condition of the horse.  It is not because the horse is unsound, it is because we can and it does not slow the horse down for the race itself.
 
As horsemen we know that pre-racing on Bute is only one example of when Bute is administered to our racehorses.  Many horses train on Bute as part of their daily regimen. 
 
Is it not time now to ask our racing leaders to publicly support an end to slaughter, or at least ban racehorses from the food chain.  It is clear that racehorses are not fit for human consumption from a food safety standpoint and knowingly allowing this practice to continue cannot be justified.  

We should perhaps also ask the same question of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). A vet, more than anyone, knows that our racehorses are administered Bute, and they now must undersrtand that Bute is prohibited for food animals.
 

Just a smattering of graded stakes action will take place this weekend. Saturday’s Santa Anita card features the Grade 3 Sham for 3-year-olds and though the field has no graded stakes winners in it, an outstanding showing at the 1 1/8-mile distance could put the winner in the Derby picture. Bob Baffert’s The Program, a son of Harlan’s Holiday, won an allowance race by a nose on Feb. 3 and hopes to improve off that. Also in the entries is Kettle River, from Eoin Harty’s barn; due to illness, Kettle River missed a week of training but Harty thinks he up to this task.

Fillies and mares will be in the spotlight on Saturday at Gulfstream Park when three graded stakes will be presented—the G2 Davona Dale, G3 The Very One and G3 Sabin. The Davona Dale, for 3-year-olds at a mile on the dirt, has attracted a contentious field of eight, including Bickersons, who recently ran away in the Forward Gal, defeating Eclipse Award champ She Be Wild. Also entered is Amen Hallelujah, off a winning performance in the G2 Santa Ynez at Santa Anita, and Sassy Image, who brings a three-race win streak into the Davona Dale.

None of the starters in The Very One have won a turf race at the 1 3/8-mile distance, but that didn’t seem to be a discouragement, as an overflow field of 14 was entered. Among the starters are Lady Shakespeare, runner-up in the Marshua’s River, Long Approach, second in the G2 La Prevoyante last spring, and Glen Hill Farm’s homebred Closeout, who most recently finished fourth in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita.

Jessica Is Back is entered for the main track only in The Very One, but she will likely start in the one-mile Sabin, a contest on the dirt for older females. The 6-year-old daughter of Put It Back will have to face Justwhistledixie, 2009 winner of the Davona Dale and Bonnie Miss, whose last out was a fourth-place finish over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface in the G2 El Encino.

On Sunday at Gulfstream Park, older males will take to the turf in the G2 Mac Diarmida. Like The Very One, the Mac Diarmida is also run at 1 3/8 miles, and has drawn a field of eight with one also-eligible if the race is taken off the turf. Presious Passion hopes to use this race as a springboard to the Dubai Sheema Classic, to be run in a month from now. The 7-year-old gelding will attempt to defend his 2009 Mac Diarmida title; he was runner-up to Conduit in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and finished fifth in his 2010 debut while trying for his third straight W.L. McKnight victory at Calder.

Due to wind and rain, live racing is cancelled at Aqueduct Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, the 27th.

By Ray Paulick
I wouldn’t normally applaud the creation of yet another industry organization, but when one comes along that says it is “dedicated solely to improving the care and welfare of horses” and to “advocate on behalf of all horses through fiscal, professional, legislative and research support”—well, then, maybe our alphabet soup can stand a few more letters.

This new organization, formed in Kentucky and seeking 501(c)3 status, is the Equine Health and Welfare Alliance, and it has already in the process of getting some things done that should be beneficial to horses of all shapes and sizes.

The EHWA was created by a group of well-known Kentucky-based equine veterinarians: Frank Dwayne Marcum, who was named president; Doug Byars; Norm Umphenhour; Mike Cavey; and Gary Lavin. Membership will not be restricted to veterinarians.

While Kentucky-based, the group hopes to have an impact nationally and internationally. “The EHWA Inc. is positioned to provide expertise and coordinate other organizations in developing strategic plans for improving standards of care, regulatory oversight and current policies pertaining to the treatment of the equine,” Marcum said in a statement.

“The horse is a deaf mute,” said Byars. “It can’t speak for itself. So our focus will be solely on issues and mechanisms that protect, promote and preserve adequate humane measures of basic needs for the horse.”

“We have a moral obligation to be proper stewards of this important part of our nation’s heritage,” added Marcum.

The EHWA’s goals include:

·       Identify issues adversely effecting the humane treatment of horses and identify solutions through legislative or regulatory action.

·       Promote research to improve equine health.

·       Improve the quality and oversight of horse rescue operations.

·       Build a nationwide grassroots network to advocate on behalf all equine breeds.

As its first order of business, the EHWA has promoted a bill (House Bill 398) in the Kentucky legislature that would create the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Board under the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet. The board would be responsible for working with the cabinetand taking action on issues related to equine health and welfare. The bill would also create an equine health and welfare trust fund to be administered by the board to promote equine health, welfare, and safety.
 
The bill was passed through a unanimous vote of the House on Thursday.

Specifically, the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Board will have responsibility for the following:

· Undertake research, conduct public hearings, and collect data to determine prevalent equine health and welfare issues.
·  Strive to develop regional centers of care for unwanted, abused, neglected, or confiscated equines.
·  Create a system of voluntary certification of equine rescue and retirement operations that meet industry-accepted standards for care of equines.
· Research and offer suggestions for statutory changes affecting equine health, welfare, abuse, and neglect issues.
·  Assist veterinarians and others in maintaining the health and welfare of equines by identifying and referring to the appropriate authorities critical areas of need.

“If this becomes law, Kentucky would become the first state to legislatively recognize the dynamics of equine health and welfare,” Marcum said. “The bill at this point doesn’t ask for funding, but there is a mechanism within the language would ask for funds.”

Marcum said he hopes that Kentucky could serve as a template for a business plan for other states. “Kentucky needs to be the leader in the this respect,” he said. “The horse is not unique to Kentucky, but Kentucky is unique to the horse.”

Areas of concern include neglected or unwanted horses, Marcum said. He is hoping legislators at some point would be willing to structure a tax-incentive program for farms struggling in the current depressed bloodstock market to take on additional horses from among the neglected population. “If a farm used to have 100 horses and now has 20,” he said, “providing tax credits to those farms willing to board neglected horses might help them stay in a business a little longer and save some jobs. It’s something of a recycling mechanism, but it also sustains employment and goes back to the tax base.
 
“We also want to assist,  support and educate retirement homes for horses,” he said. “A long-term goals would be to have centers of care through agriculture departments and co-ops at universities and colleges.

“Our focus will be securing the entire life of the horse with dignity.”

For more information, visit the Equine Health and Welfare Alliance web site by clicking here.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them.  To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.

Veterinarian Dr. Jerry Bilinski testified that nearly all Thoroughbreds on Ernie Paragallo’s farm were malnourished to emaciation and were living in an environment infested with parasites.

Read it at The Daily Mail

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

The Paulick Report is pleased to once again offer the pedigree insights of Edwin Anthony in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Ed has lifelong experience in the Thoroughbred industry, has practical experience planning matings for his family’s stable and formerly as a pedigree adviser to Three Chimneys Farm. His perspective is straightforward and refreshingly opinionated, and I advise anyone interested in Thoroughbred pedigrees to pick up a copy of his book, “The American Thoroughbred (Volume One)”—available for purchase here.

In this first of a series of articles, he looks at the pedigree of Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth winner Eskendereya. – Ray Paulick

ESKENDEREYA (Giant’s Causeway—Aldebaran Light, by Seattle Slew)
By Edwin Anthony
I wrote a series of eight pedigree profiles for horses on the “Triple Crown trail” starting about this time last year, and recent Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Eskendereya will serve as the first horse in our series this season. It’s interesting to look back at the horses we profiled last year (Friesan Fire, Quality Road, Pioneerof the Nile, Dunkirk, I Want Revenge, Papa Clem, Chocolate Candy, Rachel Alexandra) to see how they fared.

Quality Road is obviously a top horse (he missed the Triple Crown with quarter cracks), while Dunkirk and Pioneerof the Nile were each able to place in one classic race, and I wrote a token piece about Rachel Alexandra because she looked like a very special filly, even though she had not won anything more than a G2 race at that stage.  Only a fortune teller could have predicted Rachel Alexandra’s Horse of the Year campaign after changing hands or the rapid ascension of Birdstone (sire of longshot classic winners Mine That Bird and Summer Bird) as a major classic influence.

Even though I have studied Thoroughbred pedigrees for going on 25 years, no one can get around the folly of bad luck, injuries in training, or the fact that many horses look dominant going nine furlongs (a mile-and-an-eighth) but simply aren’t up to the demanding task of running classic distances at a competitive speed.

That’s the mystery of stamina and genetics that we’re constantly trying to figure out.  Of course, even a horse that is capable of competing at classic distances still needs to put out the effort, and sometimes horses have off-days just like people.

If nothing else, we strive to learn about the strengths and limitations of the stallions and ancestors under discussion and hope to come out smarter on the other side.  At the very least, we want to learn what strategies are working in pedigrees, even if some of them aren’t up to the classic standard.  Who are the soundest horses, where is the stamina coming from, and what ancestors are best to inbreed to?  These are the answers we’re looking for.

Pedigree analysts (like myself) try to identify patterns in graded stakes results as a way of predicting the future.  Given that the Storm Cat line has been a poor source of classic winners, then you probably wouldn’t want to lean heavily on Storm Cat’s sons (or stallions out of Storm Cat mares) in your stallion recommendations for breeders that want to breed for the classics.  The Storm Cat line hasn’t had a winner of a Triple Crown race since Tabasco Cat in 1994, although Bluegrass Cat was second in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers in 2006.  You should note that Bluegrass Cat is out of a mare by classic influence A.P. Indy and his dam is heavily inbred to the foundation mare La Troienne, including being from the Numbered Account (champion 2YO filly by Buckpasser) branch of that important family.

So, while the Storm Cat line is dominant in 2-year-old racing and in races contested at distances of 9 furlongs or shorter, it does not appear capable of producing classic types, unless there is a LOT of help on the dam side of the equation.  Of course, when you start to speak in these kinds of absolutes, a special horse can come along and provide us with the exception to the rule.

Storm Cat’s son Giant’s Causeway was a tough campaigner in Europe out of a good racemare by Rahy, with a second dam by English Derby winner and classic influence Roberto.  He was undeniably consistent and high class, winning a series of Group 1 races at more than a mile. In his final start, he gave classic distance specialist Tiznow a real run for his money in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, that being his only start on dirt.  So, Giant’s Causeway was sound, very fast, and capable of competing with top horses at the American classic distance of 10 furlongs (a mile-and-a-quarter).  This makes him an exception among sons of Storm Cat, as most of his sons that have found any measure of success at stud were much better at a mile or less and have passed on this penchant for speed among their progeny.

Giant’s Causeway has already sired Grade 1 winners in America over 10 furlongs like Heatseeker (Santa Anita Handicap), Frost Giant (Suburban), and Red Giant (NWR, Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship), so you can see that if there is a son of Storm Cat capable of siring an American classic winner, then Giant’s Causeway is probably the one.

The runaway win by Eskendereya (by Giant’s Causeway) in the Fountain of Youth (G2) was more than visually impressive.  You could see that the horse really relished the opportunity to go two turns, and he is now 3 for 3 on the dirt, his only losses coming in his first start (a maiden event on turf at Saratoga) and a poor effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), contested over the synthetic surface at Santa Anita.  He was reported to have a troubled trip in that race as well.

I have often thought that a true classic type horse is able to simply get into a steady gallop and carve out “12’s,” which is to say that he can consistently complete each furlong of a race in 12 seconds.  It becomes increasingly difficult to do with each furlong, as the muscles begin to tire, and Secretariat’s world record time of 2:24 in the 1973 Belmont (over 12 furlongs) is the best example of a horse being able to accomplish this feat over such a distance.  It’s not about an explosive move or “turn of foot” with classic horses; it’s steady horsepower over a distance.  Classic horses “stay” (as the Europeans like to say), while horses more suited to shorter distances simply run out of gas, unable to maintain a steady stream of “12’s” on the toteboard teletimer.

This is exactly what Eskendereya did to the field in the Fountain of Youth (G2)—he galloped them into submission.  After taking over after a half-mile in a soft 47.92, he completed six furlongs in 1:12.41, a mile in 1:36.54, with a final time for nine furlongs of 1:48.87, echoing the many 12-second furlongs before the last one.  So, like several other sons of Giant’s Causeway, Eskendereya looks capable of running a distance of ground as far as 10 furlongs at a competitive rate of speed.  Let’s look at the bottom side of his pedigree to check for more stamina.

Eskendereya’s damsire, Seattle Slew, won the Triple Crown and has been a very successful classic influence, with descendants like A.P. Indy (Belmont, Breeders’ Cup Classic), Bernardini (Preakness, Travers), Cigar (Breeders’ Cup Classic, Dubai World Cup), Lemon Drop Kid (Belmont, Travers), Mineshaft (Jockey Club Gold Cup, Suburban), and Slew o’ Gold (Jockey Club Gold Cup twice) serving as notable examples.

Alydar (second in all 3 Triple Crown races to Affirmed) is the sire of Eskendereya’s second dam, and beyond the fact that he sired two Kentucky Derby winners (Alysheba and Strike the Gold) and a Belmont winner (Easy Goer), Horse of the Year Point Given (Preakness, Belmont, Travers) was produced by a mare by champion Turkoman, he being a son of Alydar.

We know that inbreeding to the family of Almahmoud (second dam of both Halo and Northern Dancer) has been quite successful, and Giant’s Causeway is a very good example of this, as Storm Cat is a grandson of Northern Dancer and Rahy (his damsire) is out of a mare by Halo.  The pedigree of Eskendereya shows why a six-generation computer program is a good investment, as his third dam carries intensive inbreeding to the Almahmoud family as well.  His third dam is by Northern Dancer himself (giving Eskendereya “balanced” inbreeding to Northern Dancer—through a son and a daughter), and while his fourth dam was sired by the stout stamina influence Ribot (winner of the 12-furlong “Arc” twice) his fifth dam is actually the mare Cosmah, she being the dam of Halo and a daughter of Almahmoud. Thus, Eskendereya is not only inbred to Northern Dancer through  a son and a daughter, he is inbred to Halo’s dam, Cosmah, 6 x 5 and carries four total crosses of Almahmoud.

As the ancestors Northern Dancer, Halo, and their granddam Almahmoud get further back in pedigrees, this reinforcement strategy of crossing horses inbred to Almahmoud should continue to find success and revive their influence in classic pedigrees.  My parents bred and raced Preakness winner Pine Bluff (inbred 4 x 4 to Almahmoud), and I have noticed him working well with reinforcement of Almahmoud’s genes, crossing successfully with stallions like More Than Ready (by Southern Halo—closely inbred to Almahmoud), Menifee (by Harlan—closely inbred to Almahmoud), and Jules (from the Northern Dancer family and carrying Halo in his pedigree).  So, it seems to be a strategy that is paying dividends with stallions and mares already carrying inbreeding to Almahmoud.

Given the fact that Giant’s Causeway has already proven capable of siring runners that excel at classic distances, and the fact that Eskendereya carries a number of other classic influences in his pedigree (Seattle Slew, Alydar, Ribot, and intensive inbreeding to the influential Almahmoud family), I’d say that his classic prospects look very bright indeed.  His clear preference for dirt racing and ability to string together one 12 second furlong after another only boosts his stock, in my opinion.  If Eskenereya can arrive in Louisville with a solid Florida Derby (G1) effort under his belt, he should be a very strong contender.
 
Edwin Anthony was the staff pedigree consultant at Three Chimneys Farm for six years and has penned dozens of articles on pedigree research.  He also published The American Thoroughbred (Volume I) in 2008, which can be ordered via the banner ad link on this web page or on his web site at www.thoroughbredadvisor.com.

As Thoroughbred racing and breeding sails through stormy waters without either a captain or a rudder on the ship, I am reminded that calls for a commissioner, a league office, a central authority—call it what you will—are not particularly new. Arthur B. Hancock III, the owner of Stone Farm in Paris, Ky., has long advocated federal legislation that would create a structure for the sport of racing and address many of the problems that have plagued us for decades.

Following is the complete text of a speech Hancock gave nearly 20 years ago at the University of Arizona’s Symposium on Racing in December 1991. What was true then is true today.—Ray Paulick
 

 
When uncertainty and troubling times swirled about him, Winston Churchill quoted a profound poem, “The Clattering Train”
 
          Who is in charge of the clattering train,
          The carriages creak and couplets strain.
          And the pace is fast and points are near,
          But sleep has deadened the driver’s ear.
          And the whistle shrieks through the night in vain,
          For death is in charge of the clattering train.
 
          We are all gathered together here in Arizona to speak out and do what we can to help our sport, Thoroughbred racing.  I refer to our industry as a sport because in essence that is exactly what it is, just as football, baseball, and basketball are sports.  We must never forget that the essence of racing is the competition of the horses and the romance, enthusiasm, and wagering that permeates that competition.  A track that I love, Keeneland, has a slogan, “Racing as it was meant to be”.  Ladies and Gentlemen, envision the first race long ago when several farmers or businessmen got together and bragged on the horses and to settle the issue, everyone lined up on Main Street for the big race on a Saturday afternoon and cheered for and bet on the horse of their choice. There was something deep within the people that was stirred by those horses roaring down Main Street, straining every nerve.  Well, this was racing as it was meant to be, and if we neglect and forget the essence of our sport, we lose sight of what it is that enables us to survive as an industry and to compete with other forms of entertainment.
 
There was a time when we were the only game in town and if you didn’t go fishing, you’d go to the races.  Today, there are many games in town.  We have riverboat gambling, jai alai, dog racing, baseball, casino gambling, Indian gaming, football, soccer, tennis, golf, basketball and lotteries.  How are we going to compete with these if we are not in control of our own destiny and if we are perceived by the masses of fans and potential fans as being dishonest and riddled by drugs and thugs? The answer is, we cannot compete.  Something has to be done and done quickly or racing as it was meant to be and life as we have known it is over.  We are riding a runaway train.
 
There are many important entities in our industry, but all of them put together are not as important to us as our fans, the bettors.  Without them, we have nothing.  With them we have everything.  It is imperative that we present to them an image of absolute integrity.  The question is how do we do this?  In order to have a fair game, we have to have a level playing field.  And we must be able to enforce the rules of the game with penalties.  Also, the rules of the game must be the same everywhere, be it in Kentucky, California, New York or Texas.  Since ours is a gambling game, it is absolutely necessary that everything about our game be completely above-board and strictly enforced.  Perception counts as much as reality.  Some may say, oh, a few drugs in minor doses is O.K. Well, by example, shall we make Little Johnny president of the Boy Scouts of America if he only snorts cocaine once or twice a year?  No, we can’t because Johnny’s image is already tainted.  By the same token, any kind of drug use on horses will convey the same perception and it will stop the people from wanting to watch the game as well as play the game.  There is nothing glamorous or romantic about drugging horses, and when you lose the romance of racing, you lose the essence of racing, racing as it was meant to be.
 
So far, the integrity of racing has been dealt a lot of smaller blows but a life-threatening death blow has yet to occur.  What do you think would have happened if Go For Wand had been running on Butazolidin or Lasix?  I shudder to contemplate it, but someday the same thing will happen again and the horse will be on drugs.  When the press and animal rights activists finish with us, there won’t be much left.  This nightmare hangs above us every day in every race we run.

 
We might still say, even in the face of stories about drugging helpless horses, who have no say in the matter, that it is inhumane to race horses without drugs if they “need” them.  Would you give your child drugs to make him perform better?  Is it humane to send him out to perform when he is in pain?  And what about the on-going deterioration of public opinion?  Oh, but drugs are necessary so that races can be filled and so that the little man can stay in the business!  Well, here is the answer to that question in black and white:
 
 
          In 1960 horses made over 11 starts a year
          In 1970 they made 10.2 starts per year
          In 1980 horses made 9.2 starts per year
          In 1990 horses made 7.9 starts per year
 
 
This is a drop of 28% in only thirty years.  By the year 2000, horses will make 6.3 starts a year if this continues – a remarkable drop of 43% from 1960 when drugs were not allowed.
 
So what have drugs done for racing?  Have they helped the little man or any man for that matter?  I’ll tell you one thing that medication has done, is doing, and will continue to do.  It is polluting the gene pool because horses are running on chemically induced ability instead of their natural ability.  In another twenty years our children probably won’t be able to breed a sound horse in America and buyers will be going to Newmarket or Sydney to purchase their yearlings.  Remember, we are the only nation on the planet to allow permissive medication.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, the way to help the little man or any owner is for breeders to breed them good, rugged, healthy, sound horses, and to do that we have to assess the true merit of horses without their performance having been enhanced by drugs.  When we breeders sell someone something, we had better try our best to make sure that they have a chance to make money or they’ll be gone forever.
 
In my opinion, we have a crisis in integrity and a crisis in an ailing industry.  We are dying of a disease, corruption, and the high fever is caused by greed.  Again, our game must be totally above-board before anyone can be truly interested in watching it or playing in it.  To quote another statistic of the 91 horses running in the Breeders Cup this year, 76 of them were running on drugs.  If it’s allowed to be used, it will be abused.  Perception counts more than reality.
 
So what do we do?  How do we get together to solve our problems, Ladies and Gentlemen, because Thoroughbred racing and wagering now is involved in interstate commerce through simulcasting?  Congress not only has a right but a duty to regulate it.  This will happen!  We must act now in a concentrated, cooperative effort to get a benign bill passed which will regulate horse racing in the way we want it regulated.  Let’s face it; it is already regulated, so let’s get it regulated right, with no half measures.  We must regulate ourselves before the Federal Government sees fit to do it for us.
 
Today, I propose that we join together in a united front and go to our congressmen and senators with an idea, and that idea is:
 
The Racing Act of 1992
 
The points in this bill would be as follows:
 
I.       All foals born in 1992 will run drug-free in 1994 as well as older horses.  No           medication will be administered to a horse within 48 hours of a race, and trace levels will be determined by the commissioner.
 
II.      Anyone caught drugging a horse or fixing a race will be subject to specified       penalties for specified offenses, and there will be rigid enforcement of racing’s rules and regulations with certain knowledge of swift and sure punishment to be administered by the commissioner.
 
III.     No convicted felon may hold a racing license.
 
IV.     Uniform licensing will be implemented.
 
V.      A racing commissioner or czar will be appointed by The Jockey Club, The        TRA, The RCI, The TOBA, The HBPA, The Breeders’ Cup, The American Horse Council, The National Turf Writers, and The Jockey’s Guild.  Each organization will have one vote and may nominate a candidate if they so choose.
 
Drug testing will be done according to the RCI’s quality assurance program with the Commissioner assigning certain areas to certain labs as to efficiency and cost control.  This bill will include regulation of other segments of the entire horse industry, such as Quarter horses and Standardbreds, with those segments electing their own respective commissioners, if they wish.
 
In closing, I am reminded of a parable.  There was once a large fine house wherein lived a number of mice.  There were plenty of scraps of fine cheeses, breads and cakes, and the mice flourished.  Then the owner decided to get a cat and this cat wreaked havoc on the mice and their comfortable lifestyle.  All of the mice convened in an effort to find a solution to this life-threatening problem, and they decided to put a bell on the cat. This was considered to be a wonderful idea and was hailed throughout mousedom.  Then one of the mice said, “But who will be the one to put the bell on the cat?”
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, we need to give someone the authority to put the bell on the cat.  We need a Commissioner of Racing.  At the moment, we are all passengers on the clattering train.  Let’s get ourselves an engineer.  We need desperately to create the perception of credibility, honesty and absolute integrity, and we need to rid ourselves once and for all of drugs and thugs.  Once we do this, our future can be as bright and unlimited as that of any sport in this world, and our light will shine for all to see.  Let’s do it because it’s right.
 
Thank you for listening, thank you for your consideration, good luck, good racing, and good day.
 
Arthur B. Hancock III, University of Arizona Symposium on Racing, 1991

In reaction to a piece we ran yesterday on the Paulick Report from Brent Schrotenboer in the San Diego Union-Tribune, Bill Finley’s ESPN.com article points out the inaccuracies and misperceptions promoted by the article.

Finley spends a great deal of time highlighting the dirt surface at Los Alamitos and making the case that this predominantly Quarter Horse track is the likely culprit for the inflated numbers of racing fatalities.

"The CHRB may have a lot to worry about and look at, but synthetic surfaces are not one of its primary problems," said Finley. "At least when it comes to safety, they’re getting the job done — no matter what you may have read."

Read it at ESPN.com

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

Brad,

Just FYI — Please keep in mind that writers don’t write the headlines to their stories. I didn’t write the headline that Bill Finley based his column on.

While that headline is not false, it wasn’t totally fair either, because the issue is much more nuanced, as the story reflects.

The print version had a different headline: "Latest fatality statistics fuel more debate."

The headline on the online story since has been changed to match this.

Thanks.

Brent Schrotenboer

Baltimore-based Cordish Companies filed a suit against Citizens Against Slots at the Mall, alleging their recently filed petition was ‘riddled with fraudulent signatures’. The petition was created to keep the developer from installing VLTs at Arundel Mills mall.

This issue created real controversy at the end of 2009 when the VLT license was given to the shopping center of Laurel Park, causing many Marylanders to feel duped by the recently passed law that was sold as aid to the racing industry.

Read it at the Baltimore Sun

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

A former employee at Michael Gill’s The Mortgage Specialists claims she was fired for not going along with what she claims were unethical business practices. Alleging that other employees regularly ‘cleaned up’ documents before showing them to state auditors, former VP of operations Jean Duerr insists she tried to dissuade these practices and that company President Michael Gill, among others, encouraged them.

Gill, a leading Thoroughbred owner, has recently had troubles in the Thoroughbred business after jockeys at Penn National racetrack in Pennsylvania voted to not ride in races where his horses were entered, claiming his horses were getting injured at a high rate, making conditions unsafe for them. The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission banned Gill’s horses from entering races at Penn National because of the jockey action, although he continues to start horses at Philadelphia Park with no problems. Gill has substantially downsized his stable since the controversy arose and sources have said he is close to shuttering his training operation at Elk Creek Ranch in Oxford, Pa.

Read it at The Eagle Tribune

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- Ray Paulick

By Ray Paulick
Todd Pletcher isn’t the only who had a big weekend last week, winning three American Graded Stakes races for 3-year-olds on Feb. 20: the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park with Eskendereya, the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds with Discreetly Mine, and the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields with Connemara.

Coolmore Ashford’s Giant’s Causeway sired two of the Pletcher-trained AGS winners, Eskendereya and Connemara, giving the 13-year-old Storm Cat stallion a total of three AGS winners thus far in 2010 (San Pasqual Handicap winner Neko Bay is the other one). For good measure, another top 3-year-old prospect by Giant’s Causeway, Northern Giant, finished a solid third for Pletcher’s mentor, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, in the Risen Star. Only 16 days earlier, Northern Giant turned in a huge effort winning an Oaklawn Park maiden race by 11 1/4 lengths. He’s obviously a slow developing colt, the win coming in his sixth start.

On the strength of those AGS winners, Giant’s Causeway is atop the general sire list thus far in 2010 after being leading North American sire in 2009 for the first time since his first crop reached the racetrack in 2004. He was a truly outstanding racehorse and it’s no surprise that he’s developed into an elite sire. Giant’s Causeway has yet to sire his first American classic winner, but Eskendereya, who moved to the top of many Kentucky Derby lists with his Fountain of Youth victory, could easily change that.

With his weekend victories, trainer Pletcher now has won eight AGS races of 2010 with seven different horses. That’s 16% of the 50 AGS races run so far this year. Pletcher is on a brief “vacation” now, the result of a suspension stemming from a positive test at the 2008 Breeders’ Cup. His stable is deep in talent, is coming off a very strong 2009, and is ranked as the leading trainer by money won so far in 2010 (with reigning Eclipse Award winner Steven Asmussen in hot pursuit) while winning at a 27% clip. With Quality Road leading the way in the older male division, an incredibly deep roster of 3-year-old talent, and undoubtedly a talented group of 2-year-olds now going through early training, this could be a year to remember for Pletcher.