Archive for the ‘racing injuries’ Category
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
After a controversial return to racing, trainer Doug O’Neill and veterinarian Doug Herthel recommended to co-owner Steve Kenly that Lava Man should be re-retired.
"I’ve thought a lot since that last race," Steve Kenly said of the San Gabriel. "We were expecting more out of him. His ankles were better, but the thing that probably caught up with him was time."
Click here for the Daily Racing Form article
Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think.
- Bradford Cummings
Tags: bradford cummings, daily racing form, Doug Herthel, doug o'neill, Lava Man, Paulick Report, Steve Kenly
Posted in racing injuries | 17 Comments »
Sunday, November 29th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Trainer Tim Ice said he hopes to ship Summer Bird back to the United States Wednesday on a flight that would also include Marsh Side, one of the American starters in Sunday’s Japan Cup. Summer Bird came out of a Sunday morning workout at Hanshin racecourse in Osaka, Japan, with a vertical, non-comminuted fracture of a bone in his right front leg that will require surgery. A decision has not been made whether to retire the three-time Grade 1-winning son of Birdstone or put him back in training in 2010.
“One of the surgeons we’ve consulted with (in the United States) has already seen the X rays and says the prognosis is excellent,” Ice told the Paulick Report Monday morning (Japanese time). “It will take one screw to put it together and should be no problem.”
Ice explained how some confusion over the type of injury Summer Bird suffered may have occurred in the racing press. The Paulick Report, which first reported on the injury, referred to it as a medial fracture of the carpal bone after speaking with the trainer Sunday afternoon. Other news outlets, which contacted Dr. K.K. Jayaraman, who bred and owns Summer Bird with his wife, Vilasini, called it a bone chip, based on early information provided to the Jayaramans. The Jayaramans had arrived in Tokyo shortly before the injury occurred and had not yet had the opportunity to travel to Osaka and see the horse or look at the X rays. Ice confirmed Monday that the injury is a fracture to the medial, or inside, front portion of the right ankle. The Jayaramans were to arrive in Osaka later Monday.
“The first impression I got was that there was a chip,” said Ice, who relayed that information to the Jayaramans. “Once I was able to see the X rays myself, I could see that it was a fracture, not a chip. I don’t think the communications was real clear between the (Japanese) interpreter and myself.”
Summer Bird is resting comfortably and in no distress, said Ice, who said a cast was applied to the leg as a precaution.
“I’ve been out with him all morning, and checked on him last night,” Ice said. “He’s able to lay down and takes care of himself. He’s always been an intelligent horse and I think knows to take weight off it. He knows something happened. He’s a horse with a very good attitude. We have a cast on him right now, but he probably doesn’t need it. We’re just giving him extra protection.”
The 35-year-old Ohio native took a minute to reflect back on a year that included wins by Summer Bird in the Belmont Stakes, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup, victories that make the colt the favorite to win an Eclipse Award as 3-year-old male champion. “These horses are hard to come by and what he’s done for me this year and for my career is something that I can’t really put into words. But you’ve got to take the good with the bad and this is part of the business we are in.
“I’m thankful for the year I’ve had with him. If he doesn’t come back to run again he doesn’t owe me anything.”
Ice said Summer Bird was doing very well in his training in preparation for the the Japan Cup Dirt, which is to be on a very sandy racetrack whose surface he compared with Belmont Park. One challenge would have been the clockwise-style of racing done at Hanshin, in contrast to American racing, which is all counter-clockwise. “He had adjusted to the turns,” Ice said, “and handled both turns well in Sunday’s breeze.”
Summer Bird worked five furlongs in 1:02 4/5 Sunday morning and pulled up without incident. It was only after being unsaddled back at his stable that Summer Bird began showing signs of the injury that will require surgery back in the United States. Ice could not confirm who would be performing the surgery or where it would take place.
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Tags: hanshin race course, Horse Racing, japan cup dirt, kk jayaraman, Paulick Report, racing injury, Ray Paulick, Summer Bird, tim ice
Posted in International Racing, Japan, racing injuries | 16 Comments »
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Multiple Grade 1 winner Summer Bird suffered a fracture to his right front leg while training at Hanshin race course Sunday morning in preparation for next Sunday’s Japan Cup Dirt. The injury is not life threatening but could end the racing career of the 3-year-old Birdstone colt, who captured the Grade 1 trio of the Belmont, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup and is the favorite to win an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male.
Summer Bird is owned and bred by Drs. K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman.
Trainer Tim Ice, who has been at Hanshin in Osaka to oversee Summer Bird’s training, said the colt worked five furlongs in 1:02 1/5 without incident and walked back to the barn without any apparent lameness.
“It was a very good breeze, exactly what we wanted,” Ice told the Paulick Report Sunday afternoon. “He finished up strong. Once we got him off the track and unsaddled him he showed a slight limp and the further he went the more he started limping. We immediately put him in his stall, put him on ice, and took X rays an hour later.”
Ice described the fracture as going “straight up” the medial carpal bone (click here for a diagram) and speculated the fracture might require surgery and the implant of a screw into the bone.
“It’s definite that he will not run in the Japan Cup Dirt,” Ice said. “Once we get him back to the States and get him to the veterinarian of our choice we’ll further evaluate whether he’ll have a 4-year-old campaign or not. We’re taking every precaution we can to get a safe and comfortable trip home for him.
“Dr. J. will decide whether we’ll need the surgery,” he said. “The plans were to bring him back as a 4-year-old as long as he was sound. We just need to sit down and figure out what to do. The one thing we don’t want to do is put him through everything and waste a year of racing if he’s not 100%.”
Ice said it hasn’t been determined how soon Summer Bird will travel back to the U.S. and where he will go for evaluation, though he mentioned Kentucky and Colorado (where renowned orthopedic surgeon Wayne McIlwraith is based) as the most likely possibilities. Ice said Summer Bird will need to spend a couple of days in quarantine at Hollywood Park.
“Everything was going good, and I was looking forward to the race,” the trainer said. “I check his legs every morning and this morning before his breeze he was ice cold. There was nothing to indicate something was wrong. He did stumble slightly for one step when he turned around to begin his gallop, but there was no indication at all in the work.”
Summer Bird would have been the first winner of an American Triple Crown race to contest the Japan Cup Dirt.
“I’m feeling very, very disappointed,” said Ice, “not because we didn’t make this race but because this had to happen to this horse. He’s been a very good horse all summer long and into the fall and for something like this to happen is devastating.
“It’s been a whirlwind experience. This is the letdown of the sport. I have to accept this just as I accept the good. The one thing I’m thankful for is he does have a future. I’ll always remember this horse. Once he gets into the breeding shed I hope he’ll reproduce what he showed as a racehorse.”
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Tags: Horse Racing, japan cup dirt, japan racing association, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, Summer Bird, tim ice
Posted in International Racing, Japan, racing injuries | 9 Comments »
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Rafael Bejarano, injured in a nasty spill in Wednesday’s third race on Del Mar’s opening-day card, underwent surgery Thursday for multiple facial fractures, including a broken jaw, cheek and nose. His agent, Joe Ferrer, said last year’s defending Del Mar riding champion is already beginning to heal and could be released from Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla on Friday.“There’s no timetable on when he might be completely healed, but the doctors tell me facial bones heal faster than any of the other bones in the body,†Ferrer told the Del Mar press office. The fractured jaw was not as serious as first thought, Ferrer added, so it was not necessary to wire it shut. Bejarano is able to eat soft food.
Bejarano’s return to the saddle will depend on how long the injuries take to heal. Ferrer said doctors advised him that when the pain and swelling in the face go away he could ride with a clear hard-shell mask similar to the kind worn by injured basketball players with the same type of injuries.
The injury occurred when the 8-year-old gelding Mi Rey broke his right front pastern at the eighth pole, tossing the jockey to the ground. A trailing horse may have hit the fallen rider, causing the injuries to his face. Mi Rey ran continued to run on the injured leg, causing further damage that resulted in his being euthanized in the horse ambulance.
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Tags: Del Mar, del mar opening day, del mar thoroughbred club, jockey injuries, Paulick Report, racing injuries, rafael bejarano, Ray Paulick
Posted in Jockeys, racing injuries | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Rafael Bejarano, last year’s leading rider at Del Mar, suffered multiple facial fractures in a spill in the third race of the seaside track’s opening day program Wednesday.
The accident occurred in the stretch when his mount, the Argentine-bred 8-year-old gelding Mi Rey, suffered a fracture to his right front pastern, throwing Bejarano to the ground. He may have been clipped by a trailing horse. Mi Rey continued to run down the stretch, furthering the injury to his leg, and was euthanized in the horse ambulance, according to Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director of hte California Horse Racing Board.
Bejarano was treated at Del Mar’s first-aid station by Dr. Philip Sanderson and transferred to Scripps Hospital of La Jolla, where doctors expressed concern about injuries to the left side of his face and his left clavicle or collarbone. If there was any good news from the spill, it’s that his collarbone apparently was not fractured. X-rays showed that he suffered fractures of the jaw, nose and orbital bones, or eye socket and may require surgery. Bejarano would remain hospitalized overnight.
Mi Rey, trained by Doug O’Neill, was making his 37th lifetime start. The son of Louis Quatorze had won 10 races and nearly $200,000.
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Tags: Del Mar, del mar opening day, rafael bejarano, ray paulick paulick report
Posted in Jockeys, racing injuries | 15 Comments »
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Citing an unusual number of horses that stumbled at the start of their races, the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission recently approved an emergency regulation regarding toe grabs on front shoes, increasing the maximum allowed in dirt races from two to four millimeters. The adoption of rules earlier this year (by the Delaware commission and most other racing commissions or by racetracks in the form of house rules) barring front toe grabs that exceed two millimeters was in line with model rules of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, eligibility guidelines for graded stakes from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s American Graded Stakes Committee, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance Code of Standards, and the recommendations of the Jockey Club Safety Committee on Shoes and Hoof Care.
Delaware Park received a safety accreditation in June from the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. It’s not known how the Delaware Racing Commission rule change affects that status.
The policy change, adopted June 23 and effective the following day, may not affect graded stakes at Delaware Park. According to John Wayne, the racing commission’s executive director, the policy change will not apply to American Graded Stakes. The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, which oversees the American Graded Stakes program, set two new conditions for races to receive a grade in 2009: a ban on anabolic steroids and on front toe grabs exceeding two millimeters.
The regulations were based on studies tying increased incidence of catastrophic breakdowns and injuries to toe grabs. WinStar Farm co-owner Bill Casner, former chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, presented some of those statistics during a talk at the 2008 Jockey Club Round Table in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. , in which he said horses and jockeys may be at higher risk when front toe grabs were worn.
However, the Delaware commission reversed the regulation for the same reason. “The commission felt that the present regulations were putting jockeys in unnecessary danger,” said Wayne, who added that both the Delaware Jockeys Association and Jockeys’ Guild supported the change from two millimeters to four.
Immediately after the regulations on toe grabs went into effect in April, stewards at Delaware Park noticed an increase in the number of horses stumbling coming out of the starting gate and began to track the statistics at Wayne’s request. “They noticed two, three or four horses a day were stumbling, and riders were coming off horses." Wayne also said track maintenance crews and the starting gate crew tried different things to alleviate the increase in stumbles at the start, to no avail.
"Since we made the change (to four millimeters) last month," Wayne said, "the number of horses stumbling has fallen off the charts.” (Click here to see their report.)
The commission notified both the NTRA and Jockey Club of the change. TOBA officials contacted the commission on Monday seeking clarification.
“We didn’t make this decision hastily,” Wayne added.
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Tags: american graded stakes, Bill Casner, delaware park, delaware racing commission, jockey club safety committee, john wayne, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, ntra safety and integrity alliance, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, safety and integrity alliance code of standards, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, TOBA, toe grabs
Posted in Horse Welfare, Industry Reform, Jockeys, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, TOBA, racing injuries | 16 Comments »
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Permanently disabled jockeys got a huge boost today with the announcement that the Williams Stamps Farish Fund has pledged $1 million to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the organization currently assisting 60 former riders who have been seriously injured in racing accidents.
The president of the Farish Fund is William S. Farish, the owner of Lane’s Farm and vice chairman of the Jockey Club. His pledge, to be annualized with equal payments over four years beginning in 2009, was accompanied by a message of hope that others in the industry will also step up on this issue.
“I’ve made a lot of friends over the last 30 years who are riders,” Farish told the Paulick Report. “They are in a position that if something happens to them, they don’t have the support financially to move forward. There’s a void. I think this is something that everybody connected to our sport ought to be contributing to: owners, breeders, everyone who is involved in some way or another with racing. These are independent contractors, they’re not protected once they go down, and there’s nothing for them to fall back on.”
The PDJF was formed in 2006 with the assistance of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA Charities) and several racetracks, including those owned by Magna Entertainment and Churchill Downs Inc. A number of racetracks, owners, corporate sponsors and organizations have supported the PDJF.
It was necessitated after the former Disabled Jockeys Fund administered by the Jockeys’ Guild ran out of money during the disastrous administration of Wayne Gertmenian, who was ousted in November 2005 after virtually sending the organization into bankruptcy over the previous four years. The PDJF now stands alone as a 501(c)3 charity. Nancy LaSala is executive director of the Fund, overseeing its annual operating budget of approximately $800,000.
For more on the PDJF, click here to see the May 29 feature on the organization that was part of the Paulick Report series, Good News Friday Sponsored by Liberation Farm.
Farish said the PDJF has “been on my radar for a while.” There is a separate endowment, created by the Guild, that Farish hopes can be built up to $10-million to $12-million. It currently has about $2 million, but the money cannot be used until it reaches a certain level.
The Williams Stamps Farish Fund has actively supported numerous community and racing organizations, including Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky, the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and the Kentucky Derby Museum, among others. “I’m hopeful and feel like by putting our name behind this very, very important organization, we can help financially and draw attention to the need,” he said.
“We are deeply grateful to Mr. Farish for his commitment to the PDJF and the disabled athletes it supports,” said executive director LaSala said in a press release. “Thanks to his generosity and leadership the PDJF can now focus more attention on building the endowment that will ensure that financial assistance for our disabled riders will always be available.”
Contributions to the PDJF may be directed to: PDJF, P.O. Box 803, Elmhurst, IL 60126. All contributions are tax-deductible. For inquires contact Nancy LaSala at (630) 595-7660. For more information visit www.pdjf.org.
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Tags: churhcill downs, disabled jockeys, Lane's End, Magna Entertainment, nancy lasala, ntra charities, pdjf, wayne gertmenian, Will Farish, William S. Farish, williams stamps farish fund
Posted in Jockeys, People, racing injuries | 13 Comments »
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Do you know an individual or organization who you think we should consider for an upcoming “Good News Friday” feature? Then please e-mail info@paulickreport.com with the name of the individual or organization and a brief description of why you think they should be featured. Additionally, we’d like to thank Rob Whiteley and Liberation Farm for encouraging us to bring to light some of the industry’s positive stories and for sponsoring this exclusive Paulick Report feature.
By Ray Paulick
Good news doesn’t always make us feel good. To me, that’s the story of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, a 501(c)3 charity that has the thankless task of providing financial assistance to help former jockeys cope with the realities of lives too often spent in wheelchairs. It’s an organization doing exceptionally important work, and like many other worthy causes it struggles to get the funding it needs.
The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund makes a huge difference in the lives of these former riders, who currently number 60 (nine are women). Nancy LaSala, the Fund’s board chairman, is like so many in the racing community who is hoping and praying that Rene Douglas, severely injured in an Arlington Park accident on May 23, does not become disabled jockey No. 61.
“There is a need for assistance for these individuals,” said LaSala, a native of Chicago who for 26 years has been married to jockey Jerry LaSala, currently an officer with the Jockeys’ Guild. “Many of the riders are hurt at a young age. They don’t have time to build retirement savings. Some have young children. They have no other means of income. Many have said to me, ‘If I didn’t have this assistance, I wouldn’t have a roof over my head.’ The $1,000 a month we provide helps them pay for basic necessities. If they’re ever thrown a curveball, believe me, it’s devastating for them.”
That there is even a Fund for permanently disabled riders is almost a miracle, given the turmoil the Jockeys’ Guild went through under the disastrous leadership of Wayne Gertmenian, whose 2001-2005 reign of terror left the organization teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and its Disabled Jockeys Fund depleted. Gertmenian was removed as president in November 2005, just a month after a Congressional hearing on the Guild uncovered massive problems. The Guild eventually was forced into bankruptcy.
During the final stages of Gertmenian’s tenure, Nancy LaSala and a number of Guild officers worried that the disabled riders would be left on their own, without any assistance. “I very much care about the welfare of the jockeys,” LaSala said. “In 2005, before the Guild severed its relationship with Gertmenian, I asked, ‘If this organization fails, what will happen to these disabled riders? We got involved in helping with their needs, and I think that was very valuable. We then started having meetings with other groups in the industry in January of 2006.”
Racing executives like Steve Sexton of Churchill Downs Inc. and Don Amos, then with Magna Entertainment, helped lead the charge to start a new Fund, and in May 2006 the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund was created as part of NTRA Charities. One month later, with seed money from Churchill Downs Inc., Magna and other tracks, it was able to begin offering financial assistance to permanently disabled riders in need.
LaSala said many racetracks have really stepped up to help raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Horsemen’s organizations have not been as supportive, though individuals in the ownership ranks, including Richard Santulli, chairman of NetJets, Bill Casner of WinStar Farm, Barbaro owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, and Michael Bello, a California-based owner, have made significant contributions. In 2008, thanks to Santulli and Casner, the Fund raised $500,000 during the Triple Crown, which amounts to more than half of the Fund’s $800,000 annual operating budget. Santulli and Casner again kicked in major contributions to the Fund at this year’s Kentucky Derby.
“Jockeys have the most hazardous occupation of any professional athlete, and I feel are greatly unappreciated,” said Casner, the former chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and a self-described “ex-gallop boy that got on about 25,000 of those beasts over 16 years as a young racetracker,” one who “had my share of hitting the ground and having several flip over on me …but for the grace of God."
“There are around 1,500 licensed professional jockeys,” Casner added, “with most of them struggling with weight and making a living. They put their lives and bodies at risk every time they get on one of our horses and most will deal with a plethora of injuries over a career. If they are lucky they will walk away and not have to deal with paralysis. Exercise riders and backstretch help should also be included in this group. While they do not experience the injury opportunities that race riders do, they are still subject to the same events. It is only right that we as an industry work with the jockeys to help them help themselves as well as other backside employees. I comment Richard Santulli, as well as the riders, for taking the leadership on this important charitable endeavor over the last two Triple Crowns.”
Riders have been directly involved in some of the creative fundraising that’s been done for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. At Keeneland this spring, “Riders Up!” a karaoke competition involving many current and past jockeys, was the highlight of a very popular dinner that raised $50,000 for the Fund.
Earlier, in Hot Springs, Ark., restaurateur Mike Loy provided free dinners at his popular KJ’s Grill and racing fans paid $100 each to dine and meet some of their favorite jockeys, raising another $17,000 for the Fund. A similar event, “Dining With the Dynasties,” will be held at Arlington Park Aug. 7, the day before the Arlington Million, thanks to Arlington boss Richard Duchossois and track president Roy Arnold, who is now a member of the Fund’s board of directors. Retired Hall of Fame jockeys like Pat Day and Gary Stevens, along with other current and former riders, including some of those who benefit from the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, are expected to participate at the Arlington event.
Speaking of Pat Day, there is good news about him and Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey, two former Jockeys’ Guild presidents who resigned from the organization when the former manager, John Giovanni, was forced out and Gertmenian was brought in. Now that the Guild has regained its credibility and is on the road to financial recovery under the leadership of Terry Meyocks and a newly configured board, Bailey and Day have rejoined the organization in a show of support. Meyocks said a number of other current riders who had quit the Guild during the Gertmenian era have also come back into the fold.
Earlier this year, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund became a standalone 501(c)3 charity, and it is no longer part of NTRA Charities. It continues to struggle for its funding. “We need the support of the entire industry and all of its partners,” LaSala said.
Please contact the Fund if you would like to help. Its web site will have an online donation link in the near future. In the meantime, you can send donations to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, P.O. Box 803, Elmhurst, IL 60126. The telephone number is: (630) 595-7660 and fax is (630) 595-7655.
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.
Previous Good News Friday subjects: Father Chris Clay, The Race for Education, Military Appreciation Day at Keeneland, Kentucky Oaks Pink Out for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Mary Lee-Butte and the Blue Grass Farms Chaplaincy, Mary Jo Pons and the Radio Reading Network, TV Ratings Are Up.
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Tags: Arlington Park, Barbaro, Bill Casner, churchill downs, dining with the dynasties, disabled jockeys, disabled jockeys fund, don amos, Gary Stevens, Good News Friday, horse racing injuries, jerry bailey, jerry lasala, jockeys' guild, john giovanni, Keeneland, kj's grill, liberation farm, Magna Entertainment, mike loy, nancy lasala, pat day, Paulick Report, permanently disabled jockeys fund, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, richard duchossois, richard santulli, roy and gretchen jackson, roy arnold, steve sexton, terry meyocks, wayne gertmenian
Posted in Good News Friday, Jockeys, racing injuries | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
How many times have we seen this happen? A jockey, thinking he is on a “live” horse but with nowhere to go, makes a sudden lane switch in tight quarters at the top of the stretch, bumping or impeding another horse in the race. Oftentimes the “live” horse turns out to be a dud and is outrun to the wire, finishing out of the money. Because there is no need for an inquiry, the stewards scarcely give the incident a second look.
Sometimes, if the jockey in question is an apprentice or young journeyman, the stewards will call him or her in the next racing day to review the incident in the film room. Occasionally, the jockey might get a fine or suspension. Far too often, these incidents pass without any warnings or repercussions to the jockey. No harm, no foul, the thinking goes.
But then we have a situation in which there were severe consequences, as in Saturday’s Arlington Matron at Arlington Park near Chicago. Jamie Theriot, riding Sky Mom, was tucked in along the rail, right behind the leader, and anxious to let his horse run. Even though Rene Douglas and his mount, Born to Be, was racing shoulder to shoulder with Sky Mom, Theriot forced his way out, jostling with Douglas’ mount, and resulting in Born to Be clipping heels, throwing Douglas to the ground, and then rolling onto the fallen jockey and causing severe damage to his spine.
Moments later, the horse on the lead that Theriot was so impatient to pass, drifted off the rail while tiring, providing enough room to drive a Mack truck through. By then, however, it was too late. The damage had been done. Born to Be suffered a fatal injury, and Douglas likely had his highly successful career cut short. There’s a very good chance he’ll never walk again.
Theriot was only riding the way stewards in too many racing jurisdictions allow him to ride. Watch the replays from any track on any given day, and you’re likely to see similar moves by other jockeys — some with less experience, others with more — than the 30-year-old Theriot.
Stewards who don’t pay attention to these incidents, who live by the “no harm, no foul” philosophy, are like the referees in a basketball game who don’t call many fouls, who “let the kids play,” at least until things get out of control. The stewards who let these incidents pass, just as much if not more than Jamie Theriot, are to blame for the accident that so severely injured Douglas.
Theriot got a 30-day suspension for his actions in the race from the stewards at Arlington Park. It’s a moot point now, but I’m curious if there would have been any disciplinary action taken against Theriot had Born to Be not clipped heels and fallen after being bumped, and Douglas not been injured. Would the same move off the rail by Theriot, but with no accident and death to a horse and injury to a jockey, have resulted in a 30-day suspension? I don’t think so.
The Illinois Racing Board stewards refused to discuss the incident with the Paulick Report or with other reporters. It is part of racing’s secret society, the one that says the public has no right to know what these “judges” are seeing and thinking during or after the running of a race. In many racing states, it’s virtually impossible to find out if stewards have taken action against jockeys, trainers or other licensees, even though the rulings are a matter of public record.
By contrast, racing officials in many international jurisdictions routinely file in-depth stewards reports on every race they see. It is part of the culture in those countries that the racing public has a right to know. In some countries, trainers are required to disclose riding instructions to racing officials in advance if they are likely to result in a change in tactics. In other countries, jockeys or trainers are quizzed when a horse has a reversal in form. Interviews with jockeys about lane changes are published. Click on the following hyperlinks to see some examples of stewards reports in Dubai, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore.
There are at least two reasons state racing commissions across the United States should insist their stewards file similar reports.
First, it will indicate whether or not these officials are doing their jobs, or how well they are doing them. The racing public, as well as horsemen, will keep the stewards’ feet to the fire and make sure they are paying attention and performing their duties. Many of the currently unreported riding incidents may no longer be brushed aside.
Second, the betting public deserves to know what is going on in the races on which they are betting their money. This is, after all, a game with betting at the foundation, and diligence and attention by the officials who are paid to keep the game clean and on the up and up should go a long way toward building confidence among horseplayers and satisfying the public’s desire and right to know.
Racing has so many challenges now, many of which do not have immediate solutions. This is not one of those “unsolvable problems.” Disclosure and transparency by racing stewards is easy. And it’s the right thing to do.
Better performance by racing stewards, along with greater transparency, may not have saved the life of Born to Be and the career of Rene Douglas. But what is the downside to expecting more from those who are hired to enforce racing’s rules?
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Tags: arlington matron, Arlington Park, born to be, disabled jockeys, illinois racing board, jamie theriot, Paulick Report, racing injury, racing officials, racing stewards, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, riding accident, sky mom
Posted in Arlington Park, International Racing, Jockeys, Regulatory Issues, racing injuries | 38 Comments »
Monday, May 25th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
Jockey Jamie Theriot has been suspended 30 days by Illinois Racing Board stewards for his actions in Saturday’s Arlington Matron Handicap that resulted in a spill in which jockey Rene Douglas has been seriously injured and possibly paralyzed from the waist down.
The ruling against the 30-year-old Theriot reads: “Jockey Jamie Theriot is hereby suspended from riding 30 calendar days, Saturday, May 30, 2009, through Sunday, June 28, 2009, inclusive, for permitting his mount ‘Sky Mom’ to jostle another horse during the running of the 9th race Saturday, May 23, 2009, causing the jostled horse to clip heels and fall, injuring both jockey and horse. Jockey Theriot’s mount ‘Sky Mom’ was disqualified from 5th to last position.”
The ruling was signed by state stewards Joseph Lindeman and Eddie Arroyo and association steward Peter Kosiba Jr.
Theriot had Sky Mom racing along the rail throughout the 1 1/8-mile Matron. Douglas’ mount Born to Be was right alongside Sky Mom as the field hit the top of the stretch, when Theriot appeared to angle Sky Mom out for racing room. The two horses bumped or jostled, and Born to Be clipped the heels of another horse, stumbling and throwing Douglas, then rolling over the fallen rider.
Douglas, 42, was placed on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Later that night, he was moved to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he underwent seven hours of spinal surgery. His agent, Dennis Cooper, told reporters the native of Panama who came to the U.S. in 1983 and is a six-time Arlington Park riding champion might never walk again. Cooper said doctors held out remote hopes the paralysis might disappear as the swelling to the spinal region is reduced.
Born to Be, a 4-year-old stakes-placed A.P. Indy filly owned by Chiefswood Stable, was euthanized.
NTRA has a biography of Douglas here and video of the Arlington Matron here. Click here for the Equibase chart.
Theriot is based in Kentucky, where he is currently fifth in the Churchill Downs standings, with 18 wins from 105 mounts.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: arlington matron, Arlington Park, born to be, dennis cooper, disabled jockeys, eddie arroyo, jamie theriot, jockey injuries, joseph lindeman, paralysis, Paulick Report, peter kosiba jr., racing injuries, Ray Paulick, rene douglas, sky mom
Posted in Arlington Park, Jockeys, racing injuries | 15 Comments »
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