Posts Tagged ‘racing injuries’
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.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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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
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.
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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 »
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced a series of sweeping safety and integrity reforms and the hiring of a former governor and Bush administration official during a press conference in New York this morning.
The reforms, organized under the banner of the newly created NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, touch on a wide range of issues that have been bubbling under the surface for years but came to a head this spring in the wake of the death of the filly Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby, the revelation that Derby winner Big Brown won while racing legally on anabolic steroids, and a damning Congressional hearing that left industry leaders red-faced and fearful of federal action. The reforms and the creation of the Safety and Integrity Alliance evolved over the last several months from a series of closed-door meetings and a confidential discussion document circulated throughout the industry and published in the Paulick Report in July.
The Alliance, to be funded by the financially challenged NTRA, consists of racetracks, owners, breeders, horsemen, jockeys, auction companies, veterinarians, fans, regulators and breed registries. The NTRA has retained the services of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who also served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for President George W. Bush and made a brief run for the 2008 presidential nomination of the Republican Party. Thompson will be charged with independently monitoring the program and annually providing public reports on the progress the Alliance has made in meeting its goals.
Thompson, incidentally, attended the 2005 Kentucky Derby and later joined a West Point Thoroughbred partnership that owned Flashy Bull, who was unplaced in the 2006 Derby but subsequently won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. According to West Point president Terry Finley, Thompson "loves the racing game" and is in a partnership that currently owns a West Point 2-year-old named Tapit’s Brew.
Click here to read the complete text of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance and Pledge.
For a list of tracks and racing organizations that have agreed to the pledge, click here.
Following is the NTRA’s press release on the formation of the Safety and Integrity Alliance and the hiring of Thompson as an independent monitor.
NTRA FORMS SAFETY AND INTEGRITY ALLIANCE AND ANNOUNCES SWEEPING REFORMS; TABS FORMER WISCONSIN GOVERNOR TOMMY THOMPSON TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT
National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) President and CEO Alex Waldrop and Thoroughbred racing industry leaders outlined a series of industry-wide safety and integrity reforms at a press conference in New York today. The NTRA also announced the creation of a new Safety and Integrity Alliance, comprised of the largest tracks and horsemen’s groups in the U.S. and Canada, which will be responsible for implementing the reforms. The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson, former four-term Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services, will serve as independent counsel for the new NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. Governor Thompson will conduct an ongoing review and provide an annual independent and public assessment to the Alliance.
The reform initiatives are the broadest and most comprehensive in the sport’s history, including:
- uniform medication rules for each racing state
- ban of steroids from racing competition
- out-of-competition testing for blood and gene doping agents and pre-race testing
- uniform penalties for all medication infractions
- mandatory on-track and non-racing injury reporting
- mandatory installation of protective inner safety rail
- mandatory pre- and post-race security
- adoption of a placement program for Thoroughbreds no longer competing
The reforms were approved by the NTRA Board of Directors, representing North America’s leading racetracks, owners, breeders and horsemen, at a special Board Meeting in September and communicated via e-mail to fans just prior to the press conference. Waldrop, joined by NTRA Executive Chairman Robert Elliston, Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Chairman Alan Foreman and Governor Thompson, unveiled an ambitious timetable for implementing reforms, calling on NTRA Alliance member organizations to adopt house rules to enforce the measures until individual states and regulatory agencies can catch up via statute and regulations.
“Our industry is taking strong, positive steps to ensure the safety and integrity of our sport,” said Waldrop. “Despite challenges and significant short-term and long-term costs, there is an unprecedented level of commitment among Thoroughbred racing’s leadership to see these measures through.”
Governor Thompson—currently a partner in the Washington, D.C., offices of the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld—will lead a team that will independently review, monitor and assess the program and provide annual public reports of the industry’s progress toward achieving its goals in the area of human and equine health and safety.
"Our first priority is to insure the health and safety of the athletes and horses in the racing industry,” said Thompson. “On its own initiative, the NTRA has taken a great step forward in committing to reforms and the creation of an important new body to oversee implementation of the reforms. I will take my independent oversight role seriously and work to assure transparency in this process.”
The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance will be a standing organization whose purpose is to implement safety and integrity reforms. The Alliance also will function as a certification/accreditation body for the purpose of recognizing and incentivizing compliance by all stakeholders. Reforms will be undertaken using a phased approach that begins immediately—in some cases, under a House Rules format—and transitions to a broader strategy that relies on licensure requirements, continuing education programs and the state regulatory process.
“The health and safety of all participants in Thoroughbred racing – both human and equine – have always been top priorities at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, and all of our company’s racetracks,” said Robert Evans, President and CEO of Churchill Downs, Inc. “We know that the job is never done where safety is concerned. We fully support the NTRA’s development of safety and integrity standards and the annual certification of tracks that meet those standards. On the issues of safety and integrity, we believe we must hold ourselves to only the highest standards. Our customers do.”
Virtually every leading racetrack and horsemen’s association in North America, representing some one million industry participants, has pledged its support to the Alliance and the reforms. Waldrop indicated that, in the coming weeks, the Alliance will be broadened to include other racing organizations, individuals and fans; and that additional reforms, including wagering integrity issues, will be addressed by the Alliance.
"The horsemen are the people who are ultimately responsible for the day-to-day care and safety of the Thoroughbred,” said Alan Foreman, Chairman of the national Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “As such, the health and safety of our horses and the integrity of our sport are our highest priorities. We are committed to seeing that these reforms and standards are implemented across the nation."
The reforms include improvements to medication and testing policies, guidelines for injury reporting and prevention, safety research, providing a safer racing environment, and post-racing care for retired race horses. They are drawn from the recommendations that have emerged over the past several months from The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee and Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, Breeders’ Cup Limited, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s Graded Stakes Committee and the long-standing work of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and the Association of Racing Commissioners International, among others.
“Fortunately, we have the excellent work of many industry organizations to build on, allowing us to focus on implementation, oversight, measurement and transparency,” said Waldrop. “The reforms and the plan for implementation have been conceived by those who have pledged to operate at a higher level of integrity.”
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA web site, NTRA.com.
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Tags: akin gump strauss hauer and feld, alan foreman, alex waldrop, american graded stakes committee, anabolic steroids, association of racing commissioners international, backstretch security, Barbaro, bob elliston, bob evans, Breeders' Cup, churchill downs, eight belles, former wisconsin governor, injury reporting, Jockey Club, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, ntra safety and integrity alliance, out of competition testing, post-, post-race security, pre-race security, racing injuries, racing medication and testing consortium, RCI, rmtc, robert elliston, robert evans, safety rail, steroids ban, thoroughbred horsemen's association, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, thoroughbred safety committee, tommy g. thompson, tommy thompson, uniform medication, welfare and safety of the racehorse summit
Posted in Horse Racing, Horse Welfare, Industry, Industry Organizations, Industry Reform, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Regulatory Issues | 9 Comments »
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
After all the problems Santa Anita experienced with its Cushion Track synthetic surface this past season, why did track management decide not to go back to a conventional dirt track and instead commit to installing a synthetic surface manufactured by the Australian company Pro-Ride? Aside from the fact the California Horse Racing Board has mandated all major California racetracks use synthetics instead of dirt for their main surface, Santa Anita was merely following the wishes of horsemen who were asked which type of surface they preferred.
The decision by Santa Anita management took on added significance because the Breeders’ Cup world championships will be contested there in both 2008 and 2009, marking the first time the former dirt races will be held over a synthetic racetrack.
In March of this year, Ed Halpern, the executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, sent a letter to Magna executive Frank Stronach and Ron Charles detailing the results of a survey conducted among Santa Anita-based trainers. The Paulick Report obtained a copy of that letter.
The letter begins: “The board of directors of the California Thoroughbred Trainers has asked that I write to request that you take whatever action may be necessary to retain a synthetic surface at Santa Anita. One only needs to look at the facts to support this conclusion. Since the introduction of synthetic surfaces in California, barn areas are now filled, trainers have moved to California from across the country, field size has grown dramatically, injuries are down, and horses are racing more often. Those facts speak loudly and are irrefutable.”
Halpern then outlined the survey, which asked trainers to rate their surface preference five different ways:
-Strongly favor dirt
-Favor dirt
-Neutral
-Favor synthetics
-Strongly favor synthetics
Trainers were contacted personally and could sign their name or respond anonymously. Ninety-two of 115 trainers with horses in training at Santa Anita responded.
To quote further from Halpern’s letter:
“Of all those responding who strongly favored dirt or strongly favored synthetics, 70% strongly favored synthetics.
“Of all those responding who indicated that they either strong favored or just favored dirt or synthetics, 70% favored synthetics.”
Eleven trainers were neutral.
Trainers representing 90% of the horses in training at Santa Anita favor synthetics, according to Halpern. “Hence, there is is overwhelming support for synthetics from trainers who have trained at Santa Anita,” Halpern wrote. “That support exists in spite of the problems that were encountered due to the failure of the Cushion Track product. Trainers favoring synthetics cited numerous reasons for their support. They indicated that their support was based on a significant decrease in injuries, the ability to continue to train and run on a safe and non-sealed surface, even during periods of rain, and the ability to train horses through minor injuries. The latter benefit means significant and substantial savings for owners who no longer need to turn out horses for months before resuming training.”
One month later, the CTT sent a second letter to Stronach and Charles with the results of a survey of trainers based at the Northern California racetrack, Golden Gate Fields, also owned by Magna Entertainment. Golden Gate has a Tapeta Footings synthetic surface.
Here is how those 53 trainers responded:
-Strongly prefer dirt…2
-Prefer dirt…3
-No preference…3
-Favor synthetic…17
-Strongly favor synthetic…28
The opinions of California trainers seem to be supported by statistics obtained by the Paulick Report. At every California track where synthetic surfaces have been installed, the number of fatalities per 1,000 has declined, as follows:
Hollywood Park
Before synthetics, 2.87 per 1,000; after synthetics, 0.97 per 1,000
Del Mar
Before synthetics, 2.47 per 1,000; after synthetics, 0.81
Santa Anita
Before synthetics, 2.81; after synthetics, 1.71
Golden Gate Fields
Before synthetics, 3.90; after synthetics, 2.50
Bay Meadows (did not convert to synthetics)
Conventional dirt, 3.19
Aggregate
Before synthetics, 3.19; after synthetics, 1.37
A national survey of races charting horses that did not finish (DNF) a race due to various factors shows the following percentages on different surfaces:
-Dirt DNFs, 1.10%
-Turf DNFs, 0.94%
-Synthetic DNFs, 0.61%
Numerous training centers have now added synthetic surfaces, as has the OBS sale company in Ocala, Fla.
By Ray Paulick
Copyright ©2008, The Paulick Report
Tags: Breeders' Cup, California Horse Racing Board, california thoroughbred trainers, ed halpern, Frank Stronach, Horse Racing, Magna, Magna Entertainment, obs, Paulick Report, racehorse safety, racing injuries, Ray Paulick, ron charles, Synthetic surfaces
Posted in Breeders' Cup, Horse Welfare, Magna Entertainment, Synthetic surfaces | 1 Comment »
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