Appropriate Response (Sunday Edition)
I became a participant in horse racing in 1983. Since that year I've seen break down after breakdown at all levels of racing, and just this week we have a Blood Horse Article titled "Catastrophic Injuries: What We Know" summed up (with RR editorials) as follows:
1. A "voluntary" on track injury reporting system that indicates the fatality rate is "extremely low", "only" 1.5 per 1000 starts (never mind the 10% that limp back to the barn. How do I know this, anyway?)
2. It is "unclear" whether racing fillies against males is an issue.(Is that still unclear?)
3. Youngsters are "not" injured more than older horses. (the injury rate for both is horrendous.)
4. "Once horses with an increased risk of injury are identified, it will be possible to intervene and potentially decrease the number of race track injuries." (Huh? Dr. McIlwraith please consider instead identifying the horse "not" at risk. It's a much smaller number.)
5. We now have a serum bio-marker test to predict pre-fracture injury (that no one associated with the 2008 Derby ever heard of, apparently.)
6. McIlwraith "envisions" future pre-race diagnostic scanning. (When, in 2108?).
7. The TB industry is "dedicated" to race horse safety evidenced by:
Barbaro Fund
Medication and Testing Consortium
Education services provided by Am. Assn. Equine Practitioners (vets).
Aggressive efforts in the field of joint disease (really?)
Active charitable efforts (SC Equine Foundation)
Synthetic Surfaces
The new Jockey Club Safety Committee (first meeting ever 5/14/08.)
Regular meeting of Welfare and Safety Summit.
That's it folks, as written by "Dr. Stacey Oke". Presume that he/she is a vet, and that the article is Exhibit 1 as to why veterinarians should be removed from being in charge of race horse welfare. That's all he/she could think to put in the article. Anyone see any substance whatsover in the above. In short, according to the article, we know nothing presently about catastrophic injury, even though I've been personal witness to one after another for 25 years.
The truth is, the article is bunk. It is merely further evidence of the mind numbing gobbledygook we've seen come out of the Eight Belles tragedy and the disconnect between those at the highest level of the sport and the real cause of race track injuries.
To prevent excessive length I will here succinctly type up an appropriate response to Eight Belles, and anyone may comment and denounce and berate me severely if they choose:
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THE CAUSE: 95% of race track injuries including catastrophic breakdowns result from training negligence or misjudgment and insufficient, inappropriate warm up.
3. OFFICE OF EQUINE EXCERCISE PHYSIOLOGY: Establish one headed by Exercise Physiologists instead of Vets, and commence forthwith to relate equine injury to equine exercise science.
4. STATISTICS: yes, continue them, expand them and make them mandatory. Every trainer keeps a daily training log, time, distance, frequency.
5. STEWARD'S INVESTIGATIONS: every race day breakdown. Give 'em something to do. Report results to Racing Commission and Exercise Physiology Office at Grayson Jockey Club.
5. PROBATION: Trainers of horses suffering catastrophic breakdown put on immediate probation, produce their logs and suspended if negligent--my personal guarantee that this will end 75% of breakdowns.
6. TRACK SURFACES: Commence serious research. How hard is it really, if you put your mind to it, to come up with one?
7. MANDATORY ENTRY STANDARDS for TC and the Breeder's Cup in terms of prior racing and breezing.
8. WARM UP PROCEDURES: Research and set minimum standards.
9. PRE-RACE (and post-race) DIAGNOSTICS FOR TC and Breeders Cup, comprehensive, immediate, and to include scanning.
10. STAGGER THE TC RACES: The TC races were scheduled in an era of tough training. In an era of powder puff training, we need to reconsider the schedule.
11. CANCEL 2008 Preakness and Belmont till we get a handle on this thing. These races are fraught with risk. Dutrow wants to avoid running. There's a reason for that.
Notice specifically there's nothing above about whips, genetics, two year old racing, drugs, horse rescue, etc, worthy issues in their own right, but none having anything whatever to do with Eight Belles or the immediate necessity for action. I will be in complete shock if they fail to improve pre-race diagnostics for next week's Preakness.
Training:
Sat. 5/10/08: The 2 hour rain delay at Royals Stadium also applied to us. Rain out. Today, however, wind and sun, so we should be back in business tonight.
1. A "voluntary" on track injury reporting system that indicates the fatality rate is "extremely low", "only" 1.5 per 1000 starts (never mind the 10% that limp back to the barn. How do I know this, anyway?)
2. It is "unclear" whether racing fillies against males is an issue.(Is that still unclear?)
3. Youngsters are "not" injured more than older horses. (the injury rate for both is horrendous.)
4. "Once horses with an increased risk of injury are identified, it will be possible to intervene and potentially decrease the number of race track injuries." (Huh? Dr. McIlwraith please consider instead identifying the horse "not" at risk. It's a much smaller number.)
5. We now have a serum bio-marker test to predict pre-fracture injury (that no one associated with the 2008 Derby ever heard of, apparently.)
6. McIlwraith "envisions" future pre-race diagnostic scanning. (When, in 2108?).
7. The TB industry is "dedicated" to race horse safety evidenced by:
Barbaro Fund
Medication and Testing Consortium
Education services provided by Am. Assn. Equine Practitioners (vets).
Aggressive efforts in the field of joint disease (really?)
Active charitable efforts (SC Equine Foundation)
Synthetic Surfaces
The new Jockey Club Safety Committee (first meeting ever 5/14/08.)
Regular meeting of Welfare and Safety Summit.
That's it folks, as written by "Dr. Stacey Oke". Presume that he/she is a vet, and that the article is Exhibit 1 as to why veterinarians should be removed from being in charge of race horse welfare. That's all he/she could think to put in the article. Anyone see any substance whatsover in the above. In short, according to the article, we know nothing presently about catastrophic injury, even though I've been personal witness to one after another for 25 years.
The truth is, the article is bunk. It is merely further evidence of the mind numbing gobbledygook we've seen come out of the Eight Belles tragedy and the disconnect between those at the highest level of the sport and the real cause of race track injuries.
To prevent excessive length I will here succinctly type up an appropriate response to Eight Belles, and anyone may comment and denounce and berate me severely if they choose:
1. ACKNOWLEDGE THE CAUSE: 95% of race track injuries including catastrophic breakdowns result from training negligence or misjudgment and insufficient, inappropriate warm up.
3. OFFICE OF EQUINE EXCERCISE PHYSIOLOGY: Establish one headed by Exercise Physiologists instead of Vets, and commence forthwith to relate equine injury to equine exercise science.
4. STATISTICS: yes, continue them, expand them and make them mandatory. Every trainer keeps a daily training log, time, distance, frequency.
5. STEWARD'S INVESTIGATIONS: every race day breakdown. Give 'em something to do. Report results to Racing Commission and Exercise Physiology Office at Grayson Jockey Club.
5. PROBATION: Trainers of horses suffering catastrophic breakdown put on immediate probation, produce their logs and suspended if negligent--my personal guarantee that this will end 75% of breakdowns.
6. TRACK SURFACES: Commence serious research. How hard is it really, if you put your mind to it, to come up with one?
7. MANDATORY ENTRY STANDARDS for TC and the Breeder's Cup in terms of prior racing and breezing.
8. WARM UP PROCEDURES: Research and set minimum standards.
9. PRE-RACE (and post-race) DIAGNOSTICS FOR TC and Breeders Cup, comprehensive, immediate, and to include scanning.
10. STAGGER THE TC RACES: The TC races were scheduled in an era of tough training. In an era of powder puff training, we need to reconsider the schedule.
11. CANCEL 2008 Preakness and Belmont till we get a handle on this thing. These races are fraught with risk. Dutrow wants to avoid running. There's a reason for that.
Notice specifically there's nothing above about whips, genetics, two year old racing, drugs, horse rescue, etc, worthy issues in their own right, but none having anything whatever to do with Eight Belles or the immediate necessity for action. I will be in complete shock if they fail to improve pre-race diagnostics for next week's Preakness.
Training:
Sat. 5/10/08: The 2 hour rain delay at Royals Stadium also applied to us. Rain out. Today, however, wind and sun, so we should be back in business tonight.
posted by rather rapid at
10:17 AM
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2 Comments:
serum bio-marker,where can info be found on this?
the only info I had on the serum-fracture test was from the Blood Horse article. Dr. McIlwraith provided the information. Believe he's at University of Colorado or thereabout. They might know more at the Blood Horse.
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