CHRB makes move to better enforce a horse racing rule it created and prevent deaths
The California Horse Racing Board announced Tuesday it is working with the Jockey Club to come up with an IT solution to a rule change that seemingly was unenforceable in real time.
The move comes a day after The Times reported that a trainer had 527 violations that weren’t detected primarily because of a lack of resources by the CHRB. The alleged transgressions were revealed in a CHRB investigation that occurred after a horse broke down and was euthanized.
At question was Rule 1878, which requires that trainers have a preveterinary exam no less than 72 hours prior to a workout.
Dr. Jeff Blea, equine medical director for the CHRB, told The Times last week that the sheer number of workouts compared to the available resources precluded the regulatory agency from checking to see if horses had the required preveterinary exams.
“There is somewhat of an honor system that the trainers know the rules and follow them,” Blea said. “Then if there is an injury or fatality, our investigators will look to see if there are any other rules violations. In addition, workouts are audited on a random basis, based on intelligence or workout patterns that look odd or suspicious.”
The size of a race horse and its natural instincts make it nearly impossible to survive serious injuries at the track, but many are trying to improve the odds.
Blea then added, hopefully, that there was a software solution that was very high on his “IT wish list.”
The reason the Jockey Club is involved is that it owns the InCompass Solutions software used to record “vet confidential” information such as whether a horse has had a preworkout examination.
Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer of the Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, said it would be glad to make the checks if it had access to the database, which it does not by law.
Currently, there are separate databases on this information and merging them is a manual process. A software solution could allow the regulators to prevent horses without an exam from working out.
This comes after Animae, an unraced 2-year-old, broke down and was euthanized after suffering pelvis and vertebrae injuries following a workout on July 1. The CHRB conducted an investigation, which is routine after a fatality, and found that the filly did not have a 72-hour preexamination for three of her four workouts, and an audit of trainer Dan Blacker’s record showed that 527 of 789 workouts from Jan. 1, 2022, did not contain an exam.
Blacker said that his “long-established procedures, while complying with Santa Anita workout rules, were not always in line with the [CHRB] rule regarding prework inspection and reporting.”
As of January 2022, the Santa Anita house rules and CHRB rules were the same.
Blacker says he is taking full responsibility and is prepared for the consequences.
“The CHRB is fully committed to constantly improving animal welfare, which is the point of Rule 1878,” said Scott Chaney, CHRB executive director. “Like many of our regulations, this particular one is trailblazing. As we endeavor to perfect the process, we encourage other regulatory bodies to consider adopting similar protections.”
No timetable for action on either the software or disciplinary proceedings was announced.
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