FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019 COALITION OF U.S. TRACKS CHURCHILL ANNOUNCES SWEEPING SAFETY INITIATIVES AHEAD OF DERBY ANNOUNCE INITIATIVE TO Churchill Downs Incorporated has announced a series of significant initiatives to improve safety protocols and procedures PHASE OUT RACE-DAY as the track prepares to host the 145th running of the GI Kentucky Derby May 4. Churchill also signed on to a nationwide MEDICATION initiative to phase out race-day medication Thursday. The initiatives include investing $8 million “to build a state-of-the-art Equine Medical Center, Quarantine Facility and related capital improvements on the backside of Churchill Downs Race Track,” according to a press release from the company. The Equine Medical Center is slated to open in March 2020 and will be used for every-day equine therapeutic purposes as well as immediate and advanced onsite care in the event of injury. Cont. p8 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY CAREY TURNS TO SERIOUS BUSINESS Sonny Carey is arguably one of the most well-liked people in Irish racing circles, the one-time amateur jockey and all-round funny Sarah Andrew man having carved himself a reputation for entertaining singing performances, often wittily written himself. Click or tap here to A coalition of leading U.S. racetracks and racing organizations go straight to TDN Europe. have announced a landmark initiative, phasing out the use of Furosemide (Lasix) in 2-year-old racing beginning in 2020 and eliminating the use of Lasix in black-type races held at their racetracks beginning the following year. The coalition includes all tracks owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc., the New York Racing Association and The Stronach Group as well as Del Mar, Keeneland, Lone Star Park, Remington Park, Los Alamitos (Thoroughbred), Oaklawn Park and Tampa Bay Downs. Taken together, those tracks account for 86% of stakes races assigned listed or graded status in the United States. Breeders' Cup Ltd., the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), the American Graded Stakes Committee of TOBA and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) have also pledged their support to the initiative. From Jan. 1, 2020, no 2-year-old will be permitted to be treated with Lasix within 24 hours of a race. The same restriction would be applied to horses entered for any stakes races at coalition tracks beginning in 2021, including the races comprising the Triple Crown. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Friday, April 19, 2019 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photographer/Photo Editor Lady Eli and her War Front colt Thursday morning at Hill 'n' Dale in Lexington, KY. Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew | Christie DeBernardis [email protected] Social Media Strategist Justina Severni TAKING STOCK: LORD KANALOA UP NEXT IN JAPAN 9 Director of Customer Service In his weekly column, Sid Fernando looks at the ascent of the Vicki Forbes brilliant Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) into a [email protected] star sire in Japan. Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Director of Information Technology AMID SCRUTINY, CHRB ADVANCES RULE CHANGES 12 Ray Villa T.D. Thornton reports on Thursday’s CHRB meeting, which led [email protected] to the advancement of four welfare rule changes to the public Bookkeeper commentary period. Terry May [email protected] WORLDWIDE INFORMATION TODAY’S GRADED STAKES International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN EST Race Click for TV [email protected] 5:30p Hilliard Lyons-Baird Doubledogdare S.-GIII, KEE TJCIS PPs TVG European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 15 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • APRIL 19, 2019 Coalition of Tracks Move to Ban Race-Day Meds cont. from p1 Racetrack executives have expressed their nearly unanimous support for the undertaking. "This is a progressive and unified approach to the subject of race day medication, achieving consistency with international standards for young horses and those that form the foundations of our breeding stock," said David O'Rourke, president and chief executive officer of NYRA. "This is a huge moment that signals a collective move to evolve this legacy sport," said Belinda Stronach, chairman and president of The Stronach Group. "While there is still more work to be done, these reforms are a good start. This industry coalition has taken an important step forward toward a uniform policy and we are committed to focusing our attention and resources on how to make further improvements that directly prioritize equine health and safety. We applaud our industry partners and we look forward to continued collaboration.” Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream Park West, Keeneland, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park and Remington Park, Los Alamitos (Thoroughbred), Oaklawn Park, Pimlico, Presque Isle Downs, Saratoga Race Course and Tampa Bay Downs. The Stronach Group's Golden Gate Fields and Santa Anita Park will continue to run under the previously announced limitations to race-day medication. Notable exceptions include Monmouth Park, Delaware Park Racing at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew and Parx Racing. Monmouth released a statement saying it would "continue to adhere to the position of the American Added Bill Carstanjen, chief executive officer of CDI: "Over the Association of Equine Practitioners regarding the administration past several years, we have met with numerous stakeholders to of race-day furosemide as the most effective treatment and drive action on many of our sport's central issues. This is a preventative approach to controlling exercise-induced significant and meaningful step to further harmonize American pulmonary hemorrhage in racehorses." racing with international standards. We will continue to work "Until further scientific evidence proves otherwise, we believe with other stakeholders, including our horsemen and regulatory the policy set forth by the AAEP regarding the race-day use of agencies, to fully implement this and other important reforms." furosemide is in the best interest and welfare of the horses and Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said, "This new their riders," said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby program is an essential step as we look toward the long-term Development, LLC, operators of the racetrack. sustainability of U.S.-breds on the national and international Josh Rubinstein, president of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, stages. Protecting the integrity of our sport is core to our said that "we believe in support to help build consensus and mission and is our collective responsibility to the industry. progress around reforms, not just in California but throughout Individual tracks participating in the coalition include: U.S racing." Aqueduct, Arlington International Racecourse, Belmont Park, Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 15 • THETDN.COM FRIDAY • APRIL 19, 2019 When asked if Del Mar plans to also mirror The Stronach Breeders' Cup and Martin Panza of New York. Without those Group's other Lasix reforms instituted at its California tracks--of two I don't think we would have gotten where we've gotten." halving the permitted amount of Lasix for the current crop of From a broader perspective, The Jockey Club's Jim Gagliano horses from 10 cc's to 5--Rubenstein replied that "we are still in offered his support for the initiative taken by the coalition while discussions with stakeholders about that, and that includes cautioning that progress will remain piecemeal without some of the horsemen. Look, The Stronach Group was forced, all-encompassing, nationwide medication reform. just from a timing standpoint, to introduce a lot of these "The Jockey Club has long held that horses should race only measures very quickly--that was just the situation at hand. We when they are free from the effects of medication," said have the liberty of some more time, so, again, we're checking Gagliano. "This ban will ultimately affect only about 13% of with stakeholders, including vets and trainers, and surveying races in the United States, but it's is a good first step, and we them on how this has worked," Rubenstein said. "After applaud the intent of the coalition members... But, consultation with the [Thoroughbred Owners of California], we'll unfortunately, this is still an incremental approach that will put a plan in place this summer." require concurrence of about 10 distinct racing commissions, When asked the same question, Jack Liebau, vice president of with different rule adoption methods and constituencies. That is the Los Alamitos Racing Association, said the matter is "up for exactly why we continue to support the passage of the discussion, and I'm sure it will be considered by other tracks in Horseracing Integrity Act, which would establish one unified California, namely Los Alamitos and Del Mar and the county fairs system of medication regulation for the United States." in Northern California. There will be collaboration between those tracks and the California Horse Racing Board." Horsemen On Board? As to how swiftly that policy might be implemented, Liebau The announcement was met with mixed reactions from said "it may come up with the licensing of those tracks." horsemen's groups. New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's "I think it's a step in the right direction," said Liebau about the Association (NYTHA) president Joe Appelbaum stressed the announced phase out nationally.