Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation hits record

The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation will distribute $1,226,457 to a total of 24 equine research projects this year, a record amount for the organization.

The money will fund 14 new projects and 10 that are in their second year. Among the new projects to be funded in 2008 are ones studying hydrocortisone therapy in septic foals, as well as equine viral arteritis, equine herpes virus, and equine influenza virus.

Other new research efforts will focus on the role of blood vessel scarring in exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, airborne exposure to viral pneumonia in foals, and the use of stem cells to form cartilage.

New studies will also explore proper dosages of combined lidocaine and flunixin, especially in post-surgical horses; age-related testicular function in stallions; mechanisms for maintaining early pregnancy; and laminitis.

The foundation also will provide funding for projects on racetrack surface management and surgical correction of limb deformities in foals, which it called "among key considerations in the industry's ability to protect the soundness and safety of racehorses."

The 2008 allocation is the fourth consecutive record year for funding and the second time the foundation has provided more than $1 million in a single year for equine research. Including this year's allocations, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation has given more than $15.5 million to 239 equine research projects in the last 25 years, according to the foundation.