Trainer Gary Contessa advocated for increased transparency among caregivers, particularly in the claiming game, at the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit at the Keeneland sales pavilion.
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act on Tuesday afternoon, which allows licensed veterinarians to freely transport the drugs necessary for their trade.
Horses need regular intervals of rest or “reduced exercise” during training in order to build bones strong enough to handle the loads encountered during racing, according to Dr. Larry Bramlage, the renowned equine orthopedic surgeon.
Noted equine veterinarian T. Douglas Byars, DVM, died Monday at his home in Georgetown, Ky. He was 70.
Lone Star Park has been considered Texas’s flagship track since it opened in 1997 and hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 2004. But when the Dallas-area oval closes its Thoroughbred meet Saturday night, it will wrap up arguably its most challenging season in 18 years of operation.
Regulatory veterinarians are increasingly using injury data and the practices of other jurisdictions in determining how to identify at-risk horses before the horses run, according to participants on the opening-day panel on Tuesday at the Safety and Welfare of the Racehorse Summit at the Keeneland sales pavilion.
Trainer Juan Vazquez has been granted a stay of a 90-day suspension issued by Delaware Park stewards for an altercation with a jockey after he appealed the ruling, according to state records.
Wagering on U.S. races during the month of June was down slightly while race days fell nearly 8 percent compared with the same month last year, according to figures released by Equibase on Friday.
The Virginia Racing Commission has granted a stay to Colonial Downs to comply with an order to reach an agreement with horsemen while the track seeks the opinion of a circuit court on the commission’s authority to enforce the order, the commission’s executive director said Wednesday.
The landmark agreement between Churchill Downs Inc. and the Stronach Group was finally signed and gained approval from the state of Florida on Tuesday, ending the dates conflict that had existed for the past year between south Florida neighbors Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park.
