The New York Racing Association has formally established an equine safety review board to review and assess fatal equine racing and training injuries at the organization's three racetracks: Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.
The creation of an equine safety review board was among the key recommendations set forth by the New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety in its final report issued Sept. 28.
"The mission of the equine safety review board is to create an educational process that emphasizes the safety of horses and jockeys," said Anthony Bonomo, chairman of the Equine Safety Committee of the NYRA Board of Directors. "We will use the information gleaned through this process to promote additional equine safety measures intended to prevent fatal injuries in the future."
NYRA steward Braulio Baeza Jr. is chair of the equine safety review board, which also includes Dr. Anthony Verderosa, NYRA's chief examining veterinarian; Glen Kozak, NYRA's vice president of facilities and racing surfaces; and Kenneth V. Handal, NYRA's acting general counsel and chief ethics officer. When hired, NYRA's equine veterinary medical director will also sit on the board.
Outside veterinary representatives are Dr. Scott Palmer, a member of the New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety and independent practitioner; Dr. Brian Caserto, a pathologist at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. W. Theodore Hill, Jockey Club steward. Representatives for the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) and the New York State Gaming Commission are also on the board.