After an in-depth review of its racing medication rules relative to the Association of Racing Commissioners International’s recommendations, a Kentucky council is recommending penalty classification changes for a pair of medications.
With relatively little discussion, a proposed rule outlining conditions that could void a claim was unanimously approved Jan. 26 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Safety and Welfare Committee.
Ward, husband of Kentucky Horse Racing Commission equine medical director Mary Scollay, had worked as a jockey valet at racetracks in Illinois, Louisiana, and Florida.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will likely run double-blind quality assurance testing on its lab after the state’s Equine Drug Research Council approved plans to carry out such tests.
Respected equine surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage said reduced use of a specific corticosteroid has contributed to the reduction in catastrophic breakdowns.
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council has formed a committee to examine the 170 differences between its drug and medication classification schedule and RCI classifications.
Kentucky Equine Medical Director Mary Scollay saw funding for her position extended four years Friday, March 11 by the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council.
Historical wagering at the Red Mile in Lexington, conducted in partnership with Keeneland, enjoyed a fast start in its initial months of operation in 2015.
NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance calls on tracks to work with their state regulators to make sure testing standards are up to par.
Presentations on racetrack surfaces, jockey safety, horsemanship courses, and the Equine Injury Database will be spotlighted at the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit July 8 at Keeneland in Lexington.
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council will advise the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to adopt policies on the mineral cobalt in line with a Racing Medication and Testing Consortium recommendation.
The Jockey Club has released equine race fatality year-over-year statistics comparing 2013 and 2014 and a six-year summary of statistics collected from the Equine Injury Database.
In 2014, U.S. horse racing appeared on pace to register its fewest positive drug tests for anabolic steroids since the industry moved to outlaw the drugs from racing in 2008-09. But recent events in Maryland changed that.
Officials are crediting a collaborative effort after Kentucky delivered its safest year on record in 2014 in terms of both number of equine breakdowns in races and rate of equine breakdowns.
Tom Durkin accepted the Big Sport of Turfdom Award Tuesday, Dec. 9, one of several presented at a lunch during the Global Symposium on Racing & Gaming sponsored by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program.
A council that makes recommendations on medication policies for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission will go along with several changes in withdrawal times and threshold levels.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission expects test results that had been delayed by up to four months to be back on schedule by Thanksgiving.
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium believes the majority of racing jurisdictions will have a substantial portion of the National Uniform Medication Program in place by year's end.
Delays at the respected Lexington drug-testing laboratory LGC have forced two of its biggest customers, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission and Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, to consider other options.
A Kentucky racing official Sept. 12 said the state has been at the forefront of research into cobalt, a naturally occurring element said to have blood-doping qualities if used at high levels.
In a 12-month period that has seen drug compounders linked to horse deaths at a training center and integrity issues at the track, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is researching ways it could add regulatory oversight.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is collecting information on corticosteroid elimination times following specific uses of the medications provided by participating racetrack veterinarians.
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium board of directors took several actions March 17 intended to further the process toward the nationwide adoption of uniform medication rules, penalties, and testing.
Kentucky horsemen March 14 were given an overview of impending equine medication changes and also provided with a few tips to avoid headaches when the new regulations take effect later in the spring.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Dec. 11 approved changes to its withdrawal time guidelines for all racing breeds in line with the national uniform medication rules.
An initial introduction in Kentucky of the Mid-Atlantic Uniform Medication Program received raised eyebrows, but supporters of the changes are encouraged that the important racing state is giving the program consideration.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved a pair of recommendations from the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council July 17, including a "Rapid Response" protocol to examine emerging illegal drugs.
The Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council will recommend measures to allow the state to more quickly take action when regulators become aware of emerging illegal substances.
Dr. Larry Bramalge is back as the AAEP on-call vet for the final Triple Crown race after sitting out the first two following an incident at Churchill Downs.
Dr. Larry Bramlage, a leading equine surgeon who suffered a head injury at Churchill Downs last week, could be released from the hospital Friday, May 10.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners announced that longtime on-call veterinarian Dr. Mary Scollay will serve as spokesperson for equine health during NBC Sports racing coverage at Churchill Downs.
Prominent equine surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage was hospitalized May 2 after falling from the back of a golf cart and hitting his head in the barn area at Churchill Downs.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced that Laurel Park has been fully accredited by the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance and that Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore has been re-accredited by the Alliance.
Twelve who are making a difference in the industry.
Kentucky horsemen are losing patience with a new policy that requires regulatory veterinarians to administer furosemide on race day after mistakes have led to horses being scratched on consectutive race days at Churchill.
Kentucky Horse Racing Commission veterinarians have had a couple of mistakes as they work to carry out a new policy in which they apply race-day Salix, as opposed to private veterinarians.
The schedule shifts September racing dates from Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky to Churchill in Louisville. February will offer just four race dates in the state, at Turfway Park.
Speaking at the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit at Keeneland, Mary Scollay, DVM, presented a 10-year study that indicated positive trends for pre-race exams in Florida.
A task force has determined the spate of fatal racehorse breakdowns at Aqueduct Racetrack this past winter was primarily the result of structural deficiencies in rules and regulations employed by NYRA and racing regulators.
The veterinary staff of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has added some additional protocols to its operations in an effort to cut down on the number of equine fatalities at the state's tracks.
There doesn't seem to be any middle ground in the debate over the anti-bleeding drug furosemide, and it seems doubtful the two sides will come together any time soon.
When the equine medical director for Kentucky gave her monthly report at the March 14 meeting, it showed only one fatality since Dec. 1 at Turfway Park, the only track in the state conducting live racing during the period.
The chief state steward overseeing racing in Kentucky and several veterinarians testified June 29 that they saw nothing out of the ordinary with Life At Ten prior to her participation in the Ladies' Classic.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance Professional Education Seminar will be held Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Keeneland.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has approved new procedures that regulators say will streamline and reduce the cost of equine drug testing in the state by as much as 25-30%.
The rush to improve safety since Eight Belles was euthanized at last year's Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brands (gr. I) did little to curb the number of horses dying at American racetracks in 2008, The Associated Press found in a national count.
The Jockey Club has launched the Equine Injury Database system that will provide the racing industry with its first national database of racing injuries. The Equine Injury Database grew out of a proposal first put forth at the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit in Lexington in October 2006.
Gulfstream Park, in conjunction with the University of Florida (UF), announced the names of this year's three recipients from Gulfstream Park's $30,000 Barbaro Scholarship Program March 29.
Emphatic calls for change in dealing with horse racing injuries and related prevention methods were made April 24 during a panel discussion at the annual Association of Racing Commissioners International Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Edward P. Evans' homebred Christmas Kid stalked from second early in Saturday's $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes (gr. II) Saturday at Gulfstream Park, took command into the far turn, and drew clear to score by four lengths over High Again in the one-mile test for 3-year-old fillies.
