by Frank Angst

Because of staffing issues, Thoroughbreds who raced at the Ellis Park meet that concluded September 1 did not receive TCO2 testing.

Kentucky Chief State Veterinarian Lafe Nichols, D.V.M., said the three veterinarians who worked the 39-day summer meeting in Henderson, Kentucky, were needed to oversee a protocol to prevent equine heat exhaustion at the track. He said emphasizing safety issues left no veterinarian available to conduct bicarbonate testing.

“It was a matter of personnel and timing,” said Nichols, who noted emphasis was placed on operating the equine ambulance and observing horses for possible heat stress.

Nichols said conducting TCO2 testing would have taken one veterinarian out of those safety positions. At Turfway Park, the state has four veterinarians available and Nichols said TCO2 testing was conducted during the first week of that meeting.

Lisa Underwood, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said the commission is understaffed and underfunded compared with other states. Staffing and funding issues are being studied by Governor Steve Beshear’s Task Force on the Future of Horse Racing, which will meet again on September 30.

Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times