NEWS

Progress on safety issues highlights Round Table Conference

Posted: Monday, August 23, 2010 2:17 PM

by Tom Law

True to its initial mission when establishing the first gathering in 1952 in New York City, the Jockey Club’s 58th annual Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing tackled and dissected two of the industry’s most critical issues during its 58th annual gathering on August 22 at the Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa in Saratoga Springs, New York.

As has become the norm in recent years, The Round Table was again split into two segments that at first appeared distinct but were actually more closely related than they appeared on the surface. Both dealt with problems facing racing today, first on recent slowdowns in the economy and within the breeding and racing industry and how some prominent North American racing organizations were dealing with those trends, and second how medication and safety initiatives are moving along with a goal of re-establishing the trust of the United States racing fan.

However, unlike some other recent industry gatherings, the Round Table actually produced both some quantifiable results and action plans from groups and tasks forces formed in the wake of recent editions of the annual exercise. The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee, a group formed in May 2008 and already the host of two safety and welfare summits, issued four new recommendations to the industry; and the head of the national Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Inc. outlined plans for five drug-testing laboratories that handle testing for states that comprise more than 60% of the national daily handle and 50% of purses to participate in the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium’s (RMTC) accreditation process that is part of its five-part Drug Testing Initiative (DTI).

Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of the Thoroughbred Safety Committee, outlined his groups plans at the tail end of the second segment titled “Medication and Safety: A Report of Collaborative Process” that featured updates from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance, Interstate Racing Regulatory Compact, the RMTC, and the DTI (see Alan Foreman‘s remarks, next page).

The Safety Committee issued four recommendations:

• Immediate adoption by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) and all U.S. racing authorities of the RMTC recommending revising the recommended threshold for phenylbutazone (bute) from 5 micrograms per milliliter to 2 micrograms per milliliter of plasma or serum when administered not less than 24 hours prior to post time;
• Adoption of the RMTC Equine Drug Testing Standards into the RCI Model Rule book and the participation and adoption of the standards by all U.S. racing authorities and their associated testing laboratories;
• The immediate use of the pre-race veterinary examination module (developed by The Jockey Club’s InCompass Solutions Inc.) and the sharing of inspection information by all racing jurisdictions, regulatory veterinarians, and racetracks performing pre-race inspections. The transparency and reciprocity of all associated “lists” kept by various racing officials.
• The standing commitment by all racetracks, state racing authorities, horsemen, exercise riders, jockeys, and the Jockeys’ Guild to participate in the Rider Accident Database.

“I think that Rick Arthur, [D.V.M.] said it ever so well, [that the first recommendation] is going to reduce the chances of Bute masking injuries at the time of pre-race exam,” Janney said of the California Horse Racing Board’s equine medical director’s remarks during his update on the RMTC. “Our examining vets have asked for this, the science supports it, and we are jeopardizing the lives and careers of our horses and our jockeys if we don’t make this change.

“We have been encouraged by the response and actions of various commissions, racetracks and organizations that have adopted some or all of the seven Thoroughbred Safety Committee recommendations that have been made to date,” Janney said. “We believe these four recommendations are just as important and we would once again urge those organizations to act as soon as possible, for the benefit of our athletes and our industry.”

The Round Table’s opened with Jockey Club President Jim Gagliano’s presentation “Recent Trends in Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding” that followed up somewhat on the Jockey Club’s projected 2011 foal crop of 27,000 that would be the smallest since 1973 (see sidebar) and followed with presentations by four racetrack executives on how they are dealing with issues of contraction.

“News accounts on a daily basis remind us that this sport is undergoing change,” Gagliano said. “You’ve read about horse shortages and canceled racing programs, we’ve read about tracks closing, and they outnumber the new ones that are opening. But we’re not alone. Other sports and other businesses have experienced similar challenges.”

Woodbine President Nick Eaves, Keeneland Race Course President Nick Nicholson, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority President Dennis Robinson, and New York Racing Association Chairman Steven Duncker outlined their distinct initiatives. Most were a review of concepts that either have been in play for years or have been prominent newsmakers this year, including Keeneland’s new tote board and use of the Trakus system, Monmouth Park’s “Elite Meet,” and NYRA’s ongoing struggle to secure alternative gaming and collect funds from the financially strapped New York City Off-Track Betting Corp.

“There is no question that there are so many challenges to our sport,” Nicholson said. “Challenges that we should not sugar coat and cannot ignore. … The list just goes on and on. There‘s no bottom to it.

“Dealing with these types of issues is not from a lack of discussion, no question about it. Nor is it a lack of opinion. By nature, our industry draws successful people with strong opinions. Sometimes these strong opinions impede cooperation and progress. We could form a task force on all the task forces we’ve formed over the years to address problems in the industry. But I’m sure we all agree that we should remain very attentive to all these issues. We should not do so by being obsessive about them. We should deal with them opening and honestly. Let’s not downplay our problems, but at the same time let’s not lose sight about what is great about our sport.”

Woodbine’s Eaves identified six ways the suburban Toronto racetrack changed its business over the last two decades after dealing with hits to its bottom line in the 1990s.

“Those trends told us that things weren’t working and we’re not the brightest guys, but we knew that change was required,” Eaves said.

One of the six initiatives Woodbine Entertainment Group embarked on was a significant investment in its facilities. Thanks to capital generated from alternative forms of gambling, Woodbine spent more than $300-million to convert itself into what Eaves called “a modern-day entertainment facility both frontside and backside for the horse people.“

Eaves followed his comments with a short video that outlined plans for Woodbine Live! Working with the Cordish Companies, the Baltimore-based company that developed Louisville’s Fourth Street Live! and other similar ventures, Woodbine is near the approval phase for Woodbine Live! and hopes to begin construction on the full-scale retail, dining, hotel, and entertainment venue in “a few months.

Tom Law is managing editor of Thoroughbred Times