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HORSEPEOPLE VOICE CONCERNS ABOUT RACE-DAY MEDICATION BAN

Nearly 100 participants in the Ontario Thoroughbred industry attended an information session held by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission at Woodbine on Saturday morning.

Horsepeople were generally unhappy about the directive issued by the AGCO in late March, a race-day medication ban which goes into effect 24 hours before post time of the first race, the day the horse is racing.

Most owners and trainers agree that the race-day medication ban is the norm in racing now. It is important for the future of horse racing to continue to put strict rules in place for the very few who might want to take advantage of the rules of racing.

A lot of horsepeople also want to be able to prepare their horse on race-day with non-medication type therapies to aid in calming a horse or simple things such as water from a syringe to clean out a horse’s mouth. When asked about the common procedure of applying Vicks in a horse’s nostril (done to help with clear breathing or to distract a colt from smelling a pony or filly), the response from the AGCO was unclear.

What made horsepeople upset is that the directive does not address any specifics with regards to what is allowed and what is not. The AGCO directive states that no additives are allowed (including vitamins, electrolytes given any way other than in the horse’s drinking water) 24 hours out (which could be up to 30 hours out if your horse is in a late race).

The directive also originally stated that vets were not allowed in the barn of a horse on race day (as in 24 hours from first race post) but as the HBPA of Ontario has continued to try and work with the AGCO, that rule was modified. A trainer’s vet can examine or evaluate a horse out of the stall in the shedrow or on the road in this time frame.

With entries scheduled to be drawn Wednesday for opening day Saturday, a normally excited group of horsepeople are confused and upset.

The HBPA board, which had Saturday’s meeting moved up from a much later date that had been set by the AGCO, will continue talks with them in an effort to modify and certainly clarify the details of what horsepeople need to know.

But remember, the AGCO is the legislator of racing in Ontario and racing and this province is one of the last jurisdictions to put a race-day medication ban in place. Horse racing everywhere is moving towards eliminating drugs and perhaps even whips and it has to, to stay on the good side of the public. What the legislator decides cannot be fought unless you take legal action.

However, implementing such a ban surely needs time and thoughtfulness plus input from the people who care for the wonderful horses we are all (mostly all) trying to protect and care for. It was a tad concerning to hear that no one from the AGCO at the meeting appeared to be taking notes to consider.

To try and throw together a blanket ban less than a month before a 133-day racing meeting begins has only led to anger and confusion.

THIS TWEET FROM JULIE WITT OF OMAHA BEACH AS A FOAL

FUN FUN FUN FOR BEACH BOY

OMAHA BEACH, the fast improving colt owned by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm fended off the Bob Baffert trained Improbable and won the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby in the slop at Oaklawn on Saturday. The son of War Front from Charming by Seeking the Gold moved early to press for the lead down the backstretch, took the lead and outbattled Improbable to the wire. He ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.91 which was slightly faster than Quip ran the distance when winning the Oaklawn Handicap for older horses.

The colt, who is a half brother to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Take Charge Brandi is a grandson of the amazing mare Take Charge Lady, a Grade 1 winner, is the 20th Grade 1 winner for his sire.

Omaha Beach flew to 2nd in the Derby Points with his 100 points for this victory. Mike Smith rides this guy and Roadster, the Santa Anita Derby winner so the world’s top jock has a tough decision to make for the big race.

The other Derby stakes prep race, the Lexington, a Grade 3 at 1 1/16 miles went to longshot OWENDALE, by Into Mischief, his first stakes win, The 20 point for this colt does not get him on the Derby list.

Canadian owned ANOTHERTWISTAFATE finished second and is just 23rd on the Derby points list. The El Camino Real Derby winner could win a bonus should he won the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, the 2nd jewel of the Triple Crown, so peter Redekop’s colt figures to be pointed to that race.

KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS

Rank Horse Points Owner(s) Trainer Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. Tacitus                150 Juddmonte Farms Inc. (Prince Khalid Abdullah) Bill Mott $610,000
2. Omaha Beach   137.5 Fox Hill Farm (Rick Porter) Richard Mandella $1,050,000
3. Vekoma              110 R. A. Hill Stable (Randy Hill) & Gatsas Stables (Mike Gatsas) George Weaver $747,600
4. Plus Que Parfait 104 Imperial Racing LLC (Michael Foley) Brendan Walsh $1,540,400
5. Roadster              100 Speedway Stable LLC (Peter Fluor & K.C. Weiner) Bob Baffert $636,000
6. By My Standards 100 Allied Racing Stable LLC (Chester Thomas) Bret Calhoun $600,000
7. Maximum Security 100 Gary L. & Mary E. West Jason Servis $582,800
8. Game Winner      85 Gary L. & Mary E. West Bob Baffert $1,810,000
9. Code of Honor     74 William S. Farish Shug McGaughey III $432,070
10. Haikal                 70 Shadwell Stable (Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum) Kiaran McLaughlin $322,500

11. Improbable         65 WinStar Farm LLC (Kenny Troutt), China Horse Club International Ltd. (Ah Khing Teo) & Starlight     Racing (Jack Wolf et al) Bob Baffert $589,520
12. War of Will        60 Gary Barber Mark Casse $450,840
13. Long Range Toddy 53.5 Willis Horton Racing LLC Steve Asmussen $833,334
14. Tax                         52 R. A. Hill Stable (Randy Hill), Reeves Thoroughbred Racing (Dean & Patti Reeves), Hugh Lynch &       Corms Racing Stable (Lucas Stritsman) Danny Gargan $307,500
15. Cutting Humor 50 Starlight Racing (Jack Wolf) Todd Pletcher $462,467

16. Win Win Win       50 Live Oak Plantation (Charlotte C. Weber) Mike Trombetta $316,000
17. Country House    50 Mrs. J.V. Shields, E.J.M. McFadden Jr. & LNJ Foxwoods (Larry, Nanci & Jaime Roth)
Bill Mott $220,000
18. Gray Magician     41 Wachtel Stable (Adam Wachtel), Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (Aron Wellman) & Gary Barber Peter Miller $526,000
19. Spinoff                 40 Wertheimer et Frere (Alain & Gerard Wertheimer) Todd Pletcher $224,000
20. Master Fencer (JPN) Japan RTKD Katsumi & Yasuyo Yoshizawa Koichi Tsunoda $234,392

21. Bodexpress          40 Top Racing LLC, Global Thoroughbred & GDS Racing Stable Gustavo Delgado $188,000
22. Signalman           38 Tommie M. Lewis, Steve Crabtree, Dean Demaree, David Bernsen, Jim Chambers, & Magdalena       Racing (Sherri McPeek) Kenny McPeek $496,840
23. Anothertwistafate 38 Peter Redekop B. C. Ltd. Blaine Wright $268,960
24. Sueno                      32 Silverton Hill LLC (Bonnie & Tommy Hamilton) Keith Desormeaux $285,000
25. Bourbon War        31 Bourbon Lane Stable (Jamie Hill & Michael J. McMahon) & Lake
Star Stable Mark Hennig $137,200