Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) has announced a series of groundbreaking new rules
and policies designed to enhance the safety and welfare of jockeys and horses.
These measures will be in place at Churchill Downs racetrack in advance of the
Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 2, and will include unprecedented standardized
third-party testing of track surfaces and comprehensive testing of all winning
horses for more than 100 prohibited drugs.
The safety initiatives will be implemented at Churchill Downs effective
opening day of its 2009 spring meet on April 25, and will be phased in at all
other company-owned racetracks — Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois;
Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida.; and Fair Grounds Race Course &
Slots in New Orleans — by the start of their respective 2010 race meets.
In development for nearly a year, the “Safety from Start to Finish”
initiative is designed to incorporate new health and wellness measures, as well
as long-standing safety policies and standards, under a single formalized
initiative to serve as a blueprint for all CDI facilities.
The key safety initiatives that will be in place at Churchill Downs prior to
Kentucky Derby are as follows:
*Independent, standardized third-party testing and monitoring of track
surfaces.
*”Supertesting” of all winning horses for more than 100 performance-enhancing
drugs.
*Age restrictions requiring Thoroughbreds to be at least 24 calendar months
of age before becoming eligible to race.
*The freezing and storage of equine blood and urine samples to allow for
retrospective testing.
*The banning of steroids.
*Limits on the number of horses allowed to compete in certain races.
*The prohibition of “milkshaking,” which results in excessive levels of
total carbon dioxide in Thoroughbred racehorses.
*Prohibiting the transport of horses from CDI facilities for slaughter.
*The banning of unsafe horseshoes, including front shoe toe grabs longer than
two millimeters.
*The use of low-impact riding whips with limited usage rules.
*The presence of on-site medical personnel, equipment, and state-of-the-art
equine ambulances.
*Immediate online access to jockey medical histories for emergency medical
personnel.
*$1 million in catastrophic injury insurance coverage for jockeys.
*Mandatory and uniform reporting of equine injuries to the Equine Injury
Database System, thereby assisting in the compilation of statistics and trends
to improve safety conditions around the country.
*A professionally designed and installed safety rail on the inside of the
dirt course.
*Mandatory usage by all jockeys, exercise riders and other on-track personnel
of safety vests and safety helmets that meet internationally acknowledged
quality standards.
*3/8-inch foam padding on all parts of the starting gates.
*Significant financial support for equine retirement programs.
*Inspection of all horses by regulatory veterinarians prior to and following
all races.
*Review of security procedures around barns and other racetrack backstretch
areas.
*Continued maintenance of protocols for the treatment of horses that have
been injured during racing or training, to ensure the most humane treatment
possible.
*Mandatory, independent, and complete necropsies of any horse that dies as a
result of an injury sustained while racing or training at Churchill Downs.
“Based on historical records, we believe there has only been one catastrophic
injury among the 1,710 horses that have competed during the 134 runnings of the
Kentucky Derby, but even one is too many,” said Bob Evans, president and chief
executive officer of Churchill Downs Inc. “While the Kentucky Derby is the
world’s most important horse race, we want to implement changes that will
improve safety not just for that race, but for all of the jockeys and horses
that compete annually in the over 4,000 races conducted at our four racetracks.
“Over the past year, a great deal of important work and study has occurred on
safety issues in our industry. We want to thank the many groups and
organizations that helped develop the foundation upon which today’s announcement
is based, including The Jockey Club, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders
Association, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, the Breeders’ Cup,
Keeneland Race Course, the NTRA, the veterinarians who are part of the American
Association of Equine Practitioners, and the horsemen in many states. The degree
of cooperation across the Thoroughbred industry in the effort to improve safety
is unprecedented, and I hope we can continue to work together to raise the bar
in making racing safer and safer.
“We are optimistic about the NTRA’s new Safety and Integrity Alliance
program,” Evans concluded. “We hope the NTRA is able to certify all three Triple
Crown tracks prior to this year’s Kentucky Derby, Preakness S. (G1) and Belmont
S. (G1).”
The following information provides additional detail on some of the key
safety rules and policies announced today:
Track surface testing
CDI is expanding its existing testing of track surfaces to implement regular,
standardized, third-party testing of its racetracks, including a battery of
laboratory tests of track surfaces and ground-penetrating radar to ensure track
consistency and integrity. CDI has secured the services of the world’s top track
surface researcher, Dr. Mick Peterson, a University of Maine professor of
mechanical engineering who has developed an innovative robotic hoof device that
duplicates the force and speed of a horse as it runs on a racetrack. Data
generated by these and other tests will help to ensure that CDI tracks maintain
safe and consistent track surfaces for both horses and jockeys. The Company is
also a founding member of and financial contributor to the new Racing Surfaces
Testing Laboratory, which is identifying safe practices for the future by
facilitating and advocating measurements of track safety effectiveness.
Drug “supertesting” of all winning horses
CDI is taking an industry-leading approach to test horses for
performance-enhancing substances. The winning horse in every race at CDI tracks
will undergo a battery of “supertests” recommended by the Thoroughbred Owners
and Breeders Association (TOBA). The TOBA “supertests” screen for more than 100
drugs — far more than in standard testing. This will not only ensure that
Thoroughbreds in competition receive safe and warranted medications, but it also
increases the integrity of the outcome of wagering on each race.
Age restrictions
For the purposes of competition, all Thoroughbreds foaled in the Northern
Hemisphere — regardless of their actual month and day of birth — turn one year
older on January 1. CDI is instituting a policy by which Thoroughbreds must be
at least 24 calendar months old before they are permitted to race, in the hopes
of promoting healthy and strong equine athletes that can enjoy long, competitive
careers. Previously, Thoroughbreds competing at CDI tracks were allowed to race
at the official age of two years, regardless of their actual date of birth.
Sample freezing for retrospective testing
CDI will begin the practice of storing frozen blood and urine samples of
racehorses to allow for retrospective testing in the event of suspicious
circumstances, an initiative currently being funded by The Jockey Club. The
Company will work with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to adopt the Racing
Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) program for frozen storage and
retrospective “supertesting” as necessary.
Steroids banned
CDI has adopted the Association of Racing Commissioners International Model
Rule on androgenic anabolic steroids that was based on RMTC recommendations.
This rule effectively eliminates the use of all anabolic steroids in the
training and racing of Thoroughbreds.
Limits on number of horses allowed to compete in certain races
CDI has extensively examined the issue of “field size,” or the number of
horses permitted to compete in any given race. The studies have taken into
account the age of the horses competing, the length of the race, the surface on
which the race is conducted, the position of the starting gate relative to the
track’s first turn, the width of the racetrack, the radius of the racetrack’s
turns, and other dimensional attributes. For many years, CDI tracks have limited
the field size of certain races based on these variables. After further review,
Churchill Downs will now limit field sizes in additional races, including 4
1/2-furlong dirt races. Those races will now be limited to 10 starters instead
of the previous maximum of 12. This rule, implemented due to the short run into
the first turn, will be in effect as of the 2009 spring meet at Churchill Downs.
In addition, Arlington Park and its horsemen will consider starting 4
1/2-furlong races at the five-furlong marker and finishing them at the sixteenth
pole to allow for a longer run into the first turn.
After thorough analysis and consultations with owners, trainers, and jockeys,
the field size for the Kentucky Derby will remain unchanged at a maximum of 20
horses, a limit that was put in place after 23 horses competed in the 1974
Kentucky Derby and 21 horses competed in 1981.
“We are focused on action that we know will make a difference,” Evans said.
“Our priority remains on the enhancement and standardization of practices that
will have a daily impact on the health and safety of the maximum number of
horses and jockeys that compete at Churchill Downs Inc. tracks.”
“As in all sports, there’s an inherent safety risk involved in horse racing,”
said Jim Gates, general manager of Churchill Downs racetrack and the leader of
the “Safety from Start to Finish” initiative. “We firmly believe that the
measures and policies we’ve put in place will help to minimize that risk and
better ensure the safety and well-being of our athletes. We’re passionate about
this commitment, and we’ll continue, as an industry leader, to do what’s right
to reduce injuries and improve the integrity of the sport.”
The safety initiatives announced as part of “Safety from Start to Finish”
will continue to evolve.
“There are a number of other important safety
initiatives that are still in development, and that we hope to launch later this
year,” Gates said. Those include out-of competition drug testing; the
introduction of safety reins; jockey health and wellness programs; uniform
licensing of those involved in racing; and ongoing safety and welfare education
and training of those involved in racing.
“We also have recognized that we need to do a better job of communicating to
our fans and the general public what our industry has done and is doing to
maximize safety,” Gates added. “To that end, we have created an interactive,
educational ‘Safety Center’ that is currently on display at Churchill Downs Gate
17. The Center utilizes audio, video and actual material and equipment samples
to educate racetrack guests about the numerous policies and procedures in place
to ensure the safety, security and well-being of horses, riders, and on-track
personnel. The Centers may be added at other CDI racetracks at a future date.”
The final cost of the safety measures has not been finalized, but is expected
to exceed $1 million annually — a figure that is in addition to the millions
already spent annually on safety at CDI tracks.
NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop commented on the new safety measures
announced by Churchill Downs Inc.:
“We wholeheartedly endorse the comprehensive program outlined today by CDI to
enhance safety and integrity at its racetracks,” Waldrop said. “Today’s
voluntary step is an important act of leadership by Churchill Downs and reflects
the unprecedented level of commitment by everyone within the industry to examine
every aspect of racing. The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance anticipates
commencing the racetrack accreditation process at Churchill Downs within the
next 30 days.”
For more information about the Churchill Downs “Safety from Start to Finish”
initiative, please visit the Safety Center at Gate 17 at Churchill Downs
racetrack, or log on to www.churchilldowns.com/safety.