{"id":12397,"date":"2019-07-02T15:18:09","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T21:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/?p=12397"},"modified":"2019-07-02T15:18:09","modified_gmt":"2019-07-02T21:18:09","slug":"del-mar-unveils-new-safety-measures-5-person-panel-review-entries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/del-mar-unveils-new-safety-measures-5-person-panel-review-entries\/","title":{"rendered":"Del Mar Unveils New Safety Measures; 5 Person Panel To Review All Entries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-12398\" src=\"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Del-Mar-300x197.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" \/><em>Press Release:<\/em> Building on industry-leading safety and welfare measures, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC), operators of San Diego County&#8217;s iconic horse racing venue at Del Mar, today announced a series of initiatives to enhance safety protocols and procedures as the track prepares to celebrate its 80th\u00a0season of racing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">These initiatives build on effective safety and welfare measures that Del Mar introduced over the last several seasons of racing and which led to Del Mar being recognized as one the safest racetracks in the US in 2018, according to The Jockey Club&#8217;s Equine Injury Database.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cDel Mar continues to strive to provide the safest environment possible for our equine and human athletes for both racing and training,\u201d said Chief Executive Officer Joe Harper.\u00a0 \u201cWe have a responsibility to implement the best practices for safety and welfare and the further responsibility to educate the public about these practices and about the extraordinary levels of care provided to our equine athletes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Among the additional steps Del Mar is enacting for the 2019 season:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Entry Review Panel:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0All horses entered to race at Del Mar will be reviewed by a five-person panel consisting of:\u00a0CHRB Equine Medical Director, Dr. Rick Arthur; two CHRB veterinarians \u2013 Dr. William Farmer and Dr. Timothy Grande; CHRB Chief Steward, Darrel McHargue and CHRB Safety Steward, Luis Jauregui.\u00a0The panel will provide additional review of horses&#8217; medical, training and racing history.\u00a0The panel will recommend to the Stewards that any horse that it deems unfit for competition be declared from racing.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Medication Reform:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0Del Mar is adopting additional reforms modeled after the International Federation Horseracing Association (IFHA) requirements. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories), that were allowed previously up to 24 hours in advance of a race, will be restricted to 48 hours before either a race or workout. The time period that allowed therapeutic usage of corticosteroids in joint treatment has been extended from the previous length of three days before a race to 14 days and horses will not be allowed to start until after the 14-day window.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Increases in out-of-competition testing:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0Random testing will be instituted for any horses stabled at Del Mar, including horses readying for \u2013 or having just completed \u2013 morning workouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Enhanced stable security:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0Working in conjunction with the investigative staff of the CHRB, an enhanced stable security team will monitor all aspects of the stable area to ensure that rules are properly followed.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Additional veterinary protocols for morning training:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0Veterinarians will be stationed at elevated observation points at the facility to oversee morning workouts and will have the ability \u2013 through communication with outriders \u2013 to remove horses from the racetrack and have them undergo a follow-up examination for soundness.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Prohibit the use of the riding crop during morning workouts:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0Exercise riders and jockeys will be prohibited from using a riding crop to encourage their horses during morning workouts. Del Mar will continue to work with the CHRB and the Jockey&#8217;s Guild on additional guidelines for riding crop use.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Stakeholder Advisory Committee:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0DMTC has created a stakeholder advisory committee represented by trainers, veterinarians, jockeys, racing surfaces maintenance personnel and management that will meet regularly to discuss safety practices, operations and track surfaces.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"desktop-only inline-advertisement zoneid-15\"><span id=\"zone_15_0\" class=\"digome_advertising\"><ins id=\"revive-0-5\" data-revive-zoneid=\"15\" data-revive-id=\"b284fa4ee2b53b5c0fb16aa42e76910a\" data-revive-seq=\"5\" data-revive-loaded=\"1\">\n<div id=\"beacon_2efd326946\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/as2.paulickreport.com\/www\/delivery\/lg.php?bannerid=7586&amp;campaignid=296&amp;zoneid=166&amp;loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paulickreport.com%2Fnews%2Fthe-biz%2Fdel-mar-unveils-new-safety-measures-five-person-panel-to-review-all-entries%2F&amp;referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paulickreport.com%2F&amp;cb=2efd326946\" alt=\"\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" \/>In addition, the conditions of all horses stabled at Del Mar (approximately 1,850) will be thoroughly analyzed and reviewed by Del Mar&#8217;s racing department regularly with specific conditions (e.g., gaps in racing or workout activity) flagged for additional scrutiny.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/ins><\/span><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cSignificant thought, due diligence and stakeholder input went into the crafting of the reforms we are implementing this summer,\u201d said DMTC&#8217;s Tom Robbins.\u00a0\u201cAll of us recognize our responsibility to ensure the safety and welfare of the horses that race and train here.\u00a0We are very appreciative of the cooperation from industry stakeholders including our owners and trainers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In 2018 and 2017, Del Mar made a series of changes and adjustments focused on the safety of horses and riders, all of which will be continued in 2019.\u00a0They include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Reduction in Race Dates:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0DMTC reduced its summer racing season from eight weeks to seven, providing additional time to prepare the racing surfaces (after the San Diego County Fair) and to allow horses to acclimate to new surroundings. The reduction in days resulted in approximately $1 million less in net revenue.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>New director of racing surfaces maintenance:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0In 2017, DMTC hired Dennis Moore, widely considered the top track maintenance overseer in the industry. Moore immediately changed Del Mar&#8217;s banking and grading to conform with the other racing surfaces in Southern California, allowing an easy transition for horses competing in the Los Angeles-area. The cost of implementing these changes was approximately $1.5 million.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Fewer horses on the grounds:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0DMTC reduced the number of horses allowed on the grounds by roughly 15%; from approximately 2,100 to 1,850. Fewer horses alleviated demand for access to the main track during busy morning training hours, creating a safer training environment.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Adjusted morning workouts:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0DMTC allowed only \u201cworkers\u201d (those going at race speed, not joggers or gallopers) on the track for the first 10 minutes following the first two morning breaks.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Enhanced veterinary inspections:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0DMTC employed additional veterinarians to conduct pre-race inspections and monitor pre-race activities for starters, creating four distinct veterinary observation points for horses on race day.<\/span><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"li2\"><b><\/b><span class=\"s3\"><b>Racing Surfaces expert Dr. Mick Peterson:<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s4\">\u00a0DMTC enlisted the services of Dr. Mick Peterson, director of University of Kentucky&#8217;s Equine Ag Programs and Professor of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, widely recognized as the nation&#8217;s foremost track surfaces analyst.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The most recent Jockey Club Equine Injury Database ranked Del Mar as among the safest major racetracks in the country with a rate of 0.79 fatal injuries per 1,000 starts in 2018. The national average of tracks reporting was 1.68.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In addition, DMTC remains fully accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association&#8217;s Safety and Integrity Alliance for its upcoming season, having passed a complete review of equine and track safety protocols, injury reporting and prevention, medication testing, jockey health and safety best practices, wagering integrity and equine aftercare policies in October of 2017.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Del Mar will begin its 80th summer season on Wednesday, July 17 and race for 36 days through Labor Day Monday, September 2. Racing will be conducted five days a week from Wednesday through Sunday with a sixth day added on the closing week. First post daily is at 2 p.m. with the exceptions of Fridays when racing begins at 4 p.m.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-12398\" src=\"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Del-Mar-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/>Press Release: Building on industry-leading safety and welfare measures, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC), operators of San Diego County&#8217;s iconic horse racing venue at Del Mar, today announced a series of initiatives to enhance safety protocols and procedures as the track prepares to celebrate its 80th\u00a0season of racing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-whats-happening","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoroughbredpeople.com\/blogUS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}