Breeders' Cup Continues Safety Reforms, Hikes Purses

Six recommendations made by Dr. Larry Bramlage in the wake of Mongolian Groom's death at the 2019 Breeders' Cup World Championships will be adopted for the 2020 edition at Keeneland, Breeders' Cup announced March 3.

Reaffirming a continued commitment to using a leadership position within the industry to encourage the adoption of increased safety requirements within and beyond the World Championships, the organization Tuesday released a set of changes approved by the Breeders' Cup board at a regularly scheduled Feb. 25 meeting.

Breeders' Cup also announced a $4 million increase in purses, bringing total purses and awards for the two-day World Championships to $35 million.

Bramlage in his report released Jan. 15 (pages 18-21) recommended that Breeders' Cup: 

• Pre-identify horses before arrival which have historic indications of concerns that need to be investigated. Subsequent to arrival, horses from this “watch list” should receive particular attention and the regulatory veterinarians responsible for the final decision on the horse and all other veterinarians on the inspection team should be made aware to observe these horses at every opportunity. 

• Concentrate the responsibility for individual horse examinations, pairing two examiners, one local regulatory and one regulatory from the horse’s home jurisdiction, and charging them with the ultimate responsibility for an individual horse.

• Improve the quality of the on-track observation opportunity by designating an observation area at least 110 yards long (half a furlong) for "on track" examinations somewhere along the track, requesting all Breeders’ Cup horses trot this distance under tack as they enter the racetrack for exercise, no matter what exercise they are scheduled for. 

• Create an area somewhere in the barn area where the regulatory veterinarians could observe the horses on the "extra scrutiny" list jog in a circle in hand in both directions if they think necessary.

• Make diagnostic imaging, such as radiographs, nuclear scans, ultrasounds, MRI and PET scans an accepted part of the pre-race exams for selected horses. 

• Take advantage of all the video footage of the competitors available before the Breeders' Cup. Once horses are designated for "extra scrutiny," a conscious effort should be made to identify and view any existing video footage of the horses to get another assessment of the horse's gait. … When video footage of the horse trotting or "jogging" is created by the track or a
  
  wagering interest, it should be utilized by the veterinarians assigned to examine that horse.

"These process improvements are aimed at refining safety and veterinary evaluation protocols for future events," read the release from Breeders' Cup. "The report was the first of its kind as the Breeders' Cup leads by example in promoting transparency and accountability in Thoroughbred racing."

CROSBY: Breeders' Cup Releases Report on Mongolian Groom

Breeders' Cup also remains heavily involved in the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition's advocacy for the implementation of the 19 safety and integrity reforms announced in November and December, at the state and/or track level. To this end, in order to host a Breeders' Cup Challenge race, U.S. tracks that are not members of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition will be required to agree to adopt all 19 safety and integrity reforms that make up the Coalition platform and must demonstrate a good faith effort in implementing those reforms.

"The implementation of the increased safety measures outlined in the Bramlage report for our World Championships, along with the required adoption of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition safety and integrity reforms by racetrack partners hosting Breeders' Cup Challenge races, are the latest steps the Breeders' Cup has taken to strengthen its longstanding commitment to instituting the highest standards in the overall conduct of our racing programs," said Drew Fleming, Breeders' Cup president and CEO. 

Purse Levels

The purse increases begin with this year's event at Keeneland near Lexington Nov. 6-7. Purse payouts will also be modified to pay down to the 10th position from the current 8th position. Increases will be allocated as follows:

• $1 million to the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) for a total purse of $2 million
• $1 million to the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) for a total purse of $7 million
• $2 million to the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) for a total purse of $6 million

These increases put the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf tied for the richest grade/group 1 turf race in the world and solidify the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile as the richest dirt mile race worldwide. The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic remains the richest race in North America and the third richest grade/group 1 in the world. 

"These purse increases reflect the Breeders' Cup's mission to conduct the World Championships at the highest levels of quality and to keep our races competitive on the international stage," said Fleming. "Our decision to increase purse payouts to 10th place in all our races is a tribute to the loyal participation of our owners and trainers who support the World Championships each year."