Improved Transparency Proposed at KHRC Meeting

Stating that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is committed to the "best interest of the horsemen, association, and racing industry as a whole," its chairman Jonathan Rabinowitz said Feb. 15 that the KHRC has begun the process for increased transparency in some of its regulatory duties.

The KHRC intends to examine its regulation that prohibits stewards, staff, and other KHRC representatives from commenting on rule violations or the examination of potential violations, Rabinowitz said Tuesday during the commission's regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

The move comes after the KHRC faced criticism in some circles for its silence related to the 2021 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), in which the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit  tested positive for betamethasone. A long-delayed stewards hearing was held Feb. 14, although KHRC officials would not even publicly confirm the date of the hearing.

An attorney for Baffert issued a statement following the hearing, while the KHRC did not.

Commission member Bill Landes commented: "We have all been through the process, and I think transparency and a more publicized process will allow us to be more effective commissioners, in that we will be perceived and we will know what is going on, which is not necessarily how we are perceived to be today. This is a breath of fresh air."

Also on Tuesday, equine medical director Bruce Howard brought to the floor a committee motion that will move partial funding forward for a study grant titled "Pre-Race Inflammation in Catastrophically Injured Horses" led by researcher Dr. Allen Page, scientist and veterinarian for the University of Kentucky. This study will identify novel messenger RNA targets, seeking to identify at-risk horses within the racing population.

KING: Kentucky EDRC Approves Additional Funds to mRNA Study

The third and last stage of this research requires a collection of pre-race samples in approximately 15,000 horses in California to validate the predictive value of these mRNA targets. Approval will fund up to $40,000 to help facilitate the costs in excess of $177,000.

The commission also approved proposed rule changes to workout requirements for horses returning to racing from a layoff. A horse coming off a 90-day layoff must have two published works prior to being entered, with one being within 20 days of entry date. A horse returning from a 180-day layoff will be required to have three published works, with the same requirement of one work within 20 days of race entry. Other proposed rule changes passed include allowing racing secretaries to uncouple entries with shared connections in any race, and requiring connections who claim a horse in Kentucky that wish to race outside the state to wait 30 days from the end of the Kentucky meet where the horse was claimed. These proposed changes were approved to be sent to the full commission by the Rules Committee Feb. 1. 

ANGST: KHRC to Consider New Rules on Workout Reporting

The commission has approved the backside improvement funds request for Churchill Downs from Jan. 26. These five improvements to both the racetrack and training track have been confirmed/validated by the KHRC staff, with an inspection to be carried out after completing the projects.

The approved regulation changes now go through the state's public notice and approval process, and could take up to nine months to be implemented.