Balch, CHRB Discuss Reducing Shoulder Fractures

Preventing shoulder fractures in racehorses was a major emphasis of a presentation by the task force regarding animal safety to the regular California Horse Racing Board meeting March 17, held via teleconference.

Alan Balch, executive director of California Thoroughbred Trainers and the leader of the task force, noted that shoulder fractures are prevalent because horses that suffer these injuries typically display subtle symptoms that can be hard to detect.

"Most symptoms are especially difficult to recognize without a clear understanding of when horses are at increased risk for them," Balch said. "Generally speaking, the factors are layoffs of 90 days or more and possibly a premature return to serious training once they've returned to a track or auxiliary facility."

Balch noted that the CHRB continuing education module on shoulder fractures is a good tool to aid trainers and others. After discussion, the board decided to weigh that module more heavily in the continuing education requirement for trainers to incentivize them to watch that module.

"All of the continuing education is important," said Balch. "But the shoulder one is such a specific subject matter, and everybody who has viewed it that I've talked to believes that it is really good and instructive."

Balch added that most trainers have taken the continuing education requirements seriously, but that CTT is working to bring it to 100% compliance.

The CHRB meeting also included approval of the distribution of proceeds from several tracks' charity racing days and adoption of CHRB Rule 1415 regarding public participation at meetings. The board approved a request from the California Authority of Racing Fairs to designate several fair meetings as a combined meet for pari-mutuel purposes to allow for carryovers.

The board welcomed new member Thomas Hudnut, who participated in his first meeting since being appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year. Hudnut filled a vacancy created by the expired term of commissioner Alex Solis, a retired Hall of Fame jockey. 

During prior CHRB meetings, Solis typically voted in agreement on contested issues with chairman Dr. Greg Ferraro and members Dennis Alfieri and Damascus Castellanos.

Vice-chairman Oscar Gonzales and members Brenda Davis and Wendy Mitchell regularly voted together, sometimes to assert more CHRB authority over California racing.

In one example from 2021, Gonzales, Davis, and Mitchell backed a shorter six-month license last year to Los Alamitos Race Course after the track experienced a spike in equine fatalities. In a later meeting, Solis cast the deciding vote in granting Los Alamitos its customary year license.

Hudnut has a long history working in education, retiring as a private school head in 2013.

Scott Chaney, in his executive director report, noted that the governor's emergency order allowing for teleconferences expires March 31. Thus, beginning with the April 21 CHRB meeting, the board is scheduled to return to in-person meetings with the April meeting to take place in Sacramento.