Keeneland Video System Assists BC Safety, Integrity

A state-of-the-art video system at Keeneland will provide an added tool in efforts to ensure safety and integrity at this year's Breeders' Cup.

The high-definition system relies on cameras that allow views of each stall, key areas on the backstretch, and racetracks to allow for constant surveillance and evaluation of horses preparing to exercise, train, or race at the Lexington track. The system was largely in place for the spring meet and launched fully at the fall meeting.

Keeneland vice president of equine safety Dr. Stuart Brown said the system provides a number of benefits for the track, regulatory veterinarians, and horsemen. For instance, when used in conjunction with information from InCompass that can flag various horses of concern, vets can use the system for closer examinations of such horses. The computer system is capable of putting all available clips together of a horse walking from his stall, to the track, exercising on the track, and then his return to provide a complete picture for review.

In terms of integrity, the video barn surveillance is an added tool. All Breeders' Cup horses were required to check in by Nov. 1 at which point they will be observed, both through in-person security and the video system, around the clock through the starts of their races Nov. 4 or 5.

Breeders' Cup officials cited the system as a useful tool among its long list of protocols to ensure a high level of safety and integrity at this year's event. Breeders' Cup vice president and chief racing officer Dora Delgado was impressed after observing the system at work Tuesday.

"To say it's amazing is probably an understatement," Delgado said. "The camera quality and the ability to capture and isolate a particular horse on the racetrack, when there could be 200 horses out there, is just remarkable. This would be a gold standard that tracks should follow." 

Delgado noted the multiple angles and views available through the system could prove invaluable in assisting the 20 vets that will help oversee the event.

"Having those videos available to our veterinary team on any horse that we believe needs to go on the watch list—just for further review—has just been an incredible opportunity to implement that tool in our arsenal."

Breeders' Cup president and CEO Drew Fleming also welcomed the technology but stopped short of saying it would be required of future Breeders' Cup host tracks.

"Nothing's off the table with us, and obviously we're excited about it," Fleming said. 

Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said the track is sold on the benefits.

"I have to say adding it wasn't a very difficult decision," Arvin said. "Our mission is what's best for the horse, and it's very clear that having those tools at our fingertips would go a long way to making our track and barns as safe as they possibly could be."

Fleming noted that the start-of-the-art video system is just one of many examples of Keeneland's commitment to safety and integrity. 

"One of the best things about Keeneland is that we can be incredibly confident that they share our commitment to prioritizing the safety of our equine athletes, and the integrity of our sport above all else," Fleming said.

As the system retains video for 30 days, Brown noted it already has come in handy to determine who is visiting barns and has even been used to determine how a horse got loose one morning (a stall guard was left down). The track has made the system available to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission when the regulator is looking to fill in investigation details.

Brown said horsemen also see the benefits of having the system in place and how it could protect them by providing a fuller picture. He added that horsemen also have the option to log into the system to monitor their horses through a specific sign-in that allows them to check on their barn at any time.

Breeders' Cup outlined all of its integrity and safety efforts at a conference Nov. 2 at Keeneland that also included officials from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority outlining the safety rules now in place at tracks throughout the country while also providing an update on the progress of its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, which will go live Jan. 1, 2023, and be in place for next year's Breeders' Cup.

Fleming celebrated HISA's 2022 launch of its safety rules and said he looks forward to the ADMC soon being in place for United States racing.

"Breeders Cup has long had in place a set of standard-setting safety and integrity protocols," Fleming said. "Now we can be confident that our shared commitment to integrity and safety will extend beyond the two best days in racing to every Thoroughbred track and race in the country. The future looks very bright."

For this year's event, medication control requirements, pre- and post-race testing protocols, equine security and surveillance measures, veterinary exam procedures, injury management protocols, and racing surface testing include:

•    Randomized out-of-competition testing, which began around the world in June and concluded Oct. 31, resulting in the collection of nearly 350 blood and hair samples;

•    In-stall and on-track veterinary oversight during training and schooling at Keeneland; 

•    Comprehensive veterinary exams including diagnostics, as needed, which began Oct. 21 at Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Trackside, and the Thoroughbred Training Center;

•    Submission of 30-day treatment records by the attending veterinarian—a nationwide safety requirement under HISA; 

•    Mandatory trot-up observations of every horse prior to entering a racing surface;

•    An additional round of testing Nov. 1 for performance-enhancing medications and prohibited substances on all horses entered in a Breeders' Cup race, which when included with the randomized testing throughout the year adds up to more than 520 blood, hair, and urine samples collected from horses prior to the World Championships; and

•    Extensive post-race testing of the first four finishers as well as any other runner that does not perform as expected and others designated by the stewards.

Dr. Will Farmer and Dr. Deborah Lamparter, who together lead the Breeders' Cup veterinarian team, will work in coordination with KHRC equine medical director Dr. Bruce Howard, chief veterinarian Dr. Nick Smith, and other regulatory veterinarians in addition to Brown and Keeneland racing safety officer Dr. George Mundy to administer comprehensive exam protocols. Besides observing all potential Breeders' Cup runners in the stable area and in their stalls leading up to the event, these protocols include a mandatory pre-race evaluation on race day to ensure every runner is fit to race. 

To ensure the safety of the surface, top racing surface experts Mick Peterson, University of Kentucky Racetrack Safety Program director; Jim Pendergest, Keeneland director of racing surfaces; and track superintendent Alfredo Laureano will oversee surface testing and track maintenance. These activities will be informed by Keeneland's state-of-the-art safety monitoring system on its track surfaces.

These efforts aim to ensure consistency in both dirt and turf surfaces, measuring moisture content and footing across the track and course while providing participants with real-time updates on conditions.

Additional resources detailing Breeders' Cup's health and safety protocols for the 2022 World Championships can be found here.