Boutique Meets Have Unique Safety Concerns

As the all-important meetings begin this week at Del Mar and Saratoga Race Course, the Equine Medical Directors in California and New York have been busy staying atop both the usual risks in racing as well as issues that need special attention for boutique meets.

New York State Gaming Commission Equine Medical Director Dr. Scott Palmer and his California Horse Racing Board counterpart Dr. Rick Arthur earlier this year at the Association of Racing Commissioners International conference noted that such meets present their own unique concerns.

Palmer is working to improve on last year, which according to the Equine Injury Database saw 1.83 fatalities per 1,000 starts at Saratoga. Not only is that rate slightly above the 1.61 rate for North America, it comes just two years after Saratoga registered a laudable rate of 0.59. Last year's difficulties served as a reminder for Palmer that equine safety figures probably won't get to the point where the victory flag will be raised, but will instead require steadfast attention.

"We don't like to talk about a boutique meet having increased risk. A boutique meet is a very, very important part of the racing program; extremely important. So I'm in no way saying we shouldn't have  boutique meets," Palmer said. "You do have to accept that there are going to be some unusual risk factors at any boutique meet and you have to design protective factors to mitigate that risk."

In talking with horsemen, track veterinarians, and racing executives, Palmer found boutique meet concerns including pressure to win, potential stress on young horses being asked to win early, a high percentage of horses shipping in, which requires equine competitors to adjust to a new surface and sees regulatory vets assessing horses they have not previously observed; horses dropping in class in search of victory; and non-racing events ahead of the meeting that can delay track work.

Palmer noted that oftentimes, including last year, most equine injury problems occurred early—the first two weeks—in the short meeting. 

With those problems identified, the NYSGC added a regulatory vet to watch horses work in the morning and contact horsemen who may have a horse flagged under the Jockey Club InCompass Solutions program for an issue of concern. This year Palmer said the goal, working with Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory executive director Mick Peterson, was to have the main track in racing condition one week before the meeting.

Del Mar experienced problems in 2016 with a 3.01 equine fatality rate. CHRB executive director Rick Baedeker credited Arthur's efforts for working with InCompass to flag horses of concern, like horses 4 or older making their debuts, horses who haven't started in 120 days or more, horses on the stewards' list for poor performance or the vet's list, and horses of concern observed in the morning by vets or clockers.

At the July 12 CHRB meeting, Baedeker said similar safety measures, including an extra regulatory vet, will be in place this year.

Arthur said horsemen, vets, and regulators all need to work toward as safe a racing environment as possible. He noted that there's an added spotlight on these types of meets that requires the sport to put its best foot forward.