CHRB Moves Forward on Transfer of Vet Records

The California Horse Racing Board unanimously decided Aug. 23 to move forward on a proposal that would require veterinary records of joint injections to be transferred to the new connections of a claimed horse.

The commissioners in attendance—four of six currently on the board—participated in a short discussion over the issue, which has been a point of contention since 2016, then approved the proposal to be sent out for a 45-day public comment period during the CHRB's scheduled monthly meeting Thursday at Del Mar.

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The measure would require a claimed horse's previous connections to disclose "all intra-articular injections given to the horse by the previous CHRB-licensed attending veterinarian within 60 calendar days prior to the race in which the horse was claimed."

The CHRB was presented with two forms that could have been used and chose the simpler option, which did not include "optional" fields to also disclose immunizations, de-worming, bisphosphonates use, and history of surgeries, "tie ups," equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, and colic. Dr. Rick Arthur, CHRB equine medical director, said the use of the "optional" fields on the form may be revisited but indicated it could be considered "a violation of confidentiality" if the veterinarian filling out the form did not discuss disclosure with the horse's ownership.

Dr. Robert O'Neil, The Stronach Group's equine health and safety director, has been one of the more outspoken supporters of the proposal, and he reiterated his opinion Thursday.

"As I've said many times, we've done this in Florida (at Gulfstream Park), and the claiming rule has done excellent down there," O'Neil said. "We've had no pushback. The joint injections are decreasing. Every time I look at the list—we've gone from 25-30% with injections, and now we're down to the teens right now.

"The more this is done, the more the veterinarians and trainers all realize how important it is and how it does protect the welfare of the horse. It does protect these horses."

California Thoroughbred Trainers executive director Alan Balch, who has raised concerns regarding the transfer of vet records on multiple occasions, said those concerns have been addressed.

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"If we had any objections, we would have been up there saying something," said Balch, who attended the CHRB meeting at Del Mar. "The concerns have been addressed in the various iterations."