NYRA Press Release on Injury Dispute

Here is a full copy of the NYRA Press Release disputing the New York Times story...


NYRA CHALLENGES NEW YORK TIMES ANALYSIS OF HORSE INJURIES
 
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) challenges the analysis of horse injuries put forth by the New York Times in their front page article published on Sunday, March 25.
 
The Times developed a metric for the article referred to as an “incident rate,” defined as the number of times a set of terms (see next paragraph) appeared in official data per 1,000 horse starts. Under this metric, for example, Saratoga Race Course was assigned an incident rate of 5.5 for the years 2009 through 2011. It will be demonstrated below why this incident rate is incorrect, why the methodology behind it is faulty, and how that methodology may lead to misleading results.
 
The Times’ research method was explained in a sidebar entitled “How the Times Analyzed Data on Horse Injuries” published online at nytimes.com. The article stated that, “To assess how often horses break down or get injured, The Times purchased official data covering more than 150,000 race results from 2009 through 2011. The data are compiled by trained ‘chart callers,’ and used to compile results charts that bettors use to evaluate horses. The Times searched the data for terms indicating that a horse encountered a physical problem: broke down, vanned off, injured, lame, euthanized, died, collapsed, bleeding, or went wrong.”
 
NYRA asserts that it is unreliable and potentially deceptive for the Times to rely on chart callers’ descriptions of the running of a race to estimate how often horses get injured.  Chart callers are trained to describe the manner in which a race is run, not to “assess how often horses break down or get injured.” Chart callers do not follow up with trainers or veterinarians to determine whether or not a horse has suffered an injury during a race.
 
Horses may be vanned off for many reasons that have nothing to do with an injury. For example, a jockey may pull up a horse if he or she believes the horse has taken a bad step. In cases like this, the horse is often vanned off as a precaution. This is a common scenario and often the horse is not found to have any physical problems.
 
For example, during Race 4 at Saratoga Race Course on August 25, 2010, the chart caller comment for Santo Gato reads, “pulled up, vanned off.” This would therefore be included in the Times report as an “incident.” Following trainer and veterinary examinations, nothing was found to be wrong with Santo Gato. He ran 16 days later at Presque Isle Downs on September 10, 2010 and has run 19 times since, posting three victories.
 
NYRA’s analysis reveals that of the horses that were vanned off at Saratoga Race Course from 2009 through 2011, 19 came back to race, making a total of 149 starts through the end of March 2012. The Thoroughbred Times, in an article posted online Wednesday, April 4, reported that by subtracting these horses that returned to the races, the New York Times incident rate at Saratoga Race Course drops from 5.5 to 3.23.
 
NYRA concludes, therefore, that there is plausible cause to regard the New York Times’ incident rate metric as faulty and to consider that its purported goal of assessing “how often horses break down or get injured” leads to misleading and incorrect results.
 
The Jockey Club released its updated North American fatality rate for thoroughbreds on March 22, based on three years of data collected in the Equine Injury Database, the North American database for racing injuries. For the racing industry as a whole, the prevalence of fatal injury per 1,000 starts was 1.98 for 2009, 1.88 for 2010 and 1.88 for 2011. At Saratoga, the prevalence of fatal injury per 1,000 starts was 0.98 for 2009, 1.52 for 2010, and 0.93 for 2011, among the lowest rates of any race track in North America.
 
This consistent safety record contributes to Saratoga Race Course’s status as one of the best thoroughbred meets in the country, drawing the best horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, and fans.
 
NYRA has an extensive list of safety and integrity policies and procedures in place at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.  All three tracks have earned accreditation from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance. NYRA is the only jurisdiction in the United States where official racetrack vets administer Lasix, preventing private vets from entering a horse’s stall on race day. NYRA also employs best practices for pre-race exams, during which vets conduct comprehensive exams during the morning on every horse entered to race that day.
 
NYRA was the first racing jurisdiction to implement a jockey advocate program, designed to assist jockeys taken to area hospitals after an accident. Under the program, a Registered Nurse serving as the jockey advocate is on call during all NYRA races. If a rider is taken to the hospital, the jockey advocate meets the injured rider at the hospital to ensure that he or she is well cared for, and assist both jockey and family members with medical and administrative matters. NYRA also adopted a system originally conceived by Keeneland and created in collaboration with InCompass that uses a secure online database to store jockeys’ updated medical histories and makes it possible for emergency medical personnel at racetracks to instantly access that information.
 
NYRA has also partnered with the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA), the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. (NYTB) on a number of initiatives aimed at developing second career opportunities for thoroughbreds who have been retired from racing.
 
The recently-announced TAKE2 program creates new avenues for thoroughbreds after their racing days are over by expanding the demand for the breed in the horse show world. In addition, NYRA and NYTHA, as well as NYTB, have signed on to contribute to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s new program to retrain and adopt out as many as 100 horses per year retired from NYRA tracks. NYRA and NYTHA’s financial commitment to these efforts totals more than $250,000.
 
Additionally, NYRA and NYTHA joined a broad-based group of thoroughbred industry stakeholders that recently announced the establishment of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) – an organization designed to serve as both the accrediting body for aftercare facilities that care for thoroughbreds following the conclusion of their racing careers and a fundraising body to support these approved facilities.
 

The Derby Dollars

Now that there are just three major Kentucky Derby preps left, the chances to earn that crucial money to make it into the starting gate are evaporating quickly.

Three talented horses that were on the "money bubble." took care of business on Saturday. Most notably, Eskendereya's (left) eye opening 9 3/4-length win in the Wood vaulted him to $600,000 in Graded Stakes earnings. According to my unofficial tally, that's #5 on the list.

The wire-to-wire Santa Anita Derby victory for Sidney's Candy (right) propelled him #4 ($630,000) on the list while American Lion rose to #10 ($378,000) after he captured the Illinois Derby.

Ironically, the runner-ups in the Wood and Santa Anita Derby could well be left out of the Derby. Jackson Bend, the Wood second place finisher, moved up to #17 with $230,000, but could easily be passed next weekend. Santa Anita Derby runner-up Setsuko, is in even more peril as he has $180,000 and is tied with two others (A Little Warm and Odysseus) at #24.

Others notables that are in even more trouble are:

#28 - Pleasant Prince - $162,500

Florida Derby runner-up may run one more time

#29 - Tempted to Tapit - $156,000

Trainer indicated that he may skip the Derby because of insufficient earnings

#30 - Caracortado - $153,000

Fourth in Santa Anita Derby and unlikely to run again before Derby

#31 - Connemara - $138,500

Todd Pletcher has not said if he will run again after finishing 3rd in Lane's End

#32 - Schoolyard Dreams - $137,500

Fourth in Wood Memorial and unlikely to run again before Derby

#35 - Drosselmeyer - $94,500

Third place finisher in Louisiana Derby likely to run in Coolmore Lexington

The money drama will continue over the next two weeks but three horses and their connections can rest easy.

Santa Anita Derby photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire

The New King of New York

Going into the Wood Memorial there were a lot of unanswered questions and chief among them was if Eskendereya was the real deal. It didn't take him long to silence a lot of his critics as he rolled to a 9 3/4-length victory over Jackson Bend.

On a foggy and unexpectedly chilly afternoon at Aqueduct, the well bred son of Giant's Causeway sat just off the lead and then rolled up on the outside on the far turn and cruised home to the easy and eye opening victory.

After the race, trainer Todd Pletcher, who is seeking his first Derby winner, was ecstatic after the race.

"It's amazing," he said. "The further he goes, the stronger he gets....We've never had a horse we know could handle the mile and a quarter and we've not had one put together a couple of preps like this one. We've had some good prep wins but none as impressive as these two."

Those are strong words from one of the bests trainer in America. And there certainly have been many, many horses who have come into the Derby with a lot of hype and failed to deliver but you rarely hear this kind of praise from Pletcher.

Rounding out the finish in the Wood was Awesome Act, Schoolyard Dreams, Carnivore and Most Happy Fella.

Only time will tell if he indeed beat a great field in the Wood Memorial. You should expect to see Jackson Bend and Awesome Act also move on to Louisville.

"These guys have to run against Muhammad Ali (Eskendereya)," said trainer Nick Zito, who conditioned Jackson Bend. "That's smokin' Joe Frazier (Jackson Bend). Eskendereya just proved himself a monster. For Jackson Bend, you can not give him enough credit. I am very proud of him...We're going to Kentucky and see what happens. Kentucky is a place for a horse to get good...One thing we do know - Eskendereya is in a class by himself."

"My horse was not suited by the pace," said Awesome Act's trainer Jeremy Noseda. "It was a great performance by the winner but for my horse the pace was wrong. He lost a shoe coming out of the gate, which didn't help. We'll move on to Kentucky and go from there."

The Wood has produced 20 Derby winners and the last won to capture both the Wood and Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus (2000). (Fusaichi Pegasus was sent off as the Derby favorite)

The bottom line is that at least for one day, we saw a horse with all the tools to win the "Run for the Roses" and should help Pletcher break his 0-for-Derby streak he would love to eradicate.

Derby Trainer in Trouble?

Ed DeRosa at Thoroughbred Times wrote a story on trainer Jeff Mullins (pictured on far right) Sunday afternoon which alleges that Mullins attempted to administer an over-the-counter cough suppressant called Air Power to Gato Go Win. The horse was slated to run in the Bay Shore Stakes, part of the Wood Memorial Day card on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Giving a horse cough medicine certainly seems fairly innocuous and the story might be a little overblown. But if proved true by the New York Racing Stewards, shame on Mullins for being stupid enough to walk into a barn under surveillance with a syringe.

The Thoroughbred Times story was clear to point out that I Want Revenge, the likely Kentucky Derby favorite after winning the Wood Memorial, was not administered any medication on race day so he would appear to be in the clear.

The simple fact is that the last thing Thoroughbred Racing needs is another black eye. Racing has had a knack over the last few years to "take one step forward and then two steps back."

Mullins may have simply tried to give Gato Go Win cough medicine if he came down with an ailment. Let's hope that's the case.

The Derby is less than a month away and it's the one time of year where non-racing fans pay attention to the sport and a chance to garner more fans which the sport desperately needs. The last thing you want in the days and weeks leading up to the "Run for the Roses" are more and more questions about illegal medication and the perception that most trainers in the game cheat to win.

Those questions hounded Richard Dutrow, Jr. through the Triple Crown run of Big Brown last year as he's had a checkered reputation over the years. Now it appears that Mullins maybe in the media bulls eye if the allegations prove true.

Mullins, who has been busted in the past for equine drug positives needs to come out and tackle the issue head on. Anything short of that will leave a potential black cloud hanging over one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

(photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)

Sunday Follow-up

The racing world is abuzz about I Want Revenge's win in Saturday's Wood Memorial. The visually impressive performance will make him the Kentucky Derby favorite pending a blowout by someone in next week's Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland or the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn.

I Want Revenge (shown on far right) will get plenty of time to adjust to life under the Twin Spires as he leaves for Churchill Downs on Monday. Not that spending nearly a month training at Churchill Downs guarantees a victory but trainer Jeff Mullins is doing the right thing.

I Want Revenge has already made two round trips from Los Angeles to New York so limiting his travel is a smart move for a young horse. Be curious how many days trainer Jeff Mullins will spend in Louisville but he is not a Derby rookie.

"He came out of the race real well," Mullins said from Aqueduct this mornning. "We had him out this morning, went over him from head to toe and everything looks good."

For those who love numbers (like me), the Daily Racing Form has their trademarked Beyer Speed Figures. There haven't been many 3-year-olds on the Road the Derby with Beyer Figures over 100.

I Want Revenge ran a 113 in the Gotham last month so I wondered if he could top that lofty figure. Meanwhile, Pioneerof the Nile, who won Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, had never broken 100 in any race. After going to drf.com, here are the Beyer numbers for yesterday.

I Want Revenge's - 103
Pioneerof the Nile - 96

That's good news for both horses. The 96 for Pioneerof the Nile is his career best and I Want Revenge dropped 10 points from his Gotham victory but that should bode well for him in the Derby.

The interesting part to keep in mind is that Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge went head-to-head twice in California and Pioneerof the Nile won both matchups. Keep in mind the racetracks in California are the artificial kind while Aqueduct and Churchill Downs have the
"traditional dirt."

When Pioneerof the Nile starts in the Derby, it will be his first start on "traditional dirt." That will bear close watching.

The mystery race of Saturday was Musket Man in the Illinois Derby. He is getting hot at the right time and quietly has posted an impressive career record of five wins in six starts. Win or lose in the Kentucky Derby, their owners got a bargain when they bought the colt at auction at Keeneland for just $17,000.

(Photo Courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)

Super Impressive Win For I Want Revenge

Every once in a while at the track, you see a performance that takes your breath away and leaves you shaking your head saying to yourself "how did he do that?" Saturday at Aqueduct, I saw one of those incredible feats in horse racing.

I Want Revenge, the big favorite in the Wood Memorial, gave the field a nice head start as the race began but overcame the adversity at the starting gate (on the far right) and through a rough stretch run to win the $750,000 Kentucky Derby prep race in New York.

Most times when a horse is "left at the gate", the horse gets discouraged and doesn't run or the horse make his or her run and then tires. I Want Revenge's trainer, Jeff Mullins, summed it up perfectly.

"When he missed the break, I was already heading back to the barn at that point....I thought we were done. I didn't know we had a chance."

When you see the final margin of victory of 1 1/2 lengths and the final time of 1:49.49, it doesn't seem very impressive. But, much like a box score of a basketball game when a player doesn't score a lot of points but did all the intangibles to help the team win, jockey Joe Talamo and I Want Revenge did what they had to do to win and then some.

After falling behind at the start, Talamo guided I Want To Revenge along the inside and started to make up ground slowly and steadily. Then, as the field began its turn for home, I Want Revenge made his way to fifth and then had to wait for the wall of horses in front of him to clear. Once the hole opened, Talamo bulled his way through and took the lead just before the finish line.

An impressive win to be sure.

"He had every trouble you could have in a race and still overcome it," Mullins said. "It tells me he's a pretty nice horse. That's as good as it gets right there. We've got one more show to go and if he can win that one, he's a pretty special animal."

Also smiling after the race were owners David Lanzman and IEAH Stables. IEAH just purchased 50% of the horse earlier in the week and must have had a little "deja vu." IEAH was one of the owners of 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown when the colt overcame starting in the 20th position in the gate to post one of the most impressive wins in the Derby.

Oh by the way, in case you care, the complete order of finish for the Wood was: I Want Revenge, West Side Bernie, Just a Conicidence, Atomic Rain, Imperial Council, Cellar Dweller, Lord Justice and Lime Rickey.

The biggest disappointment of the day was Imperial Council's fifth place finish. Although the horse flipped over in the paddock before the race, trainer Shug McGaughey made no excuses and said "There's no chance he's going to the Kentucky Derby."

Looking at the overall Kentucky Derby picture, the list of legitimate contenders is shrinking rapidly. Pioneerof the Nile won the Santa Anita Derby but was not impressive. Musket Man captured the Illinois Derby but beat a very, very weak field.

This day belonged to I Want Revenge and he will be your Kentucky Derby favorite and my choice for the "Run for the Roses."

(photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)