Alan Marzelli

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Alan Marzelli

• Progress ReportThoroughbred Safety Committee

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Mission

• Review every aspect of equine health
• breeding practices
• medication
• rules of racing
• track surfaces
• Recommend actions to be taken by industry

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Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation

• Past 25 Years
• 15.5 million
• 239 projects
• 35 institutions

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Racing Medication and Testing Consortium
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Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summits
October 2006
March 2008
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(No Transcript)
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38 Racing Jurisdictions
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Industry Stakeholders
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Recommendations
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 The Thoroughbred Safety
Committee, with endorsements and pledged
cooperation from many prominent national
organizations in the Thoroughbred industry, today
announced that it is recommending the elimination
of steroids in race training and racing, a ban on
toe grabs, and a series of whip-related reforms,
all aimed at improving safety and integrity in
Thoroughbred racing.
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Toe Grabs
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Toe Grabs

• Low Toes (4 mm) Reg Toes (6 mm)
• Fatal musculoskeletal injuries 1.8 x
  3.5 x
• Cannon bone condylar fracture 7.0 x 17.1 x

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Toe Grabs

• Bill Casner

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Toe Grabs

• An immediate ban on toe grabs other than wear
  plates with a height no greater than two
  millimeters, and the elimination of bends, jar
  caulks, stickers and any other traction device
  worn on the front shoes of Thoroughbred horses
  while racing or training on all racing surfaces.

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Actions

• RCI Model Rules Committee
• restricted toe grabs to no more than 2 mm
• Kentucky, California and Louisiana
• adopted the shoeing recommendation 
• NYRA, Penn National, Keeneland, Turfway and
  Finger Lakes
• adopted house rules to institute the bans

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Actions

• TOBA Graded Stakes Committee
• adopted an eligibility requirement for graded
  stakes by requiring states or racetracks through
  house rules to adopt the RCI Model Rule on toe
  grabs by January, 1, 2009

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Steroids
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Steroids
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Steroids

• The immediate adoption by all North American
  racing authorities of the Racing Commissioners
  International Model Rule on Androgenic Anabolic
  Steroids, which was based on RMTC
  recommendations, that effectively eliminates the
  use of all anabolic steroids in the race training
  and racing of Thoroughbreds.

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Actions

• June 17, 2008
• 10 states had adopted the RMTC model rule on
  anabolic steroids
• 12 states were in the process
• October 6, 2008
• 16 have adopted the model rule
• 16 are in the process

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Actions

• TOBA Graded Stakes Committee
• adopted a new eligibility requirement for graded
  stakes by requiring states or racetracks through
  house rules to adopt the RCI Model Rule on
  steroids
• TRA board of directors
• member tracks committed to work with racing
  commissions in their jurisdictions to eliminate
  anabolic steroids by the end of 2008

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Actions

• Breeders Cup
• announced that any trainer who has a horse test
  positive for anabolic steroids at the 2008
  Breeders Cup World Championships will receive a
  one-year suspension from the event
• in 2009 the Breeders Cup will neither fund
  purses nor award Breeders Cup Challenge events
  to racetracks that have not adopted the RCI Model
  Rule on steroids

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Steroids
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Drug Testing and Laboratory Standards
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Drug Testing and Laboratory Standards

• With the goal of developing a world-class drug
  testing infrastructure in the United States, The
  Jockey Club is establishing and will fund a task
  forceto research and analyze U.S. and
  international equine drug testing in order to
  develop a business plan for the most efficient
  and cost-effective infrastructure for equine drug
  testing and research.

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Equine Injury Database
Barbaro
Photos New Bolton Center
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(No Transcript)
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Equine Injury Database
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Equine Injury Database
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Equine Injury Database

• Identify the frequency, types and outcome of
  racing injuries
• Identify markers for horses at increased risk of
  injury
• Serve as a data source for research directed at
  improving safety and preventing injuries

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Equine Injury Database

• Now that this system is fully operational, the
  Thoroughbred Safety Committee enthusiastically
  recommends an immediate and expanded level of
  support and participation from all racetracks,
  state racing authorities, horsemen and
  veterinarians to join together in the necessary
  reporting of racehorse injuries to the Equine
  Injury Database.

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Equine Injury Database

• No fee to participate
• 70 tracks have signed up (78 of racing days)

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Eight Belles Fallout
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Committee Philosophy

• The Data Shows
• not
• We Believe

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www.jockeyclub.com
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Future Study

• Lasix
• Racing surfaces
• Breeding trends
• Field size
• Treatment and use of ex-racehorses

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(No Transcript)
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Thoroughbred Safety Committee
www.thoroughbredsafety.com
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Alan Marzelli

• Progress ReportThoroughbred Safety Committee