Modern video system at Keeneland will provide an additional tool in efforts to ensure safety and integrity at this year’s Breeders’ Cup.
A high-definition system that relies on cameras allowing views of each stall, key areas on the backseat and the track to enable continuous monitoring and evaluation of horses preparing for exercise or training. or race at the Lexington racetrack. The system was largely adopted for the spring meeting and fully launched at the fall meeting.
Keeneland vice president for equine safety, Dr Stuart Brown said the system offers a number of benefits to racetracks, regulated veterinarians and riders. For example, when used in conjunction with information from InCompass that may flag different horses of interest, veterinarians can use the system to examine those horses more closely. The computer system is capable of combining all available clips of a horse walking from his stall to the track, exercising on the track, and then his back to provide a complete picture for review.
In terms of integrity, video inventory monitoring is an additional tool. All Breeders’ Cup horses must register by November 1, at which point they will be observed, both through live security and the video system, around the clock until the start of the race. theirs on November 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 racing director Dora Delgado was impressed after observing the system at work Tuesday.
“To say it’s great is probably an understatement,” says Delgado. “The quality of the camera and the ability to catch and isolate a specific horse on a track, when there could be 200 horses out there, is remarkable. This will be the gold standard that racetracks should follow.”
Delgado notes that the many angles and perspectives available through the system could prove invaluable in assisting the 20 veterinarians who will help oversee the event.
“Providing those videos to our veterinary team of any horses that we believe should be on the watch list — just for further consideration — is both a great opportunity for public that tool in our arsenal.’
Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming also welcomed the technology but stopped short of saying it would be a requirement of future Breeders’ Cup host races.
“There’s nothing worth discussing with us, and we’re obviously very excited about that,” Fleming said.
Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said the track is sold based on interest.
“I must add that it was not a very difficult decision,” Arvin said. “Our mission is to do what’s best for the horse and it’s very clear that having those tools at our fingertips will go a long way to making our racetracks and barns safe. possible.”
Fleming notes that the advanced video system is just one of many examples of Keeneland’s commitment to safety and integrity.
“One of the greatest things about Keeneland is that we can be extremely confident that they share a commitment to prioritizing the safety of equestrians and the integrity of our sport,” says Fleming. I.
As the system stores video for 30 days, Brown notes that it has been very useful for identifying who is visiting the stalls and has even been used to determine how loose a horse is on a given day. morning (a barn guard was left behind). The track provided the system to the Kentucky Equestrian Commission as the regulator was looking to fill in the details of the investigation.
Brown said riders also see the benefits of having the system and how it can protect them by providing a more complete picture. He added that horsemen also have the option of logging into the system to monitor their horses through a specific login allowing them to check their stables at any time.
Breeders’ Cup outlined all of its integrity and safety efforts at a November 2 conference in Keeneland, including officials from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority outlining the The safety rule is currently in place at races across the country and provides an update on the progress of its Anti-Doping and Drug Control Program, which will go into effect January 1. 2023, and applied to the following year’s Breeders’ Cup.
Fleming celebrates HISA’s 2022 launch of its safety rules and said he looks forward to ADMC being applied to US racing soon.
“The Breeders Cup has long had a standard set of integrity and safety protocols,” says Fleming. “We can now be confident that our shared commitment to integrity and safety will extend beyond the best two days of racing to every Thoroughbred track and track in the country. looks very bright.”
For this year’s event, the drug control requirements, pre- and post-race inspection procedures, monitoring and security measures for horses, veterinary testing procedures, injury management and control procedures, are also required. Race surface inspection includes:
• Random out-of-competition testing, which began around the world in June and ended on October 31, resulted in the collection of nearly 350 blood and hair samples;
• On-site veterinary supervision and monitoring during training and attendance at Keeneland;
• Comprehensive veterinary exams including diagnosis, if needed, beginning October 21 in Keeneland, Churchill DownsTrackside, and Thoroughbred Training Center;
• Filing a 30-day treatment by a veterinarian – a nationwide safety requirement under HISA;
• Mandatory observation of each horse before entering the racetrack surface;
• An additional test November 1 for performance-enhancing drugs and prohibited substances on all Breeders’ Cup horses, when included in a random test in throughout the year, blood, fur and urine will amount to more than 520 samples collected from horses prior to the world championships; and
• Extensive post-race checks on the first four finishers as well as any other runners who failed to meet expectations and others designated by the manager.
Dr Will Farmer and Dr Deborah Lamparter, who jointly lead the Breeders’ Cup team of veterinarians, will be collaborating with KHRC equine medical director Dr Bruce Howard, chief veterinarian Dr Nick Smith, and other veterinarians besides Brown and Keeneland’s Racing Safety Officer, Dr. George Mundy to manage the comprehensive exam procedures. In addition to observing all potential Breeders’ Cup runners in the stable area and in their stalls prior to the event, these procedures include mandatory pre-race assessment on race day to ensure Make sure all athletes are fit enough to participate in the race.
To ensure the safety of the surface, leading racetrack surface experts Mick Peterson, Director of the University of Kentucky Track Safety Program; Jim Pendergest, Keeneland Director of Racing Surfaces; and track manager Alfredo Laureano will oversee surface inspections 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 on both dirt and grass surfaces, measure humidity and footsteps on the track and course, and provide participants with up-to-date information on conditions in real time. .
More resources detailing the Breeders’ Cup health and safety protocols for the 2022 World Championship can be found here.
