Posted: 3/5/2010

I hate to rain on Equibase and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s bad news parade, but there was some good news in horse racing’s monthly economic indicators released on Thursday.

Average daily handle for the month of February increased by 4.80% in comparison to 2009 figures. Average daily purses were up by 4.29% in February. Year-to-date figures for average daily handle are virtually dead-even (down 0.14%), as is the number for average daily purses (plus 0.81%).

Those are signs, like the few glimmers of hope in the general economy, that our worst days may be behind us.

Why, then, did Equibase and NTRA only report the bad news, that gross wagering and purses were down double digits? The business figures compiled by Equibase make things look terribly bleak: gross handle down 13% in February and purses down 13.43% from 2010, and year-to-date figures down 12.51% and 11.67% in those respective categories.

They include the total number of racing days for February and for the year to date, which show drastic declines of 16.99% and 12.38%. We are not going to increase gross handle with we run nearly 17% fewer race days. Those gross numbers do not tell the complete picture, and an organization like the NTRA should be doing a better job of interpreting its own economic indicators.

The good news about February and handle comes on the heels of Fasig-Tipton’s successful sale of 2-year-olds in training at Calder race course in South Florida.

There has been severe weather this year in many parts of the country, reducing the number of race days because of cancellations. But some tracks are simply running fewer live dates, a trend that we’ll see more and more of going forward.

The days being dropped intentionally by racetracks are going to be weekdays when handle and purses are lower, so it’s logical to expect average daily numbers to increase when weekend cards represent 50% of the week’s action on a four-day racing week instead of 40% on a five-day week. Del Mar saw its average daily numbers increase last year when the Southern California track dropped its Monday programs.

So, part of this increase in average betting and purses for February is likely due to the loss of more weekday programs than weekends. The message here is that less can be more.

Call me a contrarian, since other publications focused on the negatives—the drop in gross purses and handle. However, I’m willing to take any scrap of good news I can find these days.

Date Posted: 3/5/2010 8:32:28 AM Last Updated: 3/5/2010 8:32:28 AM

Struggling with state budget cuts, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has cut schedule horse racing dates by more than half, the state agency announced March 3.

Racing dates in Michigan were cut last year by the Michigan Office of Racing Commissioner, but most of them were restored after negotiations with the racing industry. It remains to be seen if that will occur again in 2010.

The MGCB, in a presentation, outlined the reduction of revenue for horse racing and the steps needed to bring racing schedules in line with the budget. The revisions go through Sept. 30, the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year, though more racing dates had been awarded beyond that date.

Pinnacle Race Course lost 34 days, meaning it will race 31 days from June 4-Aug. 13, with racing Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays. The meet traditionally runs through early fall.

Dates at three harness tracks were similarly reduced. In all, the MGCD said there will be 112 racing dates through Sept. 30, down from the 261 approved dates.

In a statement, the Michigan Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association said: “Efforts are under way to challenge the cut and amount stated as the cost-per to regulate a live race day by ORC staff.”

A historical comparison provided by the MGCB shows how pari-mutuel handle and revenue have declined in Michigan.

In 2005, there were 548 live racing dates, total handle of $309.7 million, and revenue of $10 million. In 2009, there were 276 racing dates, $203.3 million in handle, and $6.85 million in revenue.

A day after the MGCB took its action, the harness racing industry in Michigan was hit with the news of a State Police investigation into alleged race-fixing at three harness tracks. Up to 30 people may be involved, according to published reports.

Posted: Thursday, March 04, 2010 4:28 PM

As chairman of a Kentucky Senate committee, Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown) plans to introduce added-gambling legislation to help the state’s Thoroughbred industry next week.

In January, Thayer said he planned to file a bill to allow Instant Racing, machines that show historic races and have been ruled to be a form of pari-mutuel wagering in Arkansas.

Thayer is poised to move forward on the proposals as chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee.

“I will offer a series of proposals to implement a targeted package to assist the horse industry,” Thayer said. “I look forward to my colleagues in the Senate voting on this important legislation which will soon be considered by the committee.”

Kentucky Republicans favor putting expanded gambling issues, such as adding slot machines, before state voters. Thayer said his research indicates more than 80% of Republicans favor voting on a constitutional amendment to expand gambling as opposed to having the General Assembly implement it.

Instant Racing could prove to be a compromise.

During the current session in the Kentucky House, Representative Harry Moberly Jr. (D-Richmond) has proposed a bill that would allow Instant Racing and games of skill. Games of skill are similar to slot machines but include some decision-making on the part of the player.

Senate President David Williams (R-Burkesville), who last year opposed House legislation that would have allowed video lottery terminals at Kentucky tracks, told the Louisville Courier-Journal he believes Instant Racing could be added without a constitutional amendment. He does not support games of skill.

Last year, the Kentucky House passed a bill that would allow VLTs at racetracks, but it failed to advance out of committee in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Posted 3/4/2010, 6:37 pm

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As part of its objective to cut $4.3 million in stakes purses from last year, the New York Racing Association trimmed a total of approximately $1.4 million from its stakes program for the Belmont spring/summer and Saratoga meetings, according to a schedule that was released Thursday.

The expanded Saratoga meet - now 40 days instead of 36 - will include 52 stakes worth $10.875 million compared with 48 stakes worth $11.17 million in 2009. The most notable change at Saratoga is that the Ruffian, for fillies and mares, and traditionally run at the Belmont fall meet, has been moved to Aug. 1, taking the place of the Go for Wand, which has been furloughed. NYRA officials had said they would likely eliminate one of the older filly and mare stakes and P.J. Campo, NYRA's vice president/director of racing, said the downgrading of the Go for Wand to a Grade 2 made that the one to cut.

Saratoga picks up the $250,000 Coaching Club American Oaks from Belmont Park and will run it on the opening Saturday, July 24. The distance has been changed to 1 1/8 miles, making it a stepping-stone to the Alabama at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 21. The purse of the Alabama has been cut by $100,000 to $500,000. Other Grade 1 races such as the Ballerina, King's Bishop, Forego, Spinaway and Hopeful had their purses cut by $50,000 to $250,000. That conforms to the North American Graded Stakes Committee's requirement that all Grade 1 races be worth a minimum of $250,000 as opposed to $300,000 in 2009.

The Woodward, which had its purse raised to $750,000 during last year's meet to lure Rachel Alexandra, will keep its purse at that level and be run Sept. 4. A week earlier, Aug. 28, is the biggest day of the meet with five stakes anchored by the $1 million Travers.

The Belmont spring/summer meet feature 33 stakes worth $7.4 million, compared with 36 stakes worth $8.5 million in 2009. The meet runs from April 30 to July 18.

Traditional stakes such as the Peter Pan, Tom Fool, Nassau County, and Poker have been eliminated from the 2010 schedule. Also, races such as the Metropolitan, Suburban, and New York handicaps had their purses slashed by $100,000 while the Ogden Phipps, Mother Goose, and Prioress had their purses dropped by $50,000.

The Man o' War and Jaipur have had their purses increased by $100,000 and $50,000 respectively, with those supplements coming from the Breeders' Cup, according to Campo.

The Dwyer, traditionally run in July, has been moved to May 8, replacing the Peter Pan as this circuit's traditional prep for the $1 million Belmont Stakes, which will be run on June 5.

NYRA does not plan to release its Belmont fall stakes scheduled until July, Campo said. However, one notable change for the fall meet is that the Kelso will now be run on the dirt instead of the turf. The race will serve as a prep for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Campo said that NYRA is planning to cut $4.3 million from its stakes purses in order to hold overnight purses at their current levels. According to Campo, stakes purses will make up about 28 percent of the total purse money paid out, as compared to 30 to 32 percent as in years past.

Date Posted: 3/5/2010 11:15:36 AM

House Speaker Robert DeLeo reignited the debate over expanded gambling in Massachusetts March 4, proposing to build two casinos and add slot machines at the state's four racetracks to generate badly needed revenue and create jobs for blue-collar workers.

In a speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, DeLeo said expanded gambling would complement recent tax investments in expanding the life sciences and clean energy sectors. While those have boosted white-collar employment, he said, blue-collar workers in the construction and service industries continue to suffer.

“I have cautioned before and I will caution again: Gaming is not a panacea," DeLeo said. “But it is a plan that creates a new economic sector and new jobs in Massachusetts when we need them most.” DeLeo said he will file a bill later this month.

“The time for talk has passed," he said. “We now have to move on. We now have to take action.”

The speaker aimed to soften expected opposition, saying the bill will propose using a portion of anticipated licensing fees to support existing manufacturers and lure new ones to Massachusetts. He said a fund would assist them with capital improvements, though he did not give specifics.

He also pledged to use some of the fees to enhance partnerships between community colleges, vocational schools, and various industries.

In addition, DeLeo acknowledged concerns about the social costs—in terms of increased crime, divorce, and alcohol and gambling abuse—that may come from expanded gambling.

“There is no doubt there is a social cost to gaming. But, too often we forget, there is also a social cost to joblessness. We need to get people working. We will devote a portion of any gaming revenue to addiction-treatment programs,” he said.

Massachusetts already allows gambling through its lottery games and live racing. But lottery revenues, whose proceeds are a vital source of cash for cities and towns, have fallen amid the recession. The state's two horse racing and two former greyhound tracks, both of which now offer only simulcast racing following a ban on dog racing, also have suffered.

In 2007, Patrick proposed building three resort-style casinos across the state to create jobs, add tax revenue and capture some of the money Massachusetts gamblers were spending at slot parlors and casinos in neighboring Rhode Island and Connecticut. Then-House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi opposed the plan, and it failed in the House by a vote of 106-48 in March 2008.

DiMasi resigned last year amid an ethics probe, and DeLeo has signaled his support for revisiting the issue.

Senate president Therese Murray, in her own appearance before the Chamber last year, mimicked pulling a slot-machine arm and said, “Ka-Ching!” when asked for her thoughts on expanded gaming in the state.

Both she and Patrick have questioned whether slot parlors will create sufficient jobs, the governor has not threatened a veto over that provision.

The issue is personal to DeLeo, though. There are two in the Winthop Democrat's district: Suffolk Downs in Boston, which continues to offer live horse racing, and Wonderland in Revere, which offers only simulcast races after a dog-racing ban forced it to stop live greyhound races as of Jan. 1.

He told the chamber that putting a limited number of slots at venues that already have wagering will provide “a more immediate form of revenue.” He said he was trying to determine the appropriate number to support the tracks while not dampening a gambling company's interest in building a casino.

And he said building two casinos—not the three proposed by Patrick—would avoid diluting their impact and “dooming them from the start.” He later told reporters he would not play a role in their siting, even though Suffolk Downs is in his district and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino favors a license for it.

While DeLeo pledged to file the bill this month, the immediate affect of any legislation is in doubt. The state would have to establish and staff a new gambling commission, and overhaul its criminal and financial-reporting statutes, before additional gambling sites are created.

The current Massachusetts fiscal year ends June 30, and the next begins July 1. Administration and legislative financial experts have been wary of factoring any gambling revenues into their budget proposals before the end of the next fiscal year on June 30, 2011.

Date Posted: 3/4/2010 11:52:42 AM Last Updated: 3/4/2010 12:26:52 PM

Oaklawn Park announced March 4 across-the-board increases of approximately $10,000 per day for the second half of its 54-day racing season.

All claiming races will see a purse increase of $500, and allowance and maiden special weight events will increase $2,000--an approximate 5% increase. These changes are effective with the March 4 racing card.

Oaklawn kicked off its 2010 season offering the highest purse structure in its 106-year history. Maiden special weight races were worth $36,000, with no purses lower than $15,000. With the increases, no purse at Oaklawn will be less than $15,500.

“We have had wonderful cooperation from our horsemen,” Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope said. “When we have been fortunate with the weather, our fans have responded by being very supportive of our racing product. We are now getting into the time of our season where the weather is typically beautiful, so we’re very happy to be able to reward our horsemen at this time.”

The purse increases can also be attributed to the popularity of Oaklawn’s newly expanded Instant Racing and Gaming Center, which opened May 2009 and underwent an expansion the week before opening day of the 2010 meet.

“The excitement since the announcement of the $5 million Apple Blossom Invitational has also kept Oaklawn in the minds of racing fans,” Pope said of the April 9 event designed to lure champions Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. “We have certainly benefitted from the publicity and positive vibes generated by that event.”

First published: Friday, March 5, 2010

CATSKILL ­-- Former horse trainer Ernie Paragallo took the stand Thursday in Greene County Court, saying he had no knowledge that horses on his farm were emaciated to the point of being euthanized. Paragallo testified in court that he left the daily care of the thoroughbreds at Center Brook Farm to his farm manager Eddie Salazar. "I didn't even know about the lice until reading about it in the paper," Paragallo said.

Paragallo's farm was raided by State Police on April 9, 2009. When police and animal rescue officials got to the farm, they found all 177 horses on the farm showing various phases of malnutrition. Many of the horses have now been adopted out to homes, but several had to be euthanized. Days after the raid, Paragallo was charged with 34 counts of animal cruelty.

The horse owner and trainer, who has since been banned from racing in New York, was on the stand for around four hours. During direct questioning by his attorney Michael Howard, Paragallo said he did everything he could with the information that was given to him. He also said he felt that the weights listed on the veterinary reports were healthy for the horse's heights and ages.

Before his arrest, Paragallo operated Paraneck Stables and Paraneck Stallions, which has farms in Ocala, Fla., Lexington, Ky. and Climax, Greene County.

In his cross examination, District Attorney Terry Wilhelm pressed Paragallo about responsible horsemanship practices. He held up photos of the farm's sick horses, asking Paragallo, "Were you good to these horses right here?"

The discussion between the prosecutor and defendant grew heated when Paragallo was being asked about his feeding practices. The farm owner testified that he didn't like feeding grain to the race horses because it was all fat. Paragallo's farm relied on quality hay, the defendant said.

"I heard we had a good, quality hay," Paragallo said.

"And who told you that? The guy who sold it to you?" Wilhelm replied.

At one point during testimony, Wilhelm cited an interview that Paragallo previously did with the Times Union, saying Paragallo accepted responsibility for the serious emaciation of the animals.

"If people want to blame me, they are 100 percent right,'' Paragallo told the Times Union last April. "Why would it not be my fault? It is my farm and I've got to take responsibility. You have to take responsibility for the things you are supposed to be in charge of.''

Much of the testimony on Thursday centered around Salazar, Center Brook's manager. Wilhelm stated that Salazar has left the United States and is back in his native country of Guatemala. Paragallo testified that Salazar's mother is sick and he paid for the man's airplane ticket home.

Lee DeLisle, chief investigator for the Columbia-Greene County Humane Society, and Ronald Perez, president of the Humane Society, also testified on Thursday. The prosecutor and defense attorney also agreed to drop one count of animal cruelty from the original indictment against Paragallo for insufficient evidence.

Court resumes at 9 a.m. today with closing arguments. Then, Judge George G. Pulver Jr., will deliberate and make his ruling on all 33 misdemeanor counts.

Posted: Friday, March 05, 2010 2:42 PM Apprentice jockey Tyler Kaplan, 16, won on his first ever mount on Thursday, capturing the fifth race at Santa Anita Park.

Soldier Betty, a five-year-old One Man Army mare ridden by Kaplan, steadily advanced from fifth in the stretch to prevail by a half-length. Soldier Betty covered 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface in 1:46.12.

“One of my goals was to win a race at Santa Anita and I’ve accomplished that,” Kaplan said. “When we hit the wire, it was amazing. I couldn’t believe it; I was right here.”

Kaplan graduated from high school at age 14 and currently is interning at Chris McCarron’s North American Riding Academy in Lexington. He also attended Frank Garza’s jockey school in Tehachapi, California.

“My three goals were to win a race at Santa Anita,” Kaplan said, “become a successful jockey, and win the Kentucky Derby (G1).”

Date Posted: 3/5/2010 11:24:03 AM Last Updated: 3/5/2010 12:17:53 PM

Keeneland announced March 5 a major format change in its marathon September yearling sale, which will begin with two selected sessions of 100 horses each selling during night sessions Sept. 12-13.

The selected sessions will be followed by four sessions comprising Book 2, in which about 325 horses will be offered daily. Following a dark day on Saturday, the sale will resume with Book 3 offerings during the second week.

The sale will conclude Sept. 25 or Sept. 26, with a final determination made once the number of horses consigned is known. Keeneland accepts all horses nominated to the September yearling sale.

In making the announcement, Keeneland officials said the new format will allow them to sell the same number of horses as in the past but in a more relaxed atmosphere and in a way that is more appealing to buyers and sellers.

"We have been working in collaboration with our customers, particularly our consignors, over the last few years to develop a format that fits the current dynamics and needs of our buyers and sellers," Keeneland president and chief executive officer Nick Nicholson said. "The new format reflects the changing Thoroughbred industry."

Director of sales Geoffrey Russell said the new format will "help create more stability and continuity for the marketplace as economic conditions begin to slowly rebound both domestically and internationally."

The changes are the first significant since Keeneland stopped conducting its selected July sale in 2003, and are consistent with the sale company’s philosophy of adapting to fit changes within the marketplace and buying habits, Nicholson said.

"The major changes that have taken place -- because of people’s travel habits, because of the makeup of the buying community, and how long they can spend in Lexington – has meant that this format has had several significant changes," Nicholson said. "This format is a reflection of the times we live in."

Nicholson said Keeneland began discussing the format change about three years ago, and likely would have implemented it in 2009 were it not for the economic downturns in the marketplace over the past two years.

"We felt that because of the realities of 2009 that it would not be a good year to introduce a new format," he said. "The economy was previewing the fact it was likely to be a rough year anyway."

Nicholson said the reduced number of horses being offered on the first two days will allow buyers and consignors at the top end of the market to have more time to inspect and review the horses in a less hectic atmosphere. That will be followed by four days in which the horses will be offered in a catalog that will go through the alphabet.

"It will allow us to have more quality product in front of the larger professional buyers before we have our dark day, and we know that the buyers will like that and have heard from the consignors that they would like that also," Nicholson said.

Having two selected night sessions is a throwback to the "boutique" July sale in which the horses were sold in an atmosphere that provided more of a social event than the more businesslike environment in which the September sale has been conducted in recent years as the number of horses being offered grew.

"Maybe September has become too businesslike," Russell said, adding that the new format will allow buyers more time to engage in other activities while they are in Lexington for the auction.

Nicholson said Keeneland and sale consignors would likely schedule more social events around the sale. "They will be well-fed and nobody will leave here thirsty, unless they choose to do so," he said.

Nicholson and Russell both said the format change was not related to the recent ownership change and more aggressive approach by competitor Fasig-Tipton Co. "We have been discussing this since the end of the July sale," Nicholson said.

Because consignors prefer the latter calendar dates of the September sale because it allows more time for the yearlings to develop, Nicholson said it is unlikely Keeneland would reinstitute the July sale.

Date Posted: 3/5/2010 12:42:41 PM

Jonespartyofwon, a daughter of Smarty Jones and a half sister to Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Volponi, is the first mare confirmed in foal to multiple grade I winner Colonel John.

Colonel John, an earner of $1,779,012, won the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and Travers Stakes (gr. I) as a 3-year-old. The son of Tiznow-Sweet Damsel, by Turkoman won on turf, dirt, and synthetics at distances of seven furlongs to 1 1/4 miles throughout his three-year racing career.

Colonel John was competitive with top runners each year he raced, beating such horses as Richard's Kid, Bob Black Jack, and Mambo in Seattle. His final race was a fifth-place finish behind Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), a race in which he finished sixth the year before.

Colonel John stands at Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt’s WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., for a fee of $15,000. He is booked full for 2010.

Posted 3/3/2010, 5:26 pm

ARCADIA, Calif. - Comments by Santa Anita chairman Frank Stronach that he intends to retain the track's troubled synthetic surface were met with disappointment Wednesday by some horsemen who would like the track to return to a dirt surface.

Darrell Vienna, the Southern California vice president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, said his organization wants the existing Pro-Ride surface replaced in the near future.

"The CTT has taken an official position for a return to dirt and anti-synthetic in general," Vienna said Wednesday. "What we all want is the safest surface we can get, whether it's synthetic or dirt. At this point, our members want a new natural dirt surface. The synthetic track has failed us in too many regards."

Santa Anita has had a synthetic surface since August 2007, but it has been plagued by drainage problems in recent years. At the current winter-spring meeting, five days of racing have been lost because of wet weather. In January, Santa Anita president Ron Charles said the track would be replaced after the meeting, perhaps with a dirt surface. On Sunday, Stronach said he did not want to spend the estimated $8 million to $10 million to replace the surface, unless he was allowed to run the track with less regulation from the state. Santa Anita is owned by Magna Entertainment, which filed for bankruptcy in March 2009.

Charles declined to comment Wednesday, referring questions to Dennis Mills, the chief executive of Magna International Developments, the parent company and largest creditor of Magna Entertainment.

Mills echoed some of Stronach's comments from over the weekend, saying the track has already spent extensively on the surface since the California Horse Racing Board mandated that tracks switch to synthetics.

Mills did not rule out replacing the current surface.

"We have to go at this with proper diligence," Mills said.

Stronach, he added, "said we've got to look at all the X-rays, all the MRIs. Let's not do this piecemeal. Let's develop a plan where we have a comprehensive approach.

"As an intelligent person, you don't go out and spend $10 million without research."

Stronach also said he would like to work with horsemen to affect the change he desires. He met with a group of horsemen on Monday to discuss the racetrack.

Vienna said the CTT wants to "uncouple" Stronach's wish for deregulation in racing with the issue of racing surfaces, adding, "I don't want to minimize his concern for deregulation."

Stronach's thoughts caught some leading horsemen off guard.

"The whole thing with the track surface was a surprise," said owner Arnold Zetcher, a member of the Thoroughbred Owners of California's board of directors.

Zetcher said he is most concerned with safety, regardless of the type of surface used at Santa Anita.

"After the Breeders' Cup, the sentiment was to stay" with synthetics, Zetcher said. "Then, the sentiment went to dirt. It shouldn't be about sentiments; it should be what's best for horses."

The issue of the track's inability to handle significant amounts of rain could be a factor this weekend. According to weather.com, there is a 70 percent chance of rain Saturday, the day of the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap.

Date Posted: 3/4/2010 12:00:00 AM Last Updated: 3/3/2010 3:00:02 PM

You might have heard about the value of using medical maggots to clean infected, nonhealing wounds in horses and humans, but did you know they can also help clean up infection in structures deep within the hoof?

At the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 5-9 in Las Vegas, Nev., one presenter described improved success with treating certain difficult deep hoof puncture wounds using maggots. Specifically, Raul Bras, DVM, of the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., reported increased success with using maggots to treat punctures of the navicular bursa compared to previous studies.

The navicular bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac between the navicular bone (behind the coffin bone) and the deep digital flexor tendon that runs over it. Puncture wounds that compromise the navicular bursa can be especially problematic because the navicular bursa is a deep structure that's hard to evaluate, clean, and medicate. Bras advised that puncture wounds affecting this structure often go unnoticed until the horse becomes severely lame within hours or a few days. Complications such as osteomyelitis (bone infection) and damage to the deep digital flexor tendon sheath and/or coffin bone are not unusual if the infection can't be eradicated quickly.

Some procedures commonly used to clean and treat these wounds might help resolve the infection, but they can damage nearby tissues to gain access to the bursa (such as the "street nail" procedure used for cases with complications, which cuts away significant amounts of tissue to leave a window for treatment).

In contrast, medical maggots (disinfected greenbottle fly larvae) can debride (remove) dead, nonhealing tissue without causing trauma to healthy tissues. Bras explained that they work in four ways:

1) Debride wounds by dissolving the necrotic, infected tissue (using enzymes);

2) Disinfect the wound by killing bacteria (maggot-derived proteins appear to be responsible);

3) Stimulate wound healing (also a property of maggot-derived proteins); and

4) Break down and inhibit the formation of biofilm (masses of bacteria stuck together).

"The aim in treating septic bursitis is eradication of bacterial load, removal of any foreign material, debridement of necrotic tissue, elimination of inflammatory mediators and free radicals, pain relief, and restoration of the normal synovial (joint fluid) environment to promote tissue healing," explained Bras.

He described 20 navicular bursa puncture cases treated at Rood & Riddle with maggots, among other procedures that included lavage (cleaning by irrigating or flushing out), debridement (light surgical removal of superficial dead tissue), endoscopic lavage (done using an endoscope to visualize the bursa), Penrose drain placement, and/or street nail procedure. All wounds were at least three days old before presentation. Bras noted that antibiotics can be given systemically or via regional limb perfusion along with the maggot therapy, as the antibiotics do not damage the larvae.

Maggots were placed on gauze covering the wound and covered with a treatment plate for protection. Bras reported that they cleaned the wound for five to seven days before slowing down, at which time a second batch of maggots was placed if needed. The clinicians used elevated-heel shoes such as wedge shoes, rail shoes, or adjustable-height (Patten) shoes to reduce the deep digital flexor tendon's pressure on the bursa.

Navicular bursa infection resolved in 18 of 20 cases for a 90% success rate (70% of the cases returned to their previous jobs). This stacks up favorably against previous studies, which found at best a 75% infection resolution rate without maggot treatment (sometimes even with "fresher" wounds that were less than three days old, compared to this study where wounds were three to 31 days old).

The maggot option isn't inexpensive; Bras estimated the cost of this treatment at around $2,500 including three to five days in the hospital, diagnostic procedures, surgical debridement, lavage, maggots, bandaging, local and regional antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and therapeutic shoes. The maggots themselves cost approximately $100-$200 per case.

"The use of maggot debridement treatment is effective as adjunctive treatment for navicular bursa puncture wounds," he concluded. "The ability of horses in this series to return to work was better than previously reported."

Date Posted: 3/2/2010 12:50:12 PM Last Updated: 3/3/2010 9:00:48 AM

The Jockey Club’s 2010 Online Fact Book, published annually as a statistical and informational guide to the North American Thoroughbred industry, was released March 2 on the organization’s Web site at jockeyclub.com. The 20th edition of the printed version will be published and distributed in early May.

The Online Fact Book includes state-by-state analysis and multi-year reports. Statistics in the Breeding section, which by their very nature change constantly, are updated regularly. A printer-friendly page option on all pages in the Breeding, Racing, and Sales sections condenses the width of the online page so that it can be printed in a “portrait” format.

Pari-mutuel handle on Thoroughbred racing in North America fell by more than $1 billion for the second consecutive year in 2009. The 9.5% decline in handle to $12,972,615,606 contributed to a 5.9% decrease in gross purses to $1,233,172,714.

In the Sales section, total auction receipts in 2009 decreased 32.2% to $659,646,413, the lowest annual total since 1996.

In the Breeding section, the significant reduction in the number of mares bred in recent years is expected to result in an accelerated decline in the annual registered Thoroughbred foal crop in 2009 and 2010.

Updated pages in the General section are Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding Worldwide in 2008 and the Directory of National, State, Canadian, and International organizations, which includes phone numbers for all organizations and website links for organizations that have them.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms, among others. Additional information is available at http://www.jockeyclub.com