Fort Erie in Ontario has turn out to be the newest monitor to implement a coverage warning trainers they might lose stalls if an proprietor or coach sells a horse stabled on the monitor to an entity in Puerto Rico.
The Canadian racetrack, Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protecting Affiliation of Ontario, and LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society despatched a joint letter Oct. 10 to horsemen stating that horses not racing must be retired and never resold to Puerto Rico, the place an rising variety of stories recount injured horses working frequently at Hipódromo Camarero on painkilling and anti inflammatory medicines.
“Fort Erie Stay Racing strongly opposes the sale of horses to Puerto Rico,” the letter acknowledged. “Trainers and house owners who final raced a horse at Fort Erie Racetrack that was later despatched to Puerto Rico could lose their stabling privileges.
“Many horses which have retired from Fort Erie Racetrack have been rehomed and have moved on to different profitable careers,” the letter continued. “Please word that horses which might be not racing must be retired by The Jockey Membership. If you happen to retire a horse on this approach, it’s NOT eligible to race in Canada, USA, or Puerto Rico.”
Fort Erie’s motion follows related motion taken by 1/ST Racing in April. A press release launched by the Maryland Jockey Membership mentioned:
“Lately, 1/ST Racing was contacted by a gaggle of people involved about horses who final raced at our properties that had been subsequently offered for racing in Puerto Rico. As you might know, there are vital issues with aftercare for Thoroughbred racehorses as soon as they end racing in Puerto Rico. We share the issues of these people and previously 1/ST Racing paid to ship some horses again to aftercare applications within the continental United States. Nevertheless, it’s significantly better for horse welfare and more practical for all of us to stop horses from being despatched to Puerto Rico—notably those that not belong in racing resulting from harm, age, or poor efficiency.
“We are going to evaluate the variety of horses that find yourself in Puerto Rico from trainers and house owners who’ve horses on the Maryland Jockey Membership on an annual foundation. Even when these horses don’t find yourself coming again to the USA, MJC and 1/ST Racing reserve the proper to mandate {that a} coach and/or proprietor make a donation for every horse to a TAA-accredited aftercare. Furthermore, trainers and house owners with injured or infirm horses that find yourself in Puerto Rico could also be topic to the lack of stalls at 1/ST Racing amenities.”
Apart from Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, 1/ST Racing additionally operates Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park. The letter was signed by Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for 1/ST Racing, and Mike Rogers, MJC interim president.
BloodHorse has heard from house owners and trainers over the past a number of years who’ve fought to get well their horses after studying they had been racing in poor situation at Camarero or discovering after altering fingers a number of occasions they wound up in Puerto Rico.
Most lately longtime Florida coach and consignor Leanne Davis relayed the story a couple of colt named Mister Catholic that she offered for $45,000 throughout the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Gross sales March Sale of 2-Yr-Olds in Coaching. The colt was bought by C.H.P.R., the Confederacíon Hipica de Puerto Rico. Davis mentioned she shipped a wholesome horse to Puerto Rico and after 14 months, the colt was greater than 300 kilos underweight and had grew to become severely crippled from repeated injections in his knees.
She tracked the horse by his entries and outcomes and after seeing a deterioration in his race file contacted the proprietor to purchase him again. After a chronic negotiation, Davis did purchase him again. She was forewarned by a veterinarian at Camarero that the now-gelding was severely lame.
“He was dehydrated and filled with sores,” she recalled. “His halter had been on so tight that the pores and skin beneath was peeling off and he had a number of fractures in his knees.”
As soon as she bought Mister Catholic again to Florida, she mentioned it took six weeks of remedy with anti-inflammatories, water remedy, and good diet simply to get him into situation to face up to the surgical procedure required on one knee that was “as huge as a soccer.”
“The true downside is that this horse is one in every of a whole bunch,” Davis mentioned. “I want to see all of the racetracks get behind this and see a short lived suspension on the export of all U.S. horses to Puerto Rico till they adjust to our testing and medicine guidelines. It might put strain on their program. There needs to be involvement by the mainland. There must be folks on the grounds monitoring this to make them a clear, respectable racing operation.”
