HorseRacingBC Serving the British Columbia horseracing community www.horseracingbc.ca

Issue # 16

Bits & Bikes In this issue

Expert’s strategies. Plus, horses to watch this month at Fraser Downs & Hastings Park see pg 4 The New Stride T h o r o u g h b r e d Retirement Foundation will host a Fashion Show for Equines, Equestrians and Canines on May 1st at Fields & Flowers Farm Gate Store, 900 232nd St. Langley. Proceeds to The New Stride and BC Young Riders. Tickets are $10.00 in advance or $15.00 at the event with children under ten admitted without charge. Contact Marcy Emery 778386-4588. Tickets available at participating stores; Fields & Flowers, Greenhawk Langley, Dog & Pony Shop, Equestrian Factory Outlet, Bates Saddles. Greener Pastures is hosting a golf tournament at Tall Timbers Golf Course, Langley on April 26th. Tickets $50 includes golf, dinner & prizes. Shotgun start 12:00. For tickets contact Ann Elder 604-576-9141 or Sue Allan 604-535-2525 BC Interior racing days There are 9 race dates. confirmed for 2010. Kamloops May 15 & 24 June 5, 12 & 26 Princeton July 3 Vernon July 11, 18 & 25 For further information go to www.bcihra.ca Currie newest driver Congratulations to Justin Currie, Fraser Down’s newest driver, Currie received his drivers licence April 11th. Drive’s to date three. First win soon.

Stakes payments As stake payments are approaching, please bring in or call the office with any name changes or ownership transfer that has taken place since May 2009. The Thoroughbred Ladies Club meets the first Tuesday of the month. For info please call: Linda 604-318-7949, Eleanor 604-534-2879 or Diane 604-524-6793. HorseRacingBC is owned and produced by Prestige Publications. For advertising and editorial contact: Jim Reynolds 604-533-4546 [email protected]

Teide

2009 Horse of the Year

Patti Tubbs photo

Opinion/Editorial

Stirring the Pot: Weighing in on the Zenyatta myth

Two good fillies, with classic front-runner and off-the-pace styles racing for big time bragging rights, promises to be exciting. Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, two mares who would be dams this spring except for the economic down-turn, are destined to meet this year in a series of races to determine the Superhorse title. That’s good for racing and fans of our sport but I’m tired of the Zenyatta myth that builds each race as announcers, who usually know better, lose their better judgment and holler into the mike like Oaklawn’s Terry Wallace’s embarrassing call in the Apple Blossom. “Is it a bird,? Is it a plane? No, it’s Zenyatta. “

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Personally I haven’t heard such hype since Big Brown won the Derby. Looking closely at the two it’s plain they are both good racehorses. Zenyatta is, to be sure, a pretty nice mare who has won sixteen straight, mostly Graded races, but it has been argued that those races were on her terms, her ‘turf’ so to speak, which means primarily the synthetic tracks of southern California against what can only be termed glorified allowance horses. Zenyatta’s main claim to fame is winning the Breeder’s Cup Classic, but, again, it could also be argued that she was a good, older mare beating a field of year end, hard raced, triple-crown-campaign tired, three-year-olds. Last month, in the Apple Blossom she trailed behind a bunch of such allowance horses who set a ‘fat man in gum-boots pace’ (24, 48, 1:13) for her come-from-behind style. No real glory there, certainly not Superhorse glory. That term brings to mind Ruffian, Cicada, Dahlia and maybe Personal Ensign. Her earnings of $5,474,580 make her the highest money winning filly of all time but most of that came from the inflated five million dollar purse of the BC Classic. In the Clement L. Hirsch (Gr 11) at Del Mar on August 2, 2008 she set a track record of 1:41.3 for 8

1/2  furlongs. Good time but it was on a new poly track where records were just being established. On the other side of the coin is 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. As she proved last year when she hooked the best three-year-old colts in the Preakness and the best older males in the Woodward Stakes beating them all handily, this filly is the real deal. That Woodward, one of the toughest races in North America, was an awesome performance. Her 2009 racing campaign saw her undefeated with wins in the Kentucky Oaks, the Mother Goose, and the Haskell among five of the Grade one stakes she won to make her the choice with most voters for Horse of the Year. After a six month layoff trainer Steve Asmussen, a smart guy, rightly decided not to hook Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom but to wait until his mare is fit. And it looks, if you’ve followed her works, that she is almost back to her best 2009 form. At that time we will see if Zenyatta is for real. Either way the outcome will be good for horseracing. But with both horses at their peak there is little doubt that Rachel Alexandra will be the best horse. Rachel Alexandra’s record shows that as a three-year-old she had eight starts, winning them all by a combined total of over 65 lengths. Setting a stakes record in the Martha

Issue # 16 Washington, she next won the Fantasy wire to wire, the Kentucky Oaks by 20 ½ lengths, (the longest margin in it’s history), won the Preakness setting a New-Stakes-Record while starting from outside post and set a stakes record and longest winning margin in the Mother Goose (where she was hand ridden to a time just 1/5th slower than Secretariat’s track record). In the Haskell Stakes she missed the track record by a 1/5th of a second and had the highest Beyer figure (116) of any horse in North America for 2009. And then came that amazing Woodward at Saratoga where she ran against some of the best older males in racing. It was her ninth win in a row and 12th race in 12 months. She won wire to wire with a first quarter time of 22.4 finishing the mile and one eighth race in 1:48.2. A New-Stakes-Record and over a second faster than Curlin’s time the year before. She probably would have won the Kentucky Derby that year. Two nice fillies. One great argument. And with their owners proposing to meet three times this year we’re all in for some great racing. Who will be the Superhorse? Whatever your opinion is, whether you agree with me or not one thing is for sure. Every one will be a hell of a horserace.

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Doc Nick’s Vet Talk

Issue # 16

The Shoulder: Part B, Tendon& joint injuries, fractures & OCD

by Dr. Nick Kleider DVM

The front of the shoulder is susceptible to injury from both penetrating wounds and external trauma such as kicks. The biceps tendon originates from a protuberance off the front of the scapula called the supraglenoid tubercle. The biceps tendon provides stability to the front of the shoulder since it continues down over the 3 tubercles (protuberances) of the humerus.

bursa. A horse with bursitis has abundant fluid The biceps tendon becomes a muscle that inserts when compared to the opposite side. Injury and on the inside of the elbow joint. An interesting fracture to these tubercles can easily be seen by tendon connects the biceps to the extensor carpi radialis – I call it the “armpit” tendon since you ultrasound. can feel it on every horse at the front inside of the axilla (armpit). This connecting tendon is called the “lacertus fibrosis” and tearing of this structure is a common cause of armpit swelling and mild lameness. Diagnosis is again confirmed The bicipital bursa lies between these tubercles by ultrasound examination and comparison with and the biceps tendon. the opposite side.

OCD of the shoulder joint is usually apparent at an early age. It involves improper development of the joint with resulting distention of the joint with fluid. The bony irregularities and swelling can be seen on ultrasound. Radiographs are used to evaluate the extent of the bony damage. The Problems on the surface of bone are frequently damage frequently affects the weight bearing easier to see with ultrasound than with x-rays! surface and can be extensive leading to a poor Once we know the area involved we can get the prognosis. Arthroscopic surgery is required to correct angle and examine it with x-rays. The clean up the joint as best as possible. problem with the shoulder is that the angles are The scapula is a very thin bone so fractures of limited. It takes 4 people to x-ray a shoulder the shoulder are a real entity. Many fractures joint. One holds the horses head up so the extend from the supraglenoid tubercle down to windpipe is over the joint, another pulls the leg the shoulder joint. There is a weakness – a notch forward, another holds the x-ray plate and the – in the scapula where it sits on the ball of the fourth person controls the machine and shoots humerus. This notch is on the front inside of the the x-ray. “glenoid margin” and is called an incisura. It’s purpose? To promote a fracture plane! Fractures of the supraglenoid tubercle are difficult to deal with since the biceps pulls the fragment down and does not promote healing. Some horses have healed by transecting the biceps – a fairly radical procedure! I can’t discuss every possible shoulder lameness since we all know that “any structure can be injured!” but I’ll just finish off by saying that many lameness’s do occur from pressure on the nerves and structures on the inside of the shoulder. For example, injury or arthritis of the lower vertebrae of the neck and fractures of the first rib. These are areas that can’t be “blocked out” with anesthetics and can’t be examined with an MRI. Nuclear scintigraphy and radiographs may be useful but ultrasound should provide the most information.

Inflammation of this area is called bicipital bursitis. It is generally painful when palpated and the horse is lame with a shortened cranial aspect to his stride. Remember, the shoulder of a horse cannot fit into an MRI but the diagnosis is easily confirmed with ultrasound! Very little fluid is present normally in the

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Handicapping…Beyond the Basics

Because harness horses often have definite racing styles and are rated during the course of a mile (because they cannot spend the entire mile without sacrificing a good bit of energy) harness races can often be predicted as to what horses will be in what position at given points in the mile. Good handicappers often try to figure out what horses figure to get good positioning, and adjust their handicapping figures accordingly. Good trips in harness racing usually entail “cover”; that is, the following of another horse for a significant portion of the mile, allowing the horse in front to act as a windbreak and drafting along behind. The preferred trips are the “pocket” trip, second on the rail behind the pacesetter, and “second over,” the second horse on the outside. Of course, it is often impossible to determine just who will be where, due to the vagaries of racing luck, and of driver strategy. But three or four dedicated front runners will usually insure a spirited pace, giving a good closer an excellent chance of getting up into what should be a relatively slow final quarter. Similarly, a horse from post eight may be a good bet if he has the only consistent early speed in the race, can make the top (or at least get a good early spot), and then brush home from his good racing position. (The distinction between “racing position” and “post position” is an important one, and racing position is the more important of the two.) Occasionally, you can predict exactly where a horse is going to be during a mile. That’s often a good way to get a nice win price, and it can often impress your racetrack buddies too. A good handicapper always tries, whenever possible, to envision the way a race is going to develop, try to plot what horse is going to be where during the course of a mile. Often the shrewd analyst can plot a race to perfection, and snare a good-priced winner by picking a horse who figures to be well-positioned throughout. Position handicapping is not only useful in determining the likely winners of races, it also can be used to give likely Exactor or Triactor partners to prospective heavy favorites, thereby making the race playable in terms of value, due to the probable good trips such supporting players are likely to get. Good points to remember are: There are often races that contain two, or three, or even more horses that are confirmed frontrunners. Such a race often sees a vicious

Issue # 16

“The Trip”

“speed duel” develop on the front end, complete with fast fractions, and closers who are wellpositioned for the final quarter often are the winners in this type of affair. One of the most important considerations for the handicapper in trying to predict the outcome of a race on a half-mile track is the positioning of the horses throughout the race. A horse may be able to come from far back on a five-eighth or mile track, but on a half-mile track a horse must be closely placed in order to win. Often a horse with early speed and a good post can control the race and end his night’s work in the winners circle. A break in stride can be interpreted in many ways. Sometimes it is the sign of a problem, either physical or mental, especially if other breaks are common in the lines of the particular horse. Other times the miscue can be explained away, and occasionally it can even be the trigger of an inflated payoff. The racing “styles” of certain horses often lead themselves to greater success when competing at certain sizes of ovals. Closers could be expected to do well on a bigger track, while front-end types would logically find more luck when racing on a smaller oval. A horse shipping to a track which is more conducive to his style often steps up his performance accordingly. It takes a tremendous amount of ability and guts to race an entire mile on the outside and still be within reasonable distance of the winner at the finish. And the above statement is especially true on a half-mile track. Any horse who can be limbed the mile and still be scrapping at the finish has to rate a big look in a good handicapper’s study of a race. In harness racing, and especially on a half-mile track, post position is a very important factor in handicapping. However, post position is important only because it often is the key to racing position, which is really the essential factor for successful handicapping. If one horse is superior to another regardless of racing position, a massive switch in post position should have little consequence. A horse who shows a giant “wake-up” mile should attract much interest in his next start. If the horse loses that next effort, many fans dismiss him as a “one-shot wonder,” but if the second mile finds the horse not winning while a victim of bad luck, the third time may well be the charm, as the horse returns to his former brilliance.

Occasionally a horse will get into a supersharp period of form, and when kept in his class, the only thing that can beat him is a bad post resulting in a bad trip. Handicappers are smart to follow up on this type of horse, making them the play when they draw a favorable starting position until the horse’s form cycle alters.

Reprinted courtesy of the USTA

Horse Whispers

Horses to Watch at Hastings by The Ghost

Grass Roots: looks to be training forwardly Rocket Roan: excellent half mile work 15/04 Cry Cry Cry: 6f work 17/04 shows readiness Woombroom Express: ready to pick up where he left off Karazteca: prepping well Teide­: 59.6 work 14/04 means business Fine As Feathers: had a good five furlong work 17/04 in 100.6 Sense of Humo:working forwardly Lord Vic: old warrior worked 15/04 in 100.2 Tommy Danzigger: training like a champion Charterhill: looks like he’ll be ready first time Soldiers Return: last work should set him up nicely Seminole Brave: worked 9/04 in 59.4, will

likely get one more

This pretty miss with the heart shaped star was born on Valentine’s Day. By Rosberg out of the good mare Napa by Feu D’Enfer she is owned by Swift Thoroughbreds.

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The Young Guns of Fraser Downs:

Issue # 16

These dedicated young horsemen and women are the future of Harness Racing in British Columbia Full of youthful energy and exuberancene on the surface, in private, 18 year old Dave Hudon Jr. speaks about training horses with a voice full of genuine appreciation bordering on reverence. “My favourite part of this life,” he says quietly. “Is coming to the barn at five o'clock in the morning and 26 horses are turning their heads looking at you, there is no better feeling. You could go anywhere in the world and not get a feeling as good as that.” Young Dave didn't enjoy high-school and left early, working first at a golf club in Surrey and then as a roofer, work he says he enjoyed. But then the call of the track, and from his father, trainer Dave Hudon, brought him back to his first love, Standardbred horses, and the racetrack he grew up around. “I had a good job but my dad called and said he needed help. So I gave my boss a week’s notice and went to work for Dad and I've been here ever since,” he says. Now he has his mind set on a career in Standardbred racing and explains his goals this way. “I love every thing about training but I'd much rather just work with babies. To put it another way, I'd rather drive a new car everyday than an old car and with babies you aren't dealing with other people’s problems. It's easier to help a horse you've known it's whole life than work with something you just claimed last week-end. Besides training these days is a tough business. Bringing babies from not knowing what a harness is to winning a race in 55 or 56 is just a great accomplishment to me. It's a long process but it's amazing to watch. The good Stakes winning horse OK BJ was Dave's favourite horse growing up and when he first jogged him as a young boy about 7 years old it was a classic case of who was training whom. “He's the first horse I ever jogged by myself. I used to sit on the bike between my dad's legs and hold the lines in my hands and he'd guide me. Then one day dad just got off. We had two more rounds to go and that horse dragged me around good as gold, he knew how many rounds we had left, after those two rounds he moved to the outside of the track and when he came to the gate pulled himself up and walked though, leaving enough room for the cart wheels, walked to the barn, cleared the doors leaving enough room for the bike, and stopped at the cross-ties.”

Dave Sr. has a justifiable father’s pride in his son and protégé. “He’s always been good at whatever he decides to do,” he says. “Once he puts his mind to something he can do it. And he has a knack for handling animals, not just horses but any animal.” As British Columbia’s Rookie Trainer of the Year for 2009 Dave Jr. is off to a more auspicious start to his career than anyone in his famous family. And like his father, grandfather and uncles before him he has fallen under the spell of harness racing. His influences are, of course, his dad, and his friends at Fraser Downs. “They keep my head straight. Guys like Justin Currie, we’ve been friends for ever. “Maybe later I'd like to drive for a living. When you see friends like Justin and Johnny Abbott doing good, well, why wouldn't I want to drive with them.” As for his chosen path? Eventually he would like to go east or south to bigger tracks to develop his career. Whatever he does with Standardbreds, early mornings will always be a special part of it.

Greener Pastures Games Day www.horseracingbc.ca

Issue # 16

It was all about pick-ups, horse-trailers and country music. It was about the volunteers that put on the show and horsemen relaxing away from a seven-day work week, and about generosity and support of a charity for animals they all care about. There was chariot racing, barrel racing and something called a Teddy Bear pick-up and everyone had fun. Oh, sure, there were ribbons and events won but those weren’t that important. Everyone was here for the horses, to raise money to help find homes for retired Standardbreds. In the end they raised about $1,200 for Greener Pastures and everyone wanted to do it again. They drew a good crowd of picnickers lining the hills around the rodeo grounds as 22 horse and rider combinations competed. It was the first of three planned games days for the 2010 season with points garnered towards trophies at the annual Greener Pastures Open House and Volunteer Appreciation BBQ in September. Registration to the games are open to anyone riding a Standardbred. For more information on upcoming events please check the web site www.greener-pastures.ca Next Standardbred Games Days will be held June 20th & August 22nd

BC Harness Racing News

Purse Pool Adjustment: In late February, 2010 when the Government declared its intention to implement the new Financial Model that it had been working on, the allocation to harness racing of $8.0 Million for the calendar year 2010 was 14% less than we had been led to expect based on 2009. At that time, 7 weeks into the year, it was also advised that the new financial model would be retrospective to January 1st, 2010, which significantly affected the purse pool levels that could be sustained going forward because we had already run about 25% of our 2010 dates and at purse levels that were higher than the allocation finally being advised. As you are aware, the Board had increased purse levels by $1,000 per class across the board in December, 20. Those purse levels have been sustained as long as possible, despite the allocation being at a reduced level over what we were lead to anticipate. However, Government has recently determined a decline in wagering across the board, including the negative impact of the Olympics on Fraser Downs and the closure of the Hastings Casino during that time, will reduce the funding available overall. They have recently advised that harness racing will

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have a reduction to its allocation for 2010 of at least $400,000 while Thoroughbred racing will have a reduction of $600,000 and the operator, $500,000 in addition, Government has discovered errors in its calculations with Great Canadian, with respect to simulcast, tote and HPI reward expenses, which could mean a shared further reduction of similar size. Unfortunately, to compound the issue, instead of having all of its 2010 race days over which to amortize any adjustments, harness racing has only 50% of its 2010 race days left . What this means is that cuts to purse pools, that are now forced upon us, must be twice as deep as would otherwise be the case. As a consequence, all of the $1,000 per class, which was added in December, 2009 must now be rescinded and there will be further scaled reductions of approx. 10% required to meet the budget given to us. These lower purse levels will have to be maintained until funding allocations are able to increase once again, either through “postOlympic” recovery of wagering across the board or the positive involvement of the BC Lottery Commission. Changes to the Breeders Stakes and Programs: Following the GPEB/

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Racing Management Committee/Industry Meeting of April 22nd, 2010, when timing and procedures should be more clear, the Board will communicate any changes that are foreseen for the future with respect to current programs. The Board always welcomes your input with any ideas that you believe might help stimulate breeding and owning of Standardbred horses, within the constraints of the funds that are available, (which for 2010 approximates that for 2009 and, hopefully will remain a similar amount for 2011). The complex series of program changes which were planned and advised in March have been rescinded in their entirety for the sake of simplicity. In their place, the following four changes are proposed to encourage the ownership of young horses and benefit a greater number of people going forward: 1)To eliminate the Sales Stakes with the 2010 Pacific Yearling Sale and re-direct the money to expansion of the BC Breeders’s Stakes in 2012. The Sale Stakes will continue for all horses qualified from prior years. 2)To eliminate the Sires (Stallion) Stakes with 2011 breedings and to redirect the funds into an expanded BC Breeders Stakes Series in 2014. The Sires (Stallion) Stakes will

continue for all horses qualified in prior years. NOTE: The objective is to consolidate the program over time to a larger BC Breeders series with more races throughout the year offering more opportunities for more people to benefit. In 2010 a bonus of 100% of money earned in all overnight races will be paid for 2-yearolds. The calculation will not include Stake races or legs. This new bonus is designed to benefit the owners of two year old horses that may not be ready and/ or competitive for the Stake races in the fall. 4)Starting on January 1st, 2011, the BC Bred Bonus will be paid to 2, 3 and 4 year olds only. It will be based on a calendar year and is proposed to be paid out at six monthly intervals. For information, the following summarizes the qualifications and eligibility rules for the BC Bred Bonus and the BC Broodmare Award as they currently stand: Currently, up to March 31st, 2010, bonus

monies are paid to the Owners of BC bred horses, up to and including 5 year olds, finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in any overnight race, with the exception of the lowest claiming class. Bonuses are also not paid on stake monies. It is not necessary to be a BC resident to collect this bonus, but it is necessary to be a member of Harness Racing BC. Bonuses are calculated for each year based on a fiscal year from April 1st to March 31st and are paid out during the subsequent quarter. The amount paid is subject to the budgeted funds being available as accumulated through the SISAP program.

Issue # 16

NOTE: Once the Government’s new Financial Model is in place, with effect from January 1st, 2010, all previous funding arrangements, including that for the SISAP, “Standardbred Industry Stakes and Awards Program” are no longer operative. As such, the amount of funds available for any programs will be directly dependent upon the allocation of funding to harness racing made annually and adjusted as deemed appropriate by the GPEB appointed BC Horse Racing