August 5, 1910: “Olambala the Victor” (New-York Daily Tribune) “An important meeting of the stewards of the Jockey Club will be held at the track to-morrow to settle definitely the much mooted question of fall racing. It is said that James R. Keene is working hard for a change in the plans which would bring…
To get to Saratoga, Red Smith famously said, “From New York City you drive north for about 175 miles, turn left on Union Avenue and go back 100 years.” So I did. And here’s what was going on in the run-up to the 1910 Saratoga meeting. The more things change… July 24, 1910: “Hotels and…
So we have meandered our way through the 2010 Jockey Club Welfare and Safety Summit, picking our way through the panels, unhurriedly observing what various elements of the racing industry think about the issues facing the sport. And, finally, we arrive at the last panel, at which the members reported on their recommendations and goals.…
Three more racing days at Belmont, before the racing action moves upstate. The transition will take place next week, after Belmont ends its spring/summer meet on Sunday; Saratoga opens one week from today. Though the racing action will shift locations, life on the Belmont backstretch will, of course, continue; a large community of horses will…
Moderated by Mike Ziegler, executive director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, this panel offered several retirement organizations the opportunity to share the details of their work and inform the audience about the various models of Thoroughbred retirement currently available. Kim Smith, executive direction of the Louisville-based Second Stride, said that her organization is…
This session began with a video of a training center in Japan; horses there train over multiple surfaces and over courses of different lengths, and all training is monitored by Japan Racing Association officials. The process is “highly regulated,” and riders are identified by the colors of their helmet. The color of the saddlecloth indicates…
7:15 a.m., Oklahoma training track. Picture perfect: the sun has burned away the early morning fog; the predicted 90 degree heat has yet to descend. As usual, I [inadvertently] time my arrival to coincide with the break, so there’s time to chat before training resumes. Some of these folks have been here since 5:30, to…
Racing Equipment & Safety Keeneland president and CEO Nick Nicholson talked about racing in relationship to other sports that have an “admitted, inherent risk”; those sports, he said, promote the idea that they are doing everything possible to make the sport safe for the participants. Racing has, he said, a “moral responsibility to fans to…
Equine Injury Database This presentation is the one that has garnered the most attention and coverage, given its preliminary findings about equine injuries. Dr. Mary Scollay, a veterinarian and equine medical director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, presented the timeline for the Equine Injury Database: October 2006: Proposal for tracking injuries at the Safety…
NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance Update Mike Ziegler, executive director of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, began his presentation by noting that the Alliance had accredited 18 tracks in 15 months. 17 of those tracks were fully accredited; one was provisionally accredited. Ziegler said that the accredited tracks accounted for more than 60% of…
Brooklyn Backstretch 