My Backyard... A Point Of Reference
A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE CLAIMING DILEMMA
Many owners in racing lament the claiming
program as practiced here in the United States. David Lengel stated in a letter of 12/24/11, to the Thoroughbred Times,"it would make sense to give horse time if needed, instead of
medicating through all the problems, if we knew when we came back off a layoff
we could race at some level without having our rehab project "claimed." His
comment "Race, jam, inject, medicate every last ounce of profit out of the
claiming horse, and do not be the last man stuck with the horse when the horse
is broken down and can no longer compete," is a very sad and sometimes
realistic result of the claiming game.
One of the reasons people come into racing is because they love the horse and
love the idea of having a race horse. Most are told by the trainers not to fall in
love with the horse as this is a business. It is okay to fall in love with horses
and racing and still be a part of the business. The tough part is having to put the
horse "where he belongs" when he can't win at allowance levels.
For an owner, and many are business men, it makes no sense to spend
$40,000.00 or $50,000.00 getting the horse to the races to be told he must run
for $5,000.00 in order to win. If he does well in that "cheap" race, there is a
good chance he will be claimed. This is a difficult concept for many to grasp.
While in Buenas Aires last year, I was surprised and fascinated to see races
with conditions like "Horses that have not been fifth or better in their last five
starts". The purses are less for these horses but they still can earn money and
the handicappers can find it just as challenging to pick a winner in a group like
this...evenly matched.
Changing anything in racing is a massive undertaking...how many reading this
would like to see changes like this one...maybe certain tracks could start writing
this kind of race..and see how it goes! My goal for the last 30 years has been to
bring more caring owners into racing...I suspect they would stay in longer if they
felt their horses could run at any level with out being claimed!
By the way, Mr Antonio Bullrich, the head of the Jockey Club in Argentina,
stated that they will be banning Lasix (Salix) for racing next year. He is a fifth
generation breeder and feels that the use of Lasix and other medications has
weakened the breed. He is very passionate about his horses and is a leader in
the industry.
Perhaps we could learn something from our Colleagues in the South!
THE MEDICATION ISSUE!
This is a list of allowable medications…is this "Drug Free Racing"?
Who needs illegal meds with these permissible ones?
PAINKILLERS
14 days out
Firocoxib
48 hours out
Butorphenol
Diclofenac
24 hours out
Flunixin (Banamaine)
Ketophren
Phenylbutazone (Bute)
ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES
7 Days out
Betamethasone
Methylprednisolone
Triamcinolone acetonide
72 hours out
Dexamethasone
48 hours out
DMSO (Topically)
PREDNISOLONE to be determined
CLENBUTEROL
14 days out
MUSCLE RELAXANT
48 hours out
Dantrolene
Methocarbamol
ANESTHETIC
72 hours out
Mepivacaine
THIS LIST WAS TAKEN FROM MID ATLANTIC THOROUGHBRED MAGAZINE..APRIL 2013
WHO NEEDS ILLEGAL DRUGS WHEN YOU CAN USE ALL OF THIS LEGALLY!
HAVING OVERAGES WITH SO MUCH ALLOWABLE…MAKES YOU WONDER?