May 19, 2008: The beginning of the end?……hopefully not.
Where I grew up, May always meant the Kentucky Derby on the 1st Saturday and the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend – fast horses and faster cars flying around oval tracks – two sports that have very similar qualities and equally similar risks. I cannot remember how many of these spectacles I attended, but I guarantee you it was far more than I remember. They are giant parties after all. It always signaled the beginning of summer and in the Midwest that was the best time of the year.
The Kentucky Derby is always magical with the large crowd, the fancy hats, the Mint Juleps! And the horses were so majestic to watch. They were equine superstars – and I was lucky enough to see both Seattle Slew and Affirmed win in 1977 and 1978 – the last 2 Triple Crown winners. Twenty years later I found myself working for the Taylors who owned and bred Seattle Slew well into his late 20’s. It has been 30 years since we have had a Triple Crown winner and many people say the sport desperately needs another to save it. Others say the sport is in a tailspin it cannot correct. Still others call for the sport to be banned as cruel and inhumane. While you may find that view extreme, it comes with a lot of clout in the form of animal rights groups like PETA and some internal thoroughbred owners associations and racing commissions. Horse racing is under the microscope as is the Professional Rodeo circuit and certain aspects of the horse show world – do not be foolish and think that polo is immune to the scrutiny.
While the tragic saga with Barbaro last year sent us on a roller coaster ride of emotion, the handling of his veterinary care and the genuine devotion of his owners actually put a caring face on an otherwise negative story. Anticipation was up at this Derby to set out again for the next superhorse, and for a fleeting moment he arrived in the form of Big Brown. But he could not even jog back to the winner’s circle without the sight and horror of the breakdown and eventual euthanasia of the 2nd place filly, Eight Belles. His moment of glory was replaced with anger and accusations again from all the usual suspects – only this time I heard even lifelong race fans voice some disheartening opinions. The last thing the horse industry needed was more bad news. Even so, the day before the Derby, Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz had a colt break down in a handicap race and was fortunately able to be saved – but he and the sport could not be saved from the negative press. Earlier in the month, also in Kentucky at the prestigious Rolex Three Day Event, 2 horses had to be euthanized after accidents. I do not have to remind anyone that we have our share of problems in polo too.
So what are we to do? How bad is it really? Well studies in Europe and the US show that catastrophic injury in races horses average about 1.5 per 1000 starts or roughly 0.15%. When looking at racings biggest days, the Triple Crown and Bredeers Cup, the figure jumps to almost 5 per 1000 starts – a fairly substantial increase. Why the difference? Well, just think of yourself when you are in the semifinals or finals of just about any tournament. I always hear – “but she’s my best horse, doc and I need her to play”. Need I say more. The point here is simple, the horse industry is coming under immense pressure from all sides. Not only from the animal rights groups and medication committees, but from economic pressure. I heard a bale of alfalfa in Santa Barbara was at the $20 range. I do not need to remind you what diesel is going for, and $5 per gallon is just around the corner.
On the research front, studies are being conducted to test for early warning biomarkers that could alert us to run bone scans or MRIs on horses to look for potential fractures before they happen. This is future technology being tested now. Synthetic racing surfaces are being used on many racetracks now and hopefully will be helpful in reducing the injury rate. Time will tell the real story. More importantly, we just need to be smart. Know your horses and try and keep them sound. Better off, do not buy unsound horses just because they are inexpensive. Besides, you are the one who is going to have to ride them.
A lot of signs are negative right now – 2 race tracks, Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows, are set to shut down for good by next spring. The owner of Santa Anita and Golden Gate is supposedly in severe financial trouble and Royal Palm Polo Club was just demolished. It is no secret that most polo clubs are suffering out West and in Canada this year. Hopefully, it is just that cyclical economic thing or just the high oil prices getting everyone down. We will get through it and come out the other side. In the meantime, root for Big Brown, he is truly a freak of a racehorse, and 30 years is too long to wait.
Be safe out there.