By T. D. Thornton
In the opening remarks of the Aug. 30 New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) meeting in Saratoga Springs, executive director Robert Williams addressed the 14 Thoroughbred fatalities that have occurred on Saratoga Race Course property since May 30.
With six racing days left in the meet, Williams said the current Saratoga total of 14 equine fatalities (six racing-related, four training-related, four from other causes) equals the total of 14 for all of 2014 at Saratoga (eight racing, six training) and exceeds by one the 2015 total of 13 (three racing, eight training, two other causes).
“This spike has been the cause of great concern for both the commission staff and the New York Racing Association (NYRA),” Williams said. “Preliminary review finds that all 10 [horses that died during racing or training] suffered exercise-related musculoskeletal injuries. There has also been one accidental death [reared while walking; head trauma], one death from infectious disease, and two sudden cardiac deaths, both of which occurred following exercise while horses were cooling out.”
Williams said that in addition to the mandatory NYSGC necropsies and soon-to-be-published investigations by the commission's equine safety review board, NYRA has separately consulted with Dr. Michael “Mick” Peterson Jr., the executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory.
“I've been informed that a review of the track surface indices, including cushion depth, moisture content, and training times, indicate that the 2016 track surface meets standards consistent with previous years, thereby making track condition unlikely as a contributing factor for the 2016 Saratoga equine fatalities,” Williams said.
The remainder of the commission's agenda was heavy on casino gaming regulatory items, although two jockey-related rule changes did get passed unanimously.
In an effort to clear antiquated rules off the books, the first was a repeal of a long-obsolete Thoroughbred racing rule that once gave a three-pound weight allowance to apprentice jockeys riding for their “original contract employer.”
The second rule change is a bit more relevant to modern times: Riders who want to display logos of the Jockeys' Guild or the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund on their apparel no longer have to get stewards' permission to do so (so long as such logos do not each exceed 10 square inches). In addition, jockeys who want to display their names on their riding pants and on the rear of their helmets no longer need to ask the stewards.
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