Op/Ed: Thoroughbred Racing Soundness

Dr. Russell Cohen

Alonso Nichols/Tufts University

 

by Dr. Russell Cohen

Hello Mr./Mrs. Owner, this is your trainer and unfortunately your horse has an injury. Mr. Trainer, I just bought this horse and this is only his second start.

It is accepted in the industry, that the thoroughbred horse has become “less sound, less rugged, less durable and more fragile.”

This is clearly reflected based on the diminishing average starts per lifetime. Based on data compiled by The Thoroughbred Times, during the period between 1993-2002, the average starts per foal per lifetime was 14. According to figures provided by The Jockey Club, that number has declined another 9% during 2001-2010 to 12.6 starts per lifetime. These numbers coincide with the average starts per year in the 1950's, which was 10.91. By 2015, that number was down to 6.18. These numbers represent a dramatic decline over the entire population of thoroughbred race horses.

I have been a practicing veterinarian in New York at Belmont Park for close to 30 years. I have also been breeding horses for 25 years and my family's stable has been racing these homebreds. In addition, I have a Master's degree from Texas A& M University where I studied population genetics and speciation that has been a tremendous help as a breeder, racing manager and a veterinarian.

The information used in this article is straight from The Jockey Club. The numbers are the numbers and they do not lie or tell long tales. The horses have been bred by Dr. Russell S. Cohen and raced by Tri-Bone stable. The mares were bought after injury at Belmont or purchased at sales for very reasonable prices. There are seven mares from five distinct female families sired by 26 different sires. A few of these were middle-range sires but the majority would be considered of limited sire power. I have bred 32 foals (small population) over 25 years and sold four of them at auction and therefore had no input to them. The 28 foals were raised at multiple farms, broken at two different farms and trained by multiple trainers–from a Hall Of Fame trainer to many lesser-known trainers. It is this 28-foal group that I refer to because I had control over them, with one exception. This exception resulted in a once-promising horse turned into a lesser one; a wasted talent.

Is there a population of race horses that defy accepted thought and conventional wisdom using information garnered from The Jockey Club and supported by simple math? Applying simple population dynamics based on the wide range of genes from this small population, the soundness of this group should be almost identical to the soundness of the larger population. The answer to the question is, yes there is a population that is different and this group is resoundingly sounder based on the numbers, facts and math.

 

28 Homebreds

Starts 570

Starts per Lifetime 20.4

Winning Horses 21 (75%)

Multiple Winners 14 (50%)

Stake Horses 6 (21.4 %)

Stake Winners 3 (11 %)

Graded SWnrs 2 (7%)

Multiple SWnrs 3 (11%)

100k Winners 7 (25%)

200k Winners 3 (11%)
Total Wins 65

Total SWins 11

Total GSWins 6

Total Earnings $4,702,271

Added Value to Bloodstock ????

 

Many of the numbers are above the industry standard and averages with the understanding that it is a small population and based on limited resources. The one GLARING number that jumps off the page is the number of starts per lifetime, which at this time stands at 20.4 versus the industry at 12.6. These numbers, based on percentages, is 62%, far above the accepted standard in the industry.

What is the reason for such a huge gap between the two populations? I will furnish a partial list of veterinary procedures, diagnosis and accepted practices to which I adhere:

1) Do not train on any medication of any kind

2) No joint injections

3) Do not race on any medications, with the exception of Lasix (already discussed)

4) No alternative therapy: chiropractic, acupuncture, laser, or any other kind

5) No shock wave therapy

6) No ulcer medications

7) No E.P.M.

8) No weak backs, gluteal, hock or stifle treatments

It is my belief, based on many years of experience and more importantly, having my wallet and my name in the game, that the modern horse begins sound and healthy. The industry has been hijacked by third-party know-it-alls. These bleacher creatures have no exposure but remain in the grandstand and tell everyone else how to hit a baseball. I believe it is time for the owners to tell them to put on a helmet and step into the batter's box. After they strike out, just go to the bench and stay silent.

There are many horses that get hurt, who are born with various flaws, etc. But the key to keeping horses sound starts and ends with getting out of their way and surrounding them with horsemen and women that have their best interests at heart, and financial gain last.

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