Page 123 - June 2022

“...The overall feedback from owners, breeders, and trainers has been, ‘We’d like to see more.’ No one has asked us to do less hair testing,” – Bruce Salard
hair testing. So, four of the 20 were not eligible to participate in the finals.”
When it comes to the results of the first round of hair tests conducted, Salard insists he did not know what to expect as the LQHBA embarks on the new measure, which has been designed to create a fair and equitable field of competition. He also emphasizes that since the LQHBA is not a regulatory body, the Racing Commission handles all communications with horsemen regarding hair testing.
“I can’t say that I knew exactly what to expect,” Salard shared. “We knew in the process of going through this that people will see that if you got a positive hair test you aren’t going to be allowed to run back in the finals. Since it is starting something new, I don’t really have something to measure against. Measuring the results from 2022 with 2023 is another thing. We are doing everything we can to help create a level playing field for the horses here, and hopefully, we will be able to continue in that direction.
“Whatever the outcome, once the results are in, they are sent directly to the Racing Commission, which takes over as the regula- tory body,” Salard added. “We (LQHBA) don’t communicate with the trainer or owner or breeder. We do not communicate anything about the hair test. We are not a regulatory body. With the actual pulling of the hair, I’m onsite, a state veterinarian is onsite, and an independent inspector is onsite. We have a
licensed Louisiana State Racing Commission veterinarian onsite signing off on each and every hair test and that it has been pulled prop- erly, as well as correctly identifying the horse. And we also do spot checks on the horses to make sure they are staying on the grounds.”
The Hair Testing Policy has been imple- mented to create as much transparency as possible for all industry stakeholders.
“Our whole point of doing this was to make sure we had the strongest possible integrity around Quarter Horse racing in Louisiana,” said Salard. “We have had full cooperation with the Louisiana Racing Commission, and the enforcement of the Hair Testing Policy. They have been working with us very strongly, and the LQHBA is in
a supportive position because we are not the regulatory body. That is important for people to understand. We are doing everything we can to support our regulator.”
As far as feedback goes, Salard has only heard positive responses from horsemen, regu- lators, and from racetrack operators.
“The feedback has overall been very posi- tive,” Salard said. “Even to the point that they want us to do more hair testing. I think people are learning how the process works. As far as the Racing Commission side, we have only done one futurity and are currently doing the second one (as of press time). I think everyone is just trying to see what rolls out from this. I don’t think anyone has had time to reflect yet
what the information shows. We’ll meet about it after the first two futurities and see what we learn from that.
“I find that Boyd Gaming and the racing office have been extremely cooperative in trying to make hair testing a success,” Salard added. “They are equally concerned and want
a level playing field so that people will keep their horses in training for years to come, and that we have adequate interests going forward for our yearling sales so that we can continue to fill races.”
With a serious focus on 2-year-old racing and the appeal of lucrative futurities, rolling out the Hair Testing Policy on the juvenile class made the most sense.
“The 2 year olds are a big focal point for Quarter Horse racing,” Salard noted, “and we wanted to make sure the 2 year olds are com- peting on a level playing field.”
As for what the future holds for hair test- ing, Salard said, “The Racing Commission, at the last meeting in April, allowed us to introduce the concept of doing random
hair testing on all horses and all groups of horses, not just futurity horses. It would be random, and we’re still working with the Racing Commission on what that policy and protocol would look like. Again, the overall feedback from owners, breeders, and trainers has been, ‘We’d like to see more.’ No one has asked us to do less hair testing; ‘You need to do more if you can.’”
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© Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse