Page 144 - Speedhorse April 2019

Top Dog
Drug Sniffing at
RUIDOSO DOWNS
by Jennifer K. Hancock
In the fight against the use of illegal perfor- m mance-enhancing drugs in the racing industry, there’s a new dog in town, literally. While Ruidoso Downs’ new ownership group vowed
to beef up security and crack down on the use of illegal medications in racehorses last year when they took over management of the historic New Mexico track, one of their new security officers
is working for kibble, treats and the occasional scratch behind the ears. Chini, a 3-year-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois cross, is working to sniff out cheaters at the racetrack.
She might soon change the perception of the dog days of summer and displace New Mexico’s other famous animal do-gooder, Smokey Bear, from the state’s list of top animal celebrities.
When Speedhorse spoke with Jeff True before last year’s Ruidoso Downs meet opening, he stressed the new ownership group’s desire to clean up the image of racing and implement new strate- gies at the track that is known for first shaking up racing by introducing a futurity nomination and sustaining payment system that created the world’s richest horse race for Quarter Horses, the All American Futurity.
Ruidoso is owned by All American Ruidoso Downs LLC, which includes Stan Sigman, Narciso “Chicho” Flores and Johnny Trotter,
w w h h o o a a r r e e a a l l l l f f r r o o m m T Te e x x a a s s , , a a n n d d t t h h e e l l a a t t e e J J o o h h n n
A A n n d d r r e e i i n n i i . . I It t w w a a s s S S i i g g m m a a n n w w h h o o i i n n i it t i i a a t t e e d d b b r r i i n n g g - - ing Chini to the track through a partnership with K9s4Cops, an organization founded by racehorse owner Kristi Schiller to address the need for funding the purchase of K9s for law enforcement agencies.
Schiller’s non-profit estimates that a trained dog costs between $10,000-$45,000, and
most agencies struggle when budgeting for the purchase of a police or drug dog. According to its website, K9s4Cops was formed to bridge the gap and ensure that the cost of a canine never keeps an officer from having a four-legged partner.
Sigman previously worked with Schiller to provide a K9 unit at his grandchildren’s school. Schiller, who also produces barrel racing events and owns Schiller Ranch in College Station, Texas, with her husband John, combined forces with Sigman to bring the innovative approach of a K9 unit to the racetrack to help detect prohibited substances.
The Racing Integrity Liaison at Ruidoso Downs is tasked with increasing security on the Ruidoso backside and will also be Chini’s part- ner. Ruidoso management wanted someone in the position with racetrack experience who could relate to and build a relationship with horsemen while also enforcing racing regulations. At the top of the list of recommendations was Luis Alvarez, a bloodstock agent who had worked closely with many Brazilian horsemen.
While Alvarez fully embraces his role in ensuring the integrity of racing at the track, he prefers to call himself a horsemen’s liaison and relishes the opportunity to work with Chini to help clean up racing and discourage the use of prohibited substances.
T T h h e e K K 9 9 s s 4 4 C C o o p p s s o o r r g g a a n n i i z z a a t t i i o o n n b b e e g g a a n n i i m m p p r r i i n n t t - -
i ing Chini on some performance-enhancing, pro- hibited mediation for the racetrack. Throughout the 2018 season, two K9s4Cops board members brought Chini to the track about seven times
for trials, stakes finals and regular race days. Prior to her arrival the track, she was introduced to horses and taught to search for the scent of needles, syringes, clenbuterol, albuterol and other substances. Throughout the season, Alvarez, Chini and her trainers worked together to test her suitability for work at the track
“Last year was her first year, and the two board members came out and worked with us throughout the whole season,” Alvarez explained. “We did a little bit of everything. We worked
the main gate entrance, we performed vehicle searches and worked the parking lot where trailers are parked. After training hours, we did barn searches as well as jock’s room sweeps.”
Chini is fitting in perfectly at the track and is becoming like the other four-legged animals she’s been tasked to protect.
“One thing is for sure, Chini is driven – I mean she is a workhorse literally,” Alvarez said. “She doesn’t stop. She just wants to go, go, go. She knows it’s work time, and obviously you have to give these animals a break, but she can work. When we were doing our barn searches, she worked 10 barns almost continuously. Depending on how fast of a pace we are going, she can work 30-45 minutes and then take a break. I’ve never seen a dog in my life that can work like that non- stop – she’s like a machine. If she could talk, she’d say, ‘What’s next; what’s next?’”
While she has the appearance of a fierce police dog, she’s also got a softer side that is displayed at home with Alvarez’s family.
Luis Alvarez has filled the position at Ruidoso Downs of Racing Integrity Liaison and will partner with track’s newest security officer’s – Chini, a 3-year-old German Shepherd-Belgian Malinois cross.
142 SPEEDHORSE, April 2019