Page 33 - August 2017

Liaison Vince Genco
Drug testing results in obvious physical benefits to the horse, but there are also tangible benefits for horsemen in both the United States and Brazil.
“For every horse that is registered with the AQBM and the AQHA and is drug tested, those records will now be integrated into the AQHA database,” Wise explained. “If a horse wins a race which is drug tested in Brazil, those results will be reflected in the sale catalogs. It is absolutely fantastic. It allows the transfer of information between these two countries because of drug testing.
“What originally brought Brazilians to America to buy horses was the fact that they could count on the pedigrees because of the drug testing,” Wise continued. “But when we sold horses down there, for years, it was an informational black hole. Now, that black hole will be filled with information. So, if you own a half-sister to the dam of a horse that won a big race in Brazil, it will now show up!”
Track Magazine Associate Editor Mark Herron
As Wise mentioned, only horses who are registered with both AQBM and AQHA will be tracked in the AQHA database. Race results that include non-AQHA registered horses will still be kept, with those horses recorded as “Unknown.” Brazilian horsemen now have an incentive to register their horses with AQHA, while U.S. horsemen will also benefit from the re-inclusion of some of the pedigrees and bloodlines – in both the show and racing industries – that have been developed in Brazil over the years.
“Your pedigree information for all disciplines will now have a global value. It’s no secret that they’re heavily influenced by some of our best pedigrees,” VanBebber said, adding that the quality of Brazilian horses joining the AQHA registry is on par with the horses currently competing in
the U.S. “When their dollar was a little stronger, they came up here and purchased a lot of our
Speedhorse Magazine owners John & Susan Bachelor
horses and exported them down to their country. So consequently, you see their quality level being pretty equivalent to ours – the conformation of the horse, the appearance of the horse.”
Another far-reaching benefit of a comprehensive drug testing program is creating a level playing field. As Brazil’s fledgling anti- doping program has gained a foothold, Genco has noticed an added positive result: an influx of new participants.
“As it’s getting fairer, we’re seeing more and younger people getting involved with some success,” Genco said. “So, I think it’s a really good thing.”
“Horsemen should be very pleased and very grateful for the work that AQHA is doing in Brazil and what they’re trying to accomplish with the American Quarter Horse down there and
in the racing industry,” Bachelor said. “They’re doing a good job.”
Janet VanBebber meets up with Dashin Bye once again
at Rancho das Americas. VanBebber was one of the conditioners for Dashin Bye (First Down Dash-Sweet Bye And Bye, Zevi TB) when he raced in the U.S. before moving to Brazil to stand at stud. Dashin Bye earned $305,250 on the track, winning such races as the AQHA Derby Challenge Championship-G1, New Mexico Derby Challenge-G3 and
All American Gold Cup, and setting a New Track Record for 350-yards at Lone Star Park. Dashin Bye is the sire of nearly $13 million in U.S. money earners.
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