Page 160 - March 2016

2015 AQHA Mexican Champion Revised
Senor Cawboy (Senior Solo-Takin Cash SLC, Takin On The Cash) has been named the 2015 AQHA Mexican Champion. Owned by Arturo Silva, the 2013 sorrel colt won three of six starts earning $88,361 with his biggest victory coming in the $146,828 Subasta Selecta Futurity-RG3. Senor Cawboy was bred by Anselmo Aguilar’s Cuadra La Presita and foaled in Mexico. The
colt was trained by Raymun Sandoval, Victor Diaz and Hector Roldan, and jockeys Julian Sanchez, I. Dominguez, J.C. Alvarado and M.B. Hernandez rode him during the 2015 campaign. Senor Cawboy was named the 2015 Mexican Champion after it was determined that Volcoms Heart, who was originally chosen as the division’s champion, was ineligible since she was not foaled in Mexico.
Oklahoma Governor Signs Emergency Rule Change
Stallionesearch--Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed an emergency rule change regard- ing the American Quarter Horse Association’s Multiple Medication Violation System (MMVS). That new rule is now in effect.
With the change, the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission will no longer recognize individuals suspended and listed on the current AQHA suspension list as they were implemented under the association’s current procedures which do not meet the State’s requirements.
However, if any of those individuals are presently serving a jurisdiction suspension from Oklahoma or another state, they will still be excluded at Remington Park.
It would be incorrect to say the OHRC adopted the emergency rule to avoid recogniz- ing any AQHA suspensions as the new rule provides a way for a breed organization to seek OHRC enforcement of Stud Book Registry Suspension, so long as the registry has fol- lowed the protocol in the new rule to insure the Registry provided the individual with appropri- ate notice and opportunity to respond.
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s office and AQHA attorneys have had discussions about the issue for several weeks and the AG’s office has suggested some revisions to AQHA policy that, if adopted, will allow the OHRC to recognize future suspensions.
Remington Park kicked off its 2016 American Quarter Horse meet on March 11.
Human Drug Being Studied For Use Against EHV-1
Experts say vaccines can’t be expected to prevent a horse from contracting Equine Herpes Virus 1 (EHV-1) when dealing an outbreak, but there are treatments that could limit the risk
of a horse developing neurological symptoms. Depending on the nature of the exposure and the horse’s immunity incubation period for EHV-1, which can be anywhere from 1 to 10 days, the horse can develop a fever that in many cases clears up for a brief period but returns a few days later. This second phase of the fever generally brings with it the neurological symptoms. According
to new research, Banamine may diminish the virus’s ability to penetrate the blood vessels of
the brain and lessen the likelihood of serious neurologic effects. Veterinarians have recently begun work with the human antiviral known
as Valtrex TM (Valacyclovir) and it is believed to be helpful to horses exposed to EHV-1 if given
at the right time. Studies conducted by Dr.
Laura Maxwell of Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences show that horses given Valacyclovir before the first fever
had smaller amounts of virus circulating in the blood than those horses that weren’t treated. Her second study showed that Ganciclovir, a cousin
of Valacyclovir, was stronger during the second phase of the fever than Valacyclovir. The results of Dr. Maxwell’s studies lead her to believe that Valacyclovir can be given early, or Ganciclovir can be given as a last attempt to avoid the worse. Dr. Maxwell cautions that they are still in the early stages of research and that anyone with a horse in quarantine should consult their veterinarian and decide how to safeguard the animal.
NMRC Elects New Chairman, Co-Chair
The New Mexico Racing Commission (NMRC) on Jan. 21 elected longtime Quarter Horse breeder/owner Ray Willis to serve as Chairman. Willis replaced Robert Doughty III, who will remain on the commission. Willis has been actively involved in New Mexico’s horse racing industry since 1981. The commission also elected Gayla McCulloch to serve as co-chair. McCulloch replaces Beverly Bourguet, who will remain on the commission. McCulloch is a second-generation commission member. She has served on the Farmington City Council, is an American Quarter Horse Association director, and a past president
of the New Mexico Quarter Horse Association.
The commission is also seeking applicants to fill
its newly created position of field/safety steward. Applicants must be ROAP-accredited stewards
and familiar with all aspects of horse racing safety requirements. Applicants should email their resume and contact information to Rosemary Garley at the commission at rosemary.garley@state.nm.us.
RMTC Expands Out-Of-Competition Testing
The board of directors of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) approved several recommendations from its Scientific Advisory Committee & Horseracing Testing Laboratories Committee, revising thresholds based on recent research for 3 medications currently among those on the Controlled Therapeutic Substances (CTS) list: xylazine & detomidine (sedative/analgesic) & omeprazole (anti-ulcer). RTMC board members also voted to recommend to the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) a more comprehensive out-of-competition testing rule for horse racing. And, the Board approved screening limit recommendations for various environmental contaminants to match environmental residue screening limits used in international horse rac-
ing; granted Full Accreditation status to A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and Interim Accreditation status to the New York Drug Testing & Research Laboratory; and approved a split sample submission program for regulators & laboratories to simplify & improve communication in the split sample process.
Funds Approved For Racing At Fargo
The North Dakota Racing Commission on Feb. 25 approved funding for six days of racing at Fargo for their 2016 meet that will run over three weekends beginning July 16 and closing July 31. The commission granted the park $200,000 in promotional funds and $115,000 in purse money after the North Dakota Horse Park Foundation set up a repayment plan to the city of Fargo for special assessments owed to the city. Horse Race North Dakota, who owns part of the track with the North Dakota Park Foundation, was able to repay their portion of the $1.9 million debt to the city. Fargo’s 2015 season was closed when the commis- sion only funded Chippewa Downs in Belcourt after initially granting Fargo six days of racing.
El Moro De Cumpas Horse Race Festival
The 2016 El Moro De Cumpas Horse
Race Festival will run at Arizona race tracks in Safford, Sonoita and Douglas after the track in Greenlee County, where the races are typically held, sustained storm damage over the summer. Trials are scheduled to run in Safford on April 23-24, then in Sonoita on May 7-8. The finals will run May 21-22 in Douglas. The 2016 El Moro de Cumpas race series will be Arizona’s richest county El Moro race meet with over $250,000 in estimated purse allocations.
Hialeah Announces Leaders
Hialeah Park ended its 39-day winter Quarter Horse meet on Feb 29. Moonin The Eagle (One Famous Eagle-Your First Moon, First Down Dash) was named Horse of the Meet after winning all 3 of his starts at the Florida track, including the $204,310 Hialeah Maturity & the $150,000 Sam Abbey Hialeah Invitational. Denis & Julie Schoenhofer were named the Leading Owners with 11 wins; Judd Kearl was the Leading Trainer with 39 wins; and Omar Reyes was the Leading Jockey with 43 wins.
158 SPEEDHORSE, March 2016
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