Del Mar accredited by Safety and Integrity Alliance

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced that the Del

Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California, has been fully accredited by the NTRA

Safety and Integrity Alliance following a complete review of all racing

operations at the facility.

Del Mar is the 11th racing facility to be so

designated by the Alliance. Churchill Downs and Keeneland were accredited in

April; Belmont Park received accreditation in May; Delaware Park and Hollywood

Park were accredited in June; Monmouth Park was accredited in July; Arlington

Park and Saratoga Race Course received accreditation in August; and Calder Race

Course and Turfway Park were accredited earlier this month. Pimlico Race Course

was granted provisional accreditation in May.

The accreditation of Del Mar was the culmination of a lengthy certification

process that began with the track's completion of a 48-page written application

and continued as Del Mar hosted several meetings with Alliance officials. The

on-site review included inspections of all facets of the racing facility, and

interviews with track executives, racetrack personnel, jockeys, owners,

trainers, stewards, regulators and fans. The inspection team comprised Celeste Kunz, DVM; racing industry executive Dan Fick and NTRA President and CEO

Alex Waldrop. Observing the inspection was Mike Ziegler, executive director of

the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance.

"Del Mar was reviewed during its recent live meeting," Ziegler said. "It

exceeded prescribed benchmarks on many fronts, with industry-wide best practices

established in several areas including post-mortem veterinary examinations,

safety research, safety training and continuing education, out-of-competition

testing, and testing for alkalinizing substances and exogenous steroids."

"We are proud to know that Del Mar received high marks in so many different

areas," said Craig Fravel, executive vice president of the Del Mar Thoroughbred

Club. "There is no higher priority at Del Mar than the health and safety of

our human and equine athletes."

The Alliance, formed last October with the goal of establishing national uniform

standards in the areas of safety and integrity, includes 55 racetracks in North

America and every major national horsemen's organization. Alliance certification

standards cover five broad areas: injury reporting and prevention; creating a

safer racing environment; aftercare and transition of retired racehorses;

uniform medication, testing and penalties; and safety research. Within those

five categories, specific standards focus on areas including:

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Systematic reporting of equine injuries

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Aftercare of racehorses

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Pre- and post-race veterinary examinations

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Post-mortem examinations

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Health and safety of jockeys

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Riding crops and their use

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Horse shoes and hoof care

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Safety research

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Safety equipment for jockeys and horse handlers

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Exogenous Anabolic Steroids

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Alkalinizing agents (TCO2)

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On-track emergency medical care for humans and equines

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Out-of-competition testing

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Freezing and retrospective testing of post race samples

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Continuing education

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Security assessment and training

The accreditation program initially will focus on human and equine safety, but

will be expanded to cover additional areas, including wagering security.

The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance is a standing organization whose purpose

is to establish standards and practices to promote safety and integrity in

horse racing and to secure their implementation. Information on the Alliance,

including the Alliance Code of Standards, can be found at

www.NTRAalliance.com.

The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson, former four-term Governor of Wisconsin and U.S.

Secretary of Health and Human Services, serves as independent monitor of the

Alliance and will provide public reports on Alliance progress in instituting

safety and integrity standards.