Prominent owners, trainers pledge to make veterinary records public

Prominent owners, trainers pledge to make veterinary

records public

A large and growing number of prominent Thoroughbred owners and trainers have

voluntarily pledged to make available to the public veterinary records of their

horses competing in graded stakes races in the United States and Canada, The

Jockey Club announced Thursday.

Such records will cover the 14-day period preceding and including the day of

each race and will be available on the day of the race at least two hours prior

to post time. The pledges take effect immediately.

The decision by the owners and trainers follows closely on the heels of an

April 14 public proposal by Ogden Mills Phipps, the chairman of The Jockey Club,

suggesting that the veterinary records for every horse entered in this year¹s

Triple Crown races be made available as a means to bring greater credibility and

integrity to Thoroughbred racing at a time when millions are watching.

"The outpouring of support for this initiative has been dramatic and this is

just a preliminary list of those who have stepped forward in the past few days,"

Phipps said. "I commend each of the owners and trainers for taking a bold step

to enhance the image of our sport, and it is our sincere hope that other owners

and trainers will soon adopt this voluntary practice as well."

The current list of owners and trainers includes Adena Springs (Frank

Stronach), John Amerman, Roger Attfield (trainer), Antony Beck, Gary Biszantz, ,

Bill Casner, Mark Casse, Claiborne Farm, Christophe Clement (trainer), Darley

and Godolphin (HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum), Adele Dilschneider,

Dogwood Stable (Cot Campbell), Neil Drysdale (trainer), Will Farish, Glen Hill

Farm, Harris Farms (John Harris), Stuart S. Janney III, Live Oak Stud (Charlotte

Weber), D. Wayne Lukas (trainer), Earle Mack, Richard Mandella (trainer),

Michael Matz (trainer), Shug McGaughey (trainer), Kenny McPeek (trainer), Bill

Mott (trainer), Phipps Stable (Ogden Mills Phipps), Pin Oak Stud (Josephine

Abercrombie), Dr. Hiram Polk Jr., Dr. J. David Richardson, John Shirreffs

(trainer), Al Stall Jr. (trainer), Dallas Stewart (trainer), Stella Thayer,

Stonestreet Stables (Barbara Banke), Three Chimneys Farm (Robert Clay and Borges

Torrealba), Tic Stable (Ian Highet), West Point Thoroughbreds (Terry Finley),

Peter Willmott, Ian Wilkes (trainer), WinStar Farm (Kenny Troutt), and Woodford

Racing (Bill Farish).

Owners and trainers who would like to add their names to the list of

participants may do so by visiting The Jockey Club website at

jockeyclub.com.

As an industry service, The Jockey Club will provide on its website a list of

owners and trainers who pledge to make veterinary records available and the list

will be updated on a regular basis.

Additional details regarding this initiative will be announced in the near

future.

Also, as an extension of its On Call media assistance program that is

designed to provide accurate veterinary information, the American Association of

Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will provide to media, upon request, general

information about medications and treatments described in those records. AAEP

will not, however, provide information or perspective on any specific horse,

treatment or procedure because an On Call veterinarian will not have examined

the horse in question.

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