Breeders Cup talks up their comprehensive safety measures in place for the 2024 World Championships

Pick Pony | Nov. 1, 2024, 6:40 p.m.

The 2024 Breeders’ Cup will be the second held under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Participants will undergo pre-race and post-race testing under HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, managed by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU).

Safety and integrity measures will continue to include equine security, round-the-clock surveillance protocols, improved veterinary examination procedures, injury management protocols, as well as monitoring, maintenance, and testing of the racing surface leading up to the event.

The Breeders’ Cup mandates thorough screening for all World Championships contenders leading up to the races. This year, it introduced a new Veterinary Guide detailing exam procedures and requirements for competing horses. The guide includes a video series on out-of-competition and pre-race testing, veterinary exam objectives, schedules, locations, components, and criteria.

The Breeders Cup Veterinary Team has held regular coordination meetings with partners at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, HISA, HIWU and the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) since July to determine OOC testing schedules and protocols for veterinary exams, injury management, emergency preparedness, and diagnostic tool implementation.

A list of graded stakes winners, Challenge Series winners, and other possible starters, was compiled and has been monitored on an ongoing basis since July of this year so HIWU could begin OOC testing for banned substances on potential contenders. This includes collaborating with regulators in five countries outside the U.S. to coordinate testing of potential competitors hailing from those jurisdictions. OOC testing will be ongoing through race day.

In addition, monitoring of the racing surface at Del Mar has been ongoing for months in the lead-up to the 2024 World Championships. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club surface experts Track Superintendent Dennis Moore and Turf Course Superintendent John Beggin have worked closely with Dr. Mick Peterson, Program Director of the University of Kentucky Racetrack Safety Program, throughout their evaluation and maintenance operations to ensure the most consistent racing surfaces possible at Del Mar.Additionally, TurfTrax software has been employed to measure the condition of the turf track. These results are posted daily for horsemen and the media.   

Enhanced screening protocols conducted by the Breeders’ Cup Veterinary Review Panel began immediately following the last domestic Challenge Series race on Oct. 6. The Review Team assessed the records of more than 220 potential contenders, including veterinary and treatment records, training and racing patterns, and physical examinations of select horses conducted by regulatory veterinarians in relevant racing jurisdictions around the world. In some cases, the use of advanced diagnostic tools were also required.

An equine PET scan machine on loan from the University of California, Davis will also be available to veterinarians on-site at Del Mar.

Upon the close of pre-entries on Oct. 21, medical records for all domestic contenders were requested from HISA and reviewed by the Review Panel a second time. For international contenders, the previous 30 days of medical records were requested and submitted for review. Mandatory 24-hour surveillance for all runners began at 11:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Additionally, every Breeders’ Cup runner is subject to:

• Comprehensive on-site veterinary exams, including jog-up exams and the use of diagnostic technology as needed, beginning Wednesday, Oct. 23

• Additional physical examinations at the determination of the Breeders’ Cup Veterinary Team

• In-stall and on-track veterinary oversight during training and schooling

• Mandatory jog-up exams before entering any racing surface at Del Mar starting Friday, Oct. 25

• HISA-mandated pre-race veterinary examinations in the barn and veterinary monitoring of horses in the paddock and during warm-up on race day

• Extensive pre-race TCO2 testing, as well as post-race testing of the first four finishers along with other runners as designated by the stewards

• Observation of all other finishers cooling out as they exit the racetrack to determine if any aid or further assessment is required

Additional resources detailing Breeders’ Cup’s health and safety protocols for the 2024 World Championships can be found atwww.BreedersCup.com/safety.