The death of Eight Bells at the Kentucky Derby has lead some calls for action buy many people. One proposal that makes a lot of sense, and in all honesty I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet, is banning trainers from drugging their horses on race day.

In the New York Times Gina Rarick wrote:

If a horse needs medication, it is not fit to run. That principle governs the rules of racing in all of Europe, most of Asia and Dubai. The United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia and some South American countries allow a panoply of race-day medications from anti-inflammatory drugs, which mask pain, to lasix, the diuretic drug that some believe controls bleeding in the lungs of a racehorse.

It’s obvious that the horses’ health and safety is not the main concern in some countries. For humans it’s a standard rule that drugging is not allowed, not safe and not fair. The same should go for the horses as well. These horses are living, breathing beings with hearts and minds just like us but it’s our job to protect them because they can’t protect themselves against us.

horse drugging

2009 may be the year for the Chinese when it comes to horse race betting. The announcement is seen as the beginning of horse race gambling on the Chinese mainland and would be a milestone since the Communist Party came into power in 1949.

The races would be held at the Orient Lucy City Racecourse in Wuhan in September of this year, according to a senior manager with the Orient Lucky Horse Group Cooperation. However, betting on the races would not be introduced on a trial basis until 2009.

“Initially about 250 horses from different jockey clubs around the country will participate in the races,” said the manager, “but betting can only be officially launched when the races draw at least 2,000 horses.”

An expert in the study of horserace betting, Qin Zunwen, said the business, once fully operational nationwide, could end up creating close to 3 million jobs a year.

Hubei Academy of Social Sciences revealed conducted a survey that 83.3% of Wuhan residents believed that the introduction of betting would have a positive social impact. 51% of those surveyed also said they were “interested” or “very interested” in gambling on the races.

The new “Super Dirt” track is being used in its first big race this week at the Golden Gate Fields in Berkley California. The new surface is one of three artificial tracks that are competing to become the dirt track of choice. The artificial surface is made up of the same silica that’s used in computer chips, then covered with a polymer coating. This provides a cushioning effect for the horses and jockeys, which will prevent countless injuries that occur every year on natural track surfaces.

It’s not required to spray down the tracks in dry conditions, which is estimated to save 30 million gallons of water per year. It’s able to filter water and never gets muddy. There are some issues with keeping it clean because certain organic materials will not break down in it. Besides that, it looks like it will be the surface of choice into the future.

The biggest event on the thoroughbred calendar just got even bigger – again.

After the success of the expanded two-day version of the 2007 Breeder’s Cup at Monmouth Park, the 2008 event at Santa Anita will see three more races added to the lineup: the $1-million Turf Sprint, the $1-million Juvenile Filly Turf, and the $500,000 Dirt Marathon. This trio will be run on Friday, Oct. 24.

The Sprint will be run at Santa Anita’s El Camino Real hillside course, but the Marathon (1-1/2 miles) might prove to be the most interesting addition to the Breeders’ Cup. An advisory panel has recommended to Cup officials that they establish a series of 12-furlong races as a warm-up for the Marathon.

There are a small handful of these longer stakes races in North America – the Belmont being the most famous. No doubt some of these recommended Marathon preps will become part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge. The more, the merrier.

Don’t put away your tail combs just yet. The horse racing season doesn’t end with the Breeders’ Cup; there are still plenty of graded stakes races left in the winter session, including the $1-million Delta Jackpot Stakes at Delta Downs on Dec. 7.

This is a Grade III Juvenile event, but the seven-figure purse ensures the highest level of competition. Nineteen pre-entries were taken in November; they’ll be whittled down to 10 on Tuesday. We do know that Golden Yank has qualified. This 2-year-old burst on the scene in October by winning his debut over six furlongs, then claiming the MEC Mile before his impressive showing at the Jean Lafitte – thus qualifying for Dec. 7.

Other viable favorites for the Delta Jackpot include Slew’s Tiznow, Old Man Buck and Z Humor, all with podium finishes at the Breeders’ Cup. Sky Cape, St. Joe and Briarwood Circle are also in position to make the field.

Every athlete has to leave the stage at some point. Horses are no different, but the decision-making process that goes into their retirements certainly is.

There are two general career paths for thoroughbreds. The top ones in the sport will often be retired even when they are still capable of winning races; this is because their expected stud fees will grow so high that their owners won’t risk losing that windfall to injury. Any Given Saturday, for example, was retired to stud this month and will earn $40,000 for each effort. There will be thousands.

Thoroughbreds who fail to reach this lofty standard will simply be taken off the track once their owners decide the balance between earnings and expense is no longer to his or her liking. Their stories are like those of retired marginal pro athletes; some find good homes and families, others fall on hard times. And, yes, they shoot horses.

The horse racing industry has been expanding the number of races every year for the past five years, and the pool of jockeys required to run all these races is too small. Jockeys are now the busiest sportsmen in England. Many jockeys are running multiple races on the same day, and the industry fears that these men and women are surely headed towards burn-out in the future.

The race to win the championship has the jockeys riding in as many races as they possibly can in order to gain points over opponents. Industry organizers are looking into creating schedules where only certain races will be included in the championship point race, instead of all the all-weather events. They will determine which races qualify by stakes amounts each race offers.

If changes do come, it will not be before next season’s championship. So the jockeys still have at least one busy year left.

When it comes to the Breeder’s Cup, one man stands alone atop the stats. D. Wayne Lukas has had more success than any other trainer in the 13-year history of the Cup. He has more than doubled the success of his nearest competitors.

Here’s a list of the top five trainers and their records.

1. D.Wayne Lukas - 146 starters / 18 wins / 20 places / 15 shows / $19,645,520 in winnings

2. Robert Frankel - 68 starters / 4 wins / 9 places / 8 shows / $10,853,020 in winnings

3. Claude R. (Shug) McGaughey - 49 starters / 9 wins / 9 places / 1show / $8,693,560 in winnings.

4. William I. Mott - 48 starters / 5 wins / 6 places / 4 shows / $8,542,960 in winnings

5. Andre Fabre - 39 starters / 4 wins / 4 places / 7 shows / $7,621,000 in winnings

As online gaming continues to take hold in other countries, the Australian horse racing industry is experience a decline the same way the American industry did. Add in an outbreak of equine influenza, which has brought everything to a standstill since last August, and the industry is in some serious trouble Down Under. The State of New South Wales has granted $7.5 million in financial aid to assist people and organizations affected by the outbreak.

The Federal Government has announced a $110 million support package, but this State money is to help those who don’t qualify for the Federal monies. The State also kicked in $8.5 million to help stop the spread of the flu, but many feel that these amounts are a joke because the State Government has taken $100 million out of the industry. The Government claims it has the industry’s best interest in mind, and is planning to provide assistance over a long period of time. We shall see.