Standardbred Breeding

Fergus Galvin, their consignor, called it “one of the greatest pinhooks of all time.” To Blaise Benjamin and Charles Hynes, it was just another example of the way every new day at Ashford Stud brings a fresh lesson, a fresh opportunity. That might just involve quietly clocking the way one of the old hands reassures a nervous horse, or it might mean catching the $1,000 Tiz the Law weanling who fell through the cracks at the New York Mixed Sale at Saratoga last fall. Back in the same ring last Sunday, she brought $170,000. Benjamin and Hynes, along with their contemporary Michael Norris, happened to sit down with TDN ahead of the auction to share their privileged sense of how their work, by daily increments, nourishes their evolution as horsemen. But all three also stressed how they are encouraged to convert observation to opportunity. The whole Coolmore saga having begun with its founders' flair for stockmanship and trade, staff are always encouraged to participate in the market themselves. Because there is no better way to understand clients' needs than to share their ups and downs—the painful challenge to your tenacity, when things don't work out, as well as the euphoria or simple relief when they do. “A lot of us have got involved in the game ourselves: pinhooking, breeding, racing,” Norris confirmed. “That way, you're immersed in the industry on a day-to-day basis. Even though I'm now based more in the office, come sales season we're all out there every day: we see every colt, every filly, by any of our stallions. We rate the progeny, make notes on them all, compare what a mare produces from different matings.” There is a natural confluence, after all, between that exhaustive appraisal and the quest by any regular pinhooker for outlying value. And, working where they do, they will never lack for paragons. “Because you're lucky enough to see what the good ones look like, you can then go out and try to apply that,” Hynes said. “Going to the sales is the greatest perk of the job. Touch wood, I'm still getting educated, but the grounding you get here is a huge part of any touches we have managed to have at the sales.” In this particular case, the daughter of an unraced sister to Grade I winner Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo) was the first weanling Benjamin and Hynes wrote up as they set to work last fall: she had some growing to do, but she was a fluid mover with great genes and so they lined up a couple of partners to follow her through. They barely had time to ask each other what they might have missed about her when the hammer fell. They sent her to Hannah and Aidan Jennings at Killora Stud, Tiz the Law gained momentum, and the rest is history. But such are the potential destinations, once the individual roads taken by this generation converged at Ashford. Their inception tended to be very different. Norris, for instance, was raised at storied Jockey Hall Stud in Ireland, and his great-grandfather owned Cottage Rake. Benjamin, in contrast, spent his boyhood in Jamaica and, when first urged that he might work with horses, replied: “With what!? Absolutely not.” Michael Norris | Coolmore Yet now they find themselves sharing a renewal, at Coolmore, parallel to the way Justify is reopening the kind of transatlantic transfusions that once nourished its rise, through sons of Northern Dancer. For a new cycle is also underway in the responsibilities nowadays entrusted, most obviously to M.V. Magnier, but also to numerous of his contemporaries. All, naturally, have been well schooled in a familiar corporate ethic of self-effacement. As such, the three 30-somethings giving us their time represent but a snapshot of peers making an increasing impact across the organization. Each happens to be earning his stripes at Ashford. But many of their colleagues in Ireland and Australia would recognize the pattern: coalface experience, around the farm, before embracing fresh opportunities with the sales team. Norris, as already noted, was bred for the game. Besides Cottage Rake, his “page” includes grandfather Paddy, who trained winners of the Coventry and Irish Grand National–and whose mother-in-law owned Vincent O'Brien's first Classic winner, Chamier (1953 Irish Derby). Norris's father is an equine vet; his mother operated the highly-regarded Jockey Hall consignment; and aunt Ines Malone works for BBA(Ireland). “Open the gate and you'd be looking straight onto the Curragh plain,” he recalls of home. “My mother consigned all over Europe, yearlings and especially mares. So, yes, I was kind of born into it. And when I said I might want to get into the industry, and where should I go, Mum's only suggestion was Coolmore. 'They're the best,' she said. 'And that's not going to change.'” But coming here was a chance he had to earn. His prior resume duly included junior experience at Gilltown, a stint in Australia and, in 2015, the Irish National Stud course. When finally arriving in Kentucky, he pictured staying a year. That was over a decade ago. Having started with barren and maiden mares, Norris moved onto stallions for several years, including shuttles to South America. He has also loved following the Ballydoyle careers of yearlings he helped to break, like Tenebrism (Caravaggio), evidently as tough then as she proved in her races. The adolescent Benjamin, for his part, had never shown the slightest interest in Jamaica's single racetrack when his parents moved to Florida, fortuitously settling at Ocala. “Originally they were thinking Tallahassee,” Benjamin recalls. “But when he was driving north, my dad started seeing all these big oak trees. And I remember him calling my mom and saying, 'Found a spot.'” And, actually, there was a family connection to the Turf: trainer Jose Pinchin is married to Benjamin's aunt. It was Pinchin who suggested that he might find work, pending a crack at college, in one of the many Thoroughbred programs around his new home. We already know what Benjamin thought of that notion. But his dad urged him to give it a try. “You never know,” he said. “What do you have to lose?” Benjamin Blaise and Golden Pal | courtesy Benjamin Blaise So he did six months with Bo Hunt. “And I will tell you, the first month I absolutely hated,” Benjamin recalls. “But then one day I caught a loose colt. That was my first proper interaction. Before that, they'd just had me wrapping bandages. But that day the manager said, 'Right, we're putting you in a stall tomorrow.' So I started mucking out, and gradually got to be more hands-on. And I just fell in love with the whole thing.” Then followed three years with Eddie Woods. “That was an eye-opener,” Benjamin acknowledges. “It was tough work, and Eddie was tough too–but fair. And, again, I loved it. I got to go to all the sales with him, just watching quietly all the way. The way he ran that operation, it's second-to-none.” In 2009, with the Woods juveniles processed, Benjamin landed a summer posting with Todd Pletcher. Grooming a horse owned by Coolmore partner Michael Tabor secured an introduction to Ashford manager Dermot Ryan, and an invitation to the farm on his way back from Saratoga. “I'll never forget pulling up to those big gates and thinking, 'What in the world is this place?'” Benjamin recalls. “I drove down the main avenue, called my mom and said, 'Yeah, I don't think I'm coming home.'” The HR manager thought they could find him something from January. In the event they called a week before Christmas and asked whether he might conceivably come early? “I was 19, didn't have any real ties to Ocala other than my parents,” Benjamin recalls. “So I said, 'Absolutely.' My mom was like, 'You're going right before Christmas?' I told her, 'Don't worry, I'll be back.' That was 15 years ago.” They put him straight in with the stallions. Strong as he was, that would knock the edges off anyone. “But no, it was great,” Benjamin replies. “After working with 2-year-olds, I wasn't sure what to expect. The first horses I groomed were Fusaichi Pegasus and Tale of the Cat. He had a mean streak. You just had to do things his way. Try and fight him, he's going to win every time. FuPeg? He was temperamental. I wouldn't say he was a bad horse, but he could be a bit silly. But I learned so much under Richard Barry. Hard as he had to be, what a man of knowledge. It was like he was put on this earth to take care of stallions.” As for Hynes, he followed a middle path: though raised in a tradition of stockmanship, in Co. Roscommon, he had no exposure to Thoroughbreds. “I did have an interest in horses, and studied equine science at university,” Hynes explains. “My father would go to every horse fair in Ireland. He was a carpenter, but we had cattle at home, and gradually he got into dealing in ponies, just as a hobby. I think it's a great grounding, if you're able to look after animals from a young age.” In 2010, at the University of Limerick, he was lucky to land an internship in Kentucky; luckier yet, to be allocated Ashford. “I was put under Bob Davis: in my opinion, the best in the business,” Hynes recalls. “From foals and yearlings, to pasture management it: all levels of farm management. I came here green as grass. But if you were at all willing, he'd encourage you. And I picked up early that if you walk into a barn where everything's neat and tidy, and you and the horses are well presented, straightaway that creates a positive impression.” Hynes was welcomed back straight after completing his degree. Here was a second education: foaling barn, yearling prep, breaking. The first horse he ever lunged was Take Charge Indy. After a spell back in Ireland–another to take the National Stud diploma–in 2012, Hynes returned to Ashford and within a few weeks found himself escorting 11 stallions to Australasia. Nowadays, besides his work in the sales team, Hynes assists Davis at Brookside with the cream of the broodmare band. And that's what can happen here. No need to formalize modules: if the management like how you take one chance, you'll be offered another. That aggregates to its own kind of flying start. “That's the great thing about Coolmore, you've so many options,” Hynes says. “Everything's here in one spot. If your attitude is right, you can get to see every part of it. And our core group of grooms is so strong, mostly you're picking up from the people you're working with.” Charles Hynes | Coolmore “The Coolmore 'school of education' can rival any program in the world,” agrees Norris. “The one thing I was always told, coming here, was: there are no stupid questions. Ask, and you'll get the answers. You'll be shown the right way to do things. Because the way they do it here is the best way. There are other programs that might have a more formal, more academic emphasis. But here we've all come up through the ranks. Everyone in the office has put in the practical work on the farm.” Benjamin puts it well: “I never went to college, per se–but I ended up at the Yale of horses.” But the privileges of that education are all earned. “Everybody's given the same opportunities,” Benjamin says. “It's about who goes and grabs the bull by the horns. Dermot has been a phenomenal mentor. If he sees you want to learn, he'll give you the chance.” In fact, Benjamin was just 23 when placed in charge of the breeding shed: an extraordinary responsibility at that age. Pretty much all Ryan said to him was: “Don't let me down.” Even then, Benjamin too could diversify. In June, he typically moved onto yearlings. (He remembers taking care of a lazy, big-walking colt from American Pharoah's first crop: Four Wheel Drive.) Then, a couple of years ago, he joined the sales team. “And again, in this organization, that's a broader job,” Norris suggests. “You're helping with ads, and obviously the clientele is so large. It's a great team: Aisling [Duignan], Charlie [O'Connor], Adrian [Wallace], Robyn [Murray], they're the best of mentors, in my opinion the best around at what they do.” (Not least because this team, despite the gender bias in this sample, also benefits from feminine intuitions! As Ryan acknowledges, “Aisling and Robyn have been absolute standouts when any of these lads has looked for advice in how to handle a difficult situation.”) While some stalwarts stay half a century, the industry is full of horsemen who learned their trade here before going solo. That, too, forms part of the wider Coolmore legacy. But precisely that willingness to let people take responsibility also means that the whole empire, through an ongoing transition between generations, has achieved sustainability. “The environment is very calm, and at the same time very professional,” Hynes says. “That comes from the top, and it's encouraged all the way down. Then it's up to all of us to maintain that same standard and atmosphere. If people are good enough to start their own thing, best of luck to them. But they will have that steady grounding behind them. If you're able for it, and have the appetite, you'll get opportunity. And that gives you a responsibility, in turn, to encourage the next people coming in.” “It's always about what happens next,” Norris adds. “When Galileo was producing the best horses in Europe, they needed outcross options. And look at what Wootton Bassett did then, from standing in France for €4,000. That's the kind of thing that happens with an organization that's at the forefront, but always striving for better.” “Just look around you,” says Benjamin, shaking his head. “What a testament to everything Mr. Magnier has built up. It's crazy to think about. When they do something, they do it right. And, knock on wood, they've created something that should be around a very long time. Being here, I just count my lucky stars every day.” The post Next Generation Keeps Coolmore Evolving appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Frankel's Helenium (lot 50) was knocked down for €600,000 to Quirke Bloodstock on behalf of Coolmara Stables halfway through Autav's Jean-Pierre Dubois Sale on Wednesday. Already the dam of a pair of fillies by Kingman, the 6-year-old half-sister to the late Calyx (Invincible Spirit) is carrying once again to that Juddmonte stallion. Helenium was bred by Dream With Me Stable, Inc. Out of the G3 Prix d'Aumale heroine Helleborine (Observatory), Helenium is also a half-sister to the listed winner and GII Distaff Turf Mile second Coppice (Kingman). Under the second dam is G1 Sprint Cup heroine African Rose (Observatory), the ancestress of multiple group winner Fair Eva (Frankel) and Classic winner and sire Native Trail (Oasis Dream). The post Calyx’s Half-Sister Helenium Brings €600k From Quirke Bloodstock On Behalf Of Coolmara Stables At Auctav appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Dual Group 1 winner Camille Pissarro has been retired after he suffered an injury at Sandown last month when finishing fourth in the G1 Coral-Eclipse. “Camille Pissarro pulled a shoe at Sandown and was quite sore afterwards,” said trainer Aidan O'Brien in a press release issued by Coolmore. “We had him X-rayed and a fissure fracture was found in his fetlock. The decision was then made to retire him. “Camille Pissarro was an extremely classy colt; he had speed and class. He won the Lagardere on Arc weekend last year at two and then he showed everyone how good he was in the French Derby. He was very classy.” Bred by James Cloney, Camille Pissarro was bought by MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1,250,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. A son of Wootton Bassett and the Pivotal mare Entreat, he emulated his half-brother, G1 Commonweatlh Cup hero Golden Horde (Lethal Force), when becoming a Group 1 winner with his victory in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere as a two-year-old. Prior to winning this year's Prix du Jockey Club, Camille Pissarro also finished a close-up third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains won by stablemate Henri Matisse. He retires as the winner of three of his 11 career starts and over £1.1 million in prize-money. Future plans for Camille Pissarro will be announced in due course. The post Classic Winner Camille Pissarro Retired Due to Injury, Future Plans to be Announced appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE– When U.S. President Donald Trump made good on his threat to impose tariffs on countries around the world on August 1-including a 15% tax on goods coming into America from the European Union-markets across the world shuddered. In the bloodstock world, the first to be affected will be the Arqana August Sale, which starts this Saturday, August 16. An Arqana-sponsored plane full of Americans arrived Wednesday morning from Saratoga, and the TDN spoke with some of those who came over, and others who stayed home, and international buyers who buy for Americans to see how it would affect not only their spending, but what they do with the horses after they buy them. One thing was clear: the tariffs were on everyone's mind. Deuce Greathouse is at Arqana buying for American interests, and said that the constantly changing nature of the tariffs, first threatened earlier in the year and then postponed only to come back at a different amount, didn't make it easy to make concrete decisions. “They keep changing,” said Greathouse, “so we have kind of just been playing it by ear. But, I guess obviously it could make you a little more conservative in your purchase price. I guess all you can do right now is just kind of assume you're adding 15%, right? You try to factor it into the total price.” “It's definitely a tricky situation,” said Ramiro Restrepo, one of the Americans on the Arqana plane. “We're all kind of lighting a candle that maybe Trump pushes it back somehow, but you still have to come out here and look at nice horses. You know that all these European sales companies are going to be delivering the goods as they do every year. So you have to do your job as a bloodstock agent and visit them and review the offerings. You have to come see, whether it's looking at the new freshman sires and how their yearlings look like, through what these amazing consignors are bringing to the table, because the results on the racetrack are still going to be there. You see constant success in America from European imports, and you do have to be here, but I think once everybody gets through their short lists and vet lists and speaks to their clients, then you have to sit down at the round table and make that decision.” Ramiro Restrepo | Coady photo Restrepo also said that the strength of the recent Saratoga sales could have a positive effect on the European sales by forcing buyers who were shut out in America to come over to Europe. He said he saw new faces on the plane this year. “Eyes were bulging from the way that the market was booming in America. Is that going to continue into the European sales? Is that going to continue into the deeper books when you get back to America at Keeneland and Fasig October? It's going to be a very interesting year to see how it continues.” Kenny McPeek has been a steady purchaser at Arqana for several years now, and like many Americans, isn't quite sure how it's going to shake out. “Honestly, there's going to be a big learning curve on all of it,” he said. “It's going to depend on the market and what I see. I do think that it's going to lower my opportunities to purchase. I've bought eight horses out of this auction and had three stakes winners, so it's been good to me already. But yeah, this is definitely going to be a little bit of a struggle trying to figure it out.” Ben Gowans is here with trainer Arnaud Delacour looking at horses for an American client, Mark Grier. “We have come to the sale with him for the past two years,” said Gowans, who watched a filly they bought here for €340,000 in 2023, Evershed (Churchill) run second in the GI Saratoga Oaks this past weekend. “Arqana does such a great job with the sale that it's a hard opportunity to pass up even with the tariffs,” said Gowans, adding that the intangibles played a part in their presence as well. “Mark loves the experience of coming here and he loves the atmosphere and all that Deauville has to offer. Of course, there was more consideration as to whether or not to come here this year with the tariffs being in place.” But he agreed with Restrepo that the strength of the Saratoga market was a kind of tariff in its own right. “I guess I'll say that after seeing Saratoga last week, I'm sure we're not exactly getting good value over here, but I'm not sure it's as dramatic a difference. I think you could say horses had a markup at Saratoga, too, just naturally. The sale is so strong, and one in every seven horses sold for a million dollars. So I don't know. We're coming here with an open mind and hopeful to find a nice horse or two to bring back to America. And Mark's a lovely man who wants to support Arqana and he wants the experience of Deauville. So here we are.” Ironically, as the tariffs are designed to be a protectionist measure for American companies, several American buyers said that they could cause them to redirect their purchases to be broken, trained, and raced in Europe instead of America, taking business away from service providers in the U.S. Restrepo said those decisions would definitely come into play for him. “We've left a couple of Irish purchases and French purchases here to train in the past, so maybe it'll affect just what we bring over and maybe not what we purchase overall. If they're going to stay here, they'll stay, and we're comfortable with that.” Greathouse agreed. “Every year when I have bought horses here, sometimes we leave them here and run them once or twice before we bring them back. Sometimes we bring them back. So we'll probably wait and just feel out what all the indicators are and what they're telling us it'll be, and then make that decision.” Justin Casse agreed, saying the destination of his purchases were “to be determined. It could be to stay in France, go to Ireland, even England. I'd say it's less likely that I'll send anything back to America, but there's always the possibility.” And would the tariffs be a factor in his buying? “I think it'll depend what the purpose is,” he said. “If it's to race, obviously, yes, it will be a conversation regardless. I think in any circumstance it's factored into what you're willing to pay. So for me, if we wanted to pay, for example, a hundred thousand for a horse, then maybe it becomes €85,000 or €90,000.” In general, said Mark McStay, who buys in America and internationally for a global clientele, including Taylor Made's Medallion Racing, the tariffs have already become a factor, even before this sale. “I've found the tariffs have most certainly been a factor in the private market in the States through the course of this year,” said McStay. “In many instances, both buyer and seller have needed to recalibrate their values in order to get business over the line.” Resolute Racing's John Stewart had a major impact on the Arqana sale last year, buying the top lot on day one in 2024, a Wootton Bassett colt from the Etreham consignment for €1.4 million, will not be at Arqana, but it has nothing to do with tariffs, he said. “I am too busy with my private equity firm this week to make it,” he said. “We will be active at the November and December sales over at Tattersalls and Arqana.” Like everyone, McStay said that he hoped that a resolution could be found to end the tariffs. Current litigation in the U.S. challenges Trump's right to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in order to pass the tariffs, a job which has always been up to Congress. The IEEPA gives the U.S. president the power to address “unusual and extraordinary” threats during national emergencies. The case claims that his use of the act was illegal, as no such emergency or threat exists, and it appears certain to be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Hopefully, this impediment can be overcome more readily in the future, as there's a definite and large appetite for the European turf horse in North America,” said McStay. The post How Will U.S. Tariffs Affect Americans Buying at Arqana? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

After well-publicized track management issues last month that saw racing and training suspended for a short period, Thistledown has been back up and running since August 4 with a new track superintendent. But that doesn't mean the work is done. The task of keeping a racetrack in good shape is an ongoing daily headache–just ask Michael “Mick” Peterson, professor of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kentucky and executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL). The RSTL is the centralized hub where track operators transmit back maintenance information required under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) racetrack safety program. In this edited Q&A, Peterson talks events at Thistledown, the overall state of compliance with HISA's racetracks safety rules, and the worsening impacts from climate change on the sport. TDN: Let's talk Thistledown, with all sorts of different factors that appear to have weighed into events there. MP: The former track superintendent Sean Wright blamed a long dry period, and an allegedly recalcitrant crew who ignored his demands over watering. There were pictures on social media showing rocks on the track. Track management were also for a period failing to submit a set of daily cushion and moisture measurements to the RSTL, as required by HISA. TDN: I also remember comments you made just over a year ago, however, about how former Thistledown track superintendent John Banno was doing an amazing job with subpar tools. MP: Thistledown is a great example of that. That is a fantastic surface. And Dan, I don't know how to say it, the equipment is inadequate,” you said. “But John Banno, he just works so hard to make it work. I'm not sure anybody else could take over there and make it work like he does. TDN: What can you tell us about the key track-management related events that led to what we saw at Thistledown? Does the maintenance crew have what they need to do a good job? MP: We've gone ahead and re-tested and they are now, once again, one of the most consistent tracks tested in North America, if not the most consistent. They've made some progress with the equipment. What's great from our perspective is they have moved forward with getting an Integrated Racetrack Surface Tester, which will give us better daily data to be able to track anything else that's happening. That daily data is so important. If you see an event, then that's additional information that the veterinarians can use when they're assessing the other veterinary related issues for the horses. TDN: In terms of just the track-related issues, what have been the important factors? MP: There are only a few things that change day-to-day. One of them is cushion depth. You have to grade the track properly. If you've had big rain events, you can have segregation of the material, when the fine material goes to the inside rail. You have to know how to water it and you have to make sure you get it sealed properly before a rainstorm or overnight. It's very region-specific, and what we've once again shown is how difficult the job of a racetrack superintendent is. But they [Thistledown] also had a reputation among horsemen going all the way back to [former California trainer] Howard Zucker 20 years ago that it was a fantastic surface. But we never properly tested [the track] until HISA came along. What we've shown is that with the proper expertise and the right team, they can overcome some deficiencies in equipment. TDN: Multifactorial is the much-used phrase around equine fatalities. What are the other factors weighing in on events at Thistledown? MP: I think it's a challenging horse population, and that's a better question for someone like Dr. [Susan] Stover [chair of the Racetrack Safety Standing Committee]. Dr. Stover has emphasized how, through the number of furlongs worked, basically it's like you wear out the horse. That would be one of the things you would immediately look at. Then there are 10 other factors that came out of equine injury database you've got to check off to understand what the risk factors are for these horses. TDN: Is the track now reporting daily what it needs to? MP: Yes. TDN: What should be the main lessons learned from this whole set of events? MP: Well, we've had recently a couple other tracks that have had increases in catastrophic injuries. From my perspective, what we've seen at the other tracks is when we have that complete daily data, we can look at it and say, 'oh, the track was too wet. Too dry. The cushion depth was inconsistent. Or, we're not seeing anything. Maybe we need to look at the other factors?' So, the real lesson is that having the daily data is hugely helpful for the team on the ground to understand what all the risks are to the horse and rider. TDN: Stepping back, how would you grade the compliance rate among all HISA-regulated tracks with the things they're supposed to do under the racetrack safety program? MP: We, HISA, has continued to put pressure on the tracks. What we're seeing is some tracks that are continuing to resist. But I mean, we are in solid B+, A- sort of territory. And that would've been a C last year. TDN: What are the key areas that are still needing work? MP: Some of the issues are difficult and are structural. Some of the old race-rail vendors are not around anymore. Some of the parts are hard to come by. Those are the things that you can't really fault the track on. They need help in order to solve some of those problems. What I'm most excited about is we're now beginning to have the quantity of data to focus efforts on the issues if we see something, like if they begin to see injuries in the gates. But what we're seeing is vastly improved compliance. And that makes it easier for HISA to push the ones who aren't complying because now they're standing out. If it was 40% of the tracks [not complying], it's one thing. But when it gets down to be 10% of the tracks, then it's much easier to push. TDN: Who are those 10% holdout tracks? MP: They're seasonal, and so, what I'm hoping is, as we go into winter this year, we've got another round of tracks opening up, and I think we'll probably see much, much better compliance. Fair Grounds has complete maintenance data and moisture data going back to 2008. I want to get to the point where everybody's a Fair Grounds or a NYRA or a Churchill. Sarah Andrew TDN: It's been a while now since HISA was implemented. I'm sure there'll be a few trainers out there wondering, 'why are the tracks allowed to get away with non-compliance with the rules and not me?' Do you think it's time to really crack down on racetrack safety rules breaches? MP: Oh, they are. That's really the point I was making there. We're down to the point where the tracks that are not complying are getting follow ups. And I think this next round of accreditation, [ongoing issues] are going to be front and center. There were such huge disparities in the expectations of the different racing commissions [prior to HISA] that it was really difficult to make this suddenly happen. Now, with these uniform expectations, people are coming along. I'm thoroughly impressed with what I see at some of the tracks, and it isn't necessarily the tier one tracks. There are the tracks where the money's tight and they have to deal sometimes with the gaming companies to get the [necessary] capital and budgets. TDN: For another piece I did last year we discussed how climate change was impacting the work of maintaining racetrack surfaces. It was good to see climate change brought up this year at the Jockey Club Round Table, as I don't think this sport broaches this topic nearly enough. How are we doing as an industry in grappling with the impacts from climate change?    MP: When we talked about this before, the thing that I did not expect was the role of flooding on racetracks. This has been quite a year and a half or two years for racing as far as the risk of that. Belterra and Ellis Park both had turf tracks [flooded]. It's one thing to fix a dirt track. Fixing a turf track is a lot more challenging. TDN: Is there something we could and should be doing to better prepare ourselves in terms of risk mitigation? MP: I have, a number of times, referred racetracks to the engineering firm GRW Engineering, here in Lexington, [to help with their] drainage plans. This is not a cool thing to do with your capital. But drainage plans for facilities are absolutely critical at this point. The poster child for this is what NYRA has done at Belmont. The ability to store water and manage water on that site is going to be second to none. Obviously, most tracks do not have the resources to build out the way the new Belmont facility is being built out. But having an overall drainage plan in place, and every time you rebuild a barn, every time you regrade a horse path, if you've got a master plan to work from, you can help better manage the water on the facility. In other locations, we see these longer, deeper droughts. It's going to be more and more difficult to water the track. So, whatever can be done to manage the water, to retain it, reduce evaporation, is going to be critical as well. It's a long-term challenge that certainly applies to both turf and dirt, and to a lesser extent the synthetic surfaces. Most of the synthetic tracks have a drainage system that's sufficiently oversized that they should be able to handle what's coming. TDN: You mentioned earlier a couple other tracks with an uptick in fatal injuries. There have been five musculoskeletal training and racing related injuries at Saratoga during what has been a typically rainy summer. You've mentioned in the past how tough it is to maintain a track's consistency after opening it up after rain. Is that a factor this time? MP: Here's where having the daily data is fantastic. We have a weekly meeting and we look at it all with the daily data, meaning we're going to be able to look at the time stamps and understand what's happening, [including] when these events occur relative to the rain events. Given that [fatalities are often] multifactorial, as a part of the analysis of the risk to the horse, we're going to be looking at time off, work times, number of fast works, number of races, and how recently it rained. If human medicine had access to the data that's soon going to be available to HISA, it would be just an amazing thing for public health. We don't have this sort of data for the human population, and we probably never will because of privacy issues. It's going take a data scientist to get through these postmortem examinations, which is what HISA is doing at this point with some of their work with Palantir and some of their internal modeling, working with epidemiologists. It is very, very exciting both from a protecting the horse standpoint, but also from a basic public health data standpoint. The post Mick Peterson Q&A: Thistledown, HISA Compliance And Climate Change appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article