After Breakdowns Last Year, Lack Of Oversight Puts Horses In Jeopardy In U.S. Virgin Islands

[Wandering Eyes]

Racing last year for the first time since a pair of 2017 hurricanes decimated St. Thomas's Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack in the U.S. Virgin Islands, at least six Thoroughbreds were euthanized over the course of three carded days at the track. Another horse suffered a breakdown during a workout, bringing the total to seven. Those are just some of several major issues plaguing the St. Thomas/St. John Horse Racing Commission (STT/STJ HRC), who is charged with the responsibility of regulating racing on the island.

Compounding horses dying on the track, racing in St. Thomas was being conducted while anti-doping rules were suspended by the island's Legislature because of the storms, unregistered Thoroughbreds were allowed to compete, the Clinton Phipps track surface was not cleared by experts and there were at least two horses who ran Dec. 22 that were banned at Gulfstream Park after they tested positive for illegal substances.

When the TDN reached out to the STT/STJ HRC for an explanation, Vice-Chairman Dr. Laura Palminteri, VMD said the Commission was alarmed, but she was quick to place the blame on the Legislature who suspended the anti-doping laws.

“The number of breakdowns in the 2024 season was unacceptable and concerning to the Commission,” said Dr. Palminteri. “At this time, the track is being evaluated and stateside experts are being consulted prior to any further racing. The Commission will be requesting the Legislature to reinstate anti-doping laws and no racing is scheduled for now. The search process is ongoing for a permanent racetrack promoter and we are hopeful for a successful 2025.”

Dr. Laura Palmiteri, DVM | courtesy of the VI Legislative Assembly

Dr. Palminteri said that during the construction phase at the track there was increasing public pressure to begin horse racing again, even though the drug testing facilities were not complete.

Beginning May 3 of last year, racing at the government-owned Clinton Phipps facility began during what are called the 'Carnival Races.'

With the track 85% complete by Southland Gaming Virgin Islands who financed the structures, the 11-year-old Thulean (Giant's Causeway) broke down May 5, according to sources close to the situation who did not wish to be named for fear of retribution. The former Ron Potts trainee was last seen running stateside as the runner-up in a claiming race at Tampa Bay Mar. 24, 2019.

During a routine workout in October, 5-year-old Axxerator (Exaggerator) was euthanized. The gelding reportedly raced at the claiming level under trainer Jason Lisboa until Mar. 15 at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.

On a race day Nov. 3, Call Bros (Sky Mesa) broke down at the Clinton Phipps track. According to Equibase, the 7-year-old Florida-bred was last reported as being trained by Carlos Sostre in Puerto Rico in mid-April.

The Clinton Phipps track hosted a seven-race card Dec. 22, which they called a “Festive Finish at the state-of-the-art track.” In the second race–a 7 1/2-furlong race for three native horses with a purse of $7,500–Downbebay had to be euthanized. He was never registered with the Jockey Club of America and is dubbed locally a “graded horse” since he has no value to professional racing.

In the fourth race that afternoon with a purse of $10,000, Barrabas Key (Arg) (Key Deputy) suffered a breakdown. The 10-year-old chestnut gelding faced four others in the 7 1/2-furlong race for Class C horses.

Going a mile for Class B and C runners with a purse of $11,500, the fifth race saw Black Label Racing's Macuco's Choice (Cairo Prince) win with Joshua Rodriguez in the irons. Afterwards, the 6-year-old had to be euthanized. Macuco's Choice had not competed since December of 2022 in Puerto Rico for conditioner Alexis Rivera. Run On the Trail (Union Rags) also passed away after the race. The 5-year-old gelding raced for trainer Luis A. Robles at Camarero back in March.

Racing on 'Festive Finish Day' Dec. 22 | Darryl Jones

The featured race, the $20,000 Winter Solstice Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth, included Quincy Café (Mendelssohn) and Pure Speight (Speightstown).

As reported by TDN's Dan Ross in the Stewards and Commissions Rulings for Nov. 14-20, these are the same horses who tested positive for Formestane and 4-Hydroxytestosterone–both banned steroidal substances–after winning at Gulfstream Park Mar. 13 and Apr. 21, respectively. They were supposed to be in the care of trainer Paul Valery, who after they were taken down was eventually issued a suspension by HISA for a total 108 months, which concludes May 14, 2033.

Pure Speight, whose owner is now St. Croix's Knight Racing Stables, won the race with jockey Sunday Diaz aboard. It was the gelding's fourth score since he was allowed to race in St. Thomas.

In a press release dated Jan. 17, Virgin Islands Senator Franklin D. Johnson, who sits on the Sports and Parks Committee, urgently called for stronger regulatory protections for horses at home.

The Senator cites the failure to pass Amendment No. 35-292, which was intended to reinstate anti-doping laws for horses and ensure safety, fairness and transparency in the sport, as a major disappointment. The amendment failed after eight senators voted against it, with one abstention.

Jay Watson, the chairman of Intra-Caribbean Thoroughbred Equine Association (ICTEA) which includes members from Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Jamaica and Barbados in the West Indies, and a former chairman of the STT/STJ HRC, said that the racing surface at the Clinton Phipps facility is a major culprit and needs a complete reassessment.

“I find the statements made by the Commission in the wake of these deaths to be disingenuous,” said Watson. “I can't believe that anyone would agree that racing without an anti-doping program in place would be acceptable. Look at the results. We shouldn't be racing and putting these horses in jeopardy on a surface that has not been tested properly.”

He also said that “graded” horses like the ill-fated Downbebay need to be kept out of racing in the Virgin Islands.

“They don't have any place in racing since they are not registered with the Jockey Club,” said Watson. “This is bush racing and that is certainly not appropriate for the animals and stakeholders who want professionalism in the ICTEA.”

With a background in law enforcement and in leading investigations, Watson says that members of the Commission are fully aware of the rampant unregulated medication, which he said he believed includes Performance Enhancing Drugs. When the Anti-Doping statute was put into abeyance so the doping of racehorses could continue the former chairman said the Commission was silent.

Jay Watson | courtesy of the VI Legislative Assembly

He also explained that members know that horses who are banned elsewhere, like the ones from Gulfstream Park, are imported through U.S. Customs.

“The need to use medication on injured horses to race them was testified to before the Senate by the leadership of the St. Croix and St. Thomas Horsemen's Associations,” Watson said. “If you medicate injured horses in order to race them, then catastrophic injuries are inevitable. I tried to address these issues six years ago and they ran me out. It's time for us to turn off the tap and if that means an end to racing, then so be it. Horse populations deserve better.”

Watson said that a new generation of horsemen who are properly educated is what is needed. He also said that the Clinton Phipps racetrack surface needed to be regularly studied, which simply has not happened in the rush to get the site ready for racing in 2024.

“I said a long time ago that adopting ARCI [Association of Racing Commissioners International] Model Rules is the way to go,” he said. “But this goes way deeper. Just like in American racing, we need representatives who have the political will and leadership to do what is ethically and morally right for the majority. Not for the benefit of a select few.”

Despite the territorial connection to the U.S., Thoroughbred racing at the St. Thomas track falls outside the jurisdiction of the Horseracing and Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU). Oversight also is not possible since there is no export signal.

The ICTEA, which Watson helped found, is meant to provide stakeholders across the Caribbean with a united and organized structure that focuses on island racing districts.

“I'm looking forward to input from all of the stakeholders,” said Watson. “So, what happened at Clinton E. Phipps doesn't replicate itself once again elsewhere. What happens here in the outer rim affects the entire industry.”

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