Page 2 - Jeff Blea News Today

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has reached out to the California Horse Racing Board for help in the spike of recent horse deaths at Churchill Downs.

Bob Baffert wins the Hollywood Gold Cup for a record ninth time with Defunded, but a spike in horse racing deaths remains a problem for the sport.

The California Horse Racing Board approved a request from Thoroughbred owners to divert ADW purse revenue to cover the cost of HISA programs.

The Arizona Department of Gaming confirmed last week that pre-race veterinary inspections are still not taking place consistently at Turf Paradise in Phoenix as the state remains unable to hire adequate staff.

According to the TDN, Blea referenced a study which shows how slight slopes can affect lameness exams in horses. 

After hearing the ED and EMD reports, Commissioner Davis commented, “We have really turned the corner…with everyone going in the right direction.”

More than 200 veterinarians have added their support to efforts to permanently end horse slaughter in the United States.

Illegal match races and funding for HISA – currently in legal limbo – were discussed at the monthly meeting of the California Horse Racing Board.

Wakanaka has been scratched from Sunday's Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar out of "an abundance of caution" after shipping to California from Churchill Downs, which has had an outbreak of the highly contagious equine herpesvirus.

The horses were tested for EHV-1 at UC Davis and all horses were negative for EHV-1 in blood, said Dr. Jeff Blea, equine medical director for the CHRB.