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The U.S. Trotting Association (USTA) announced Monday (May 24) that the organization will donate $40,000 and establish a new funding mechanism to assist the Standardbred Transition Alliance (STA). The $40,000 will come from the USTA’s Support Our Standardbreds budget.
In their May 13 meeting, the USTA’s Executive Committee voted to make the contribution and establish a new, opt-in option for USTA members to donate to the STA, which will be included on all new and renewal membership applications.
“The $40,000 and the opportunity for our members to make voluntary donations through their membership applications reaffirms the USTA’s commitment to the Standardbred Transition Alliance,” said USTA Executive Vice President and CEO Mike Tanner, who initially proposed the establishment of the STA at the annual Board of Directors Meeting in March 2018.
Longtime horseman Howard Okusko Sr., who not only was part of the construction team that built Vernon Downs in the early 1950s but also trained his stable of horses at the New York harness racetrack since it opened in 1954, passed away Thursday afternoon, May 20, in St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica, N.Y. after a brief illness. He was 86.
Mr. Okusko was born in Utica, N.Y. on Jan. 9, 1935. He attended St. Francis De Sales School and resided in the area his entire life.
“My dad never left Vernon Downs, when he always could have,” said Mr. Okusko’s son, Howard Jr., also one of Vernon Downs’ leading trainers and drivers through the years. “He always stayed at Vernon.”
The U.S. Trotting Association, in conjunction with the Minnesota Racing Commission, Running Aces Racetrack, Kentucky Racing Commission, and Red Mile Racetrack, announced Monday (May 17) the introduction of a new Official’s Internship Training Program kicking off on May 30.
The first participant will be longtime Illinois harness horseman John Zawistowski, known as “Johnny Z” to many in the industry, who comes highly recommended by Meadows Standardbred Owners Association Executive Director and former USTA Director Kim Hankins.
At the conclusion of the Official’s Internship Training Program, Zawistowski will immediately join the staff of judges at Red Mile as an associate judge under the supervision of Red Mile Presiding Judge Tim Schmitz.
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The Kentucky Derby has made headlines across several mainstream media outlets beyond its usual coverage in light of recent news that the winner of the 147th edition, Medina Spirit, received a post-race positive test.
News broke on Sunday (May 9) that a test sample from Medina Spirit showed heightened levels 21 picograms per milliliter of betamethasone, a corticosteroid typically used as an anti-inflammatory for conditions such as arthritis. Said drug is barred by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) under new protocols passed in 2020 which prohibits administration of any drug or medication within 24 hours of a race. However, its use is allowed under clearance by the KHRC 14 days prior to a race. Bob Baffert, trainer of Medina Spirit, also faced a betamethasone positive in 2020 when his filly Gamine finished third in the Kentucky Oaks, also at Churchill Downs.