Letter To The Editor: One Small Step For Horse Racing

This letter originally appeared on the Walking L Companies website and is republished in the TDN unedited and with permission.

I believe that we are all involved in whichever corner of the Thoroughbred Racing Industry we each occupy because of our love first and foremost for the HORSES and that we all want to see racing grow and thrive for decades to come. Of course, there are many problems and challenges within our industry and many things that we need to fix in order for it to continue, let alone grow. There are many individuals and groups that focus on one problem or another and many that address a variety of them within their jurisdictions or regions. We all can, and must, discuss our industry's problems, challenges, and opportunities and share ideas and work on good solutions to each of them–it is our obligation.

As a relative newcomer (still in our stable's first decade) I have tried to be a participant in industry initiatives and groups with a mixed bag of acceptance, but will try to be even more ardent in my desire to participate in such going forward and also to be more vocal when I think that can be helpful. This note to all of you is an example of that–albeit for one particular issue, primarily in one particular jurisdiction (although it certainly applies nationwide). It's a start and I encourage others to do the same–with small steps, one thing at a time, we can hopefully make a difference.

This past weekend we had a horse that was scratched at the gate by a Kentucky Regulatory Veterinarian at Ellis Park. Let me stop and say this loudly–we absolutely are not interested in running any of our horses if there is any question about their health or condition–the vet scratch in and of itself is not the problem, it's a judgement call that whether we agree with or not, is not up for discussion.

This instance is the fourth or fifth regulatory vet scratch we have had in a year (unlike this one, the rest of those were at the morning inspection). At best, we have been told some version of “he looks off in his front left to me”, but more often we have simply been told some version of “she doesn't look right”, “I don't like how he's walking”, etc. There is no arguing, and we won't (even if we could) question it–better safe than sorry, but please give us something for our private veterinarians to work from, please tell us in your trained and expert opinion what you specifically see. In this past weekend's case and in every other one in the past year, when our vet looks at them–they see nothing wrong. We have X-Rays and scans done–nothing to see. So what did the state vet see??? Please let the trainers and owners know exactly what you see–share your opinion that led to your decision to scratch the horse. If we have the state vet's opinion, it is a good place to make sure we not only double check, but triple check, and address if needed. The need for this added transparency and detailed information from the Regulatory Veterinarian following a decision to scratch a horse must be addressed and made a standard practice in the Kentucky (KHRC) rules and guidelines.

The second thing that must be addressed is the overall process of being on, and working off, the Vet's List. The horse in question, who has no issues found by the detailed examination and imagery completed by our private veterinarian, is now on both the State Vet List and the HISA Vet List. We can ignore the published differences between HISA and the KY lists as to dates, etc–but the final answer is that the horse cannot work until 9/7 (two weeks after the scratch). The horse will have to work in the presence of a regulatory veterinarian (which will have to be scheduled and isn't that simple to do in experience), then must have a blood test which in KY involves a delay until the next Thursday to be processed, and then a wait for the results to be cleared from the Vet List. All of this must be completed to be entered (6 days prerace now in KY) and run a race. You can do the math, even if the Condition Book works out perfectly, you are a month removed from the scratch that started all of this at best before you get a chance to go back to the starting gate. In our current situation, this is all for a horse that we can't get a veterinarian to find anything wrong with, just told that the horse “looks off in the front left”. This process must be addressed and streamlined for cases like this within the Kentucky (KHRC) rules and guidelines.

I have shared all of this specific to Kentucky, but the same or very similar issues and lack of processes exists everywhere. It is something that a single set of detailed rules and process across all the states could easily solve (ala HISA–which we support the concept of and see it moving in the right direction procedurally and in understanding the industry–but that can all be another discussion).

Now–what does any of this really matter? Can't Scott just shake his head and wait to run the horse next month? Yes, he could, but this all adds up and it's at a tipping point for our participation going forward if things don't change. Following the scratch last weekend, I shared through social media that we were “waving the white flag” and that it has become impossible to succeed the way things are. I will share my thoughts and what that means.

We aren't a mega owner, either in count or $$ spent, but we do invest a significant amount of money in the yearling market each year and in stallion fees for our broodmare band–all in addition to the normal daily cost of operating our racing and breeding stables. We need to make money in this industry to continue and have been fortunate that success on the track has provided purse revenues along with the sale of yearlings and broodmares that help us to that goal. However, the way the purse money is elevated in Kentucky right now, it is imperative that we have most of our Spring-Fall focus in Kentucky to earn our share of those purses. When it becomes harder to rely on running consistently in Kentucky because of the issues I've raised without proper transparency and better defined guidelines and processes, it has become time to ask are continued investments a smart idea.

We aren't ready to stop participating in this industry, but based on the current situation, we have made a decision to not buy any yearlings at the auctions this fall. We will continue to operate our racing stable with the 2YO's and older horses that are in training, still have a nice crop of homebred yearlings along with one bought earlier this summer that are just starting their early training, we have some very nice 2024 foals on the ground and growing, and much of our broodmare band is in foal and expecting for 2025. We will see how the industry evolves, hopefully this and other issues are discussed and worked on, and we will periodically reassess our position as the calendar moves along.

For now, our horses will continue to make noise on the track and I will make some noise and rattle some cages to do my part to help improve our industry–which I truly do enjoy being a part of!

–Scott Leeds and wife Dana are the owners of Walking L Thoroughbreds. Based in Tulsa, OK, Scott is a retired Energy Software executive and now focuses on the operations of the Walking L Ranch in his native Northeast Oklahoma, the racing and breeding stables, other business interests, and community involvement, especially those supporting Veterans, such as the PTSD Foundation of America and the Seabee Historical Society, which have both been involved with the careers and earning of several stakes-winning horses.