Scott Palmer

A unanimous voice vote Monday by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) restructured some of the time frames related to Thoroughbred claiming rules in the state. The measures had been developed in consultation with the managements of New York's Thoroughbred racetracks and horsemen's organizations in the state. The overall slate of changes had been in the works since last August, and the package was originally scheduled to be voted upon last month. But during the May 20 meeting, commissioner John Crotty raised concerns about whether it was in the...

A vote on restructuring some of the time frames related to Thoroughbred claiming rules in New York got put off for at least a month on Monday when New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) member John Crotty questioned whether it was in the best interest of equine safety to reduce by 10 the number of days that a claimed horse is restricted from running back for a claiming tag less than 25% greater than the price at which it was claimed. The change from 30 to 20 days under the...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation has awarded $65,000 in grants to nine organizations. In 2022, to fund scholarships and education, $10,000 was awarded to the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc., $5,000 to Amplify Horse Racing, $12,000 to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, $10,000 to the Maryland Horse Foundation, $4,000 to the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, $5,000 to the Retired Race Horse Project, $4,000 to the TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program, $10,000 to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, and $5,000 to Wilson College. TERF primarily aims to support students in pursuit...

As the New York State Gaming Commission's Equine Medical Director, Dr. Scott Palmer is responsible, more than anyone else in the state, for horse safety. It's a responsibility Palmer takes very seriously, and with new wearable biometric technology called StrideSafe, Palmer and his team are doing revolutionary work in detecting potential musculoskeletal injuries, which lead to the majority of horse fatalities, in their earliest stages. Tuesday, Palmer joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to explain the technology and process of...

Last week at Royal Ascot, The Ridler (Brazen Beau) sprang a surprise in the G2 Norfolk S. when out-performing his odds of 50-1. That wasn't the only odd spell The Ridler cast during the race. Into the final furlong, The Ridler drifted markedly left across the field, hampering the chances of several other runners. Controversially for some, The Ridler kept the race after a steward's inquiry. During a presentation at Wednesday's Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, Will Duff Gordon, CEO of Total Performance Data,...

By the beginning of April, there had been two fatal musculoskeletal injuries during the current Santa Anita meet. Wind the clock back to an identical window in 2019, there had been 22. During Aqueduct's benighted 2011-2012 Winter meet, 21 horses died, 18 of which were fractures sustained during racing. Over the next seven years, New York's four racetracks saw a 50% reduction in racing fatalities. What is the common denominator? Huge advances in identifying those horses at higher risk of sustaining fatal injuries in racing and training, and much tighter...

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation has awarded a $2,000 grant to the MidAtlantic Horse Rescue. MAHR's mission is to rescue Thoroughbreds from feed lots and kill pens and transition horses directly off the racetrack. The organization offers Thoroughbred-only clinics which are free to graduates of its adoption program and low-cost for all other Thoroughbreds. TERF was founded by Herb and Ellen Moelis to promote equine education by supporting organizations that are educating the public on the proper care of horses. In addition to the Moelises, its current board members...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners has presented Scott Palmer, VMD, its 2020 Sage Kester "Beyond the Call" Award. The award is named in honor of its first recipient, the late Wayne O. "Sage" Kester, DVM, and recognizes a current or former AAEP member who has made significant and long-lasting contributions to equine veterinary medicine and the community. A past president of the AAEP, Palmer worked in clinical practice as a staff surgeon and hospital director of the New Jersey Equine Clinic for 38 years. He was appointed equine medical...