The seventh Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit will feature a rich mix of updates on previous Summit topics such as racing surfaces, rider safety and equine injuries as well as discussions of new topics that are essential to the welfare of racehorses, including nutrition, biosecurity, and respiratory health.
The summit, which is organized and underwritten by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and The Jockey Club and will be hosted by Keeneland Association on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 will be open to the public and streamed live on jockeyclub.com and grayson-jockeyclub.org.
Those interested in attending the summit can register for free at grayson-jockeyclub.org/WelfareSafety.
The event will again be emceed by Donna Barton Brothers, former jockey and current NBC racing analyst. Brothers is on the advisory board for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and the author of Inside Track, an informative guide to horse racing.
Other new topics include an update from the AAEP racing committee, a progress report on biomarker research, and discussions regarding compounded medications, nutraceuticals, lameness, the importance of the physical inspection, and use of the riding crop.
“We are very excited about the topics we have lined up for this year’s Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit,” said Edward L. Bowen, president of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. “The first six summits resulted in meaningful improvements in horse and jockey welfare, and by focusing on such timely, important issues this summit is on target to do the same.”
“We are pleased to once again be able to host such a great event and make it open to the public who can attend in person and available through live streaming to those who can’t be here,” said Bill Thomason, Keeneland president and CEO. “Keeneland has always been an advocate for horse and rider safety, and hosting this welfare and safety summit is one of our commitments to making the industry safer for both.”
Almost 1,500 individuals from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, France, Sweden, and Spain watched the live stream of the sixth Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, and approximately 200 people attended.
The first Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit was held in October 2006; subsequent summits were held in March 2008, June 2010, October 2012, July 2014, and July 2015.
“I attend all of the summits and find them to be one of the most educational events of the year,” said John F. Wayne, executive director of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission. “I strongly encourage all commissions, industry organizations and others willing to commit to the safety of our equine and human athletes to attend this event.”
Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is traditionally the nation’s leading source of private funding for equine medical research that benefits all breeds of horses. Since 1983, the foundation has provided more than $23.3 million to fund 335 projects at 42 universities in North America and overseas. Additional information about the foundation and the summit is available at grayson-jockeyclub.org.
The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It is a founding member of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the architect and sole funding source for America’s Best Racing, the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing. You can follow America’s Best Racing at americasbestracing.net as well as on social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram. |
