Picture credit: Wayne Marks (cropped photograph)

The NHA have sent out a press release about the use of bisphosphonates in horses (see the bottom of this article).

Studies show bisphosphonates are effective at reducing lameness and returning affected horses to their previous levels of performance. Horses receiving bisphosphonates should be closely monitored for any side effects and long-term use should be approached cautiously.

Bisphosphonates are also used to treat degenerative bone diseases like navicular syndrome, a painful disease whereby the navicular bone in the heel of the horse loses its bone density.

However, bisphosphonates can also be abused.

The below extract about bisphosphonate usage was taken from an article in Thoroughbredracing.com in 2017.

Like all drugs, bisphosphonates are a proven fillip when administered to treat specific conditions in accordance with official guidelines. But like all drugs, bisphosphonates can be misused and abused.

And it’s the potential consequences from misuse in racehorses — especially in young racehorses — that’s causing mounting concern among a growing number of respected veterinarians and regulators in the industry.

“There’s no checks and balances on this,” said Mary Scollay, equine medical director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, about a group of drugs that are currently unregulated.

“If the risk is as real as we perceive it to be, we can be facing a real problem in terms of racing injuries and racing fractures if we don’t as a community come together to decide how to responsibly manage this,” she added.

Opposite effect

There’s still so much unknown about the way bisphosphonates affect the physiology of the racehorse, with the bulk of the drug research done on humans and on animals other than horses. But many experts point to studies suggesting that, if bisphosphonates are used to treat bone problems in young horses — those being prepared for the sales, for example — that, rather than strengthen the bone, bisphosphonates might actually have the opposite effect.

What’s more, bisphosphonates can be challenging to detect and can remain in the bone for months, even years at a time, making the regulation of them an even greater obstacle.

“It’s a big concern industry wide,” said Jeff Blea, a Santa Anita-based veterinarian, one of a number of prominent veterinarians in recent years to have dug into the effects of bisphosphonates in racehorses.

“I don’t think they belong on the racetrack,” he added. “The biggest reason why I take that position is that bisphosphonates potentially have potent pain-modifying abilities, and that bothers me.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

An article in 2021 on the Paulick Report site confirmed that research had proved that bisphosphonates can linger in the horses’ bones for years.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE PAULICK REPORT ARTICLE 

NHA Press Release (August 26, 2024)

Please note this notice supersedes and replace a similar, previous NHA notice on Bisphosphonates, dated 2019.

Bisphosphonates is a class of drug which prevents the loss of bone density in the racehorse.
These substances are prohibited substances within the Rules of the NHA:

73.4.1 Substances capable at any time of causing an action or effect, or both an action and effect:

… 73.4.1.6 the musculoskeletal system;

The formal International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) statement within Article 6 of the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering is as below, and this is being adopted by the NHA.

Certain special radiolabelled bisphosphonates (which are structurally different from the bisphosphonates available for use therapeutically) are required to be administered to horses for diagnostic nuclear imaging purposes. As such, their legitimate use should be exempted from those controls. This is noted below in brackets.

Specific requirements regarding bisphosphonates:

Any bisphosphonate (except those radiolabelled bisphosphonates used for diagnostic nuclear imaging in horses) is NOT to be administered to a racehorse:

• under the age of three years and six months as determined by its recorded date of birth;

and

• on the day of the race or on any of the 30 days before the day of the race in which the horse is declared to run.

The bisphosphonate product administered must be licensed for use in horses in this country, and be administered in strict accordance with the label instructions.

There must be a diagnosis determined by a veterinary surgeon that supports the use of a bisphosphonate as an appropriate treatment. Such treatment must be administered by a veterinary surgeon and this must be recorded in the corresponding NHA Veterinary Treatment Register (VTR).

Philile Zuma Pictures credit: Mzo Mbona

KZN Breeders (August 27, 2024)

With KZN Bred Grade One winner MK’s Pride making history by being the first black owned stallion going to stud at Heversham Park, the breeding and racing landscape in South Africa is opening up exciting new possibilities and opportunities for many new faces.

One of these new trailblazers is a remarkable lady – Philile Zuma, who has the unique distinction of being the first, and we believe only, black lady pre-trainer in the country. Philile has a powerful and captivating story, especially when it comes to how she got involved with horses. “Growing up I always thought I’d end up in corporate. In high school, I started warming up to the idea of practicing law as one of my aunt’s is a magistrate judge and would take me to office and court when I visited her. After high school, it was decided that I was going to study Law and International Relations. Few years later, I obtained my BA Law degree from the University of Witwatersrand. I thought to myself, my corporate dream is near. Little did I know that like many other graduates in South Africa, I would struggle to find employment. I sometimes got contract jobs in different companies such as IEC but those didn’t last long, and this was my reality for about 5 years. Around 2019, I decided to register a company, RejuveDOX Holdings, to try empower myself. For the most part, the company did and is still doing well as it continues to operate under my partner and younger brother (who is also faced with the same reality as mine back then, being an “unemployed graduate”). But unfortunately, the company has not managed to get longstanding contracts, just two or three relatively big jobs a year. And as one can imagine, this is nowhere near enough to sustain us monthly. Over and above, it is not enough to have running capital and invest back into the business for its growth. So the search for a more permanent job continued.”

Philile was fortunate enough to fall into the orbit of one of South Africa’s top pre-trainers and yearling judges, the indomitable Jane Thomas of Far End Stables. Jane’s keen eye, honed in on Philile’s hidden potential. As she explains it was the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in her life. “Luckily for me, Jane offered me a job as her office admin staff and this is where my work in the equine industry began. As mentioned, I started working for her in the office but after my office duties, I’d go out to the yard with her where I found myself being useful as an interpreter between Jane, who battled with Zulu, and the staff, who battled with English. The more I worked in the yard my love and interest for horses developed. I was now more interested in what pre-training entailed. Jane observed this and started sharing her knowledge of horses with me. Having been involved in the horse industry now for close to four years, there is a lot of satisfaction I get from seeing babies I worked and cared for go on to do great things in their racing careers. This is all thanks to Jane, who took me under her wing and continues to share more each day. With her, I have learnt how to conduct horse administration, and I have learnt how to back and train horses. I now understand how to feed and medically care for horses too. Recently, she’s been taking her time with educating me on horse conformation as she believes that conformation tells you everything you need to know about a horse: its future prospects and how to go about training it.

I feel immensely blessed to be given the opportunity to be mentored by Jane, one of South Africa’s leading horse people. Equally, I feel like I have also been given another chance in life… a chance to have purpose in an industry where you hardly find women of colour. Importantly, I look forward to what this journey still has in store for me”.

Due to the pressures of her travels for judging yearlings around the country and her pre-training work, Jane struggled to find time to attend to the regular admin duties that were needed. Enter Philile, who whipped the office and medicine room into shape in no time, combined with her fluency in both English and Zulu enabling her to communicate Jane’s orders effectively to the staff, lifting a huge burden off Jane’s shoulders.

Jane nailed it when she said that “Philile was a sponge, soaking it up”, combined with her inbred common sense, it was a match made in heaven and one which has continued to grow and evolve over time. As anyone involved with horses or farm life will tell you, the days are long and time off to rest and relax is precious. It’s a testament then to Philile’s character and commitment that she chose to spend her free time learning as much as she could about horses, and all aspects surrounding them. Philile’s passion and desire to immerse herself in the equine world, gives Jane enormous comfort as she fights cancer, knowing that Philile can step up and do what needs to be done, when needed.

Owners like Stinky Pooe, Jessica Motuang and Koos Nkale, along with jockeys S’Manga Khumalo, Muzi Yeni & Kabelo Matsuyane, trainers Bo Ngcobo and Lunga Gila, and now Philile are firing up new generations with passion and enthusiasm as they get involved in breeding and racing in South Africa.

As the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi said “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Philile has already taken giant steps, and we cannot wait to see her continuing her journey through the equine world, and where it takes her.

Swift Delivery wins easily on July 19 (via Team Valor International meta)

Travis Kelce invests in racehorse named ‘Swift Delivery’

by MATTHEW JACOBSON | KUTV Tue, August 27th 2024

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and one-half of the celebrity power couple “Swelce” is expanding his reach beyond the football field and into the world of horse racing.

Taylor Swift’s sweetheart recently invested in a racehorse — aptly named Swift Delivery — according to an announcement by Florida-based horse racing stable Team Valor International.

The news broke on the team’s website Tuesday.

“BREAKING NEWS,” according to the announcement. “Travis Kelce joins Team Valor International & Gary Barber in ownership of 3-year-old SWIFT DELIVERY.”

According to bloodhorse.com, three-year-old Swift Delivery has earned more than $80,000 during his time on the racetracks so far, with two first-place and two third-place finishes in the past year.

But it’s not the gelding’s race record or its pedigree that’s grabbing attention.

Whether the “Swift” in “Swift Delivery” played a part in Kelce’s decision to buy in wasn’t immediately known. Neither he nor Taylor Swift had weighed in on the purchase in the hours following Team Valor’s announcement.

It could be argued “Swift” is a good luck charm for Kelce, who helped bring in another Super Bowl win for the Chiefs last year as Taylor Swift watched from the stands.

Whether “Kelce” is a good luck charm for Swift Delivery, though, is yet to be seen.

The investment in horse racing comes on the heels of Travis and Jason Kelce’s investment into brewing company Garage Beer.

Newsday.com also reported on the transaction (see below).

Swift Delivery has won his past two starts, each at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, after finishing no better than third in his first six. Trainer Mark Casse was wowed by the horse’s first victory and said “the sky could be the limit for him.”

“He’s a horse that we always thought a lot of, and he just didn’t perform — and now he’s performing,” Casse said by phone Tuesday. “This horse is good. He’s good right now, and he has the potential to go on and do big things.”

Swift Delivery, ridden by jockey Patrick Husbands, is set to make his next start Saturday in a 1-mile race at Woodbine. Irwin said partner Gary Barber wanted to enter the horse in a more lucrative, $3.2 million race at Kentucky Downs before agreeing to this path instead.

“It’s very exciting,” Irwin told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I met him at the Kentucky Derby and got to spend some time with him and stuff, and we talked about horses and everything. When this horse came to light and it was owned by one of my partners already, with the name I figured this has got to be a no-brainer.”

Irwin said the horse was not named after Swift — just “a total coincidence.” He added Kelce has been a part owner for about a month and on Tuesday gave permission to reveal his involvement.

Racing in the Cape has been badly affected by rain this winter. Picture: Cape Racing

Cape Town’s record-breaking wet winter might not be the last and the volcano Hunga Tongo could be to blame  

Mike Moon (The Citizen)

Cape Town is doing a very good sodden puppy impression – and Hunga Tonga could be behind it all.

We’ve lost count of the number of race meetings lost to rain and soggy ground in Western Cape over the past two months, but it must be about 10.

On Monday, Cape Racing announced that the meeting scheduled for Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Wednesday 28 August would move to Saturday 31 August at the same venue. The meeting originally down for the 31st shifts to Tuesday 3 September – also at Durbanville.

All the disruption is bad for racing and the natural reaction is to look for someone or something to blame.

Hunga Tonga
Climate change has of course been charged and convicted in the court of public opinion. As has the El Niño effect. Or is it La Niña, this time? But new research has put Hunga Tonga high on the list of suspects.

This is no rain-dancing sangoma. It’s a volcano on the other side of the world, which some might recall made minor headlines in January 2022 when it erupted.

It should have made much bigger headlines because it was a very unusual event with some major consequences.

When Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted in the South Pacific Ocean kingdom of Tonga, it was said to be the largest volcanic event of the 21st century and the biggest submarine one anyone could remember.

It triggered a tsunami across the Pacific basin, drowned a few people, and sent sound waves around the globe several times.

Scientists reckon this volcano was responsible for the much-enlarged hole in the ozone layer in 2023. And a new study published in the Journal of Climate suggests it is bringing heavier-than-usual rain to parts of the world in 2024.

The most unusual aspect of Hunga Tonga was that it was an underwater volcano, belching out more water vapour than smoke and carbon dioxide.

Colder and wetter winters
It sent 100-150 million tonnes of water – or 60,000 Olympic swimming pools – spouting high into the sky. Or, rather, into the stratosphere, a layer of the atmosphere 15-40kms above Earth’s surface.

All this lofty moisture seems to change the way waves travel through the atmosphere, say scientists quoted in a recent article in The Conversation. Atmospheric waves are responsible for highs and lows, which directly influence weather.

To cut a long scientific story short, the broad prediction is for colder and wetter southern hemisphere winters until about 2029.

For the record, 30-year average rainfall for Oranjezicht in Cape Town in July is 128mm, but this year 317.6mm was recorded. At Kenilworth racecourse itself, some instruments measured up to 600mm for the month.

“This notable total not only exceeded the historical average, but it is also the highest monthly rainfall recorded for July since comprehensive records began in 1960,” said the South African Weather Service.

Downing Seven mowed the field down in impressive style today and won comfortably (Pauline Herman Photography)

Greys Inn’s best progeny Legal Eagle was a twice Equus Horse Of The Year who won eight Gr 1s and his half-brother by William Longsword, the Jacques Strydom-trained Ralphs Syndicate-bred Downing Seven, became a four-time winner today on the Fairview poly.

All four of this five-year-old gelding’s wins have been on the Fairview poly.

He started his career with seven consecutive unplaced runs in Cape Town before earning in a Maiden Special weights event carrying 53kg and then earning in three consecutive Open Maidens.

He was then moved to the East Cape.

He won first time out for Juan Nel in a 1600m poly maiden at 18/10 odds.

However, after three more runs, an unplaced outing and fair fifth and fourth efforts over 2000m, he was sold by Mr T Gujadhur on the BSA September Online Auction.

He was snapped up by Jacques Strydom Racing for just R18,000.

He won his second and third starts for Strydom, both over 1900m on the poly, and before today’s win had had a further seven starts for two seconds and a fifth.

Today was the first time he had ever run beyond 2000m. He was held up in last place by Dennis Schwarz in the 2200m handicap and once he was switched out in the straight he never looked like losing. He swept past the field in fluent style to win by 2,25 lengths.

This is interesting because Legal Eagle won the Gr 1 SA Derby and was believed to be a middle distance to staying type before winning the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate as a four-year-old in what was thought by most to be a prep for the more suitable 2000m Met. He went on to build up a phenomenal mile record. He had won his maiden over a mile and at one stage was ten out of ten over that trip, including six Gr 1s. However, he also won the Gr 1 Champions Challenge over 2000m on top of his 2450m Derby win.

As Greys Inn was a middle distance to staying type, who won the SA Derby and the Durban July, and William Longsword looked to be a miler before being retired after his Gr 1 Cape Guineas and CTS 1600 wins, it is not surprising Downing Seven hasn’t been tried over a trip before.

However, after relishing the 2200m trip, he could have a whole new lease of life.

This augurs well for owners Messrs E R Gertenbach, R J Munien, J V A Strydom, Mrs M O Strydom & Money Talks Syndicate (Nom: Mr J V A Strydom)

Downing Seven is not the only relative of Legal Eagle to do well on the poly.

The Glen Kotzen-trained Gimmethegreenlight gelding Countdown has twice won the Listed East Cape Sprint Cup over 1200m, the first of which was on the poly.

He is out of a Philanthropist half-sister to Legal Eagle.

We All Chomies (Philanthropist) and Swiss Walt (Twice Over) have both won on the Fairview poly and are both out of Ooh La Var, a Var half-sister to Legal Eagle.

Club Tab is a Durban institution (Picture: Gold Circle)

“Club Tab” is the popular off course, but almost on course, betting outlet that is positioned alongside the pull up area at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

This has been a popular outlet for years and has many regulars and the good news is that it will continue to cater for punters even after the closure of Track And Ball.

Track And Ball holds the current bookmaker license for the facility, but are closing down on Thursday, August 29.

There will be no laying of fixed odds bets by Track And Ball after Thursday, although payouts on bets that have previously been layed will still be available.

However, Tabgold Totalisator betting will continue to be available for Club Tab customers.

Steve Marshall, the Gold Circle Events and Marketing Executive, said the catering of food and drinks will continue too.

A license for a new bookmaker on the premise has been applied for, but is yet to be approved.

The Alan Greeff-trained Arturo (Duke Of Marmalade) gives Richard Fourie his treble (Pauline Herman Photography)

Richard Fourie rode a treble on the Fairview poly today in only his second meeting of the season, having score a treble at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on August 1 before going on holiday.

Two of his wins were for Kelly Mitchley.

Craig Zackey rode a double for Gavin Smith and Sharon Kotzen also had a double.

Fourie’s six wins this season have come at a strike rate of 40%.

Zackey has had six wins at 18.18%.

Smith is on eleven wins at 11.58%, three behind arch rival Alan Greeff.

Mitchley is on six wins at 10.34%.

Kotzen has her first two wins of the season and is going along at a strike rate of 5.41%.

The picture gives a clue to the answer