HorseRacingBC

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HorseRacingBC Serving the British Columbia horseracing community www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25 Bits & Bikes HorseRacingBC is owned a n d produced by Jim Reynolds. For advertising and editorial contact: Jim Reynolds 604-533-4546 [email protected] In this issue! Handicapper and author Bob Pandolfo ‘Pandycapping’ at ‘The Downs’ Standardbred Purse Increases With the new government allocations and condensed season we are able to make a substanial increase in our stakes programs and overnight purses. Overnight purses will now have a blended 30% increase for the 2011 season. Doug McCallum (CEO, Harness Racing BC) 2010 ‘Horseman of the Year’ Richard Hamel Richard Hamel dominated the jockey colony at Hastings last year: he was named leading jockey with 83 wins he passed the 1,000 mark for career victories and was winner of eight stakes races including the $150,000 BC Derby. His stats for the year were impressive; 435 starts, an 83, 52, 72 record with earnings of $1,191,933. Among his eight major stakes victories were the BC Derby win by Majesticality for owners Mr. & Mrs. RJ Bennett, the BC Premiers and the Sadie Diamond Futurity. Stall Applications Hastings stall Applications due on January 21, 2011 2011 Silent Stud Auction The Thoroughbred Ladies Club invite all breeders and owners of thoroughbred mares to send a sealed bid for the services of the following stallions for the 2011 breeding season. Usher Hanover dead Three time leading sire Usher Hanover died of a heart attack January 1, 2011. Usher Hanover won over $6,000,000 in his racing career and had a lifetime mark of 1:50.3 as a three- year-old and again as a nine- year-old. His foals won over $3 million. Mutti Named Regional General Manager Of Racing Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCGC), has announced the appointment of Raj Mutti as Regional General Manager, Racing. “Raj will continue with his current responsibilities as General Manager of Hastings Racecourse and, in addition, his scope will increase as he provides direction and oversight with respect to standardbred horseracing activities at Fraser Downs,” said Darlene Doyle, Executive Director of Operations. Ed Hensley rocked the BC Standardbred scene in 2009 winning both top driver and top trainer awards by wide margins. His 159 driving wins resulted in earnings of $865,466 and his 118 training wins added $859,492 to the pot. In 2010 he successfully defended both titles. Training stats: 111 wins $783,935 (.502 UTRS) Driving stats: 180 wins $1,428,031 (.347 UDRS) Some of the horses that Hensley trained and drove in 2010 included: •Nobody Can (7 wins $124,895); winner of Sandown Plate, Pat Brennan Final, BC Sales elim. & final, two elims and final of the Robert Murphy Stk. •Lickcreek Jazzy (7 wins $101,660); winner of two elims and final of the Princess Pace •Modern Legacy (7 wins $92,030); winner of a Princess Pace elim. Ed Hensley This year’s title was a draw between two deserving horsemen each dominating on their respective tracks. Richard Hamel fi nished the year as leading jockey at Hastings and leading trainer/driver Ed Hensley was nominated for Standardbred Canada’s prestigious O’Brien award.

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A newspaper representing the British Columbia horseracing community

Transcript of HorseRacingBC

HorseRacingBCServing the British Columbia horseracing community

www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25

Bits & Bikes

HorseRacingBC is owned and produced by Jim Reynolds. For advertising and editorial contact:

Jim Reynolds604-533-4546

[email protected]

In this issue!Handicapper and author

Bob Pandolfo‘Pandycapping’ at ‘The Downs’

Standardbred Purse IncreasesWith the new government allocations and condensed season we are able to make a substanial increase in our stakes programs and overnight purses.Overnight purses will now have a blended 30% increase for the 2011 season.Doug McCallum(CEO, Harness Racing BC)

2010 ‘Horseman of the Year’

Richard HamelRichard Hamel dominated

the jockey colony at Hastings last year: he was named leading jockey with 83 wins he passed the 1,000 mark for career victories and was winner of eight stakes races including the $150,000 BC Derby.His stats for the year were impressive; 435 starts, an 83, 52, 72 record with earnings of $1,191,933. Among his eight major

stakes victories were the BC Derby win by Majesticality for owners Mr. & Mrs. RJ Bennett, the BC Premiers and the Sadie Diamond Futurity.

Stall Applications Hastings stall Applications due on January 21, 2011

2011 Silent Stud AuctionThe Thoroughbred Ladies

Club invite all breeders and owners of thoroughbred mares to send a sealed bid for the services of the following stallions for the 2011 breeding season.

Usher Hanover deadThree time leading sire

Usher Hanover died of a heart attack January 1, 2011. Usher Hanover won over

$6,000,000 in his racing career and had a lifetime mark of 1:50.3 as a three-year-old and again as a nine-year-old. His foals won over $3 million.

Mutti Named Regional General Manager Of RacingGreat Canadian Gaming

Corporation (GCGC), has announced the appointment of Raj Mutti as Regional General Manager, Racing. “Raj will continue with

his current responsibilities as General Manager of Hastings Racecourse and, in addition, his scope will increase as he provides direction and oversight with respect to standardbred horseracing activities at Fraser Downs,” said Darlene Doyle, Executive Director of Operations.

Ed Hensley rocked the BC Standardbred scene in 2009 winning both top driver and top trainer awards by wide margins. His 159 driving wins resulted in earnings of $865,466 and his 118 training wins added $859,492 to the pot. In 2010 he successfully

defended both titles.Training stats: 111 wins

$783,935 (.502 UTRS)Driving stats: 180 wins

$1,428,031 (.347 UDRS)Some of the horses that

Hensley trained and drove in 2010 included: •Nobody Can (7 wins

$124,895); winner of Sandown Plate , Pat Brennan Final, BC Sales elim. & fi nal, two elims and fi nal of the Robert Murphy Stk. •Lickcreek Jazzy (7 wins

$101,660); winner of two elims and fi nal of the Princess Pace •Modern Legacy (7 wins

$92,030); winner of a Princess Pace elim.

Ed Hensley

This year’s title was a draw between two deserving horsemen each dominating on their respective tracks. Richard Hamel fi nished the year as leading jockey at Hastings and leading trainer/driver Ed Hensley was nominated for Standardbred Canada’s prestigious O’Brien award.

We know that if horses ran in a straight line h a n d i c a p p i n g would be easy. No horses could get boxed in, parked, or stuck behind poor cover. But in the real world,

they have to race around two, three, or four turns, depending on the size of the track. Everything comes back to a horse’s True Final

Speed. But, there are factors that prohibit a horse from running its True Final Speed. It’s really as simple as that. Part of the handicapper’s job is to try and fi gure out how much a horse was stopped from running its True Final Speed. To make this type of adjustment with a great degree of accuracy is next to impossible. But the important thing is to understand that a horse’s performance is often hindered by its circumstances, such as the trip and the post position. I can’t emphasize this enough. Many of the trips,

or past performance lines that you see in the past performances, were much more diffi cult than they appear on paper. Now most people know that a fi rst over trip is

usually regarded as a tough trip. The horse that pulls fi rst over to go up and challenge the pace setter is doing a lot of the hard work. This can be tough if the wind is blowing in its face, especially during the winter. When the wind blows from left to right it’s a tailwind. We call it a tailwind because it’s at the horse’s backs coming down the stretch. But down the long backstretch, the horses are running into the wind.

But how many people actually know that it was windy? There is nothing in the program that indicates wind speed or direction, or even the fact that it was windy. This is why the pros have an advantage. They know all that stuff. They’re either at the track taking notes, or they watch the replays and get info from someone who was at the track. Sometimes you can see the fl ags blowing on the replays, which helps. Here’s a tip: Any windy day, write down a note of the date. If it’s windy outside your window, it’s windy at the track. Windy nights result in slower fi nal times and you need to take that into consideration. I use the wind example because it’s one of the best

examples of a horse’s trip being more diffi cult than it appears on paper. If there’s a tailwind, the third quarter normally is slowed down. That’s one way you can spot a tailwind from the result charts, most races will have fast fi rst and last quarters and slow second and third quarters. If there’s a headwind, it’s the opposite, the fi rst and last quarters are slow and the middle quarters are fast. So say there is a brisk tailwind at the track one

night. A horse goes fi rst over into a third quarter that is timed in :29 seconds, challenges hard for the lead but tires in the fi nal sixteenth and loses by 10 lengths. Most people will look at the program and think, “this was not that good of an effort, the horse went fi rst over into a modest third quarter and tired badly.”What this person doesn’t know is, A). :29 seconds

into a stiff wind is actually fast. B). Since the horse was fi rst over into a stiff wind, it had good reason to get tired and lose by 10 lengths. So you see, here we have a perfect example of why

a pro has an edge. He has the knowledge. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that all they

need is the track program. The past performances are not perfect. The past performances offer a basic glimpse at a horse’s performance. It gives you a general idea of what the horse did in the race. But the only way to actually know what the horse did is to watch the race. Very few people watch replays or watch the races and take notes. Consequently, those who do watch the races or replays have an advantage. Most tracks have replays available on the internet. Since evaluating trips is an important part of the handicapping process, the more you know, the better. Years ago, there were really only three tough

trips, the parked uncovered trip, the used-hard on the lead trip, and the wide trip around the fi nal turn. But in modern day harness racing, the outside fl ow is often not strong. Consequently, many cover trips are not benefi cial to the horse.This is something you should be aware of, because many of the upset winners are horses that lacked a rally after racing with cover last time out. The problem occurs when a horse at the front of the fl ow, such as the fi rst over horse, is gapping off the leader. This creates a dull fl ow. Anytime a horse is following another horse that is struggling to keep up, it’s following “dull cover.” Again, this is something that is hard to tell from the past performances, but you can see it if you watch the race.

Horse Whispers…by the Ghost …Horses to Watch at Fraser Downs

Shalesluckydragon — Back on track

Cams Dream GIrl — competitive mare

Red Star Zorro — tough from anywhere

Garden Gate Storm — a ton of speed

Black Mac — needs a trip

Barossa — tough mare

Everybody Dance — if he doesn’t break, With Bells On — needs better pace

www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25

Pandycapping by Bob Pandolfo…Trip Handicapping

To learn more about Bob Pandolfo’s systems and handicapping methodology,

including the Harness Diamond System, go to www.trotpicks.com or write to: Pandymonium Publications, 3386 Creek Rd, Northampton, PA. 18067

1622 W 75th AvenueVancouver, BC V6P 6G2Ph: 604-266-1644

6325 204th StreetLangley, BC V2Y 3B3Ph: 604-514-7885

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H2O Boots — SALE $119.95 (reg. $139.95)

www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25

PERFEXION CARPENTRYHome and Barn Construction and Renovations

Mike Munoz [email protected]

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Often the question most asked in the world of sports and specifi cally horse racing is,

‘What have you done for me lately?’ If you were to pose that question to the Storm Victory stallion connections, the answer would be, “Lots!” After getting off to a modest start to his stud career Storm Victory has made some remarkable strides in 2010. Hastings Park, Vancouver was the principal scene

of Storm Victory’s success in 2010. He sired the winners of both the Jack and Sadie Diamond Futurities, the two most prestigious races for 2 year olds at the meet. Both the fi lly Victory with Class and the gelding Outoftheclouds won two stakes races each and made over $100,000, each of their performances earned them BC Championships in both the Open and BC divisions in their age class. Their success also translated into hardware for Storm Victory, as he was voted Champion Sire of Two Year olds for 2010. His success may appear sudden to some but most will understand it all begins with the people who have the foresight to give a horse the opportunity.Its not a simple thing to establish a thoroughbred

stallion, but to get one going in the current industry market, it is doubly so. But when Doug Clyde and the Storm Victory Syndicate associates purchased Storm Victory out of the 2003 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale they thought he was the right horse for the province at the right time. Clyde states, “the catalogue page caught my eye and being there were no other Storm Cat sires in BC at the time, seemed to be a good fi t”. Once he had convinced the other partners, Helen and Frank Klimes, Sheila MacDonald and Dixie and Roy Jacobson that this was the horse to pursue, they had Brian Leight check out the striking bay son of Storm Cat. When Leight gave the ‘thumbs up’ they negotiated a price to purchase the colt before he went through the ring at Keeneland. Since then they have all worked hard to bring the best mares possible to the young prodigy. Storm Victory is one of the most regally bred horses in BC and is not the fi rst of his sire’s line to make waves. Storm Cat has proved himself a top sire of sires. That was further confi rmed in 2010 when his son Giant’s Causeway led all sires in progeny earnings in North America. Storm Victory’s dam, Funistrada, is a Grade Two winner and producer of three graded stakes performers. She is by top-class miler and Chef-de-Race, Fappiano. Through these two classic sires, Storm Victory embodies

the Northern Dancer / Mr. Prospector cross, the two most infl uential sires of the past 50 years.Storm Victory was a half million dollar yearling

purchase, but as a two year old in training suffered an accident which ended his racing career before it got started. He entered stud in 2004, to date he has sired four crops, producing 97 foals of racing age with total earnings of over $1,400,000. The money earned is signifi cant and compares well against many stallions in Kentucky, given that many of those sires will have as many as one hundred foals in a single crop. In Storm Victory’s fi rst crop he sired stakes

winner Mr. Exspeedient and good stakes placed runners, such as, Surprisal, Victoria Reins and Till the Storm. It seemed early on that Storm Victory runners are often; long-legged, ‘a handful’ and determined. This was certainly the case with Till the Storm. He was a very game horse, in one race in 2009, Trick of the North (named older BC bred handicap horse in 2009) passes him deep in the stretch and Till the Storm comes back to hit the wire in a dead heat. It was a very gutsy performance. Multiple stakes winner, Boundless

Cat was part of the second crop, in 2010 Boundless Cat found the winners circle at both Hastings Park and Turf Paradise in Phoenix, showing brilliant speed in doing so. As if that wasn’t enough, Storm Victory was also the sire of the 2010 sale topper at the BC Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society fall sale. A full brother to Boundless Cat, bred by Helen Klimes and Marg Leight and consigned by Klimes Farm, he received a fi nal bid of $80,000 from Nick and Pauline Felicella.Storm Victory’s run to recognition has not been

a sprint. He has only serviced 20 to 30 mares in most past breeding seasons. Stud manager, Helen Klimes, says “Storm Victory is wonderful to work with, a real gentleman”. It is very likely he will be a busier stud in 2011. It will be most interesting to see if the Storm Victory sired outstanding performers of 2010 come back to show their stuff in 2011 and to see if he can produce some more juveniles stars. In any event, with these sort of results early in his career, it is clearly evident that Storm Victory is a rising star among BC thoroughbred sires.

Storm Victory: A Rising Star…by Mark Johnson

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2011 Silent Stud AuctionThe Thoroughbred Ladies Club invite all breeders and owners of

thoroughbred mares to send a sealed bid for the services of of the following stallions for the 2011 breeding season; Storm Victory, StephanotisWandering, Rosberg, Cheroot, Forest Grove,

The Lady’s Groom, Albryo, Flammabull, Cause To Believe.Bids submitted must be a minimum of 50% of the advertised stud fee.All bids must be received by mail no later than January 31, 2011 at:

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www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25

Hastings Sets New Purse StructureEarlier this month Director of Racing Paul Ryneveld announced the long

awaited purse increases for the 2011 thoroughbred season at Hastings Racecourse. —There will be 71 days of racing with opening day scheduled for April

16th and closing day on October the 2nd.—The overnight purse pool has been re-structured at $7,500,000 (including

the BC Bred bonus) for the 71-day meet. The average daily overnight pool will be $111,317 per day plus stakes. The daily average total payout will be $140,000 per day including stake races with the Stake Pool increased from $2,175,000 to $2,575,000 with three additional stakes added to the schedule.—A three year old race series has been established, with the purses for

Chris Loseth and Richmond Derby Trial being raised to $75,000, and the BC Derby to $200,000. The Oaks, the Ballerina, and the Premiers are back up to $100,000 races.—The BC Bred bonus has been increased to 25% of the purse on all races

except Stake races. In addition horses finishing 6th through 12th will receive approximately $110.—As an incentive to breeders the CTHS Breeders Awards Program has

been increased by 20% to $1,000,000 dollars.—BC Interior Horse Racing will receive $100,000 from the Thoroughbred

Allocation once again.—The Horse Racing Management Committee allocated $800,000 for a

advertising and marketing fund under the control of BCLC and its marketing department.

Hastings Racecourse Advertised Purses for 2011 Maiden Races Advertised Purse

$3,000 $8,000$5,000 $10,000$10,000 $12,000$20,000 $15,000$30,000 $20,000MSW $25,000

3-year olds & up Advertised Purse $3,000 NW/yr $ 8,750$5,000 NW/2 $10,000$5,000 NW/or $10,000$5,000 $10,500$7,500 NW/3 $11,000$7,500 $12,000$12,500 NW/2 $12,000$12,500 $13,000$17,500 $18,000$25,000 $22,000 Alw/NW/2 $21,500Opt/$35,000 $24,000Opt/$50,000 $26,000Allowance $30000

The following forms are necessary for all trainers before shipping in to Hastings Racecourse.

a) Stall Application due January 21,2011 On-line at: http://www.hastingsracecourse.com/files/PDF/2011_For_Horsemen/2011_Stall_Application_Form.pdf

b) Copy of Work Safe B.C. (Manadatory)

c) List of employee’s, Trainer to submit form. Name, address , phone# and GPEB License # for each employee.

d) 2011 Conservation Form. On-line at: http://www.hastingsracecourse.com/files/PDF/2011_For_Horsemen/Backstretch_Conservation_Policies.pdf

e) Copy of Vaccination for Flu, Rhino and Strangles to be attached signed off by a licensed veterinarian. On-line at: http://www.hastingsracecourse.com/files/PDF/2011_For_Horsemen/2011_Proof_of_Vaccination_Form.pdf

Closing date of early Nominations for:

a) Jack Diamond: March 24b) Sadie Diamond: March 24c) BC Debutante: March 24d) BC Nursery: March 24e) Fantasy: March 24f) Ascot Graduation: March 24g) Three-year-old Series, (Chris Loseth, Richmond Derby Trial and BC Derby): June 15thh) Futurity 2013: March 24Forms will soon be available on Hastings Website. www.hastingsracecourse.com or CTHS Office.

Pegasus sale February 14-15,2011North American Thoroughbred Horse Company and Pegasus Equine

Rehabilitation & Training Center will be offering horses for sale on February 15, 2011. Preview will be on February 14, 2011.Information and the sales catalog for the up and coming Pegasus Two Year

Old in Training Sale is available on line at http://www.pegasushorsesale.com. The site has complete pedigrees and videos of all of the horses entered in the sales. The sale takes place at Pegasus Training Centre in Redmond, Washington on February 15th, 2011.For more information contact via email [email protected] or call

the sale office at 1-425-898-1060.

Thoroughbred News

Training track opens February 1st.Hastings Racecourse General Manager Raj Mutti said the thoroughbred 71-

day racing calendar in 2011 will begin April 16 and finish on October 2. Stall applications are due on January 21, 2011 with the barn area opening January 28 and training beginning February 1.

CTHS-BC Membership renewal...January 31 is the deadline for membership renewal for the CTHS-BC

without late penalty. Membership dues will remain the same in 2011 but will be subject to the GST or HST of the resident province (or Ontario rate if not a Canadian resident).

The Good Old Days

www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25

Harness NewsBest In The West At Fraser Downs On Feb. 26

The Western Regional Driving Championship card is set for Saturday, Feb. 26 at Fraser Downs in preparation for the 2011 Nationals on May 7 at Charlottetown Driving Park in Prince Edward Island. With leading Fraser Downs driver Ed Hensley not eligible because he is a U.S. citizen, the top three drivers behind Hensley at the Downs will be representing B.C. Heading into this weekend Jim Marino and Dave Hudon would appear to have two of the three positions locked up with the fi nal driver standings as of Jan. 31 being the criteria. Alberta will be represented by Keith Clark, Gerry Hudon and Brandon Campbell while reps from Manitoba and Saskatchewan are still up in the air.30% Blended Additional Purse Increase at Fraser DownsCEO of Harness Racing BC Doug McCallum has announced an additional

purse increase for Fraser Downs Racetrack effective January 7 2011. “With the new government allocations and condensed season, we are able

to make substantial increases in our stakes program and overnight purses,” McCallum said. “Overnight purses will now have a blended 30 per cent increase for the balance of the 2011 standard-bred season.” Mr. McCallum’s announcement came on the heels of an initial purse

increase of $500 across the board, confi rmed on Dec. 21, 2010 by Raj Mutti, Regional General Manager, Racing.Harness Racing BC proposes breeding planCEO of Harness Racing BC Doug McCallum and Harness Racing BC have

proposed a fi ve year plan to be constructed for the Standardbred breeding sector. The date will be announced as soon as a formula is set.

Owners, trainers and drivers turned out for the 35th anniversary of Fraser Downs. Then Cloverdale Raceway, the track was offi cially unveiled on January 1, 1976 to a large crowd anxious to see Standardbred racing. Above are some of the many people involved in harness racing then and now.

Fraser Downs Celebrates 35 YearsOf Standardbred Racing in BC

Need stabling in Ontario?Winfola Stables is a newly renovated facility north of Woodbine and a few miles from Guelph featuring: 12’ X 12’ soft matted stalls and individual turn-out in three-board paddocks. We offer the best care and hands-on management.

Contact Jayme Reynolds at 1-519-731-2474

Harness Racing BC Calendar of Events Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5

8 9 10 11 1276

15 16 17 18 191413

22 23 24 25 262120

2827

Miss Valentine Elimination

$10,000

Miss Valentine Final

$25,000

Keith Linton Elimination

$10,000

Penny Bath Elimination

$10,000

Keith Linton Final

$15,000

Penny Bath Final

$15,000

Spartacus Claiming Series

Elimination$10,000

total eliminations

Spartacus Claiming Series

Elimination(claiming only for

horses claimed in 1st leg)

Spartacus Final$15,000

BB’s Mirage Claiming Series

Elimination$10,000

total eliminations

BB’s Mirage Claiming Series

Elimination(claiming only for

horses claimed in 1st leg)

BB’s MirageFinal

Princess Stk Wendell Smith StkMarian Young Stk

Prince Stk

Nomination date: February 15thPrincess of the Pacific - Elim-& Final

Wendell Smith MemorialMarian Young Stk

Important Nomination Dates

Nomination Date:

AnnouncementsHRBC proposes five year plan for the breeding sector to be constructed. Date to be announced.

www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25

He was a big man— tall, boisterous and by all accounts full of life. George ‘Buster’ Brown was an accomplished trainer who left a legacy of friends and respect when he died in 1986. George bought his first Standardbred racehorse at Windsor Raceway in Ontario in 1969, fell in love with the game and the breed and

began training his own horses in 1972. By the time he moved to Cloverdale in 1976, on the advice of his friend Ray Gimmell, he had built his stable from 6 to around 60 racehorses. He was a ‘claiming trainer’ who loved to ‘improve on’ the horses he’d claim. “Back in the day Joe Hudon and dad would get into claiming wars,” says his son, Fraser

Downs driver Tim Brown. “They’d go at it for a while, claim each others horses. Then give it a rest and go at it again.“He loved to claim horses. His biggest asset was to ‘hang a horse up’. He would watch a

horse pace and then he’d change the equipment and when you got behind one of his horses you knew what you had, the horse would go straight. If it didn’t he’d make a change and fix it.”But George had success with better horses as well. Three time leading trainer at Cloverdale

Raceway Brown’s best horses were stakes winners Holridge Joe, a pacer with a lifetime record of 237 starts, 62 wins, 29 2nds, 22 3rds and $306,798 in earnings, and Magnus Almahurst who won 61 races from 191 starts and $214,277 through age six. Good money for the purses of the day.Along the way he influenced a lot of people, especially young beginners in the business. Not

the least of which was his son, trainer/driver Tim Brown and the legendary Bill Davis. “When we started out dad sent Bill Davis and myself to Winnipeg with 20 horses. says Tim.

He liked to give young people a shot, and Bill and I were just a few of his protégés.“He taught me to drive. That’s how it worked, he was the trainer and I was the driver. “I just wish I had paid more attention to what he was trying to teach me back then,” he laughs.George was a leg man who could mend injures, tighten up sore legs and get the best out of cheaper horses. His opinion was often given and often asked

for. People who would have trouble with a horse would ask George for his help. He always obliged and never looked for recognition. He would look at a horse and suggest things that usually worked.“He was a good legman and a good diagnostician. One of his specialties was to equip a horse, (to improve a horse by putting on the right equipment).“Dad’s favourite sayings,” laughs Tim, “were “ ‘O on the program doesn’t mean parked, it means opportunity,’ and ‘If you’re not on the front end you’d

better be heading there’.”George Brown’s legacy lives in the hearts and fond memories of his family

and his many friends in harness racing.

George ‘Buster’ Brown...“He made his presence known”

Remembering…

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First, a bit of anatomy. The first part of the back is made up of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. The part of the spine adjacent to the pelvis is mainly the sacrum. The thoracic vertebrae have ribs attached. The six lumbar vertebrae follow and instead of ribs they have transverse processes – kind of like wings sticking out the sides. The five sacral vertebrae are all fused in the horse with the widest wing belonging to the first. This wing is interesting because it not only articulates with the last lumbar vertebrae (LS joint) but also with the pelvis (SI joint).

Some interesting facts: The SI joint mainly provides stability exhibiting only one to two degrees of flexion/extension (nutation or counter-nutation). On the other hand the LS joint is quite mobile – up to twenty degrees of flexion/extension.LS flexion can occur simultaneously with

thoracic extension – It does not have to behave like a simple bow.The LS joint is the most mobile joint in the

back from T2 (second thoracic vertebrae) to the sacrum.It also has numerous articulations (joints) which

means we can have problems in numerous areas! On the midline the body of L6 (the last lumbar vertebrae in the horse) articulates with the head of the sacrum through a fibrocartilagenous structure that bothers many humans with back disease – the disc. This type of joint is called a symphysis.The second type of joint is located between

the transverse process of L6 and the wing of the sacrum. This is called the intertransverse joint. There are two sets, one on the left and one on the right. These are covered by ligaments which are stretched in both flexion and extension. The joint and ventral intertransverse ligament can be visualised on rectal ultrasound.The third type of joint is the facet joint between

L6 and the sacrum. This is described as a synovial intervertebral articulation and involves the articular processes. These are located on the dorsal aspect of the vertebral canal between the spinous process of L6 and the sacrum - one on the left and one on the right.

As mentioned, the lumbosacral joint can move through angles greater than 20 degrees while the SI joint only one or two degrees. Since the center of rotation is in the center of the LS disc it is subjected to extremes of compression and tension during flexion and extension. The result is that disc disease of the LS joint is quite a common cause of back pain in the horse.

The transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae and sacral wing remain fixed with the intertransverse joints and the intertransverse ligaments preventing lumbosacral lateral flexion. (most lateral flexion occurs in the mid thoracic region between T9 and T14). On the other hand, during relaxation of the intertransverse ligaments, up to two and a half degrees of lumbosacral rotation can occur and is especially noted in trotters and pacers.In both horses and humans a right lateral flexion

results in spontaneous left rotation. The SI joint shows no rotation but does show minimal sliding during lateral flexion.

Ligaments: Under the wings of the Ilium cranially, the “interosseous SI ligament” is not only a vital ligament of the SI joint but also an important ligament of the LS joint, being stretched during flexion. This area can be medicated by using an

ultrasound guided injection technique.The Dorsal SI ligament originates at the top of the

croup on the tuber sacrale of the Ilium. It gives off a “funicular” part going to the spinous processes of the sacrum and a membranous part that goes deep to the lateral crest of the sacrum. Injury to these ligaments can be evaluated by ultrasound of the croup area. Radiography is a poor diagnostic modality for

SI or LS problems which are hidden under the Ilium.

Luckily, most SI pathology is located at the most ventral aspect of the joint which can be examined by a rectal ultrasound exam. The LS disc and other pelvic areas can be examined at the same time.

www.horseracingbc.ca Issue # 25

Doc Nick’s Vet Talkby Dr. Nick Kleider DVM

Back issues: The SI (Sacroiliac) joint and the LS (Lumbosacral) joints

Lumbrosacal and pelvic area

SI and LS joints with lumbar vertebrae removed

Underside and view from behind of the SI joint

Rectal ultrasound of lumbosacral disc

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Caudal ultrasound guided SI injection