Letter to the Editor: David Powell

DAVID POWELL 
In the debate about the number of fatal breakdowns at Aqueduct, I am struck by the omission of, what seems to me, the obvious major cause: that these horses are running on a powerful analgesic, phenylbutazone, and don’t feel the pain–nature’s warning signal when an injury occurs–in time to save themselves. 

The racing surface can be an aggravating factor, but if it is too firm and a horse is sore on it, he will shorten his stride, or lose his action–providing he can feel the discomfort. 

We have created, via selection, a noble breed of peaceful warriors who will perform above the call of duty, and they are already prone to enough injuries due to their courage and devotion, without depriving them of the ability to actually feel the damage they are doing to themselves. 

Many jockeys have been killed, maimed or handicapped from falls and pileups which should not have occurred if their mount had not been on bute. I have never quite understood why none of these unfortunate victims or their families thought of suing the connections of the horse involved: they had a much better case in court than many plaintiffs who win damages. Perhaps we need such a case to wake the industry up? 

After reading John Sparkman’s and Bill Finley’s excellent studies on the reduction in number of average starts, I wished to expand on these, and I remembered an article I had written for Pacemaker in February, 1997–and it was linked to myop/ed in the TDN issue of March 12, 2011. 

I am afraid you will find it eerily prophetic, which I wish it had not been. 

It is frustrating to read, because it concluded with a ready-made, non-coercitive and actually self-enforcing “solution” (if the word is not too strong): restricting black type to non-medication races, and flagging with an * any horse who had raced on medication. As we concluded then, it would just have been normal consumer information, and left each race track with a choice: black type or medication. 

Perhaps the problem would have gradually “fixed itself” over 15 years or so, and we wouldn’t be discussing it any more? 
This could still be done–the international pattern race committee promote, demote, create or rescind black type races every year, so they have the authority to do it.