CHRB

Courtesy California Horse Racing Board Chuck Winner, an internationally recognized expert in public affairs, crisis communications, and campaign management, who served on the California Horse Racing Board from 2012 to 2019, five of those years as chairman, passed away Thursday morning, Mar. 24, from natural causes at the age of 81. Mr. Winner guided the CHRB through difficult times, most notably during the winter of 2019 when a rash of equine fatalities at Santa Anita Park attracted worldwide scrutiny. He led the push for improved safety measures to protect horses...

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) issued a release Thursday addressing a spate of recent deaths at Los Alamitos. The track is currently holding its traditional mixed-breed meet of predominantly Quarter Horses and lower-level races with Thoroughbreds. The CHRB release read as follows: "The California Horse Racing Board has been in contact with personnel and executives at Los Alamitos Race Course concerning the four recent catastrophic injuries of horses at that facility: "The 6-year-old mare Ballet Royalty finished fifth (last) in the first race at Los Alamitos on March 12....

Earlier this week, a Kentucky judge denied trainer Bob Baffert's attempts to stay a 90-day suspension related to Medina Spirit's betamethasone-positive disqualification from the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC). While the appeals process plays out, the question now is: What will happen to the nearly 100-horses in Baffert's California-based stable if the suspension goes into effect on April 4. As the TDN previously reported, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) will honor the 90-day suspension metered down to Baffert through a system of reciprocity between jurisdictions. That honor system is...

California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director Jeff Blea, sidelined from that role since early January, is headed to Los Angeles County Superior Court Wednesday, seeking a stay on the California Veterinary Medical Board's interim suspension of his veterinary license. If the court doesn't grant a stay on the interim suspension--pending a formal hearing on the merits of the veterinary board's accusations against him--Blea asks the court to determine whether in the interim he can resume his duties as equine medical director and as a member of the Anti-Doping...

A four-month investigation into the dysfunction at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club that led to the winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf having to race for purse money only will not result in any complaints being filed against anyone in the chain of command now that "inconsistent radio communication" has been identified as a key contributing factor. "Various witnesses indicated that they made calls over the radio that were not heard or received by the intended recipients," stated a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) summary report issued Thursday...

Sidelined California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director Jeff Blea has filed a writ of mandate with the California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles seeking to lift the California Veterinary Medical Board's interim suspension on his veterinary license. The court filing, dated Feb. 24, also seeks declarative and injunctive relief, arguing that the position of equine medical director does not require an active license, and that Blea, UC Davis and the CHRB will continue to suffer "irreparable harm" if California horse racing's head veterinarian remains unable...

As had been anticipated, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) will honor the 90-day suspension meted down to trainer Bob Baffert by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) if the trainer's legal efforts to block the suspension aren't successful in the interim, confirmed a CHRB spokesperson Saturday morning. Likewise, the CHRB will reciprocate any stay on the KHRC's ruling "if granted by a court," the spokesperson confirmed in an email. Earlier this month, the KHRC handed Baffert a 90-day suspension and a $7,500 fine after Medina Spirit (Protonico) tested positive...

Edited Press Release Pursuant to California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) Rule 1846.6, a Postmortem Examination Review (PER) was completed on the sudden death of Medina Spirit. This process takes place for every fatality occurring at a CHRB regulated facility and is performed by a team consisting of an Official Veterinarian, a safety steward, and a member of the Board of Stewards--in this case, Dr. Alina Vale, David Neusch (safety steward), and Kim Sawyer (steward). In all cases, the PER panel strives to learn the circumstances surrounding the fatality, which involves...

The cause of GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit's (Protonico) sudden death on Dec. 6 at Santa Anita remains undetermined, according to the findings of a necropsy on the horse. In a news release issued in tandem with the necropsy report Friday, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) stated that a "definitive cause of death was not established despite extensive testing." As per the CHRB news release, while omeprazole—an anti-ulcer medication—and the ubiquitous diuretic Lasix were detected in blood and urine samples, these findings were consistent with the medication report filed with CHRB...

Medina Spirit (Protonico)'s necropsy report will be released Friday at 9 a.m. PST, the California Horse Racing Board announced Thursday night. The GI Kentucky Derby winner died of an apparent heart attack following a workout Dec. 6 at Santa Anita. "The California Horse Racing Board with the cooperation of the University of California-Davis will be issuing a news release along with the Medina Spirit necropsy report at 9 a.m. to those receiving this advisory," the CHRB release said. The CHRB added that a Q&A via teleconference for credentialed news media...

The veterinary license of California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director, Jeff Blea, remains suspended pending a full administrative hearing, according to a ruling by administrative law judge Nana Chin. In a 15-page document dated Friday, Jan. 28 but posted to the Veterinary Medical Board's website Wednesday, Chin wrote that despite Blea not currently practicing veterinary medicine, this still "does not ensure" public safety. "As long as Respondent's license to practice is active, he is free to return to the practice of veterinary medicine at any time. Permitting Respondent...

In the formal hearing Friday morning of the Veterinary Medical Board's petition for an interim suspension of California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director Jeff Blea's medical license, both sides laid out their arguments. In short, the deputy attorney general Elaine Yan representing the veterinary board took a procedural defense of the petition, arguing that the allegations against Blea amount to violations of standards of practice within the veterinary community as codified in the veterinary medicine practice act. "These guidelines emphasize the importance of examinations and diagnosis," said Yan,...