| Safety Vests to be mandatory in Kentucky 5/31/07 KyHarnessRacing.com
racetrack during racing hours, beginning June 15, 2007. The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority began exploring the safety vests soon after driver Hal Belote was killed in a horse racing accident at Harrington Raceway in Delaware on May 15, 2006. KyHarnessRacing.com spoke with Marc Guilfoil, with the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority,on May 18, 2007 about the safety vest and here is what he had to say, "The Kentucky Horse Racing Authority took a real serious look at this rule when the accident at Harrington occurred. When you see wrecks of this magnitude, it makes you think more about the safety of the drivers. It's very difficult to argue with safety." To read the new rule, click on the link below.
Section 21. Safety Vests.
warming up a horse prior to racing. (2) A safety vest shall: (a) Cover the torso, front and back, from the collar bone to the hip bone; (b) Be of uniform material and thickness over the whole of the vest except for: 1. Localized variation due to pattern, as, for example, quilting; 2. Thinner areas to aid fit, as, for example, under the arms, at fastenings, and at edges; and 3. Thicker areas in regard to particularly sensitive areas of the body, for example, the spine; and [.] (c) Equal or exceed a minimum shock absorbance rating of five (5) according to the specifications established by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA), which are as follows: 1. Use a critical height apparatus to measure the maximum deceleration on impact of a striker consisting of a spherical indenter weighing five and nine-tenths (5.9) (plus or minus 0.05) kilograms with a diameter of 215 (plus or minus two (2)) millimeters; 2. Condition the vest and the striker for a minimum of three (3) hours at twenty-three (23) degrees (plus or minus two (2) degrees) Centigrade; [.] 3. With the vest lying on a smooth, flat, massive concrete base with the inside of the vest facing the striker and positioned so that the striker will impact on an area of typical thickness, not reinforced by additional material, raise and release the striker starting at a height of two-tenths (0.2) meters and increasing the height by increments of two-tenths (0.2) meters to a height which will result in a deceleration of over 300 gravity units (1G+9.81 ms), as measured by recording the signal from an accelerometer through the impact from the time before the striker impacts the vest until the accelerometer returns to the same level as before the impact;[.] 4. Record the gravity units measured at each height increment on a line graph which has the gravity units in ascending order as the vertical axis and the release height in meters in ascending meters as the horizontal access;[.] 5. Plot the height in meters at which the deceleration reached 300 gravity units; and[.] 6. Multiply the height obtained in paragraph 5 of this subsection by ten (10) to calculate the shock absorbance rating |
| Unhealthy numbers for Wildcat Series 5/3/07 KyHarnessRacing.com
future. The Wildcat Series for Kentucky sired horses, has a future that appears to be in jeopardy, if serious changes aren't made.
the horses entered to race in the first year and first leg of the Wildcat Series. The three year old trotting fillies have 2 entered. Three year old trotting colts have 4 entered. Three year old pacing colts have 4 entered. And the three year old pacing fillies have 8 entered. "I knew the trotting numbers were going low. But, I'm a little disappointed in number of pacing colts that entered the race, as to what was eligible. The second leg may draw a few more horses. Some people may have decided to race in one leg." said Kentucky Horse Racing Authority, Director of Standardbred Racing, Marc Guilfoil.
little man. The concept was a great idea. The problem is, the Wildcat program has a design flaw. The program had only ten thousand dollars per division to work with. Splitting the money into, two legs and a final, left the series with very little appeal. It has to become more attractive for people to ship in and race. There's been so much effort put into protecting the little man, that the health and stability of the program itself, has been forgotten. As with any program, it needs numbers to survive and grow. Without the numbers, it simply will not survive. And who will suffer the most.........the little man.
the little man has to realize, he may have to step up to the program. The program has to welcome anyone that purchases a Kentucky sired colt or filly. In the end, it should create more opportunities for everyone. More importantly, as Billy Perkins says it best, "We want create a signature event, that is enticing to the public. It should be an event with full fields, that draws good horses and gives a reason for the public to come out and bet."
table last year and basically put it together. "Any kind of series has to start somewhere." says KHHA board member Scottie Harris. Randy Jerrell, also a veteran board member had this to say, "The goal of the Wildcat Series is to get interest at the smaller tracks, Bluegrass Downs and Thunder Ridge. "Hopefully people will see it and will want to stake and come to the race in the future."
interest of the program has to taken into account for it to stay around. The thought process, to find a way to keep people out so the little man can make money, has to end. It is very unhealthy, and a non-productive way of thinking, for any business. The little man needs more opportunities to step up, a way for him or her to move into position. It would be great to have a race that the little guy could stake to, and race in, during the grand circuit at The Red Mile. That would be an OPPORTUNITY. And yes, you would have to step up. It is a two-way street.
be the original sire stakes format. With the money at hand, there isn't enough to split into legs. And, it just doesn't look very appealing to many. It basically looks like another overnight race. This race should be special and exciting, to the betting public and horsemen. |