How Canterbury Park and Minnesota veterinarians are working to keep racehorses safe

First came the greetings. Last week, when Dr. Christy Klatt saw Hot Shot Kid in the stables at Canterbury Park, she gave the chestnut gelding a big hug to welcome him back to the Shakopee track.

This wasn't strictly a social call, though. This was about preventing the kinds of catastrophic injuries that have roiled horse racing in recent months.

Klatt and two other Minnesota Racing Commission veterinarians came to Mac Robertson's barn to examine horses that had not raced over the winter, part of Canterbury's equine safety protocols. They felt the horses' legs for heat or swelling, flexed their knees and ankles, took note of their demeanor and watched them jog.

Hot Shot Kid, one of the best horses in Canterbury Park history, passed all his tests. But he will see plenty more of Klatt during a Canterbury season that begins Saturday. Each time he runs, he will be examined before the race, and the vets will watch him every step of the way from the saddling paddock to the post-race cool-out.

"We get to know all these horses very, very well," said Klatt, in her 18th year as a regulatory veterinarian at Canterbury Park. "Our goal is to do absolutely everything we can to keep every one of them safe."

The welfare of racehorses has become a trending topic in recent weeks, following a spate of racing-related deaths at major tracks. Nine horses have died at Churchill Downs in the past month, including two that were fatally injured in races on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Another was euthanized after a severe injury in a race before last weekend's Preakness.

Statistics show horse racing is improving its safety record, with the fatality rate declining 37.5% since 2009. Still, the industry faces public pressure to do better.

There were four thoroughbred fatalities at Canterbury last year, equaling the lowest figure since 2011. The target of Dr. Lynn Hovda, chief veterinarian for the Minnesota Racing Commission, is even smaller: Zero.

"When [a death] happens, you don't sleep," said Hovda, in her 26th year at Canterbury. "You go over it in your mind all night, thinking, 'What did I miss?'

"Even an injury that's not catastrophic, you wonder whether you could have done something else to prevent it. Anything we can think of to do, we're doing it. And we don't apologize for being tough."

Strict, detailed rules

About 1,200 horses race at Canterbury every summer. Each one has a medical card on file in the state veterinarians' office, with details on its health history, racing history and previous veterinary exams.

Minnesota's rules require any horse that hasn't raced in six months to pass a physical exam. If a horse hasn't run for a year or more, it must complete an official workout in a minimum time and take a medication test. Those on the vets' list, at Canterbury or elsewhere, also must pass certain tests to be allowed to run.

Horses older than 11 are barred from racing at Canterbury. So are those that haven't raced in three years or more, and those age 6 and older that have never won.

"We're always tweaking and refining the rules," said Hovda, whose staff gives about 350 race-day exams every week of the Canterbury season. "As things come up, we address them. We want to have as many safeguards as we can."

On race day, the veterinarians follow horses from the time they leave their barns. Vets are stationed in the paddock, behind the starting gate and in a pickup truck that chases the field around the track, watching for any sign of distress and ready to respond instantly if an injury happens.

They have the power to scratch a horse at any time. That sometimes causes friction with trainers, owners and even bettors.

Hovda and Klatt have received plenty of abuse for enforcing the rules, including calls for them to be fired. Klatt said she knows of trainers who will not race at Canterbury because they don't want the scrutiny.

Others appreciate the vets, knowing they can catch problems before they become tragedies. Mike Cronin, executive director of the Minnesota Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association — which represents Canterbury's horsemen — said while some horsemen chafe at regulations, the veterinarians "get a lot of respect" from Canterbury's trainers.

"They have a tough job, and the protocols are right up there with some of the most rigorous in the country," Cronin said. "But they're wonderful communicators. They're very understanding of what the trainers have to go through. And they're doing as much as they can to take care of the horses."

Proof in the numbers

In the early 1980s, when Dr. Camille McArdle was working at racetracks in Florida, pre-race veterinary exams were rare. Each state created its own rules regarding racehorse welfare, and some did the bare minimum — a situation that persisted until last year, when the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act introduced national regulations.

"The idea was, if Minnesota was going to start horse racing, let's do it right," said McArdle, now chair of the Minnesota Racing Commission. "Let's set a foundation that's not burdensome to the horsemen but protects the horse. That was necessary if we were going to have a quality racing program."

Canterbury's owners supported that stance. The track pays for the regulatory costs, and Hovda said officials "never say no" when asked to pony up for safety equipment, such as a state-of-the art horse ambulance, special railings and extra padding in the starting gate.

That proactive approach helped limit Canterbury's thoroughbred fatalities to 1.03 per 1,000 starts last season, the lowest in records dating to 2011. According to the Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database, which compiles statistics for 115 racing organizations, there were 1.25 deaths per 1,000 starts at North American tracks last year — the lowest in the database's 14-year history.

Tom Rooney, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said the declining fatality rate shows horse racing "is the safest it's ever been.'' But the recent deaths have reinvigorated discussion about horse welfare among both fans and opponents of the sport.

Rooney said that concern underscores the need to fully embrace the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which has faced legal challenges from states and horsemen's groups that oppose federal regulation.

Hovda and her staff have gained new tools and insight over the years. Drug testing has improved and increased, with 1,360 tests administered last year at Canterbury. Each equine fatality is followed by a post-mortem exam and is investigated by a committee, helping veterinarians understand how fatal injuries occur and how to prevent them.

Reducing the risks to horses is a complicated task, but the philosophy behind it is simple.

"The horse comes first," Hovda said. "That's it."