A team of researchers aiming to identify racehorses at risk for accidents or career-ending injuries through stride tracking made an offer September 23 to the Drug Research Council. to Kentucky Horses to fund what they see as the ultimate incentive to implement a life-saving program.
KEDRC operates under the authority of the Kentucky Equestrian Commission, which reviews and makes drug policy recommendations and examines research projects eligible for KHRC funding.
The stride tracking presentation was made by Dr. Warwick Bayly, professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Services at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. David Lambert, a veterinarian and Chief Operating Officer by StrideSAFE, the company that develops biometric sensors. stepwise analysis data collection system.
“This is the fourth year that Dr Lambert and others have pursued ways that we can identify horses at higher risk of serious career end, or worse, trauma catastrophic musculoskeletal injury during their (race) preparation,” Bayly said. “We felt we had to do this. It was the right thing to do.”
The StrideSAFE system starts in 2020 with tests carried out at Emerald Downs. Using sensors on the legs, behind the perimeter, and under the seat cushion, the team gathered the data needed to create a single display that fits over the saddle towel and measures acceleration for three different planes — vertically (up and down), vertical (front and back), and mid-lateral (side to side). The data collected creates a stride profile that Bayly calls a stride “fingerprint”.
These fingerprints can then be compared to an “ideal stride”, which is a composite generated from the analysis of 30 elementary and middle school winners in acoustics.
During morning and race trials conducted in partnership with the New York Racing Association, Bayly and Lambert developed a system for marking the horse’s level of risk. If a horse’s stride is less than 1.9 standard deviations from its ideal stride, it will be “green lighted,” meaning the lowest risk of injury. Horses with a stride 2 to 2.9 standard deviations from ideal will receive an “amber glow” and horses with a stride three or more standard deviations from ideal will be flagged as “red light”.
The risk coefficient of a “red light” horse suffering from a career-ending injury or disaster with a standard dedication rating of 6-7.9 is rated 142 compared to a “green light” horse rated as one.
Armed with this system, Bayly says it’s time to create a practical, economical, and automated system for marking candidates for further vetting or using a CT scan. or imaging. He suggested a study of 2,000 horses, from the NYRA study, should include about 12% with red flag deviation. From an estimated 240 red flag horses, a veterinary examination will likely identify 20 that require a thorough examination and 10 of these will likely require advanced imaging as part of their diagnosis.
“In the long run, we want to get traversal data so we can ask every horse to enter the race with the green flag,” Lambert said. “Then you’ll just have to make sure they’re all going to travel safely, which is so important for the big televised races.”
The panel also heard from Dr. Scott Stanley, head of the University of Kentucky’s Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, who proposed research aimed at developing gene doping detection methods that could identify genetic doping. management of transgenes. The test will identify genes that are synthesized to affect muscle growth, cell growth and tissue repair, oxidative capacity and metabolism.
“The study aimed to develop a method that uses newly developed and proven techniques to detect transgenes for EPO (erythropoietin). Working group on gene doping detection in the Genetic Analysis Section.
“They have engaged with IFHA and collaborated in Australia, Hong Kong and France,” he said. “I’ve been working with them for 5 years and they’re willing to share their methods. They’ve pioneered equine anti-doping for digital droplet PCR and we hope to work with them. them to expand the trial beyond erythropoietin to other targets.”
One of the long-term goals, he added, is to include gene doping results in the equine Biological Passport database.
Stanley estimates it will take up to a year to get the digital droplet PCR device and develop the methodology and another year to validate the test using KHRC blood samples and start performing the tests.
The Equine Drug Research Council did not take any votes, but closed the meeting agreeing to collect more questions from panel members. A final review of the proposals and a vote on whether to support them with funding will be held at the following meeting.
