Equine Vet talks future healthcare technology of horse racing

THEN IT’S ANYTHING GOES, THAT’S FOR SURE. WELL, JOINING US NOW IS DR. MICHAEL HARRISON, WHO HAS BEEN A PRACTICING EQUINE VETERINARIAN FOR OVER 40 YEARS AND A FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE MARYLAND HORSE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION. I SO ENJOYED PICKING YOUR BRAIN THIS WEEK. IT’S SO NICE TO SEE YOU. IT’S GREAT TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. SO AND I WAS BUGGING YOU IN BETWEEN YOU DELIVERING FOAL AFTER FOAL AFTER FOAL THIS WEEK. HOW SO? VERY UNLIKE DEBORAH. YEAH. WE HAD A FLURRY THIS WEEK. YEAH, WE’RE FINISHING UP. WE GOT ONE MARE TO FOAL, LEFT. WE HAD 36 ALREADY THAT WE’VE DELIVERED. WOW. AND SO YOU COULD GET A CALL AT ANY MOMENT. AND SHE’S NOT DUE FOR A WEEK. REALLY? SO I’M FREE RIGHT NOW. OH, GOOD, GOOD. DOC, AT ANY YEAR, 25 TO 30,000 THOROUGHBRED FOALS ARE BORN OF THAT GROUP. ONLY 3035 WILL COMPETE IN TRIPLE CROWN RACES. AT WHAT POINT IN A HORSE’S EVOLUTION DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS? HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A CHAMPION? I THINK YOU HAVE. I THINK YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO SORT OF SEE THAT THE HORSE HAS THE CONFORMATION, THE CORRECTNESS, THE SIZE, TO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE A A STAKES LEVEL HORSE. BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE’S SO MANY VARIABLES ALONG THE WAY THAT CAN EITHER THAT CAN INFLUENCE AND DETERMINE THE OUTCOME ON THAT. YOU KNOW OF THE OF THE 20,000 OR SO HORSES THAT ARE FOALED, ROUGHLY 60% OF THEM MAKE IT TO THE RACES. AND OF THOSE THAT ACTUALLY GET TO, YOU KNOW, WIN A STAKES RACE A GRADED STAKES RACE LIKE THIS, IT’S LIKE 0.1% OF THOSE THAT MAKE IT TO RACE. BUT YOU WERE SAYING THAT SOMETIMES EVEN AT BIRTH, YOU CAN SEE A FOAL, THAT IT WILL BE A POTENTIAL ATHLETE. I’M VERY OPINIONATED AND I BELIEVE IN WHAT I SEE. YES, I DO. I CAN I CAN SEE IT IN THE ONES THAT I HAVE AND GET VERY EXCITED. AND WHAT’S KIND OF INTERESTING TO ME IS THAT YOU CAN SEE THE INFLUENCE OF THE SIRE TREMENDOUSLY IN WHAT THAT OFFSPRING LOOKS LIKE. AND SOME SOME STUDS STAMP THEIR BABIES AND THEY REALLY DO LOOK LIKE A FUTURE RACEHORSE. AND MAGE HAS AN AMAZING BLOODLINE ON THE FATHER’S SIDE. CURLIN, THE GRANDFATHER ON THE MOTHER’S SIDE, BIG BROWN, THE GRAND GRANDFATHER. SO IF YOU FOLLOW BLOODLINES MAGE WOULD APPEAR TO BE THE OBVIOUS FAVORITE TODAY. I AGREE. AND LET’S HOPE. WELL, I’M ROOTING FOR HIM. I’D LIKE TO SEE US GET ANOTHER TRIPLE CROWN WINNER IF IT’S POSSIBLE. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE HORSE RACING INDUSTRY. AND I KNOW YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT HAS TAKEN PLACE RECENTLY AT LAUREL AND OF COURSE, AT CHURCHILL DOWNS AS WELL. YOU ARE KEEPING A VERY GOOD EYE ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL BETTER MONITOR THE HEALTH OF THE HORSE. DO YOU SEE PROMISE AND DO YOU SEE THAT COMING SOON? ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT REALLY I WISH THE PUBLIC WOULD KNOW HOW HARD EVERYBODY IS TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT NO HORSE GETS HURT. AND YES, THINGS IT’S A COMPLEX SITUATION WHERE MEDICATION AND TRAINING TECHNIQUE AND ALL THOSE THINGS COME INTO PLAY. AND I THINK THAT THE HUMAN ELEMENT IS ONE WHERE WE’RE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE A WEAKNESS. AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THAT APPLYING TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO BE THE ANSWER. YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK BACK TO THE 50S, WE DROVE AN AUTOMOBILE OILS THAT WERE HEAVY STEEL CLUNKERS THAT WERE VERY PASSENGER UNFRIENDLY STEERING COLUMNS, HAD NO SHOCK ABSORPTION TO THEM. WE NOW HAVE COLLAPSING STEERING COLUMNS. WE HAVE AIRBAGS IN OUR CARS, OUR CARS ARE LIGHTER AND EVERYTHING ELSE. IT’S SAFER. IT’S MUCH BETTER FOR THE PASSENGER. I THINK THAT WITH HORSES, THE BIG THING THAT’S GOING TO ADVANCE US IS TO TAKE BIOMETRIC ANALYSIS, GAIT ANALYSIS, TAKE DATA COLLECTED ON HORSES, UNDERSTAND THEIR GAIT, AND IT’LL GIVE US INSIGHT THAT’S GOING TO ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO PREDICT WHEN A PARTICULAR HORSE NEEDS TO BE PULLED OUT AND REALLY LOOK CLOSER WITH WHAT OTHER DIAGNOSTIC METHOD WE HAVE AVAILABLE THAT WE THINK IS PROPER FOR IT. IT IS A VETERINARIAN’S RESPONSIBILITY TO MANAGE THIS. THIS TECHNOLOGY, AND I THINK THAT’S WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE. DOC, IF THE ETERNAL REBUILDING PLANS THAT WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT FOR THIS TRACK EVER COME TO PASS, IS THAT AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPLEMENT THAT TECHNOLOGY AND FURTHER HORSE RACING? I ABSOLUTELY AND I’M A MARYLANDER THROUGH AND THROUGH AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW IF WE ARE ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND REBUILD OUR RACETRACK AND OUR RACING FACILITIES TO USING WHAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE AND WHAT WE KNOW. COLLEGE PARK, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, THOSE SCHOOLS ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR EXCELLENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AND COUPLED WITH THE UNIVERSITY AND SETTING UP A RACETRACK THAT IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO COLLECT THE DATA ON THE HORSES AS WELL AS THE RACING SURFACE AND ALL THE OTHER INFORMATION APPLIED. APPLYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OR COMPUTERS TO ANALYZE AND USE THAT DATA. THE INSIGHT INTO TRAINING TECHNIQUES, THE INFLUENCE OF THE SURFACE THAT THE HORSES ARE RUNNING ON, ALL THAT’S GOING TO FEED BACK TO REDUCING THE CATASTROPHIC INJURY THAT OCCURS IN OUR HORSES PERIODICALLY. AND THE GRAND IRONY OF THINGS, IN A SPORT WHERE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION IS NOT ALLOWED, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COULD BE A SAVER. I HOPE SO. YOU KNOW, THE CONFIDENTIALITY ON THE INFORMATION THAT’S GOTTEN HAS TO BE CONTROLLED. AND THAT’S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST DRAGS ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF IT. I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THERE’S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT THAT ARE VERY EXCITING AND INTERESTING AND THE MAIN ONE IS SOMETHING CALLED STRIDE SAFE, WHICH IS HAD BEEN USED UP IN NEW YORK UNDER A DR. SCOTT PALMER. HE’S THE EQUINE MEDICAL DIRECTOR THERE. AND THEY DID GATHER A LOT OF DATA. THEY’RE CURRENTLY GOING TO START USING SOME OF THIS AT CHURCHILL DOWNS, ACTUALLY. AND THERE IS A A LARGE GRANT FOR SOME RESEARCH TIME TO BE DONE AT WASHINGTON STATE. WE’LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS SUCH A BIG PART OF THE INDUSTRY AND MANY QUESTIONS THAT I THINK WE ALL NEED TO CONTINUE TO TO ASK AND TO GET ANSWERS TO. SO WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING HERE TODAY. IT WAS SUCH A PLEASU

Equine Vet discusses future healthcare technology coming to horse racing

Updated: 1:41 PM EDT May 20, 2023

WBAL-TV sits down with equine vet/horse breeder Michael Harrison as he discusses the upcoming Preakness Stakes as well as the future of healthcare in horse racing. He is excited about the new technology that is coming to horse racing that will help keep the health of the thoroughbreds a priority in the industry.

BALTIMORE —

WBAL-TV sits down with equine vet/horse breeder Michael Harrison as he discusses the upcoming Preakness Stakes as well as the future of healthcare in horse racing. He is excited about the new technology that is coming to horse racing that will help keep the health of the thoroughbreds a priority in the industry.