Keeneland 2019: April Catalog; Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and Ocala Breeders’ Sales Announce Ban of Off-Label Use of Bisphosphonates

By Amy Gregory —-

Keeneland 2019 April Horses of Racing Age Sale Catalog Now Online

LEXINGTON, KY (March 25, 2019) – Keeneland has cataloged 81 horses of racing age as part of its April Two-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale, to be held Tuesday, April 9, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

The digital Horses of Racing Age Sale catalog is available online by clicking here. The digital catalog features Daily Racing Form past performances, and Thorograph and Ragozin sheets. Sellers also have the opportunity to submit professional walking and/or conformation videos and professional photography of the horses to accompany this information.

A print version of the Horses of Racing Age Sale catalog will be available Monday, April 1.

The April Sale to date has cataloged 72 juveniles in addition to the horses of racing age. Click here for the Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale catalog.

Keeneland will host a Preview Day featuring breezes by cataloged 2-year-olds over both the dirt track and turf course on Monday, April 8, beginning at 11 a.m.

Keeneland will continue to accept supplemental entries for the April Sale.

Keeneland held the April Sale from 1993-2014. The last edition of the April Sale in 2014 produced champions Lady Eli and Roy H. Graduates of the high quality, boutique auction include six classic winners: Belmont (G1) winner Palace Malice; Preakness (G1) winner and champion Lookin At Lucky; Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness winner and champion Big Brown; Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner and champion Thunder Gulch; and Kentucky Oaks (G1) winners Keeper Hill and Gal in a Ruckus. Champion Beautiful Pleasure also is an April Sale graduate.

Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and Ocala Breeders’ Sales
Announce Ban of Off-Label Use of Bisphosphonates

Officials from Keeneland Association, Fasig-Tipton Company Inc. and Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company Inc. (OBS) jointly announced today that they will enable buyers of horses younger than four years old to have those horses tested for bisphosphonates. The policy is undertaken to ban off-label use of these drugs. The revised Conditions of Sale for each of these sales companies takes effect July 1, 2019.

At each of the three sales companies, buyers of young horses may request testing for bisphosphonates to be performed at the time of purchase. If the sale horse tests positive, a buyer has the right, within 24 hours of notification, to rescind the sale.

This proactive measure by Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton and OBS – the three major U.S. Thoroughbred auction companies – mirrors the leadership action they took in 2009 to ban the use of anabolic steroids in sales horses.

Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason, Fasig-Tipton President Boyd T. Browning Jr. and OBS President Tom Ventura said in a joint statement: “This is an integrity issue. We all agree that this policy is critical to strengthen buyer confidence in the entire Thoroughbred auction process. As research continues, we will amend our Conditions of Sale to reflect the advancements in testing science.”

In summary, the policy will be implemented as follows:

• The buyer has the right to request, at the time of purchase, that blood be drawn from a horse to test for the presence of bisphosphonates;
• The respective sales company will coordinate testing with a designated laboratory and report the results of those tests to the consignor and buyer in a timely manner;
• If the sale horse tests positive for bisphosphonates, the buyer has the right, within 24 hours of notification, to rescind the sale and return the horse to the consignor; and
• The buyer will bear the $500 cost of the test; however, if test results are positive, the cost will shift to the consignor.

###

For more information, contact Amy Gregory at 859 361-3490