Kentucky Panel Adopts Policy on Horse Identification

Horses racing in Kentucky will now be identified the morning of their respective races and before leaving the paddock following a directive from Jim Gallagher, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority (KHRA).

Gallagher,

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Horses racing in Kentucky will now be identified the morning of their respective races and before leaving the paddock following a directive from Jim Gallagher, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority (KHRA).


Gallagher, during an Oct. 18 KHRA meeting at Churchill Downs, told authority members the state veterinarian would now check the lip tattoo of all horses entered on the day’s card, and the tattoos would be checked again and verified in the afternoon by the horse identifier prior to leaving the paddock for the track.


Gallagher said if the state veterinarian couldn’t verify the lip tattoo–if the horse is unruly or if the tattoo is faded or difficult to read–the horse identifier would be notified and required to do a full inspection of the horse.


The new directive follows an incident at Ellis Park (a track near Henderson, Ky., and Evansville, Ind.) this summer in which the horse Boggy Creek wasn’t properly identified and ran under the name Parker Valley in a maiden race. Boggy Creek finished fifth

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Written by:

Leslie Deckard is a former staff writer for The Blood-Horse magazine.

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