The welfare of the human and equine athletes competing in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships is the highest priority of Breeders’ Cup Limited. As part of this commitment, the 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will be run in accordance with the industry’s most comprehensive safety and integrity protocols, developed in conjunction with leading experts in the field.  

The 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will mark the second running of the event under the full jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). Under HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, Breeders’ Cup participants are subject to out-of-competition pre-race and post-race testing administered by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU).  

Safety and integrity measures will continue to include equine security and 24-hour surveillance protocols, enhanced veterinary exam procedures, injury management protocols, and racing surface monitoring, maintenance, and testing in the lead-up to the event.  

The Breeders’ Cup is once again mandating thorough screening measures for all World Championships contenders in the weeks leading up to the races. For the first time this year, the Breeders’ Cup has also developed and issued a new Breeders’ Cup Veterinary Guide, which details exam procedures and requirements for all horses competing in the World Championships. The guide and corresponding video series cover out-of-competition (OOC) and pre-race testing, the objectives and scope of veterinary exams, exam schedules and locations, and exam components and criteria. 

EARLY PREPARATIONS: OUT-OF-COMPETITION TESTING, VETERINARY COORDINATION & RACING SURFACE OVERSIGHT  

The Breeders Cup Veterinary Team has held regular coordination meetings with partners at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, HISA, HIWU and the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) since July to determine OOC testing schedules and protocols for veterinary exams, injury management, emergency preparedness, and diagnostic tool implementation.  

A list of graded stakes winners, Challenge Series winners, and other possible starters, was compiled and has been monitored on an ongoing basis since July of this year so HIWU could begin OOC testing for banned substances on potential contenders. This includes collaborating with regulators in five countries outside the U.S. to coordinate testing of potential competitors hailing from those jurisdictions. OOC testing will be ongoing through race day.

In addition, monitoring of the racing surface at Del Mar has been ongoing for months in the lead-up to the 2024 World Championships. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club surface experts Track Superintendent Dennis Moore and Turf Course Superintendent John Beggin have worked closely with Dr. Mick Peterson, Program Director of the University of Kentucky Racetrack Safety Program, throughout their evaluation and maintenance operations to ensure the most consistent racing surfaces possible at Del Mar. Additionally, TurfTrax software has been employed to measure the condition of the turf track. These results are posted daily for horsemen and the media.    

SAFETY & INTEGRITY PROTOCOLS: OCTOBER THROUGH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Preliminary enhanced screening protocols conducted by the Breeders’ Cup Veterinary Review Panel began immediately following the last domestic Challenge Series race on Oct. 6. The Review Team assessed the records of more than 220 potential contenders, including veterinary and treatment records, training and racing patterns, and physical examinations of select horses conducted by regulatory veterinarians in relevant racing jurisdictions around the world. In some cases, the use of advanced diagnostic tools were also required. 

An equine PET scan machine on loan from the University of California, Davis will also be available to veterinarians on-site at Del Mar.

Upon the close of pre-entries on Oct. 21, medical records for all domestic contenders were requested from HISA and reviewed by the Review Panel a second time. For international contenders, the previous 30 days of medical records were requested and submitted for review. Mandatory 24-hour surveillance for all runners began at 11:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Additionally, every Breeders’ Cup runner is subject to:  

• Comprehensive on-site veterinary exams, including jog-up exams and the use of diagnostic technology as needed, beginning Wednesday, Oct. 23  
• Additional physical examinations at the determination of the Breeders’ Cup Veterinary Team  
• In-stall and on-track veterinary oversight during training and schooling 
• Mandatory jog-up exams before entering any racing surface at Del Mar starting Friday, Oct. 25 
• HISA-mandated pre-race veterinary examinations in the barn and veterinary monitoring of horses in the paddock and during warm-up on race day 
• Extensive pre-race TCO2 testing, as well as post-race testing of the first four finishers along with other runners as designated by the stewards 
• Observation of all other finishers cooling out as they exit the racetrack to determine if any aid or further assessment is required  

Additional resources detailing Breeders’ Cup’s health and safety protocols for the 2024 World Championships can be found atwww.BreedersCup.com/safety.