Mike McHardy’s Rathmor Stud is in sizzling form, one of the leading KZN-based farms currently on the national log sporting a winners to runners percentage of 39.1%, with Average Earnings Per Runner of R37,977 and season earnings of just over R1,7-million.

Producing winners weekly around the country and in particular for owner Mr Mario Ferreira, their pairing and vision to acquire well bred mares has paid off over the past few years, and seen the likes of Group winners such as Mississippi Burning (Gr1) and Nexus (Gr2) as well as Copper Mountain and Hasta Manana come through the ranks.

They enjoyed three winners in four days – two coming from KZN with newly licensed trainer Lorenzo Karriem (who recently enjoyed his first double), and Mogok colt Ntabazondi breaking his maiden in the care of Gavin Van Zyl in Johannesburg.

The McHardy’s stand a son of War Front, a half-brother to Gr1 winner Honor Code and Gr2 winner Noble Tune, Declarationofpeace covering his first book of mares in 2021 and receiving a full book.

They also stand Linngari, a stallion whose progeny are a pleasure to own with regular visits to the winners enclosure – 9 wins from 20 runners and 36 places to date.

A fantastic story and update about Flying The Flag’s second dam, Cassandra Go. Flying The Flag stands at Bush Hill Stud and his first crop will be yearlings in August 2018. 

By Daithi Harvey

As foundation mares go they don’t come much better than Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). When her owner Trevor Stewart bought her as a foal over 20 years ago, he could only dare dream of the journey that she would bring him on or indeed of the racing dynasty that she would spawn. News that her granddaughter, dual Group 1 winner Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), is nearing a return to action brought the mare back into focus and now 22 years of age, Cassandra Go is reported to be in fine fettle by Stewart having only recently given birth to her 13th foal.

“She delivered a lovely filly by Gleneagles (Ire) on Mar. 18 and as usual she had an easy foaling, everything was straightforward and we are very lucky,” Stewart told the TDN a few days ago. “She is quite predictable. She goes a minimum of a month overdue, this time she went a bit longer, perhaps it was something to do with the weather or getting older but she is very healthy and looks considerably younger than she is. I must add that she has been wonderfully managed by James Hanly and his team at Ballyhimikin Stud.”

Such is the mare’s wellbeing, Stewart has her booked to be covered by another dual Guineas-winning son of Galileo in Coolmore’s Churchill (Ire). “I think it makes a lot of sense. Churchill is out of a very fast mare, he’s inbred to Mr. Prospector and even more significantly it represents a double cross with Indian Ridge, which is quite rare these days, so I think it is a very exciting cover. Obviously the Galileo line has also worked brilliantly with the family but as he is slightly out of reach, I’m hoping Churchill represents the next best thing.”

The Cassandra Go story could have taken a number of different routes. Stewart originally bought her as a foal to pinhook, but famously got a rush of blood to the head and bought her back as a yearling for 200,000gns. “It was one of those moments you regret immediately after the event but it has turned out to be the most wonderful story,” he says.

Training was the next step for Cassandra Go and she was dispatched to Geoff Wragg in Newmarket. While success wasn’t immediate, she improved with age. She beat Musical Treat (Ire), subsequently the dam of dual Classic winner Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr. Greeley), in a 3-year-old maiden but it wasn’t until a year later that she made her stakes breakthrough when winning a listed race over the minimum trip at Bath in May of 2000 before following up in the G3 King George S. at Goodwood a few months later. She continued to flourish as a 5-year-old, winning the G2 Temple S. at Sandown and the then G2 King’s Stand S. at Royal Ascot before finishing up her racing career with a fine second to the brilliant Mozart (Danehill) in the G1 Darley July Cup.

“It’s rare enough that a top-class race filly breeds one better than herself and even more rare that her daughter then does something similar,” he says.

Of course Stewart is alluding to Cassandra Go’s highest achieving daughter Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), the triple Group 1 and Classic-winning filly who has passed on those rare genes to her own daughter, last year’s G1 Longines Prix de l’Opera winner Rhododendron.

He adds, “A big factor in the whole equation has been Galileo and I am lucky in that I have sold three daughters of Cassandra Go and all three have gone to Coolmore.”

While the exploits of Halfway To Heaven, a €450,000 yearling purchase by Demi O’Byrne at Goffs, have been well documented, it was the purchase a year earlier of Cassandra Go’s third foal Theann (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), in 2005 at Goffs by John Magnier that planted the initial seeds. Theann would go on to achieve stakes success on the track when carrying Evie Stockwell’s colours to victory in the G3 Summer S. at York in 2007 before ultimately leaving a more lasting legacy through her own daughter Photo Call (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who struck at the highest level in the GI First Lady S. in 2016 and the GI Rodeo Drive S. in 2015.

The Coolmore team  returned to this illustrious family when MV Magnier bid 1,600,000gns for Cassandra Go’s yearling filly by Invincible Spirit (Ire), consigned by Ballyhimikin Stud at Tattersalls Book 1 last October. The now 2-year-old is in training with Aidan O’Brien and has been named Fantasy (Ire). “It’s a lovely name so it will be exciting hopefully to see her make her debut sometime this year,” Stewart says.

“While luck plays a major part in the development of these great families, human input is equally important and I have reaped the benefit of having some amazing people involved, from the team at Ballyhimikin dealing with the mares and foals to the trainers that have been involved with the progeny in their racing careers. Geoff Wragg did a wonderful job with Cassandra Go, Aidan O’Brien is obviously a genius and I was also lucky enough to have had an association with Henry Cecil.”

The nurturing early years that Stewart’s bloodstock receives is paramount for their future development and to that end he has nothing but praise for the farms that he partners with. “I keep the majority of my mares with James Hanly in Ballyhimikin, but I also keep some with the Donworths in Round Hill Stud. Both farms are run by superb people and the attention to detail is second to none, which is so important when dealing with this kind of livestock.”

The above mentioned link with the late Sir Henry Cecil came through Cassandra Go’s seventh produce Tickled Pink (Ire). On the track, Tickled Pink carried Stewart’s silks to success on three occasions with two of those wins coming in the G3 Abernant S. at Newmarket and the G3 Coral Charge, beating colts on both occasions. Tickled Pink then took the obvious route back to Ireland to join the broodmare band at Ballyhimikin and her first produce to go through the sales ring fetched 500,000gns when bought by Shadwell at Tattersalls in 2016. Subsequently named Eraad (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), he made a pleasing debut last winter for Charlie Hills and hopes are high that he can make his mark this year.

Recalling Tickled Pink’s stint in training at Warren Hill Stewart says, “It was a very poignant time with Henry’s illness and when she was a 2-year-old, he told me she was a group-class filly. It took her until she was four to achieve that though and before the Abernant S. I had wanted to target a listed race for fillies at Bath but Henry rang me and pleaded with me to allow him to run her against the colts in the Abernant. He was adamant she would win and I relented and thankfully he was right. I think that was his second-last visit to a racecourse.”

Tickled Pink also has a Shamardal 2-year-old in pre-training and a yearling filly by Gleneagles that will be retained. Stewart can also look forward to her delivering a foal by Frankel (GB) in the coming weeks before the mare travels to Newmarket for a date with Dubawi (Ire). “We’re certainly giving her every chance but I suppose with her pedigree and race performance she deserves it.”

As well as Tickled Pink, Stewart has also retained an unraced full-sister to Halfway To Heaven called Allez Alaia (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and, with the recent arrival of the newborn Gleneagles filly, already given the moniker of Holly Golightly, he has some exciting young stock coming through.

“It was always my idea to have three fillies [out of Cassandra Go] to breed from and that is the main reason I sold the yearling at Tattersalls last year as I knew then that Cassandra was carrying a filly. In the end she went to the best home one could hope for,” he says.

Allez Alaia is also not being spared sire power and has a yearling filly by Kingman (GB), who will be retained, and a filly foal by Dark Angel (Ire). She visits Churchill imminently. This season’s cover is one Stewart is really looking forward to, as he says, “The mare is by Pivotal and with the Pivotal/Galileo cross having been so successful it sort of feels like I am digging deep where the gold is.”

As an owner, Stewart’s colours have been carried to success in Ireland, England and France, and it is the latter country where his silks are most likely to be seen this summer.

He explains, “Most of my racehorses are in training in France at the moment, the prizemoney and premiums are certainly attractive. The way I look at it is, in Ireland it is so competitive, you are taking on Aidan O’Brien and the rest every day of the week. In England the prizemoney isn’t great but the racing is fantastic, while in France you have a bit of everything and if you have a very good horse you can travel. Obviously things can change but that’s where they are at the moment, but it is a moveable feast.”

Stewart enjoyed a nice winner recently at Chantilly when Hunaina (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), trained by Henri-Francois Devin, beat some smart types in a conditions race at Chantilly on Mar. 6. The ex-Aga Khan filly was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock at Goffs last November for €140,000 and gained a valuable bit of black-type on her first start for her new owners when third in the Listed Prix Miss Satamixa at Deauville in January. Stewart is hopeful of increasing that black-type to capital letters in the coming weeks.

He says, “I bought Hunaina in partnership with James Hanly and Anthony Stroud and she now goes for the Listed Snowdrop S. at Kempton in a few weeks’ time. She won quite nicely last time and we think highly of her so hopefully the listed race is a stepping stone to even better things throughout the season.”

Being the custodian of a family replete with such speed, Stewart is obviously keen to maintain that element but also to breed horses that will stretch that bit further, though the eighth furlong is far enough for him. “One’s dream is to have pure speed and one’s dream is still to produce a Guineas winner,” he mused.

Having already achieved that when Halfway To Heaven won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas in 2008, Stewart has now upgraded that original dream to include winning a 1000 Guineas as an owner-breeder. Given the quality of his mares, that is no far-fetched fantasy and Stewart rightly is of the opinion that he could not afford to go to the market and buy some of the fillies that he is producing himself, thus retaining his homebred fillies gives him a better than sporting chance of realising that dream in the coming years.

The breeder puts a lot of thought into his coverings, delving deep into the pedigrees of his mares and the stallions he is considering using, and while ultimately he tries to keep it simple, he does, as he puts it, go ‘off piste’ now and again. One thing is certain, whatever decisions he has made over the past two decades concerning Cassandra Go and her daughters has reaped huge dividends and it has all the hallmarks of a pedigree that will prosper for generations to come.

Like its more famous brother, the Kentucky Derby, the Oaks is the oldest contested continually contested horse race in the world. First run like the Derby in 1875, the race has gained in popularity over the years and is only marginally shaded by the Derby in terms of popularity. This year’s edition is likely to be one of the most interesting for years with several fillies putting their hooves up for a chance at victory.

With the withdrawal of the top filly Songbird, the field has been thrown wide open as there is no filly as dominant or brilliant as Songbird, and none standout as obvious favourites or winners. One of the most interesting and unknown quantities is Rachel’s Valentina, a 7-2 favourite, albeit a somewhat lukewarm one for the Oaks. The daughter of the newest inductee into the Hall of Fame, the brilliant Rachel Alexandria, she has shown plenty of talent at the track. Even though she was left in the wake of Songbird in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies, and was swallowed up by Weep No More in the Ashland Stakes, one can overlook those runs and she should not be underestimated. If she can emulate her famous dam who won the Oaks in 2009 by a record 20 lengths, then it will be a case of history repeating itself again.

Rachel’s Valentina’s vanquisher in the Ashland, Weep No More and Cathryn Sophia are the odds on favourites for the race, with Rachel’s Valentina trailing them. Weep No More certainly has the ability to win, as she showed a tremendous turn of foot in the Ashland to overtake Rachel’s Valentina, and although lightly raced, her only other victory coming in the Suncoast Stakes in Florida, she should never be underestimated. As for Cathryn Sophia, her racing record speaks for itself, pure class and with 2 Grade 2 wins under her belt already (Forward Gal Stakes and Davona Dale Stakes (both Grade 2), she is undoubtedly the favourite to win the Oaks on Friday.

As for the rest of the field, there is one, Land Over Sea who is a distinct possibility for an upset in the Oaks. Spending most of her short career in the shadow of Songbird, she showed brilliant form in the Fairground Stakes in New Orleans and one overlooks her at one’s peril.

The forecast for the Oaks is good weather and like the Derby it is likely to play a big role in how the track runs and how the fillies react to it. One thing is for certain, one way or another it is a shoe-in that these fillies will pay tribute to the history of the great race and give us a day to remember.

“Lisa Barrett”, her psuedonym, currently works at a stud farm in the KZN Midlands. She is absolutely and totally crazy about horses and every aspect of them. She is fascinated by every aspect of the racehorse business, especially pedigrees and would like to one day write a book on her favourite sire!

This year is the 142^nd running of America’s most famous and iconic race, the Kentucky Derby, and once again there is feverish speculation amongst fans and punters as to who the winner is likely to be. The million dollar question is can the current crop of three year olds emulate American Pharaoh and give the country another hero and Triple Crown winner?

The Kentucky Derby holds a place of great affection in the hearts of American racing fans. Traditions such as hat wearing and sipping on mint julips have become time-honoured favourites. You need to go back to 1872 where the genesis of the race came together courtesy of Merriweather Lewis Clark, the grandson of the famous Lewis & Clark explorers. Travelling to the UK and attending the Epsom Derby, Clark was so inspired by the great race, that he decided to emulate it back home in America. With help from several prominent relatives including his uncles John & Henry Churchill who gifted him the land in Louisville, Kentucky, and along with a group of racing fans formed the Louisville Jockey Club. In 1875 they sponsored the very first Kentucky Derby. Attendance at the first Derby was estimated at 10 000 people and fifteen horses made up the first field, two of them fillies. Aristides was the first winner of the event, and he went onto further racing glory, and a life size bronze statue of him stands in the clubhouse gardens.

Over the years the Derby has undergone several changes, from the shortening of the race, to the time-honoured tradition of draping the winner with a garland of roses, causing people to nickname the race ‘the run for the roses”. In 2015, American Pharaoh broke a 37 year drought of Triple Crown winners stretching back to Affirmed in 1978, when he grabbed the Derby en route to his heroics in the Preakness and Belmont.

There are several top colts in the field who have put up their hands for a crack at glory, and these are my top picks for the Derby, for what it’s worth. Top of the list among contenders is Nyquist, the son of Uncle Mo, a top second season sire, the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and multiple Grade One winner is favourite to win. The tall chestnut has won races from any and all positions and if he is anything like his sire who was undefeated in his 2 year old season, then the omens are good. Next is Exaggerator who recently won the Santa Anita Derby (Gr.1) on a sloppy track and who shows great pace and patience in stalking the frontrunners. With earnings of $1 million, he is a worthy opponent and should never be underestimated. The striking grey Moyhamen whose name means “dominant”, is one of Nyquist’s biggest rivals, even though he didn’t “fire” in the Florida Derby, coming a distant fourth from the charging Nyquist, his five wins streak shows that he has plenty of fight in him come Derby day.

Forever a “bridesmaid” in recent runs, the precocious Grade One winner at 2 (Los Alamitos Futurity Stakes), Mor Spirit is worthy and serious contender. Trained by Hall Of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the son of Eskendereya shows tremendous courage and determination and the word is from his camp -underestimate him at your peril! Last of the top colts, is Gun Runner, a Grade 2 winner, who has four wins from five starts at the track, and is the second highest earner with $1.6 million in earnings to date.

Whether the fickle weather will factor in the race for the horses remains to be seen, the forecast is for better weather which should make for an interesting race. Will we see another Triple Crown hero emerge from the shadows? It’s hard to predict, but with the current crop of runners, anything is possible. One way or another, it should be a great day’s racing and pay tribute to the noble horse for which the race is famous.

“Lisa Barrett”, her psuedonym, currently works at a stud farm in the KZN Midlands. She is absolutely and totally crazy about horses and every aspect of them. She is fascinated by every aspect of the racehorse business, especially pedigrees and would like to one day write a book on her favourite sire!

Peter Gibson will be giving an informative feedback presentation at the KZN Breeders AGM on Thursday 11 February, regarding the recent Asian Racing Conference that took place in India which also addressed the movement of our horses internationally out of South Africa.

The slides below cover the main points of discussion for Thursday:

·         Overview

·         Outbreak History

·         Risk Analysis + Conclusion

Also see the link with the presentation given by Mick Goss at the Asian Racing Conference on the Sporting Post website.

AHS Update for ARC 2016 – OVERVIEW

AHS Update for ARC 2016 – OUTBREAK HISTORY

AHS Update for ARC 2016 – RISK ANALYSIS + CONCLUSION

The KZN Breeders Club AGM will take place at the Nottingham Road Hotel at 11am.

How potent a stallion is measured by how many “A” runners he has in a year, if its two percent, according to the calculations it equals an Index of 1.00, which is average, the higher the index, the better the stallion is at transmitting his genes to his progeny. If he manages 6% then he achieves an index of 3, which is considered good. If a stallion has mainly “C” runners, then 4% equals 1.00, and if you combine the lot, the 8% equals 1.00, which again means a figure of more than 3 is good.

Of course Galileo leads the field of ABC runners with 61 individual ABC runners in the seven countries covered by this list (North America, Canada, Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and Japan) in 2014 Galileo comfortably lead the table of ABC runners, however the picture is a bit different in 2015. Even though Galileo led the table of ABC runners in 2015 with a total of 28 “A” runners and over 50 individual Group One winners, he has one Northern American superstar stallion hot on his heels.

Tapit has been a revelation on the North American breeding scene, and in 2015, he demonstrated just why he is such a force to be reckoned with. According to Bill Oppenheim’s calculations and APEX table of ABC runners, Tapit is only one runner behind Galileo in 2015 with 60 ABC runners. The table below is taken from today’s TDN and demonstrates just how close Tapit is to Galileo, and could even possibly overtake him this year if his runners perform well at highest Group One level.

North American/European Union SIRES with 10+ A RUNNERS in 2015

SIRE                                A                B             C                    ABC

GALILEO 2003 IRE       28              14           19                 61

TAPIT 2006 KY             26               11          23                 60

What is encouraging especially for KZN is that several of the provinces stallions sires feature on the list of top ABC runners: Galileo has a connection through his striking son, the lovely grey The Assayer, who is based at Yellow Star Stud. Tapit has a connection to this province’s hottest new “kid on the block” Noble Tune through his dam Tap Your Heels who is a daughter of Unbridled, Noble Tune’s paternal grandsire. Scott Bros’ Gr1 Middle Park Stakes winner Crusade also hails from damline of Unbridled through his second dam.

Tapit has been a revelation to breeding in North America, champion sire of North America for the past two consecutive years. During his years at stud, Tapit has produced: 70 Black type winners winners, 149 Black type horses, 17 Group One winners who’ve generated $86 million in earnings, 43 Group Stakes winners, 11 millionaires, six Champions and five Breeders’ Cup winners. Some of his top earners of 2015 include Tonalist, Untapable, Frosted and Constitution. In spite of his moderate race record, he only recorded one Grade One victory in the Wood Memorial to his name, the son of the great Pulpit is a classic example of the best of the potent A.P.Indy/Mr.Prospector cross.

Another KZN farm, Summerhill Stud stallions sires feature quite prominently in the list, with Traffic Guard’s sire More Than Ready coming in at 13^th on the list of sires with more than 30 ABC runners, Dubawi sire of newest stallion addition to the Summerhill ranks, Willow Magic, comes in at impressive 5^th on the list. The “iron horse” Giant’s Causeway, sire of the late Summerhill stallion, Await The Dawn and the Scott Bros stallion Eightfold Path, comes in at 7^th on the list.

What Oppenheim’s list shows is that we are lucky enough to be blessed with many top class stallions in this province, themselves the product of even better sires. It can only auger well for future breeding and racing not only in this province, but hopefully the whole of South Africa.

]]> https://kznbreeders.co.za/guest-column/guest-column-its-all-in-the-connections/feed/ 1 https://kznbreeders.co.za/guest-column/vet-news-and-info/the-dummy-foal/ https://kznbreeders.co.za/guest-column/vet-news-and-info/the-dummy-foal/#respond Tue, 22 Sep 2015 08:00:00 +0000 http://kznbreeders.co.za/guest-column/vet-news-and-info/the-dummy-foal/

The ‘Dummy’ Foal, 04 October, 2012 – Dr Jenny Lawrence, Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital

This condition is more formally known as neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) and is seen as abnormal behaviour during the first few days of life. Other common names for the disease are ‘wanderer foals’ and ‘barker foals’.

The exact cause of the condition is unknown but appears to involve asphyxia (lack of oxygen) and ischemia (poor blood supply) to the brain or other organs during late gestation, delivery or the early neonatal period.

Some of the common causes are:

• Foaling problems such as red bag deliveries, dystocias, caesarean sections, foals that need to be resuscitated at birth and induction of labour
• Placental abnormalities such as placentitis and premature placental separation
• Maternal problems include anaemia, endotoxaemia secondary to colic, cardiovascular disease or hypotension (low blood pressure)
• Thoracic trauma such as fractured ribs or prolonged thoracic compression during difficult delivery has also been implicated.

Clinical signs:

There are two major types of this condition:

1. The foal appears normal at birth and has often suckled normally. These foals deteriorate within 6-24 hours with rapid progression of the condition over the first 24 hours.

2. The foal is abnormal from the outset and is often clumsy and confused. These foals don’t have a suck reflex and are disinterested in feeding.

Neurological signs are the most evident clinical signs including poor teat seeking behaviour, tongue hanging out, head pressing, loss of suck reflex, ‘barking’, hyperesthesia on handling, seizures, weakness and abnormal posture.

Respiratory signs are also seen including dyspnoea, abnormal breathing patterns, shallow breathing and breath holding.

These foals are far more susceptible to secondary conditions such as septicaemia.

Diagnosis:

This can be difficult in the early stages as the signs are often subtle unless the history indicates towards a foal at a high risk of developing this disease. Concurrent disease processes in other body organs and generalised depression can obscure clinical signs of HIE.

The placenta can be useful in the diagnosis and early recognition of a high risk foal. If there is any indication of placentitis, thickening of the placenta or premature placental separation these foals need to be monitored closely for development of this condition.

Treatment:

Often in the early stages it is difficult to differentiate this condition with septicaemia and it is therefore common practice to provide combined treatment in all cases. Even if these foals don’t start off with septicaemia, they are at a far higher risk of developing it than normal healthy foals.

The treatment is often very intensive and can become very expensive.

Treatment is aimed at:

• Reducing any cerebral oedema (brain swelling)
• Improving cerebral perfusion and oxygenation
• Controlling any seizures if present
• Preventing /controlling/treating concurrent sepsis with necessary antibiotics
• Ensuring adequate transfer of immunity, it is very important to check all foals IgG levels.

Nursing treatment:

1. Regular turning of the foal to prevent trauma and bed sores.
2. Feeding via a naso-gastric tube. Some foals require total or partial parental nutrition if they have concurrent diarrhoea, gastric ulcers or colic.
3. If the foal is born with HIE ensure it gets adequate good quality colostrum.

Prognosis:

Foals that develop HIE after birth have a much better prognosis and complete recovery is possible provided they get the appropriate treatment. Those foals that are born with HIE have a poor prognosis for survival without intensive and expensive treatment. Concurrent sepsis (or other complicating disorders) reduces the prognosis to almost hopeless.

The rate at which the foal improves is also important. If there is no improvement after 4 days of treatment the prognosis becomes far poorer.

Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital is a state of the art Equine hospital situated in the beautiful Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands of South Africa. Our primary goal is to offer clients and their horses world class care and expertise for both surgical and medical conditions with a rehabilitation centre to match.

If you require our services or would like to discuss anything please call one of us on the numbers below:

Dr Helen Tiffin 082 966 9324
Dr Jenny Lawrence 082 836 9897
Dr Anna Bowker 082 849 3456
Dr John Hodsdon 072 165 7122

Dr Jenny Lawrence Equine Veterinarian BVSc Jenny qualified in 2005 after which she worked as a small animal veterinarian in the United Kingdom for 3 years. In 2008 she returned to South Africa to begin equine work with the late Dr Dave Mullins before joining the Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital where she has become an important part of our team and has a special interest in foal medicine. Jenny recently returned to the UK for a short period where she worked with renowned breeding expert, Dr Jonothan Pycock as well as spending time at various equine hospitals and AI centres in the UK.

Physitis is a developmental condition seen in young, rapidly growing horses, leading to visible enlargement of the growth plates, often accompanied by heat and pain over the swelling as well as varying degrees of lameness. (“Physis”=growth plate + “itis”= inflammation). Growth plates are the areas on the ends of long bones of young horses from where the bones grow or lengthen.

Basics of bone formation:

The growth of long bones occurs at a highly specialised region at one or both ends of the bone, called the physis. When a foal is born, most of the skeleton has ossified (turned to bone) with cartilage remaining at the site of the growth plates to allow for further growth in length.

Gradually the bone matures and replaces the cartilage in a process known as endochondral ossification. This leads to lengthening of the bone and so the horse grows in height and is able to carry its increasing weight. The growth plates mature and close sequentially from the ground up, with the most active, the distal cannon bone (just above the fetlock) closing at approximately 4 months, and the distal radius and tibia (just above the knee and hock) closing at 18 to 20 months.

Most long bone growth is complete by 2 years of age. The rate of ossification is dependent on the load placed onto the limb (physical activity and weight) as well as nutritional factors. A fine balance must be maintained to ensure the correct rate of bone formation.

Decreased activity causes weaker bone to be deposited and increased activity will cause stronger bone to be formed, unless the increased stress occurs too abruptly. Abrupt increases in weight or activity will find the physis unprepared and the bone will be overloaded, leading to micro-instability and pain. The physis reacts by laying down secondary bone (“callus”) in an attempt to strengthen the bone, resulting in the typical bony swellings. An understanding of the process of bone formation greatly helps us to understand how and why physitis occurs.

What causes physitis?

Physitis is a multifactorial syndrome with managemental, physical and infectious causes.

• Overnutrition (rich young pasture or high grain feeds) leads to rapid weight gain which overloads

the newly maturing physis. This is the most common cause of physitis. Undernutrition

means that the building blocks needed to create new bone are not available (especially calcium).

• Physical causes include direct trauma to the growth plate, excessive exercise, or secondary

trauma from unbalanced weightbearing or poor conformation. For example, a foal with a

contracted tendon or other lameness in one front limb may present with physitis in the opposite

limb due to the increased weight load on the “good” limb.

• Infectious physitis occurs when there is a bacterial infection present in the growth plate, either

directly from a penetrating wound or via the bloodstream in a septicaemic foal. The physis is

predisposed to bacterial infection due its very convoluted blood supply; bacteria tend to “sludge”

in the blood vessels and subsequently infect the surrounding bone.

What are the signs?

The most common sites for physitis are the distal cannon (just above the fetlock), the distal radius (just above the knee) and less commonly the distal tibia (just above the hock). Due to the stage at which these physes mature, signs are typically seen in the fetlock region from 3-6 months and the knee from 8 months to 2 years.

How is it treated?

The treatment consists of addressing the primary cause and preventing any secondary damage or permanent angular limb deformity. The length of treatment required varies with the severity of the physitis but is generally between 2 weeks and 2 months.

Treatment includes:

• Exercise restriction (but not total box confinement as some stimulation is needed to mature the

growth plates). For example: either small paddock rest, or box confinement with short periods of

paddock exercise (1-2 hours at a time).

• Reduction of body weight and particularly a reduction in the energy content of the diet should be

made. The diet should have the correct calcium/phosphorus balance as well as adequate copper

and zinc.

• Regular (2 weekly) balancing by a farrier – very slight rasping is adequate.
• Non-steroidal inflammatories (Metacam, Bute)
• Correction of any underlying angular limb deformities
• Infectious physitis requires intensive antibiotic treatment systemically and locally.
• Firm, warm, and sometimes painful

enlargement of the growth plate, most often

medially (on the inside of the limb),

sometimes giving joints an “hourglass”

appearance.

• Varying degrees of lameness, from mild

stiffness to overt lameness.

• Flexion of the affected joint may be resented
• The fetlock conformation may become more

upright and the fetlocks and knees may

deviate outwards, as the foal tries to bear

weight on the outside of the hoof (to alleviate

pain coming the inside of the limb). If a foal

starts to “go bandy” after having previously

normal conformation, consider subclinical

physitis and treat it accordingly.

• Radiographs/X-rays show thickening of the

physeal cartilage and callus formation.

The typical hard

swellings in a recent

physitis weanling

An X-ray showing

physitis of the distal

radius (Just above

the knee joint)

What is the prognosis?

Physitis is a self-limiting disease which resolves when the growth plates close. Provided that no secondary limb deformities have occurred, the prognosis is good.

Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital is a state of the art Equine hospital situated in the beautiful Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands of South Africa. Our primary goal is to offer clients and their horses world class care and expertise for both surgical and medical conditions with a rehabilitation centre to match.

If you require our services or would like to discuss anything please call one of us on the numbers below:

Dr Helen Tiffin 082 966 9324
Dr Jenny Lawrence 082 836 9897
Dr Anna Bowker 082 849 3456
Dr John Hodsdon 072 165 7122

26 October, 2014
– Lisa Barrett

The announcement in European Bloodstock News might have been missed by many, but it reinforced just why KZN stallions are such force to be reckoned with, both locally and internationally.

The release of the rankings for Cartier Sprinter Of The Year shows the two-time Group One and Group winner Slade Power in a dual for first place with the 7 year old sprinting star Sole Power. His connection to KZN comes through Spectrum, the broodmare sire of Dutch Art who has produced amongst his Gr1 winners Slade Power. Spectrum is based at Koos and Lorraine de Klerk’s Yellow Star Stud just outside of Mooi River in the KZN Midlands.

Spectrum was a two-time Group One winner, but it’s been as a sire and subsequent broodmare sire that he has enjoyed his greatest success: locally with top colt and Gauteng Guineas (Gr.2) winner Tellina; the international performers Moonlight Cloud a multiple Group One and Group winner, who came with a nose hair of beating Black Caviar at Royal Ascot in 2012; Dutch Art (Slade Power’s sire) a two-time Group One winner of the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes; the multiple Group One and Group winner Winchester who is now at stud in South Korea.

Slade Power is a striking 5 year old dark bay who has risen to the top of the sprinting pile in Europe thanks to his two Group One victories in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and July Cup earlier this year, he is considered to be one of continent’s top sprinters.

Like a good bottle of wine, he has gotten better with age: at 4 he already had two Group 3’s (the Sapphire & Phoenix Sprints) and a Group 2 (British Champion Sprint Stakes) under his belt. However, it was a five year old that Slade Power was to have his greatest success, thanks to wins in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (on Ascot day) and the July Cup earlier this year.

According to reports, the winners will be announced on November 11th, and it would be a great tribute to Spectrum, and confirmation of the international power and potency of KZN stallions if Slade Power were to garner the title.

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Extended Pregnancy Gestation In Mares

A boarding mare owned in a partnership at Rathmor Stud named War Echo (Complete Warrior – Distant Echoes by Prince Sao) has now had two “extended” gestation periods with both her foals and we discussed this unusual behaviour with Dr Allen Bechard of Almiray Veterinary Practice.

The mare was sent to stud at the age of 13 after spending her younger years as a show-jumper after a brief racing career.
She is a half-sister to Harry’s Echo and Champion Broodmare Stormsvlei – the dam of the mighty Pocket Power and River Jetez who is currently campaigning overseas.

Due to her purchase date, she was covered late in the season on the 20 November 2008. She foaled her Carpocrates filly (now named Athena’s Echo) on the 24 November 2009 – and because of her extended gestation period she was rushed back to Ravishing before the closing of breeding season, but unfortunately she re-absorbed the foetus which left her barren the next year.

She was subsequently covered by Ravishing on 2 September 2010, just the day after breeding season opened. Another interesting note about this mare is that she only visited Ravishing once – yet only conceived almost 10 days later – a testament to Ravishing’s exceptional fertility.

She was brought into the foaling barn early, the 12 July, to settle into her stable and new routine as her foal was expected early August 2011. She kept Mike and Tanya McHardy waiting, and she eventually foaled a beautiful Ravishing filly – now named by her owners Quest For Glory – at 11:08 pm on 11 September 2011. Mike McHardy was heard to say that War Echo had broken all gestation records at his farm!

Dr Allen Bechard says “the normal gestation for a mare is very variable but between 310 and 370 days is considered normal, with 340 days being usual. Mares tend to be consistently early or maybe consistently late. If we take 340 days as average, we have specific mares that usually foal 3 weeks early and other mares that are consistently late.
The foal gets its nourishment from the placenta which is attached to the inner lining of the uterus. The area of attachment plays an important role in the rate of growth of the foal. If a mare has some scar tissue affecting the uterine wall, or endometrial cysts or any other factors that reduces the area of placental attachment, the rate of growth of the foal is affected. The foaling process is largely dependent on the foal deciding its mature enough to be born. A late foal is not necessarily negatively affected.
There are not necessarily any dangers with a mare having a long pregnancy. The most important factor there being enough time to get her back in foal. I would expect all breeds to show a variance in gestation time, and gestation time would be partially hereditary.”

When discussing the possibility of mares being induced, Dr Allen Bechard says “mares can be induced, but there has to be an extremely good reason, such as another life threatening condition. The reason for this is that one is inducing a foal to be born that is not mature enough. The time from conception to maturation varies from mare to mare.”

War Echo has been sent to A.P. Answer this season.

Dr Allen Béchard B.V.Sc. (Pret) runs his veterinary practice from Nottingham Road. If you would like to contact his practice please see the details below:

ALMIRAY Veterinary Practice cc
CK 2009/067088/23
Telephone: 033-2666198
Fax: 033-2666861
Office Cell: 0828413601
Email: almiray@bundunet.com

If you would like to contact Rathmor Stud, please phone Mike or Tanya 033 – 266 6853 or alternatively email rathmor@bundunet.com.

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