Anton J. Leppler, director of harness racing for the Pennsylvania Racing Commissions, has announced that the Harness Commission has implemented a proactive one-of-its-kind monitoring program for racehorses that will promote cardiovascular health among its equine athletes.

“We have started the program at Harrah’s Chester,” Leppler noted. “Our regulatory veterinarians are watching the horses as they warm up and race on the track, watching for horses that may exhibit signs of impending heart or circulatory problems. The veterinarians are checking these horses with a stethoscope, and if believed warranted will be able to take an electrocardiogram (EKG) on the horse right on the spot. This more humanistic approach will act for the benefit of the equine athletes.”

The heart monitor program is being conducted in consultation with Dr. Lawrence Soma of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, and in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, which represents horsemen racing at Chester. Its president, Earl Beal Jr., noted that “the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association welcomes any type of testing that ensures integrity and helps protect the health and welfare of the equine athlete. We have already seen a positive impact from this program at Harrah’s Chester, and look forward to the program’s implementation when racing resumes next spring at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs” (another track where the PHHA is the horsemen’s representative).

Both Harrah’s Chester and Mohegan Sun/Pocono have been supportive of the program, and once it expands beyond this pilot phase, it is hoped that The Meadows and its horsemen’s association, the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association, will also embrace the forward-looking project.

(PHRC)