Palm Meadows Training Center, a satellite facility for Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, has added a standing MRI unit, which the center says is the first at a Thoroughbred racetrack or training center in North America.

Officials said the standing MRI at Palm Meadows, in Boynton Beach, Florida, stems from a cooperative relationship between Gulfstream and John Peloso, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, senior owner of Equine Medical Center of Ocala, Florida. The device is manufactured by Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging and, according to officials, allows scans of the equine foot and lower limb to be done in a standing position without general anesthesia.

Peloso said the MRI unit reflects a commitment by The Stronach Group, which owns Gulfstream and Palm Meadows, to the safety of horses and jockeys.

"The standing MRI has been used successfully in Newmarket, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Japan to identify the early warning signs of fetlock fracture in the Thoroughbred racehorse," Peloso said