The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Safety and Integrity Alliance plans to do spot checks to ensure accredited racetracks are adhering to its code of standards, an alliance official said Sept. 29.

The move stems from a task force report that studied a spate of catastrophic breakdowns at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York during its 2011-12 fall/winter meet. The report, released Sept. 28, examined veterinary procedures at New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks as part of its assessment.

Aqueduct, as well as Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, have received accreditation and re-accreditation from the alliance. Tracks are eligible to be re-accredited every two years.

The task force report said NYRA veterinarians follow the alliance protocol for pre-race exams but told the task force they were unaware of, or hadn’t seen, the written protocol. It also said examining veterinarians "did not have access to past performances, high-speed exercise history, or historical exam findings to review prior to pre-race exams

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