Keeneland is encouraging consignors and veterinarians who are participating in its September Yearling Sale, to be held Sept. 9-22, to use the capabilities in the Repository to upload and view endoscopic videos of horses scheduled to sell.

Keeneland supports the recent announcement by the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association that it has endorsed the American Association of Equine Practitioners' (AAEP) "Protocol for Pre-Sale Video Endoscopic Examination of the Upper Airway at Public Auction" as a way to educate buyers and veterinarians about video scopes, increase buyer confidence in the procedure, and help create uniformity among sales companies.

Asteris Keystone, Keeneland's Repository software, has the capability to both upload quality videos of scopes and view them along with digital radiographs and submitted eye certificates or surgery letters.

"Keeneland is hopeful that through educating veterinarians, buyers, and consignors on the capabilities of the Repository software, all parties will feel confident in using these procedures in the near future," Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell said.

Keeneland will follow the AAEP's guidelines for scope videos. For those consignors who choose to submit video scopes, Keeneland will require those videos to be recorded and submitted no more than 10 days from the sale day of the horse—preferably once the horse is on the sales grounds. Consignors and veterinarians will receive Repository guidelines and deadlines prior to each sale.

Similar to the viewing of digital radiographs, registered veterinarians inspecting horses for prospective buyers will be able to view available scope videos in the Repository. Just as consignors are notified when a veterinarian views digital radiographs of their horse, they also will have the choice to be notified when a veterinarian views a video scope of their horse.

Keeneland's Repository, which was established in 1996, is located in the Sales Pavilion. Registered veterinarians, who have established an account (and receive a username and password), may inspect the medical records of a sales horse online at any time.

Post-Sale Testing Expanded
For the first time this year, buyers at the time of their purchase may request that blood be drawn from yearlings to test for the presence of bisphosphates.

Buyers at the time of purchase also may request that their yearlings be tested for anabolic androgenic steroids.

Yearlings that will be exported to train and race in Great Britain are subject to British Horseracing Authority testing to detect prohibited substances such as bisphosphates and anabolic steroids. These international buyers also may request testing at the time of purchase.

 Courtesy of the Bloodhorse