FIRST
FIRST FOCUS INVESTIGATION INTO THE HORSE INDUSTRY. BEFORE MANY PRIZE THOROUGHBREDS
CROSS THE FINISH LINE, THEY
START ON THE AUCTION BLOCK.
BUT THE SYSTEM LEADING UP TO THE
SALES HAS BEEN CALLED TO4@4@
QUESTION. JOHN CHARLTON DIGS INTO WHY SOME
"HORSING AROUND" WITH CERTAIN
PRE- SALE DATA HAS LED TO A
4@
4@ CLASS
4@ CLASS ACTION4@ LAWSUIT.
ACCELERATION...ANTICI PATION...AND FOR SOME ELATION... 4@
THAT'S THE PAYOFF OF SPRING AT
KEENELAND...
THIS IS WHERE CHAMPIONS ARE4@
MADE...
THIS IS THE GOLD STANDARD
STANDARD.
AND OUTSIDE THE RAILS, A
BLISTERING PACE...4@
...IN THE HIGH STAKES RACE...
...TO FINISH, IN THIS CASE4@
LAST...
...ON A FUTURE CHAMPION...
4@
4@
4@ 4@
4@ 4@ WE
4@ 4@ WE SELL ABOUT 30 HORSES AN HOUR.
BUT IF YOU SLOW THIS DOWN...
...TAKE THINGS BACK TO THE4@ PR4@E-SALE...
PR4@E-SALE...
...A
...A LOT
...A LOT OF EXAMINATION GOES ON AT THE BARNS...4@
THAT'S THE ONE KIND OF HORSE THAT
EVERYBODY WANTS TO HAVE IS A
DERBY HORSE.4@
BEING "THOROUGH" WITH THESE
"THOROUGHBREDS" BETTERS THE ODDS
FOR BUYERS WILLING TO GAMBLE
UPWARDS OF MILLIONS ON A HORSE..4@.
THERE'S A LOT OF MEASUREMENTS,
WE'RE LOOKING AT THEIR OVERALL
SIZE,
THEIR ATHLETICISM, THEIR
BALANCE.4@
THAT'S ALL ON THE
OUTSIDE...WHILE
TAKING A LOOK ON THE INSIDE...
4@4@
4@4@
4@4@ THE
4@4@ THE DENSITY OF THEIR BONE, THE
ANGLES OF THEIR LIMBS. ...X-RAYS OR RADIOGRAPHS PROVIDE
A BETTER PICTURE OF A HORSE'S
CONDITION, WHICH IS ALSO PART OF THE
CONDITIONS OF
SALE AT KEENELAN4@D...
4@VERY IMPORTANT, I LIKE THE
REPOSITORY
SYSTEM.4@
REPOSITORY SYSTEM.4@ IN 19-96, KEENELAND ESTABLISHED
THE
THE
THE REPOSITORY, STORING 36-DIGITAL4@ X-RAYS OF
EACH HORSE UP FOR AUCTION...4@
FOR ALL THE BUYERS TO REVIEW.
AND
AND DEPENDING ON THEIR AGE -- YEARLINGS, TWO YEAR OLDS, OR HORSES OF
RACING AGE -- EQUINE4@
VETERINARIANS HAVE A
STRICT WINDOW LEADING UP TO THE
SALE IN WHICH TO TAKE4@
RADIOGRAPHS LIKE THESE... IF YOU'RE A BAD ACTOR AND YOU
DON'T PLAY BY THE RULES, YOU
WON'T BE
AT KEENELAND.
BUT 10- VETERINARIANS, WITH ONE
OF THE BIGGEST PLAYERS IN HORSE
HEALTH CARE, CONFESSED TO4@
BREAKING THE RULES IN SELF-REPORTING
LETTERS TO THE KBVE -- THE
"KENTUCKY
BOARD OF VETERINARY
EXAMINERS"...
THOSE HORSE DOCTORS WITH THE4@
"HAGYARD EQUINE MEDICAL
INSTITUTE"
ADMITTED THEY MISDATED HORSE
4@
4@
4@ RADIOGRAPHS BY SEVERAL
DAYS...MEANING THEY X-RAY'D OUTSIDE THE
REQUIRED SALE WINDOW, AND THEN
CHANGED THE DATE TO REFLECT THE
4@
IMAGES
4@ IMAGES
4@ IMAGES WERE INSIDE THE WINDOW... IT
WAS GOING ON FOR DECADES, AND
THE4@
EXCUSES GIVEN LAST YEAR TO THE
KBVE --
VARIED...THAT CHANGING DATES
MADE
THINGS MORE CONVENIENT...MADE4@
VACATIONS POSSIBLE, ACCORDING T@
4@
DR.
4@ DR.
4@ DR. MICHAEL SPIRITO'S TESTIMONY...
HE WOULD4@N'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
DR. MICHAEL SPIRITO'S TESTIMONY... HE WOULD4@N'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TOO
ON
ON HIS
ON HIS FAMILY'S SKI VACATION, SO IN
IN
IN THAT
IN THAT INSTANCE, HE CHANGED THEM4@ BY UP
TO A WEEK.
ATTORNEY MASON MILLER FILED THIS
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ACCUSING4@
HAGYARD, AS WELL AS THE FIRM HANDLING ITS
RADIOGRAPH SOFTWARE, OF FRAUD...
THIS IS A LIST OF ALL THE HORS4S
4@ MR.4@
4@ MR.4@
4@ MR.4@ SWEARINGEN PURCHASED.
TOM SWEARINGEN IS THE PRIMARY
PLAINTIFF4@
AND MILLER BELIEVES THERE ARE
MANY
OTHER HORSE BUYERS OUT THERE WHO
COULD
COULD
COULD MAKE A CLAIM OF BEING DEFRAUDED...
HAD THEY KNOWN THAT THEY WERE
ESSENTIALLY PLAYING RUSSIAN4@
ROULETTE4@
WITH THE REPOSITORY...
...THEY WOULDN'T HAVE BOUGHT A
HORSE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
DO YOU BELIEVE IT WAS
FRAUDULENT? I DON'T BELIEVE IT
WAS
WAS FRAUDULENT. MILLER AND HIS PARTNERS QUESTIONED
SEVERAL HAGYARD HORSE DOCTORS
LAST
JUNE IN ANOTHER LAWSUIT... FOR
THE RECORD, MILLER'S FIRM
REPRESENTS OTHER VETS FIGHTING
NON- COMPETE CONTRACTS WITH
HAGYARD SO THEY COULD LEAVE THE
PRACTICE...
PRACTICE... MISDATING THE DATES ON THESE X- 4@
RAYS, YOU ARE MISREPRESENTED
SOMETHING, TO SOMEONE, FOR SOME
PERSON, ISN'T THAT CORRECT?
YEAH, WE'VE ALREADY BEEN DOWN THIS4@
ROAD.
ALTHOUGH ADMITTING TO MISDATING,
4@
THE VETERINARIANS DENY THEY
EVER
EVER MANIPULATED RADIOGRAPHS IN 4@ ANY
4@ ANY
ANY
ANY 4@
4@
4@ WAY
4@ WAY TO
4@ WAY TO HIDE PROBLEMS WITH A4@
HORSE... NEVER HAD ONE SINGLE HORSE SALE
OVERTURNED ON A REPORT THAT I'VE
PROVIDED.
PROVIDED.
PROVIDED. THE KBVE FINED DR. MICHAEL SPIRITO4@
$25,000, DR. MICHEAL HORE
$25,000 AS WELL,
AND HANDED OUT OTHER FINES TO4@
OTHER
HAGYARD VETERINARIANS RANGING
FROM A THOUSAND BUCKS TO
15-GRAND...
HOWEVER, THE OVERSIGHT BOARD
DIDN'T SUSPEND THEIR LICENSES OR
PUT ANY4@
PUT ANY4@
PUT ANY4@ OF THEM ON PROBATION... THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.
ATTORNEY MILLER CLAIMS THE KBVE
4@
MADE
4@ MADE
MADE
ITS
ITS CONCLUSIONS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT A SINGLE4@4@ X-RAY...INCLUDING THE
CONCLUSION THE BOARD FOUND NO
4@
4@
4@ EVIDENCE THAT ANY RADIOGRAPH
INACCURATELY REFLECTED A HORSE'S
CONDITION BEFORE SALE... WE
WANTED THE BOARD TO EXPLAIN, AS
WELL AS GIVE AN EXPLANATION ON
HOW IT'S NOT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST
THAT A
THAT A
THAT A HAGYARD VET -- WHO ALSO ADMITTED 4@
TO
4@ TO
4@ TO 4@MI4@SDATING HIMSELF -- IS ACTY
A BOARD
A BOARD
A BOARD MEMBER... THEY'RE NOT INCLINED TO TALK TO
US ON CAMERA, RIGHT?
SO WE HAD TO EMAIL QUESTIONS4@ INSTEAD4@
AND THE BOARD CHAIR RESPONDED IN
RED...CLAIMING THEY CONDUCTED A
4@ THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, AND THAT
BOARD MEMBERS WITH A CONFLICT OF
INTEREST IN CERTAIN MATTERS MUST
RECUSE
RECUSE
RECUSE THEMSELVES... THE CHAIR, HOWEVER, WOULD NOT4@
COMMENT
ON SEVERAL OTHER QUESTIONS,
ESPECIALLY THE ONE ASKING IF THE
BOARD4@
BOARD4@
BOARD4@ EVER REVIEWED ANY X-RAYS... I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
INSIDE THE KBVE, I WANT TO KNOW
WHAT THE DELIBERATIONS WERE.
IN AN EMAILED LETTER, ATTORNEY MICHAEL
CASEY, REPRESENTING SEVERAL OF
THE
HAGYARD VETERINARIANS BEING
SUED, DEFENDED THE REPUTATION OF
HIS
HIS
HIS CLIENTS AS WELL AS THE INTEGRITY
OF THEIR RADIOGRAPHS...
CASEY ALSO ATTACHED ARTICLES4@ WHICH
QU4@OTED INDUSTRY EXPERTS
ESSENTIALLY
STATING THAT MISDATING WAS N4@O@
BIG
DEAL...
BIG DEAL... I THINK IT WAS A LOT TO DO ABOUT
4@
NOTHING.
4@ NOTHING. ...ECHOING HORSE BROKER BRADLEY
WEISBORD'S OPINION...
WEISBORD'S OPINION... I DON'T THINK IT'S A BIG DEAL AT 4@
ALL.
4@ ALL.
4@ ALL. I
4@ ALL. I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS A BIG
DEAL.
RULES COULD HAVE BEEN BROKEN,
BUT IT
WASN'T A BIG DEAL.
WHEN A HORSE FETCHES MILLIONS,
THAT IS A "BIG FINANCIAL
DEAL"...
I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DATES WERE
WRONG, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IT
REALLY DEFRAUDED THE BUYERS.
MASON MILLER IS DETERMINED TO
"DEVELOP" A BIGGER "PICTURE"
THAN JUST4@
MISDATED X-RAYS...
WILL THIS TURN THE INDUSTRY
UPSIDE4@
DOWN? IF IT DOESN'T, THEN THE
INDUSTRY
DOESN'T BELONG HERE.
I THINK THAT THERE'S A GOOD4@
POSSIBILITY THAT THERE'S MORE AT
4@
PLAY HERE.
...THANK YOU, IN THE BACK.
IN THE LAWSUIT, MASON MILLER
CLAIMS
ORIGINAL X-RAYS HAVE BEEN
DESTRO4@YED, BUT ATTORNEY MICHAL
CASEY ARGUES THAT IS
A FALSE ACCUSATION...HE SAYS HAGYARD HAS THE ORIGINAL OF
EVERY
RADIOGRAPH TAKEN AND UPLOADED TO
ITS
ITS
ITS SERVERS. MILLER SAYS HE WANTS TO KNOW
WHAT WAS
SAID AND DONE BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS, SO
HE'S FILED SUBPOENA'S TO GET4@
BACK AND
FORTH EMAILS BETWEEN HAGYARD AND
THE KENTUCKY BOARD OF VETERINARY
EXAMINERS.
EXAMINERS. JOHN CHARLTON, WHAS11 NEWS.4@
DO YOU HAVE AN ISSUE FOR OUR
FOCUS TEAM 4@TO INVESTIGATE?4@
EMAI4@L YOUR