EQUIBASE TO DENOTE EQUINE NASAL STRIP USAGE IN PAST PERFORMANCES Equibase Company today began denoting equine nasal strip usage in its past performances, recording it along with other equipment such as the use of blinkers. The addition provides an historical account of a Thoroughbred's nasal strip use and is another tool in past performance analysis. Announcing the move, Equibase data collection manager, Chuck Scaravilli, said that the decision reflected the Company's ongoing commitment to making the maximum amount of information available to the general public. "As awareness of equine nasal strips has grown, so too has the need to compile and publish this information in order to inform and protect the betting public," he said. "By incorporating this information into our past performances, we are upholding our responsibilities as the Thoroughbred industry's official database of racing information." Equine nasal strip usage is designated by the letter "s" in the equipment column of past performances, just as blinkers are represented by the letter "b." Equibase began collecting equine nasal strip information in its race footnotes immediately after the nasal strip was introduced to Thoroughbred racing last Fall. Since then, an increasing number of states have approved the use of nasal strips, prompting the decision by Equibase to record nasal strip use as an equipment code. To date, more than 4,000 starts have been made by Thoroughbreds wearing equine nasal strips.