Saratoga has “very serious questions to answer” following the deeply troubling spate of equine fatalities at this year’s meet – according to Qatar Racing’s David Redvers.
A nadir was reached on Saturday at America’s most beloved venue when two more horses were euthanized on the showpiece Travers day card.
On another dark day for US racing, New York Thunder suffered a catastrophic terminal injury when racing to victory in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on the main track.
Arcangelo shines a little light as darkness descends on Saratoga – and not for the first time
His death followed the fatal injury sustained by Qatar Racing’s Nobel, who was galloping out after completing the fifth race on the turf course. The four-year-old was making his US debut for trainer Brendan Walsh following his transfer from Britain where he had won three times for Andrew Balding.
Redvers said: “Sheikh Fahad was deeply disappointed as we all were as a team because it was after he had pulled up and was turning round to canter back that he seemingly put his foot in a hole.”
“The turf there has not coped at all with the wet and maybe the management of the wet track have left something to be desired. But I’m not on the ground out there and I can’t give any more detail than that.”
According to the Daily Racing Form, seven horses have died of musculoskeletal injuries at Saratoga this year while racing, while an eighth died of a serious cardiac event. Another four have died during training.
Nobel was the sixth horse to be injured running on the turf track. “Saratoga clearly has some very serious questions to answer,” added Redvers. “This year has been very difficult for them and unfortunately racing has come out of it very battered and bruised.
‘No racing in 25 years’ time’
“There is no question the whole debate over synthetic surfaces has to come right to the fore again because there will be no racing in 25 years’ time if we keep going like this.”
Qatar Racing race a small team in the US including Caravel, the reigning Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint champion who suffered her first defeat of the year at Saratoga in the Troy Stakes on August 5.
“Honestly it makes me feel quite sick thinking that we ran Caravel on that surface, suspecting she wouldn’t really have enjoyed it and seeing what’s happened to horses that have run on that surface,” Redvers went on.
Bigger debate
“But as I say I would stress I am not on the ground and I’m not an expert on it. Everybody knows the racecourse will be doing everything it possibly can to rectify the problem but I think this is now a much bigger debate.
“The rate of attrition on dirt has got to the stage where it doesn’t seem to be sustainable.”
On Tuesday [Aug 29], HISA (the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority) announced additional safety measures for the remainder of the summer meet at Saratoga, which ends on September 4.
As a result, all horses will undergo post-entry screening by a HISA veterinarian to provide an additional layer of independent analysis to identify any horses that may be at increased risk of injury before a race”.
Members of HISA’s newly-formed Track Surface Advisory Group are now on-site at Saratoga to thoroughly review both the dirt and turf surfaces before racing resumes.
• Visit the Qatar Racing website and the NYRA Saratoga website
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