The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has defended the state of both dirt and turf surfaces at Saratoga saying they “present no issues for the competitors”.
Qatar Racing's David Redvers said Saratoga had “very serious questions to answer” after the owner’s four-year-old Nobel had to be euthanized after making his US debut on the turf course on Travers Day [Aug 26].
Redvers said he believed the horse had put his foot in a hole as he was turning to canter back. “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,” Redvers told Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.
However, NYRA officials have countered the claims. “NYRA does not manipulate the two turf courses in any way other than to painstakingly repair divots and continuously monitor the moisture content, length and root structure,” said NYRA spokesperson Pat McKenna, vice president of communications.
“NYRA then shares those findings with our third-party independent soil engineers on a daily basis,” he added.
Racing resumed at the track on August 30 after HISA announced additional safety measures for the remainder of the summer meet at Saratoga, which ends on September 4.
As a result, all horses are required to 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.
McKenna explained: “NYRA held a number of meetings with trainers and the jockeys who ride over the turf, and there was universal acknowledgment that the main dirt track and two turf courses are in excellent shape and present no issues for the competitors.
“In addition, the HISA Racing Surface Advisory Group has been on the property performing examinations since Tuesday and has found no areas of concern.”
Nobel, who was previously trained by Andrew Balding, sustained a left front leg injury when galloping out after running fifth in an optional claiming race for the Brendan Walsh stable.
Nobel is one of 12 horses to have died during the current Saratoga meet, eight while racing, including a second at the weekend when New York Thunder suffered a catastrophic injury with victory in sight in the G1 Allen Jerkens Memorial on the main track. There have been six horses injured running on the turf tracks.
• Visit the Qatar Racing website and the NYRA Saratoga website
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