It's now a dirty dozen over Polytrack
Del Mar suffered its second casualty of the week when it was revealed today that Madame Kiawah, a 4-year-old Malibu Moon filly trained by Sergio Fiscal, had to be euthanized after breaking down in Wednesday's fifth race.
Madame Kiawah, running in a $12,500 claiming event, broke her right front leg around the far turn, making it 13 fatalities at Del Mar this summer, including 12 over its synthetic Polytrack surface. Eight of the breakdowns have occurred in the mornings and four during afternoon racing.
On Tuesday morning, a maiden filly named Bell Canyon Road, trained by Barry Abrams, broke down near the finish line and had to be euthanized because of a broken right front leg.
Art, I know it's important to break down the difference between Turf and Synthetic Poly Misery but I don't think the numbers from the dirt years made a distinction. I would bet that in their worst year Del Mar had more than a few break down on turf!
Keep up the good reporting even though it's sad news.
Art, a properly built and maintained track doesn't kill horses though the synthetic surface with its lack of give is as brutal to horses as it is to riders.
As long as those who control the fate of race horses continue to abuse them, as long as they choose to send to the track exhausted and infirm horses loaded with powerful pain-blockers and performance enhancing drugs, the mayhem will continue.
Rampant greed and mediocrity and severe lack of moral values and pity are lethal to race horses.
Mark, VERY good points.
Mark, you make some good points.
The fact that the CHRB Medical Director, Dr. Rick Arthur, DVM approves of digital surgical neurectomy {heel nerving)says a lot for the upper eschelon of California racing.
Makes you wonder if this is the real Polytrack or whether
it has been installed or is maintained properly, according to the specifications laid down by the original inventor, Englishman Martin Collins. Perhaps
someone should talk to him.
"BUTE" is the culprit. Most horses are given BUTE the night before the race to pass the pre race inspection by the vets. This was a topic at Del Mar with Rick Arthur at Del Mars meeting of the board last month. Like anything else in this industry, there is a lot of talk and no action. If BUTE were outlawed then only sound horses would be allowed to race . This however would shorten the fields. It's all money driven.
"CHRB Medical Director, Dr. Rick Arthur, DVM" approves of nerving racehorses' heels???
Sad thing is, I believe you. Other sad thing is, I watched three horses pulled up (not dead, just FUBARed) in three days at Del Mar starting last Friday (may have been more that I didn't see). The problems is US HUMANS... Horses prepped for the yearing and 2YO in training sales with steroids and growth hormone... Bute to mask a minute pain which could easily turn into a disaster... And, does anyone care about research regarding what lasix does to the fluid in the horse's joint capsule??? Can you imagine sending a kid out to run a race at the Special Olympics after nerving his heels, dosing him with pain killer, giving him cough medicine, withholding water and giving him a diuretic before his race? I think the analogy is a good one.
When I was a little girl, I never one time ever saw a horse disarticulate his fetlock joint during morning works. And this was at bushleague tracks.