One horse did pull up and was vanned off the track. Unfortunately, those things will happen, and there isn't one damned thing that can be done about it. PETA and their ilk can fuck themselves with a cattle prod.
The horse in question was Mongolian Groom, who suffered a catastrophic injury and could not be saved. Here is what the Breeders' Cup officials had to say:
"The death of Mongolian Groom is a loss to the entire horse racing community. Our equine and human athletes' safety is the Breeders' Cup's top priority. We have worked closely with Santa Anita leading up to the World Championships to promote enhanced equine safety. Santa Anita has implemented numerous industry-leading reforms to enhance the existing health and safety measures with the intent of providing a safe racing environment. In addition, Breeders' Cup always observes the most thorough up-to-date medication practices and restrictions, testing protocols, equine security and surveillance program, veterinary exams, injury management protocols, and racing surface testing. These measures are in place to ensure our athletes are racing under the safest and most transparent conditions possible."
The PETA nutjobs don't understand that these fractures are not the worst of it. It requires a long convalescence, and there is a real chance of complications thanks to equine physiology. Laminitis and colic are two such complications as a horse cannot be immobilized.
Even with the best of care, as with Barbaro, injuries can still be ultimately fatal to a horse. I wish veterinary medicine can find a cure for these ailments that affect horses.
Keeneland and Saratoga are beautiful tracks, but they don't have the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop
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Santa Anita did a great job with the track surface, but even so, a bad step taken by a horse cannot be prevented.
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