2021 Breeders' Cup: Communications procedure tightened in wake of scratch snafu on Friday
Dr. Dana Stead, a veterinarian working for Del Mar, will have “sole authority” to communicate to stewards whether a horse should be scratched in the lead-up to the Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday, it was announced on Saturday in a joint statement issued by Del Mar, the California Horse Racing Board, and Breeders’ Cup.
The establishment of a set protocol regarding who has the authority to communicate a scratch to stewards was announced less than 24 hours after an incident in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Friday evening that led to widespread confusion and resulted in the eventual winner, Modern Games, racing for purse-money only after initially being scratched in the race.
The Modern Games decision required the refund of millions of dollars in bets and invalidated the selection of Modern Games in multi-leg wagers in the pick 4, pick 5, and pick 6 bets ending in the Juvenile Turf, infuriating horseplayers.
The statement issued on Saturday said that the CHRB, Del Mar, and Breeders’ Cup reviewed the incident on Friday night and Saturday morning and determined that the scratch was mistakenly communicated to the stewards by a veterinarian working at the starting gate, Dr. Chuck Jenkins, shortly after Albahr became cast in the gate. Modern Games was in the stall next to Albahr at the time the horse flipped.
As has previously been reported, Jenkins believed that Modern Games had broken through the starting gate shortly after Albahr flipped, when, instead, an assistant starter had allowed the horse out of the front of the gate to remove him from danger. Veterinarians including Dr. Stead then examined Modern Games and determined that the horse was racing sound and had not incurred any injuries.
Stead communicated to the stewards that Modern Games should be allowed to run, and the stewards then decided to allow the horse to run for purse money only.
The statement also said that Modern Games was reinserted into the mutuel pools approximately two minutes after he was scratched “due to a miscommunication between the stewards and Del Mar mutuel department,” explaining why the tote board and mutuel displays still showed Modern Games available for betting after the scratch. Horses cannot be reinserted into mutuel pools by CHRB rule and a host of logistical challenges.
Approximately six minutes after the horse was reinserted into the pools, Modern Games was again scratched. Four minutes later, the race went off.
Bettors who had Modern Games in the win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, superfecta and super high five pools received refunds. Bettors who had Modern Games in the double and pick 3 pools received consolation payouts, while bettors in the pick 4, pick 5, and pick 6 pools had their selections of Modern Games moved to the post-time favorite, Dakota Gold (who finished fifth), unless they had an alternate selection on their tickets.