Cluster of fatalities at NYRA tracks under review

ELMONT, N.Y. – There were seven equine fatalities in an 11-day span at New York Racing Association tracks, three during racing, two during training, and two that, while they occurred during training hours, were the result of unusual circumstances.

The fatalities happened over both the main and training tracks at Belmont and Saratoga from Aug. 28 through Sept. 7.

All of the fatalities will undergo a review process, according to Dr. Scott Palmer, the equine medical director for the New York State Gaming Commission.

“In spite of all the protective measures to address risk factors, you can’t 100 percent stop these fatalities,” Palmer said. “With that said, anytime there’s a time frame where you have a cluster of these, that’s a very unusual thing and that’s got my attention.”

Pat McKenna, NYRA’s director of communications, said that NYRA will work with Palmer in the review process of these fatalities.

“As this process moves forward, NYRA continues to advance measures to ensure that we are providing the safest possible environment for training and racing at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, and Aqueduct Racetrack,” McKenna said. “The health and welfare of horses and jockeys competing at NYRA tracks is our highest priority and one that stands above all other considerations.”

The fatality spate began Aug. 28 at Saratoga when Go Big Or Go Home, a 5-year-old gelding, fractured the sesamoids in his left foreleg during the running of a starter allowance race run over a fast track.

On Aug. 31, Sister Beauty, a 2-year-old filly, fractured the sesamoids in her right foreleg while putting in a workout over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track.

On Sept. 2, in the final race of the Saratoga meet, Borough Boy broke down in deep stretch of a maiden $20,000 claiming race run over a sloppy and sealed main track.

Last Friday, Royal Inheritance, a 5-year-old New York-bred mare, suffered a cardiovascular collapse while galloping over a fast Belmont main track. That afternoon, Passporttovictory, also a 5-year-old New York-bred mare, suffered a fractured sesamoid during the running of the third race. She was vanned off but later euthanized.

Both Royal Inheritance and Passporttovictory were trained by Jeremiah Englehart.

Last Saturday, in a most unusual occurrence, Mo Moxie, a 4-year-old filly leaving the Belmont training track after completing a gallop, got spooked by horses passing by her, reared up, and fell, breaking a hind leg. She had to be euthanized on track.

That same morning, in Saratoga, So Surprising, an unraced New York-bred 2-year-old filly, fractured the sesamoids in her left foreleg during a breeze over a fast Oklahoma training track.

“At the moment, I don’t see an immediate commonality that would have me thinking there’s something wrong with the racetrack,” Palmer said. “When we get the necropsies back that’ll be a big help. The fractures we’re experiencing, they’re not unusual. I don’t see any conclusions other than to say that we’re very, very concerned and we’re reviewing all these situations.”

While two of three racing fatalities occurred over sealed, sloppy surfaces, Palmer said it would be premature to draw any conclusions about conducting racing over such tracks.

“I think there may be some variables to consider before we say with a broad-stroke that sealing is a bad thing,” said Palmer, who praised Glen Kozak, NYRA’s director of racing surfaces, for the way he seals and just as importantly unseals the dirt tracks at NYRA.

Palmer did say that because he had two fatalities in one day, Englehart would be under “increased scrutiny.”

“We’re going to have to interview him. He’s going to get increased scrutiny, which is not to say he’s done anything wrong, but I’ve never seen anything like that happen before,” Palmer said.

“This has got to have rocked him and rocked his world,” Palmer added. “But we need to have a conversation. Is there anything we can do to keep this from happening?”

As of Sunday, Englehart said he has yet to be told that his horses are under additional scrutiny, but added that he would cooperate with officials to help try and find some answers.

“When you get a spike like this everyone wants to figure it out why is it happening,”Englehart said. “I definitely want to contribute to figure out why it happens. If I thought I did something wrong, I’d be the first person to say something.”

In 2018, NYRA’s three tracks had an equine fatality rate of 1.20 per 1,000 starters during racing. This year, according to the New York State Gaming Commission website, there have been 11 racing-related fatalities at the three NYRA tracks through Sunday. With 10,025 starters at NYRA tracks this year, that translates to a fatality rate of 1.10 per 1,000 starters.

Those fatality rates do not factor in incidents that occur during morning training.