DEL MAR, Calif. –Through the first four weeks of the meet, not a single horse has suffered a catastrophic injury in a race, as Del Mar has changed the narrative in Southern California following a tumultuous season at Santa Anita that had all eyes on safety heading into the meeting here.
“We’re still holding our breath,” Joe Harper, the track’s chief executive, said late on the card on Sunday. Harper cited extensive safety protocols, including additional veterinary oversight, as reasons for the run of good fortune.