It’s a well known fact (observation I guess) from those who train on it.
I actually thought Woodbine was planning on switching back to dirt?
Once again, just a hop skip and a jump from Cal Tech, A bit further from Cal State And UCLA but ATM they are looking to clear their names and one of their departments fingering the true, provable, cause of the breakdowns might just do it.
Goodness I love California (Said ironically), the working are taxed to the point they don’t have any money leftover for entertainment and yet it is laid right at their door.
Bread and Circuses occur as a republic implodes. Rest of ther country should watch the show and learn from our mistakes
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Latest article from the BH
So now they decided the downhill turf is the problem, those races are off the turf for the weekend.
They are? After switching from poly to Tapeta?
If it’s a well known fact, you better tell Graham Motion. He doesn’t buy into it.
Beginning to feel like throw everything at the wall and see what sticks 
For me personally, wish I had confidence that “someone” is really trying to understand what’s causing the breakdowns and address them.
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Off the turf and onto the main track which is the whole problem to begin with. Ugh.
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@Palm Beach - thanks for the link to the article from Motion. That is was very interesting and informative.
The major things that jumped out at me were the emphasis on drainage, and the discussion of trying to train horses on as consistent a surface as possible in order to reduce the overall risk of injury.
Very basic, very practical.
I also find his comments about the initial introduction of polytrack surfaces in the US, and that perhaps installation and maintenance were not optimal with the initial installations very interesting. This also makes a lot of sense.
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I’m not convinced that there is anything to blame…this number of breakdowns is certainly higher than average but I dont think unprecedented. If you take the stat of 1.5 - 2 fatal injuries per thousand starts, that would be 2 or 3 horses a month, and then at least that same # in the mornings. Its a lot of tragic endings. But if you work at the track, thats just normal. People who cant handle it leave, and those who accept it stay. The difference now is that the media really jumped on this like crazy, making it seem like there is something new and sinister is going on. I definitely dont envy anyone at SA- if they tell the truth that lots of ponies die every month they are going to look like monsters to the public, but banning whips and Lasix (while I think a good idea) is not going to solve the problem. I absolutely think that pharmaceuticals of all kinds are a contributing factor to many breakdowns but its not going to be a quick or simple fix.
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I could not find what I was looking for with respect to the turf course.
I suspect that two of the three ‘about 6 1/2f’ races on the hillside were moved to the main track @ 6 1/2f . The third about 6 1/2f hillside was moved to 1 mile on the inner turf.
My guess is that a 6 1/2 f race on the inner turf would put the starting gate in an awkward position (but that’s only a guess; maybe someone here who knows the SA inner turf course could confirm where the gate would be for a 6 1/2f race).
All 3 of these races were 6 1/2 f sprints. If you’re looking for a turf sprint that got stretched out 1 1/2f to a mile, might want to scratch your horse.
SA has also got to be starting to sweat the Breeders’ Cup Championships 7 months from now.
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I don’t know who that is nor do I care. I’m not in the racing world other than being involved in rehoming them and owning OTTBS and showing them.
This is what I heard last fall from a few trainers I have gotten horses from. Maybe it was wishful thinking. I know they are seeing an increase in suspensory injuries.
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Graham Motion is a very well know and very well respected TB trainer -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Graham_Motion
with experience with steeplechasers as well as flat track horses.
All other things aside, it sounds as if the trainers you are talking to are reporting their own anecdotal experience, and Graham Motion is working from a larger data set.
The trainers you’re talking to aren’t wrong, that’s their experience. They’re just not seeing the bigger picture.
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It would be nice if someone from Europe chimed in, they have a lot of experience with synthetics over there.
A LATimes editorial from today:
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-santa-anita-deaths-horses-spike-20190404-story.html
It does call for the suspension of racing at SA until the cause is determined. It also mentions the “Horse Racing Integrity Act” which is evidently pending in Congress. It would establish a nationwide board to oversee racing.
I saw an article on the Horse Racing Integrity Act yesterday. IMO, sounds like it is something to consider, primarily getting consistency across all tracks.
Panel with respected members presented this Act at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club.
As for CA… I would not be in favor of a suspension until it is well defined how and what metrics will drive the “determined” as, IMO, at some point, racing needs to resume, breakdowns will more than likely happen. Seems like this proposed suspension until cause is determined is a slippery slope.
Surface primer; https://www.onlinebetting.org.uk/bet…und-types.html
US Jockey Club Equine Injuries Database;
http://www.jockeyclub.com/default.asp?section=Resources&area=10&story=1105
I absolutely agree that suspending racing at SA until a “cause” is determined is a very slippery slope. In many respects.
This coming weekend at Santa Anita is really worrisome. I pray there are no breakdowns, because no one ever wants a breakdown to happen. On top of that though… I fear that management (Belinda Stronach and Ritvo specifically) don’t have much in the way of a response plan ready concerning what to do, and what to say, if another tragedy does happen. I hope the CHRB has thought in advance about their own response if the worst occurs again this weekend.
Frankly, a breakdown will happen… maybe not this weekend, maybe not next week, maybe next weekend, maybe in training… who knows but eventually one will happen
Stronach and CHRB both already better have statements ready.
FWIW, Oaklawn Park today, track sloppy sealed, race 1 Bad Humor appeared to breakdown entering, IIRC, the far turn, was pulled up and “vanned home”. TBs having catastrophic injuries isn’t limited to Santa Anita.
I was specifically just speaking about this weekend at Santa Anita. There will be a lot of coverage, with both the Santa Anita Derby and the rescheduled Handicap. If breakdown #24 happens over the weekend, and is caught on camera and broadcasted widely like breakdown #23 was… I’m not sure how much worse this situation could become, but it will definitely become much worse.
Breakdowns do happen. Everywhere. It is part of horse racing. I get it… I’ve followed racing for decades. No illusions here. With that said, any meaningful reforms that result from discussions related to this situation that actually do have any sort of impact in terms of reducing breakdowns further (to the extent possible) are a good thing.
I would hate to see racing eliminated in California. If that happens… other states may follow as activists focus elsewhere. I don’t like the abuse of horses or misuse of medications that goes on… but I love TB racing, and hope the industry can reform and improve on some level.
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My horse ran at Santa Anita today. It was a bit eerie. The track was playing VERY slow. Horses went in 1:26 for 7 furlongs in my race. I hope everything goes well there this weekend. With all of the speculation, I really think the answer is simple. It was the rains, the sealing of the track and the change of track management. They seem to be doing their best to correct the situation and I hope for the sake of everyone that it works out. There are so many people out there that depend on that track to make their living and the track has a long and colorful history behind it. Hoping it survives the media storm.
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