This seems to be a topic every year, I love Saratoga but I am struggling with watching this year. Yesterday alone was rough. I don’t think I have ever seen so many horses exit the track in back to back races as yesterday
Race 8; Bunny Hunny was pulled up at the 5/16th pole and taken off the main track in the ambulance. Same race, Rock Harbor Fell after changing leads twice and was transported off the track by ambulance
Race 9: Bendetta in the Smart and Fancy was pulled up, walked off the Turf course and transported via the ambulance. In race 10, the very next race, Dormello was pulled up and walked off after being attended to. State of Readiness in the same race was approaching the quarter pole when he suffered a right hind injury and was euthanized on the track at the eighth pole.
After removing all of the health related issues on the injury/death reports, there has been 27 incidents at Saratoga since early June either death or injury related.
Decided to tune in this afternoon to the live coverage because it’s Alabama day. Minute I turn the computer on, Race 2, Averys Wonderland was pulled up after falling far back in the final turn. Hard to tell from the TV coverage because they intentionally try to crop out what happened but horse looked to be standing on all fours but the Jockey jumped off and the official chart says the horse was taken off the track in the equine ambulance.
After that incident today, the live coverage crew isn’t even acknowledging that incident and usually they are quite good at providing an update on what happened.
poor girl