Jay Hovdey and Bill Mott are two people who always seem to have the right words.
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On Fox TV today …
Arrogate … sire of Arcangelo … trained by Bob Baffert … run by Bob Baffert … drugged by Bob Baffert …???
3 weeks later and New York Thunder meets the same fate as Maple Leaf Mel strides before the wire. I just don’t even know what to say. Rest easy sweet boy.
**No official word on his status yet that I’ve heard but it looked just as bad as Mel. So terribly sad, I love racing but I really don’t know how much longer I can keep watching horses die for our entertainment. We can call it whatever we want, but at the end of the day, that’s exactly what keeps happening.
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It was horrific I was watching as well
That was the second horrific breakdown of the card. I am SOOOO thankful I am not sitting in the stakes barn right now trying to decide whether or not to take my Travers horse over to the paddock.
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It just really continues to be horrific. RIP New York Thunder. 
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Oh I probably would have retired my entire stable by now, if I had one. So terribly sad and even worse it’s the second one on the day. I swear they seem to have at least one break down each racing week (this Saratoga season, I mean). It’s just too much.
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I’m done with this sh!t. Barbaro. Eight Belles. New York Thunder. All right before my eyes. Black Gold on a page of a book by a children’s author who wrote about cuddly ponies .
Too many I’ve heard about.
So very sad
Who was the other horse who broke down? So very sad and horrific. 
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Oh no! Nobel broke down on the gallop out!! He made such an impressive move I thought. Dammit!
I’m only listening and just typing on my phone during the races at this point. Good job, Echo Zulu. Sounded like a good race.
So Tyler Gaffalione was on both horses that broke down today…jesus what a terrible day for him as well.
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Do you see the rainbow bridge for New York Thunder?
I thought the same thing with that rainbow, I know there were some horse crazy people happy to meet Nobel and New York Thunder.
I can’t even watch the Travers right now, listening only.
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And then there is a freaking great race like the Travers and it sucks you right back in again
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I know Juddmonte breeds their own to race and only very occasionally buys bloodstock.
But obviously Arcangelo is now the hottest new sire prospect in North America. With Arrogate having died so young, I wonder if they’ll make an offer?
Regardless of where he stands, I fervently hope he’ll race at four. I suspect the decision will depend largely on whether he wins the BC Classic.
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Feel so bad for NYTs team, talk about highs and lows, breaks my heart for them.
Walked away but left the TV on while I did chores and that very good turf race (even though 9 year old Channel Maker faded) lassoed me back in, Echo Zulu made me smile and Archangelo made everything right. Almost anyway.
Wasn’t the same jockey on both breakdowns a few weeks back? Cant remember who.
IMO FOX has handled these things respectfully, when Acacia interviewed the vet when he delivered the news, she was visibly shaken. They have not glossed it over or ignored it as was the custom in the past.
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The other commentators were audibly shaken, too, earlier. And that very long commercial break made me fear the worst too. I agree that Fox handled it respectfully.
And they are having to repeat these same things they say each time they are on the air and another one breaks down. And they are covering all of the racing at Saratoga so it’s a lot of talking about it. I think they are all genuinely saddened by it but also like WTF, here we go again. What can you even say after a certain point.
I’m definitely not as easily sucked back in, I think for me it really hits different to hear or read that it happened versus watching it happen live. I can still see Maple Leaf Mel after she got back up.
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