ANOTHER horse breaks down at the finish line at Saratoga
- Thread starter Tskware
- Start date
I wonder if it has to do with the ban on turning aged horses into dog food. The number of thoroughbred horses getting themselves born plummeted because it's very expensive to keep a horse. As a result breeders didn't spend a generation trying to get sturdy stock into their lines.
Thoroughbreds are now more delicate than ever and thoroughbreds were a very delicate breed to begin with.
I noticed that a lot of tracks have cancelled their performances this week due to the heat, and some have switched to evening hours. I also noticed an unusually large number of scratches just before post time. There may be other factors but I strongly suspect heat is a big factor.
Has to be something in the way they're training them, including the medications. I don't see it could be anything else. Left on their own, horses are born to run and run on much more challenging terrain than an immaculately maintained race track
It was the damndest thing, both times, the horse was out in front, cruising to a win, and snapped its leg right before the finish line, had to put them both down right on the track. As an aside, as another poster mentioned, the fields at Saratoga are VERY small, often with only 5 or 6 starters, betting opportunities very limited. Troubled times for the horse industry . . .
Idk how it is at other tracks.. but saratoga always has a few horses every year that need to be put down.
Not sure if this would be part of the issue.. but we've had a ton of rain this summer. I went to Toga a few times this year and it was more or less a washout. I want to say this July was one of the wettest for upstate NY.
Not sure if this would be part of the issue.. but we've had a ton of rain this summer. I went to Toga a few times this year and it was more or less a washout. I want to say this July was one of the wettest for upstate NY.
Undoubtedly true but horses in the wild, on farms, etc navigate much worse conditions with much less human care, with seemingly way better results.
Unless everywhere they're just falling like flies without notoriety
Those are COMPLETELY different horses and builds than race horses man, I mean like almost another species.
That’s like an NBA player spraining an ankle after a huge dunk coming down from 5’ in the air and you saying, “Been shooting jumpers all day in the driveway and I don’t get hurt…”
For an honest opinion, I think the time during COVID and the breakup in training regimen plays a part, I think track surfaces and drugging trainers plays a part, bad luck plays a part, and running unsound horses plays a part.
When it happens in clusters, the optics are bad, but the statistics of horse fatalities on track are down across the board.
It was bad luck for Saratoga (and Churchill) that their biggest days have also been mired in breakdowns.
When it happens in clusters, the optics are bad, but the statistics of horse fatalities on track are down across the board.
It was bad luck for Saratoga (and Churchill) that their biggest days have also been mired in breakdowns.
I get what you're saying but these same horses over the years navigated much worse conditions with much fewer problems. Something changed the last few years and it isn't in the genetics because many of these horse come from only the best stock.
2020 21 horses died and Saratoga, 14 this year. 1/3 less than 3 years ago.
Gotcha, I was just saying it’s not just this year and there have been worse years but the media and plenty of people it seems thinks 8 Belles was the only horse ever put down till this year.
I definitely agree the media definitely has this issue in their cross hairs