Horse racing-'Safety comes above all,' Breeders' Cup CEO says following horse death (updated)

Churchill Downs

02/11/2023 02:22

(Adds colt Geaux Rocket Ride euthanized after training injury
at Santa Anita, in paragraph 3)
    By Rory Carroll
       LOS ANGELES, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The safety of race horses
is paramount, Breeders' Cup officials said on Wednesday, a day
after the death of a three-year-old colt who was scheduled to
compete at the World Championships at Santa Anita Park this
weekend. 
    Practical Move, who was the second choice for Saturday's $1
million Dirt Mile, suffered what race officials said was
suspected to be a cardiac event when he collapsed and died after
returning from a gallop.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N3C12BA 
    Later on Wednesday, the owners of three-year-old Geaux
Rocket Ride announced that he was euthanized after being
seriously injured while training for the Breeders' Cup Classic
at the track on Saturday. 
    The colt is the 72nd race horse to die at a California track
this year alone and comes after 12 horses perished at Churchill
Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby, in May. 
    "For the Breeders' Cup, safety comes above all," Breeders'
Cup CEO Drew Fleming said during a safety briefing panel. 
    "This year has been a tough one for the sport and reminds us
why the efforts of everyone on this stage are of paramount
importance to the future of racing." 
    This year marks the first time the Breeders' Cup will fall
under the full jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and
Safety Authority (HISA) and its nationwide anti-doping program,
which took effect in late May.  
    "There is no doubt that we have a lot of work ahead of us to
ensure racing is safe for our equine athletes," HISA CEO Lisa
Lazarus said. 
    "But for the first time ever we have national regulations
and uniform standards in place to help us change the game
forever and for the better." 
    HISA's Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) in July
began identifying potential contenders for Breeders' Cup races
and has collected 226 samples as of this week. 
    HIWU executive director Ben Mosier said the Breeders' Cup
represents the group's most "high profile" assignment to date
and said the agency will have six investigators on the ground
through the championships, which run on Friday and Saturday. 
    Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for 1/ST Racing,
said the track is equipped with best-in-class diagnostic
capabilities including PET and MRI scanners for horses and a
surgical suite for orthopedic surgeries. Safety measures for
jockeys have also been beefed up. 
    "HISA has ushered in a new era for racing and given us the
opportunity to move forward together as a sport despite the
challenges we continue to face," Fleming said. 
     

 (Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles
Editing by Toby Davis and Michael Perry)
 ((Rory.Carroll@thomsonreuters.com Follow me on Twitter
@rorydcarroll; 503-830-8017;))