Horse racing under scrutiny after Preakness tragedy
BALTIMORE — The horse racing industry is under intense scrutiny, after a tragedy at Preakness.
Hours before the Preakness Stakes, Bob Baffert's horse Havnameltdown suffered an injury on his left front ankle during an undercard race. The three-year-old colt had to be euthanized on the track, and the Maryland Racing Commission is now leading an investigation into his death.
The jockey who had been riding Havnameltdown at the time, Luis Saez, was thrown off the horse and had to be taken to the hospital.
"We're still sad about that horse, and we will be for a while," Baffert said.
Baffert's other horse, National Treasure, won the Preakness Stakes. But Washington D-C based Animal Wellness Action questions whether he should have been excluded from Pimlico, because of his two year suspension from Churchill Downs after his horse failed a drug test.
Their statement reads: "Pimlico's decision to allow him to run multiple horses at its track is a reflection of the long-standing compartmentalizing of racing rules and suspensions. That era of balkanized regulatory authority must end, according to Animal Wellness Action. And it's time for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority not only to put rules in place but to create new norms in the industry. There should be an aspiration for zero deaths of young, healthy horses on America's tracks."
Saturday, dozens of anti-racing advocates protested outside Pimlico. Two weeks ago, seven horses died in a 10-day span at Churchill Downs, leading up to the Kentucky Derby.
Today in Timonium, the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale opened at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. More than 600 two-year-olds in training are up for auction. WJZ talked to multiple trainers and owners, who said the industry follows strict guidelines and the safety of the horses is the priority.
"The industry is really moving in a direction to be very careful about everything," says Evan Ferraro, Director of Marketing at Fasig-Tipton. "I think the scrutiny that the horses are under before they run is the highest ever.
Horse racing deaths in the US are actually at their lowest level since they started being tracked in 2009. And today, the new federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority begins implementing an Anti-doping and Medication Control program.
"Nobody wants to see a horse's demise here. And that's something the public needs to understand," says Elliott Walden, CEO of WinStar Farm.
Trainer Ron Moquett says, "The fact of the matter is, they're living breathing creatures. And sometimes things happen, like it could with me on the way to the airport."
The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, will be run June 10th in New York.