Two New Deaths in Saratoga, 12 Horses Died in Few Weeks

The number of horses that died on racetracks recently increased, and the whole industry is worried – and in that climate of worry and fear, two more horses passed away in Saratoga, New York, which one more time pointed out the seriousness of this problem.

Tragic deaths:

Everyone thought that New York Thunder would win the Grade 1 $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes at Saratoga. However, the horse didn’t succeed, and failing in the homestretch led to its death. After breaking the left front fetlock, there wasn’t any other choice but to euthanize him. 

To make matters worse, New York Thunder wasn’t the only horse that died that day in Saratoga. One of the favorites, Nobel, injured his front leg during the allowance race at the upstate New York track, where he was one of the favorites. He finished fifth despite the injury, but it was fatal. 

The winner of the Travers Stakes was Arcangelo, and the competition was tough since three Triple Crown winners were competing for the fourth time in history. Arcangelo’s name will be written in history because its trainer, Jena Antonucci, is the first woman ever to be a Triple Crown champion. Antonucci was the second woman to win the Travers as well.

However, the historical win was overshadowed by the tragic death of other horses. New York Thunder, a 3-year-old horse, was a winner of four starts. A similar tragedy occurred on August 5th on the Test Stakes when Maple Leaf Mel was injured just before the end of the race. 

Four horses died at Del Mar: two died from injury, one’s death was caused by an accident, and one was a consequence of arthrodesis surgery.

Authorities’ involvement:

These deaths caught a lot of attention, and even the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) got involved, along with various animal rights activists. The tracks are investigating the tragedy, and HISA also announced that its own investigation is in progress. The outcome is still unknown, though.

Since the racing began in Saratoga on July 13, 12 horses died on the tracks. 

After a series of tragic deaths on Churchill Downs, these events in Saratoga are drawing even more attention to horse racing tracks, questioning the safety and security of the tracks, as well as the circumstances surrounding these events. What it would mean for trainers, spectators, bettors, and, most importantly, horses is yet to be seen after the investigation is finally over.