Clothed, I hope.

Now a second source is reporting that Raspberry Kiss was taken to Lexington before she was put down.

Maybe someone can clear this up. I watched Raspberry Kiss try to stand up, and then saw her body contort as she fell back down. They then brought out the screen to shield her from the crowd and injected her with something. Then she was scooped up and loaded on the ambulance.

That was my one trip to Aqueduct this winter. The track was a MESS (and yes, abnormally slow and tiring) because it rained so much, and the fields were terrible (not to disparage your horse, who actually ran well that day behind a perfect trip winner). They missed the guarantee in the pick 4 because of the conditions.

I think my comparisons of each race at CD shows the times were slower than normal and it's incorrect to generalize that all the races were worse than their norms. In fact, the race you mentioned previously (the 30k N2L that went 1:36.40) was actually better than what's typical of that level, and they ran like it.

Slow doesn't necessarily mean safe, either.

Probably pain medication - sedative combination so she could be transported.

Just drive over there by the maintenance shed, and look under the tree. If there is a tarp with a horse underneath it you have your answer.

No disrespect received about Slick Wheelie. I think we've learned that, despite how he trains in the morning, he's better suited to one turn races. I know that he won't be confused with a stakes horse, but he's honest. Also, I don't think he particularly cares for the mud, but if he had changed leads that afternoon, I'm certain that he would have caught the winner. Of course, changing leads properly has frequently been a problem for him in the afternoon.

I agree that slow doesn't necessarily mean safe, but the souped-up, hard tracks are really tough on the horses.

Oh well that seals it.
The first two runs of his career come on turf in Aug 08.
Im sure nothing has changed.
If only Baffert could see the naked truth.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/103309.html

"Fortunately, it was isolated to the outside," said Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Join in the Dance. "It could have been worse. There were a lot of high-caliber horses out there working in a short amount of time."

Pletcher said he thought it might be wise for Churchill Downs to close the track earlier for the renovation break and then allow only Oaks and Derby runners on the track for the first few minutes after the track re-opens.

"This morning's incident is the perfect opportunity for Churchill Downs to realize they need to do this," Pletcher said. "Just for 10 minutes after the break. It would be a great idea. It would be great for the Oaks and Derby horses and safer for the horses of every caliber."

Jim Gates, general manager of Churchill Downs, said Pletcher's idea is "not something we'd be opposed to in the future."

LEX 18 news reports she was taken to rood and riddle and died of shock,before vets could euthanize her

There's a lot of horses. Stuff happens. Belmont's a more fair race. The surface is (usually..lol.) more fair too.

This is really just sick to me. When you watch the works on television you get no sense of what sounds like mass confusion out there. Sounds more like a rodeo than any kind of thorobred operation, maybe that's why they do it so early in the morning. There is really no excuse in this day and age for horses to be purposely run in opposite directions on the same track (like in the Tin
Cup Chalice incident, from what I was told) or to have horses just milling around while a loose horse is running towards them (here).

There is also no excuse for posting something so idiotic.

I don't know the cause or the frequency of these tragic incidents and I doubt the NTRA does either . A thorough investigation is needed into tragedies like this .

Do you know anything about thoroughbreds?

I know enough to know that incidents like this are not acceptable .

I think they should investigate as well.

The first thing they should do is question the horse that dumped the rider in the first place and ask why it ran straight into another horse.

I feel if they could just understand a horse's motivation for doing such things, they could probably talk other unruly two year olds out of making similar mistakes.

It's much better to criticize from strength than from weakness. You really need to spend even a little time around the racetrack.

I think you should have stopped after saying "I don't know."

Everything after that was ludicrous.

OK.

That was a good post in the face of a bad day for horse fans and lovers.

What could possibly be so hard about only having one horse on the track at a time? Or two or three spaced strategically apart around the track?

Wait, hold on, you guys! ... let me get some popcorn, and a soda .... :D

I just don't know what's so hard about having only a certain number of horses on the track at one time. Of course, accidents are that, but if they are there to work they should work, get off the track, and then put the next one on. Isn't that how they do it at the sales?

three horses at a time on the track? there aren't enough hours in the day to have training like that, with the sheer amount of horses in training-and the fact that usually training occurs in a set number of hours a day before live racing. there's no way.

we're about to have a race with 20 starters, stable ponies, and outriders in front of over 100k people, all on the track at the same time. i would think the track, during training hours, can handle more than a few horses at a time.

this incident is far from the norm. there's no need for a knee jerk reaction after a two year old colt bolts. it's a damn shame, true.
could there be some changes? perhaps. three horses on the track. that's a bit much i feel, and most likely impossible.

OH MY GOD.

:zz:

Could there be some changes ? Perhaps ? A bit of an understatement to say the least .

With these fine suggestions I wouldn't be surprised if Sumitas and Chuckles are named co-CEO of the Breeder's Cup by the end of the day.

I don't think we should end at workouts though...how about each horsey entered on the day's card run by themselves and then the stewards can determine the winner?

I have the answer
 

Get about 15 of these and line them up at the finish line. I hear they can give the distance, calories burned, and heart rate. Have the first 15 go, then the next, then the next etc. There, problem solved

Now you're thinking!

The Derby can be the annual BJI Contest. :tro:

I wonder if Mike Judge found inspiration for his brilliant documentary film, "Idiocracy" by reading threads like this one.

Or horses in general for that matter. This could've happened with just 2 horses on the track. Horses are nuts.

lol

a bit, yes. a single horse can get himself in all kinds of trouble.


those of you pissing your pants and posting in hysteria... take the # of tracks in a day, multiply that by days they run, mulitiply that by # of horses trained per day...take that # and compare it to the two bizarre recent incidents, and give me the # you get. thousands of horses train every day. THOUSANDS. and you want three at a time on the track. let's see.....3 per five minutes. that's 36 horses an hour. that's ten hours to train 360 horses. yeah, that's doable.:rolleyes:

as for those applauding pletcher-his concern, as well as the others with derby horses, is that a crazy two year old was on the track with the crazy three year olds that are derby-bound. he suggested the stars get the first few minutes after the REN break to themselves, so that you don't have a green colt taking out one of the big guys(but don't forget, a horse you may have heard of, point given, got loose on the track-remember?). not a bad idea for derby horses, but it certainly doesn't come close to some of the suggestions (hilarious as they are) on here.


newsflash-the track is a dangerous place.

Maybe have a nice talk with all the horses, so they don't act like animals?

Hey, that's what I said earlier!

Though I guess for some people, any hint of subtlety gets lost in a fog of numbness.

I'm not referring to you, by the way.

You don't even need 2, it can happen with just one that gets spooked, takes off and can run into anything. When a horse gets scared, they can be unpredictable and very hard to handle.

"This morning's incident is the perfect opportunity for Churchill Downs to realize they need to do this," Pletcher said. "Just for 10 minutes after the break. It would be a great idea. It would be great for the Oaks and Derby horses and safer for the horses of every caliber."


How does this make this proposal make things safer for the non-Derby horses? In reality, there's a reason why it's crowded after the renovation break at any track: trainers of horses of even a lower caliber prefer a freshly harrowed track to work over. Pletcher just wants yet more advantages for his expensive stock.

Other than each horse requiring about 5 minutes to train, multiplied by the number of horses in the barns. You soon realize that Todd's horses alone would take you beyond post time.
They do it like that at the sales because the works are being viewed by buyers with an eye to purchase and because they have ALL DAY to work them and each horse is just doinhg one thing, running for 1 or 2 furlongs. There are several thousand horses at a place like Belmont how do you train them one by one?
There are "rules of the road" out there but horses are horses. They dump their riders and crash into other horses or through the fences. Horses jogging/moving slow are kept to the outside and they go clockwise. This is for the same reason that if you are walking along a roadside you are supposed to OPPOSE traffic; so you can see on coming faster moving things.
Gallopers and breezers go counterclockwise, faster moving horses staying to the rail. Everyone who rides knows that it can be dangerous and their self preservation instinct saves alot of lives.
Young horses are often asked to stop and look around. Riders just sit in a relaxed manner to relax the horses. It gets them used to sights and sounds and gives them the idea that the whole "go to the track" thing is fun and easy. You see alot of this anytime alot of babies are around, like Keeneland or Churchill or Saratoga.

Absolutely correct. Most horses are always looking for a way to kill themselves. Big, fast bodies with small brains = trouble. I love horses though, and choose to spend my free time with them everyday, regardless of how goofy they are. :)