curious Posted Sunday at 07:42 PM Share Posted Sunday at 07:42 PM Woodbine Cancels Sunday Card As Precautionary Measure Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 11:50 am | Back to: Top News Woodbine all-weather surface | Michael Burns Woodbine Entertainment has cancelled the scheduled race card for Sunday, Nov. 10, as a precautionary measure to prioritize the safety and well-being of the horses and jockeys, the track said in a release early on Sunday morning. The decision was made after consulting with key industry partners, including the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), the Jockeys' Guild, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. This follows the cancellation of the final two races of Saturday's card due to safety concerns with the all-weather main track. Additionally, training on that surrface was suspended Sunday morning. Woodbine is currently performing track maintenance and closely reviewing conditions which includes meeting with its consultants. These efforts will continue throughout the day, with racing and training activities set to resume only when it is deemed safe to do so. “The safety of our horses and jockeys is always our highest priority,” said Bill Ford, executive vice president of racing at Woodbine.” In consultation with our industry partners, we have decided to take these precautionary steps to ensure that the track conditions meet the highest safety standards. Woodbine has long been recognized as one of the safest racetracks in North America, and we are committed to maintaining that reputation by thoroughly assessing and addressing any issues.” Woodbine will continue to provide updates as efforts progress and decisions regarding the resumption of training and racing are made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted Sunday at 08:56 PM Share Posted Sunday at 08:56 PM Woodbine cancels late races after 2 fatal breakdowns www.horseracingnation.com Woodbine racetrack canceled the final two races on its stakes-laden Saturday card following two fatal breakdowns on the artificial Tapeta track, including a runner in the Grade 3, US $110,000 Bessarabian Stakes. Woodbine Entertainment, the operator of the Canadian racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario, near Toronto, provided few details on the reason for the cancellation in a news release late Saturday afternoon. “Following consultation with the HBPA, Jockeys' Guild and (farm equipment manufacturer) AGCO, Woodbine Entertainment cancelled the remainder of Saturday's Thoroughbred race card (Races 9 & 10) in the best interest of equine safety,” it said. But Woodbine Entertainment said in separate posts on X.com that Social Dancer and Owen’s Tour Guide were injured during the second and eighth races, respectively, and were humanely euthanized as a result. It extended “sincere condolences” to the connections of both horses and noted that jockeys David Moran, the rider of Social Dancer, and Jose Campos aboard Owen’s Tour Guide were both OK after the incidents. It noted in the news release that the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes, one of the canceled races, would be rescheduled as drawn on Nov. 16. Owen’s Tour Guide, a 6-year-old graded-stakes-placed daughter of Tourist trained by W. V. Armata, had amassed a record of 38: 7-3-6 and earnings of nearly $275,000 US in her career for owner Tequesta Racing. The Equibase chart for the Bessarabian said she was racing four wide in the third flight of horses on the far turn when she “took a misstep at the quarter pole, fell, dislodging the rider, and left via equine ambulance.” Social Dancer, a 3-year-old filly trained by Michael Doyle for owner-breeder C. Scott Abbott Racing Stable, was making her third start in a maiden-optional claiming race earlier on the card, when she “took an awkward step nearing the half-mile pole, was eased, pulling up at the five-sixteenth maker and left via equine ambulance,” according to the Equibase chart. Tapeta, a Thoroughbred racing and training surface comprised of a carefully selected mixture of the finest silica sand, wax and fibers, is used at racetracks around the world and has long been considered safer than dirt of turf for racing, according to manufacturer Tapeta Footings Inc. One of its other big advantages is that it handles wet weather and heavy rainfall extremely well, according to the Tapeta Footings website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted Sunday at 08:59 PM Share Posted Sunday at 08:59 PM ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine canceled the remainder of Saturday's program after the eighth race over concerns regarding the safety of the synthetic Tapeta surface. There were three catastrophic breakdowns on Saturday, beginning with a worker shortly after the 8 a.m. renovation break. Social Dancer was injured on the backstretch in the second race. Owen’s Tour Guide broke down on the far turn in the eighth, the Grade 3 Bessarabian, after which the final two races were scrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Monday at 07:46 AM Author Share Posted Monday at 07:46 AM It's interesting that they immediately shut the track down for both training and racing immediately pending resolution of the problem. Here, upon evidence of high injury rates, they carry on regardless. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Fish Posted Monday at 08:26 AM Share Posted Monday at 08:26 AM 38 minutes ago, curious said: they immediately shut the track down for both training and racing immediately pending resolution of the problem. perhaps more concern with serious Legal issues if horse and or riders injured? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted Monday at 03:45 PM Author Share Posted Monday at 03:45 PM 7 hours ago, Murray Fish said: perhaps more concern with serious Legal issues if horse and or riders injured? Yes. It's Canada on what the safety data suggests is possibly the safest racing surface in the world, but they don't play Russian roulette with human and equine lives there. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted yesterday at 02:21 AM Author Share Posted yesterday at 02:21 AM Training to Resume at Woodbine Racetrack on Wednesday November 12, 2024 Toronto, ON – November 12, 2024 – Woodbine Entertainment announced today that training on the All-Weather Main Track will resume tomorrow morning, following a thorough review and extensive maintenance conducted over the last couple of days. In collaboration with consultants and suppliers of the Tapeta surface, Woodbine performed a series of maintenance procedures to improve the track’s condition and address any safety concerns. This included rototilling the entire surface to a depth of five inches, followed by a deep power harrow treatment, and finishing with the use of a gallop master to ensure an even and consistent surface. On Monday and Tuesday morning, horses were allowed to gallop on the All-Weather Main Track with no incidents and trainers provided positive feedback. The track will undergo additional maintenance today following this morning’s light training, and it is now prepared for breezing and timed workouts starting tomorrow. To enhance safety, a harrow break has been added to morning training sessions as an extra precaution. Woodbine has been in close communication with the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) throughout the process to keep them informed of the steps taken to address the safety concerns and improve the track’s condition. “The safety of our horses and riders is our highest priority and we have been working diligently over the last couple of days to ensure the track is in optimal condition for safe training and racing,” said Bill Ford, Executive Vice President of Racing. “We look forward to reopening the track for training tomorrow and for live racing on Thursday, November 14. We appreciate the patience of our horse racing community and the support of our Tapeta consultants, the HBPA, and the AGCO. We remain committed to maintaining one of the safest racing surfaces in North America.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted yesterday at 04:12 AM Share Posted yesterday at 04:12 AM 1 hour ago, curious said: This included rototilling the entire surface to a depth of five inches, followed by a deep power harrow treatment, and finishing with the use of a gallop master to ensure an even and consistent surface. 125mm depth. 1 hour ago, curious said: To enhance safety, a harrow break has been added to morning training sessions as an extra precaution. What's a "harrow break"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted yesterday at 04:15 AM Author Share Posted yesterday at 04:15 AM A break in training to allow the track surface to be re-worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted yesterday at 04:23 AM Share Posted yesterday at 04:23 AM 5 minutes ago, curious said: A break in training to allow the track surface to be re-worked. Ok. I don't know why they don't do that between races on raceday. Addington yesterday had three large tractors levelling the track after each race as well as a water truck going around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted yesterday at 04:30 AM Author Share Posted yesterday at 04:30 AM 5 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: Ok. I don't know why they don't do that between races on raceday. Pretty sure they do both there and in the UK on the synthetics. Certainly a full power-harrow etc. between meetings so every time 100 odd horses have been over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Agent Posted 13 hours ago Share Posted 13 hours ago 21 hours ago, Chief Stipe said: Ok. I don't know why they don't do that between races on raceday. Addington yesterday had three large tractors levelling the track after each race as well as a water truck going around. I don't understand that either. Is it laziness? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted 13 hours ago Share Posted 13 hours ago 19 minutes ago, Special Agent said: I don't understand that either. Is it laziness? Probably cost is a factor. Other constraints would be skill, not enough machinery, applying turf custom and practice to synthetic. I always thought that they would groom between races which seems the logical thing to do otherwise those who race early get the safest track. Then again I also assumed they would groom the track every day BEFORE track work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted 11 hours ago Author Share Posted 11 hours ago 1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said: Probably cost is a factor. Other constraints would be skill, not enough machinery, applying turf custom and practice to synthetic. I always thought that they would groom between races which seems the logical thing to do otherwise those who race early get the safest track. Then again I also assumed they would groom the track every day BEFORE track work. I think (hope) that they do the latter. What you say above is probably also true generally so far as the constraints go. To do it between races, as you noted at Addington, requires say 3 tractors with grooming equipment in order to get it done fast enough. Riccarton only has one tractor big enough to operate their one groundbreaker, as we saw when it broke down and they couldn't groom the track for training until the tractor part arrived. If they tried to it with that, everyone would have gone home before the next race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted 11 hours ago Share Posted 11 hours ago 32 minutes ago, curious said: I think (hope) that they do the latter. What you say above is probably also true generally so far as the constraints go. To do it between races, as you noted at Addington, requires say 3 tractors with grooming equipment in order to get it done fast enough. Riccarton only has one tractor big enough to operate their one groundbreaker, as we saw when it broke down and they couldn't groom the track for training until the tractor part arrived. If they tried to it with that, everyone would have gone home before the next race. Probably get away with two tractors as Addington is quite a bit wider than the AWT. I suspect there is some tractor company sponsor's involved at Addington as well. But then again, although it might be sacrilege why couldn't the Gallops talk to the Trots and share? Very rarely if ever do they race the same day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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