Thistledown Resumes Racing and Horse Breaks Down in First Race Back

[Wandering Eyes]

After a couple of lost training days last week because of escalating safety concerns with the dirt surface, racing resumed Monday at Thistledown, but another tragedy was not far behind. In the first race of the day, the 5-year-old mare Tayyara (Khozan) broke down and had to be euthanized. Thistledown canceled the remainder of the eight-race card.

According to a Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority (HISA) spokesperson, HISA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus asked Thistledown to cancel after the first race and they agreed to do so. She also asked them to conduct an investigation and be prepared to discuss the results with her so that they can agree on next steps.”

The track was shut down for training as track officials looked to correct whatever problems there may have been. They resumed training on Saturday and Monday's card was the first day back for racing.

Tayyara stalked the pace early, took the lead entering the turn and then broke down in upper stretch. The Equibase chart also noted that Timely Secret (Commissioner) bumped into the distressed rival, Tayyara, and had to be vanned off the track.

It has been a tumultuous week for the Cleveland area track. On July 21, Thistledown fired its track superintendent, Sean Wright, and brought in outside racing surface consultants and began working with HISA. Images began to circulate on social media showing fist-sized rocks that were allegedly picked up from the track by jockeys and horsemen on Monday and Tuesday. Wright told the TDN's TD Thornton that he was fired for being a whistleblower because he took his concerns to HISA and the track stewards.

Wright also told Thornton that there have been eight catastrophic injuries at Thistledown since the meet began Apr. 21–five in races and three during training.

But at least one Thistledown executive was quick to defend the racing surface.

“We did not have problems with the track today by any stretch of the imagination,” said Racing Secretary Patrick Mackey. “We did have a horse that was pulled up in the first race. We're looking at that right now and investigating what happened. From what I was told, the jockeys were raving about the racing surface. We're still looking into everything but every report we've had on the track was positive.”

Mackey said meetings were on-going to decide whether the track will hold its regularly scheduled Tuesday card.

“The jockeys have told me that from their perspective, the track has never been better,” said a Thistledown jockey agent who asked that his name not be used. “With the work they've done on it the last few days the track was in great shape. I know that a horse breaking down in the first race is a bad look, but it's not the track.”

Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Executive Director Dave Basler was still another who defended the racing surface Monday.

“Obviously, we're concerned,” he said. “We resumed training Saturday morning after not training from Wednesday through Friday last week in order to get the track back in shape. I received nothing but positive reports from everyone about training on Saturday and Sunday. We did not have any concerns going into today. Unfortunately, there was an incident. No decision has been made on where we go from here. Management, the horsemen and the riders were all confident going into the day that the racetrack was safe.”

 

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