A horse that broke down in the race following the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes was euthanized on Saturday, completing a grim Triple Crown for a sport that has seen deaths cast a pall over all three tracks hosting its most prestigious races.
In the 13th race at Belmont Park, a 1 1/16-mile race on turf after the final leg in the Triple Crown, jockey Flavien Prat pulled up on Excursionniste in the far turn. According to a statement distributed by New York Racing Association spokesman Pat McKenna, the horse had a “catastrophic injury to its left front leg” and was euthanized.. “He was our big, goofy, talented, crazy, 1 for 16 NYB superstar. We do everything as a team, and will console as one for quite a while.
Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, suspended racing operations and moved its meet to Ellis Park in the wake of 12 horse fatalities the past month. At Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course, National Treasure’s Preakness victory was preceded by the death of another horse trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Havnameltdown.
“Despite the immediate response and best efforts of on-site attending veterinarians,” the statement said, “the horse was humanely euthanized due to the severity of the injury.” The federally-mandated Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority took over last year, and its medication and anti-doping program went into effect last month.
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