Breakdowns Continue To Plague Woodbine

With a horse having to be euthanized Thursday at Woodbine and another one on Friday, the Toronto-area track has now had six fatalities since the Nov. 9 card in which two horses died and the remainder of the day's program was cancelled, as was the next scheduled day of racing.

Woodbine's Tapeta surface has long been considered to be one of the safest tracks in North America, which makes the rash of breakdowns particularly unusual.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and remain in continuous communication with our regulator, veterinarians, the HBPA, and the Jockeys' Guild,” said Bill Ford, executive vice-president of racing at Woodbine Entertainment. “Following the catastrophic injuries sustained [Thursday] and [Friday], we are conducting a thorough review to gather more information. Feedback regarding track conditions over the past two weeks, following the initial concerns, has been positive, indicating that the track is in good condition. However, we are actively discussing and evaluating additional immediate measures to enhance horse safety and welfare. This is a deeply challenging and unfortunate situation. Our heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to everyone connected to the horses affected.”

On Thursday night, Speight Rasees (Qurbaan) fell and suffered a catastrophic injury. Jockey Skye Chernetz was taken off the remainder of her mounts. Less than 24 horse later, Mad Chatter (Society's Chairman) broke down in Friday's first race at Woodbine. None of the jockeys involved in the spill were injured.

The problems began when Social Dancer (Society's Chairman) broke down in the second race Nov. 9. Six races later, Owen's Tour Guide (Tourist) suffered an injury in the GIII Bessarabian Stakes and had to be euthanized. Woodbine took immediate action, canceling the remainder of the Nov. 9 card and the entire card was scratched the following day.

Racing resumed and there was another death Nov. 16 when Flawless Ruler (Honor Code) broke down. According to Woodbine's Vice President, Communications & Coordination Jamie Dykstra, it was concluded by track vets that it was unlikely that the death of Flawless Ruler was related to the surface. On Nov. 21, Woodbine put out a press release in which it declared that “Woodbine Entertainment is confident its All-Weather [Tapeta] track is in optimal condition for safe training and racing.” The same press release listed the many steps Woodbine had taken to test the track and ensure that it was still safe.

“We've worked diligently to ensure the track is in excellent condition for the final weeks of the meet,” Ford said at the time.

However, the problems continued, and the next breakdown occurred Nov. 24. In that day's third race Tunechi (Outwork) took an awkward step at the five-eighths pole and was eased before being euthanized.