AMERICAN racing chiefs have taken drastic action to close down the ‘minefield’ turf course at a top track in Philadelphia.
Concerns have been on the rise after a number of horse injuries, and a recent horse death sparked outrage and led to racing on the grass at Parx, which is a Grade 1 track, being suspended.
Harold Wyner, the trainer of the ill-fated Causes Trouble who suffered a fatal injury on August 24, walked the course after the heartbreaking incident and filmed a video, revealing the terrible condition of the racing surface.
It showed a turf track covered with weeds and deep holes, with the course breaking apart as horses raced across it. One huge divot was deep enough to go ‘up to your knee’.
A shocked Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s president Bob Hutt contacted the chief of America’s Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) after being sent the video by Wyner.
They immediately put pressure on the track management to close the turf track until serious remedial work had been carried out to make it safe for horses and jockeys.
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Hutt told TDN: “I was horrified by the video because I knew what they were going to do, just go out there and fill the holes with dirt and then run more races on it and send horses to their death.
“I could see a chain reaction where five horses and jockeys were killed. I can’t be a part of it. I found a number for Lisa Lazarus, who is the president of HISA, sent her the video and she said, ‘Oh my God, that’s horrible. We’re going to investigate.’
“This was on a Sunday. Everybody has problems with HISA, but on this particular case, the fact I was able to reach out to her on a Sunday evening and she got back to me, means that she’s responsible for saving many horses’ lives.
“If it weren’t for her, they (track bosses) would have said ‘the track is ok, who the hell is Bob Hutt,’ and they would have kept running turf races.
“The course looks like a minefield, with holes that are six inches. You look at that video and it’s horrifying.
“Harold stops three times to put his hands in the holes. The first two are about six inches deep. The third one would be up to your knee.”
And he slammed the racecourse management team, adding: “The turf course has always been awful and they refuse to spend money on it.
“Anyone who would have looked at the turf course would have been horrified, absolutely horrified.
“They are killing the sport we all love. We just have to keep fighting. That’s all we can do.”
