Gold Cup Disaster--What Were They Thinking

[Hambletonian]

does anyone, since the invention of talkies, remember seeing a partially run race re-run the same day? we had one or two stakes races in ny re run because of gate malfunctions a few weeks later....but to warm up, run a half mile or so, pull up, cool down, then repeat the process several hours later?

these are not standardbreds, racing heats...which by the way are less and less common these days.

also, did anyone catch the early press reports that said fox huint clipped heels, then broke down?

when i saw the replay all i could think was one of the horses most have had the power of invisibility because to my untrained eyes it looked like he broke down in the right front, then the left front a stride or two later. horses breaking two legs is not unknown, i have witnessed it first hand, usually one leg starts to go then the horse overcompensates and puts all their weight on the other leg and it goes two. but i have not seen it in a horse just galloping along like that. seemed to be in the clear, not justling around or bumping with others.unless that horse stepped in a hole...

[PaceAdvantage]

does anyone, since the invention of talkies, remember seeing a partially run race re-run the same day?Serious question...are they made out of glass?

If so, shouldn't we just shut the sport down worldwide? Just end it all already...

You really think it's that outrageous what they did in Dubai? Bordering on cruelty?

[Tom]

They hardly ran a race the first time

[wisconsin]

There was a time when a horse would step off a train, ride in a trailer to the track, workout over the track and run in a stakes that very afternoon. Sometimes, that horse would race again the next day!

[cj]

does anyone, since the invention of talkies, remember seeing a partially run race re-run the same day?

2008, Longchamps on Arc day, the Prix de l'Abbaye.

[Hambletonian]

Serious question...are they made out of glass?

If so, shouldn't we just shut the sport down worldwide? Just end it all already...

You really think it's that outrageous what they did in Dubai? Bordering on cruelty?

you really think this was normal or typical or that horses are trained for this?
I am not saying it is cruel, heck there was a steeplechaser in Britain who ran on Thursday night then Friday afternoon a few years back. the fact that he ran well in both races is testament that he was trained for that endeavour.

i never mentioned everything about cruel, you weaken your argument when you put words in my mouth, I just think that this was an abysmal idea and i would have certainly cancelled my wager had i bet on this race--and scratched my horse if i owned one.

look when a horse runs off in the post parade and even makes it a few furlongs down the track they scratch them. this was like the whole field ran off for 6 furlongs, carrying jocks no less. now i realize that the post parade scratches are done to protexct the racing public since the horse may no longer be at his best. still, it seems that this was not the best idea.

the most logical choice would have been to wave the field around the fallen horse....that is done all the time, especially in steeplechase racing. it wasn;' like there were riderless horses all over the place, going in the wrong direction. there really was very little safety issue at all with continuing the race.

[cj]

the most logical choice would have been to wave the field around the fallen horse....that is done all the time, especially in steeplechase racing. it wasn;' like there were riderless horses all over the place, going in the wrong direction. there really was very little safety issue at all with continuing the race.

As I mentioned, there was a pretty recent precedent for doing this at a high level of racing, and in a sprint where the horses were running much harder.

As for your idea, what if the horse had gotten up? I don't think there is any way in the short time a decision had to be made that they could know that wasn't possible.

[tholl]

the most logical choice would have been to wave the field around the fallen horse....that is done all the time, especially in steeplechase racing. it wasn;' like there were riderless horses all over the place, going in the wrong direction. there really was very little safety issue at all with continuing the race.

You must be kidding. The horse was down in the middle of the course, could have been a major disaster at worse and most likey a false finish. Yes, its done all the time in steeplechase races but jump jockeys are aware that that can happen at any time and is fairly easy to wave horses around a fence. Different situation here altogether with field coming down the stretch, riders with their heads down. They did the right thing and should be commended for that.
As far as rerunning the race it should be noted that all trainers, owners and jockeys were in agreement with that decision. These included jockeys Dettori, Hills, Moore, Nakatani, Murtagh, Shea, trainers De Kock, Suroor and Doumen. Think between them they were sure it was the right choice.
Too easy to look back and point fingers whenever an unfortunate coincidence like this happens.

[Hambletonian]

if they ran it for honors only with no purse...how many of those jockeys and trainers would have agreed?

frankly. in most cases where a horse breaks down and could be in the way, they move him out of the way or the outrider waves them around...it is not like anyopne besides perhaps the pacesetter didn't know this hrose went down. Now if the starting gate gets stuck, blocking almost the whole track, then they have no choice.

at the end of the day, i think it would have been better for all concerned to either finish the original race, or postpone it for several weeks and run it again.

[Hambletonian]

it was a travesty that when Barbaro broke down in the Preakness they did not immediately pull up the field and run the race three hours later. funny, at the time i do not remember anyone suggesting that...and what were they, 1 furlong into the race. now i realize he was not down on the track, but if memory serves he was still on the track when the field came around,

[tholl]

Would agree if there was no purse money many (except the Arab owned runners) would not have run. But I'm still confident in their decision that the horses were not in harm's way due to the first "race".
From what I'm told the broken down horse was in the middle of the course. Would have meant that they would have had to either have the runners go to the inside or outside of the obstacle. Turf course is wide but they felt either way was too risky. Not like they had much time to make the decision.

[tholl]

it was a travesty that when Barbaro broke down in the Preakness they did not immediately pull up the field and run the race three hours later. funny, at the time i do not remember anyone suggesting that...and what were they, 1 furlong into the race. now i realize he was not down on the track, but if memory serves he was still on the track when the field came around,

yes, but he (Barbaro) was taken to the outside rail and there was no risk.. This horse was down and could not be moved. Have to say that if he was down near the inside rail maybe they could have directed the field around and maybe would have done.

[castaway01]

it was a travesty that when Barbaro broke down in the Preakness they did not immediately pull up the field and run the race three hours later. funny, at the time i do not remember anyone suggesting that...and what were they, 1 furlong into the race. now i realize he was not down on the track, but if memory serves he was still on the track when the field came around,

Barbaro was not laying in the middle of the stretch endangering the other horses, so this is sort of an absurd comparison, isn't it?

[nearco]

it was a travesty that when Barbaro broke down in the Preakness they did not immediately pull up the field and run the race three hours later. funny, at the time i do not remember anyone suggesting that...and what were they, 1 furlong into the race. now i realize he was not down on the track, but if memory serves he was still on the track when the field came around,

Do you seriously think that if Barbaro was lying on the track about 50 yards from the line and 15 ft from the rail (which is where he broke down) that they would not have called the race off and just let the horses run around him and any people attending to him?

[Steve R]

Did I miss something or is it insignificant that two other horses were euthanized because of injuries sustained in the rerun? That certainly seems like a bigger issue than how they handled the initial incident.

[castaway01]

Did I miss something or is it insignificant that two other horses were euthanized because of injuries sustained in the rerun? That certainly seems like a bigger issue than how they handled the initial incident.

It's a big incident but it's hard to argue that it was malicious considering the owners in that country treat their horses better than they treat the citizens in the country. Also, it happened on a strange surface and, more importantly, in a circumstance that will never be repeated in this country. So, from my perspective, it's hard to know how upset to get or what to do about it. It's a strange, faraway land that we worry about once a year, or maybe when they buy our good Derby horses, and have zero control over, legislatively or otherwise.

[Spalding No!]

Did I miss something or is it insignificant that two other horses were euthanized because of injuries sustained in the rerun? That certainly seems like a bigger issue than how they handled the initial incident.
It was earlier noted as an "unfortunate coincidence".

While CJ pointed out that the 5f 2008 Prix de l'Abbaye was also re-run the same day it was called off, obviously such situations rarely occur. It is unknown territory in the world of Thoroughbred flat racing. I think Hambletonian had a valid point in questioning whether this is a safe practice considering the horses are not trained to perform in this manner.

In racing situations, fatigue is just as significant as speed in causing severe injury, perhaps more so.