ARCADIA, Calif.—The Breeders’ Cup on Saturday ended in a tragic fashion that could have major consequences for the horse racing industry, as Mongolian Groom suffered a catastrophic injury to his left hind leg in the stretch of the $6 million Classic at Santa Anita Park and was euthanized.
The death on such a high-profile stage was the worst possible news for both the racing industry and Santa Anita, which has been the site of more than three dozen fatal incidents since last December, many of them unexplained. California political leaders had warned the track last week they were viewing this weekend’s event as an important test of the industry’s future.
Late Saturday afternoon, Mongolian Groom appeared to take a bad step, before he was pulled up and eased by jockey Abel Cedillo in the stretch of the marquee race of the Breeders’ Cup. As Vino Rosso charged to the finish line to win the race, a screen was rushed onto the track to shield Mongolian Groom from the view of the 67,811 fans in attendance. The 4-year-old gelding was then quickly loaded onto an equine ambulance and taken to a hospital on the backstretch.
Mongolian Groom was later euthanized after a team of veterinarians determined he couldn’t be saved.
The Breeders’ Cup said in a statement on Saturday night, “The death of Mongolian Groom is a loss to the entire horse racing community. Our equine and human athletes’ safety is the Breeders’ Cup’s top priority. We have worked closely with Santa Anita leading up to the World Championships to promote enhanced equine safety.”
In a post-race news conference, Vino Rosso’s co-owner Mike Repole said about Mongolian Groom’s injury, “It’s the worst part of this game.”
Located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Anita Park is one of the most picturesque venues in sports. But the Southern California racetrack has become a controversial site of tragedy amid a rash of unexplained horse deaths.
With the loss of Mongolian Groom, there have now been 37 fatalities at the facility since Dec. 26.
The news has led critics, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), to question the future of the sport.
In a letter sent on Oct. 30 to the executive director of the state’s horse racing regulatory board, Feinstein said the Breeders’ Cup was “a critical test” for the future of horse racing in California.
“If horseracing cannot be conducted in a safe and humane manner that protects the life and safety of horses and jockeys, it may be time to reexamine the future of this sport in our state and in our country,” Feinstein wrote.
Now comes the death of Mongolian Groom during the sport’s biggest event outside of the Triple Crown.
Entering the race, Mongolian Groom had been an underdog story, having upset the Bob Baffert-trained McKinzie in the Awesome Again Stakes in late September at odds of 25-1. That victory prompted trainer Enebish Ganbat and the horse’s owners to put up a $200,000 late nomination fee to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Mongolian Groom had won three races from 16 previous starts for earnings of $579,141.
PETA, which has called for radical reforms by the industry, was critical of the latest incident. “We will not tolerate another mangled horse,” the statement said. “The racing industry must make a choice between doing right by the horses or shutting down forever.”
Although the Breeders’ Cup had considered moving this past weekend’s event to Churchill Downs or another racing venue, the board of directors ultimately voted in June to keep it at Santa Anita.
This past week, the Cup’s organizers and track officials held a briefing to emphasize safety, outlining their strict drug testing protocols, medication restrictions, extra veterinary care and monitoring of the track’s surfaces.
Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for the Stronach Group, said Santa Anita has reduced horse fatalities by nearly 80% at its training track and by more than 50% on the racing track since the track reopened in late March with a renovated dirt surface and a new drainage system. “Our finish line is zero [deaths]. That is our goal.”
Ultimately, Santa Anita came up about 1/8th of a mile short of reaching its goal of every horse returning safely to the barns during this two-day racing festival. On the 14-race Breeders’ Cup card, a total of 153 horses entered the starting gate. Mongolian Groom was the only horse to suffer a fatal injury.
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Write to Jim Chairusmi at jim.chairusmi@wsj.com
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