“Punishing Horses”: Days After 2 Accidents in 35 Minutes, Equestrian Club’s Shocking Decision Leaves Veteran Trainer Stunned

An equestrian enthusiast relishes racing events. Poor track maintenance, on the other hand, may result in injuries to racers and harm to the track’s or club’s reputation. Last Thursday, two horses in separate incidents at Laurel Park, Maryland, provided a grisly example of this. Even though the incident led to the suspension of racing at the park until Sunday, sources indicate that the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) will continue racing in the same park starting this Friday, which isn’t sitting well with an experienced trainer.

Trainer of Thoroughbreds Lacey Gaudet quickly responded to the issue by publicly criticizing MJC on Twitter. Since the equestrian club didn’t repair its track and plans to utilize it for future races despite previous mishaps, Gaudet’s worries are well founded.

The concern of the trainer toward the equestrian club

A terrible injury to Golden Pegasus, a 4-year-old horse, occurred during Thursday’s race. The colt tossed his rider, necessitating an on-the-track euthanasia. Another horse had to be put down following Thursday’s race because the situation was so dire. MJC declared on Twitter that they will be suspending future races at Laurel Park in light of the recent events. The group also declared that discussions for the introduction of modernized safety and veterinary procedures, like those in effect in California since 2019, will be held. The use of these strategies has been shown to drastically cut down on racing- and training-related mortality among horses. Though the senior trainer and many other trainers took to Twitter to express their concern, the club promptly responded on Saturday night that the club certified that the track is safe to be utilized for future races based on numerous tests and their professional understanding.

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Lacey Gaudet has been using Twitter to keep her followers abreast of developments. She also noted that the equestrian club’s choice was extremely rushed given the recent incidents, which were not to be taken lightly. After receiving a formal message from the club on her phone, Gaudet decided to confront the situation. In the tweet, she says, “Punishing horses, riders, gate crew and both tracks to show power. That’s all this is. But ‘the horse comes 1ST'” She notes that the club’s progress is important to many of the riders and crew members, so their disappointment is compounded by the current predicament.

A major development for the club

There has been pushback against MJC because of how strongly they have responded to recent events. While Laurel Park’s reputation is already on the line due to track accidents, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s director of equine safety and welfare, Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, recently went through the track’s fatality data and was somewhat impressed by the progress.

The club’s racing mortality rate has decreased to around 1.3 per 1,000 starts this year. At the club last year, for every 1000 starters, there were 1.98 fatalities. MJC further explained that this improvement was due to their new veterinarian and safety policies and that these mishaps will be thoroughly investigated to make the measures even more effective.

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Many other trainers, including the seasoned trainer who tweeted about it, would want an official response from MJC. For further information, please stay tuned.