2 horses die at Belmont Park, adding another black eye for sport during Triple Crown season
Excursionniste euthanized after Belmont Stakes; Mashnee Girl had same fate Sunday
IF HORSE DIES EUTHANIZE THE OWNER
By Scott Thompson | Fox News
Two horses were euthanized at Belmont Park, the site of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
The first came on Saturday following the final race of the Belmont Stakes, which came immediately after the main event in which Arcangelo won the 155th running.
Excursionniste was injured and ended up getting euthanized, marking a horse’s death at all three Triple Crown race sites, which includes Churchill Downs (Kentucky Derby) Pimlico Race Course (Preakness Stakes).
Arcangelo wins the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes on June 10, 2023, in Elmont, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Then, Mashnee Girl was euthanized on Sunday following "catastrophic injury" to the left front leg during a race at Belmont Park, per the New York Racing Association.
It was the same injury that occurred to Excursionniste.
PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo released a statement Saturday following the death of Excursionniste.
"Racing couldn’t manage to keep all horses alive for even one Triple Crown day this year," she said in the statement. "Belmont Park did not do enough to prevent Excursionniste’s death. PETA urged the New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission to require CT scans for all horses racing today in order to screen for preexisting injuries, which are present in 90% of these fatalities. They refused."
"The racing industry is digging its own grave – as well as this horse's."
People gather around a giant statue of Secretariat at Belmont Park as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat at the 2023 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on June 10, 2023. (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Churchill Downs suspended all racing until July 3 following 12 total deaths at the track this year, all of which are being investigated.
The announcement came Friday where Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanien said, "The team at Churchill Downs takes great pride in our commitment to safety and strives to set the highest standard in racing, consistently going above and beyond the regulations and policies that are required."
"What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable. Despite our best efforts to identify a cause for the recent horse injuries, and though no issues have been linked to our racing surfaces or environment at Churchill Downs, we need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols."
Arcangelo with Javier Castellano up wins the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 10, 2023, in Elmont, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Bob Baffert’s horse Havnameltdown suffered an injury to the left front ankle during an undercard race before the Preakness Stakes ran, which led to being euthanized at the Maryland track.
Two horses were euthanized at Belmont Park, the site of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
The first came on Saturday following the final race of the Belmont Stakes, which came immediately after the main event in which Arcangelo won the 155th running.
Excursionniste was injured and ended up getting euthanized, marking a horse’s death at all three Triple Crown race sites, which includes Churchill Downs (Kentucky Derby) Pimlico Race Course (Preakness Stakes).
Arcangelo wins the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes on June 10, 2023, in Elmont, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Then, Mashnee Girl was euthanized on Sunday following "catastrophic injury" to the left front leg during a race at Belmont Park, per the New York Racing Association.
It was the same injury that occurred to Excursionniste.
PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo released a statement Saturday following the death of Excursionniste.
"Racing couldn’t manage to keep all horses alive for even one Triple Crown day this year," she said in the statement. "Belmont Park did not do enough to prevent Excursionniste’s death. PETA urged the New York Racing Association and the New York State Gaming Commission to require CT scans for all horses racing today in order to screen for preexisting injuries, which are present in 90% of these fatalities. They refused."
"The racing industry is digging its own grave – as well as this horse's."
People gather around a giant statue of Secretariat at Belmont Park as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat at the 2023 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on June 10, 2023. (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Churchill Downs suspended all racing until July 3 following 12 total deaths at the track this year, all of which are being investigated.
The announcement came Friday where Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanien said, "The team at Churchill Downs takes great pride in our commitment to safety and strives to set the highest standard in racing, consistently going above and beyond the regulations and policies that are required."
"What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable. Despite our best efforts to identify a cause for the recent horse injuries, and though no issues have been linked to our racing surfaces or environment at Churchill Downs, we need to take more time to conduct a top-to-bottom review of all of the details and circumstances so that we can further strengthen our surface, safety and integrity protocols."
Arcangelo with Javier Castellano up wins the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 10, 2023, in Elmont, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Bob Baffert’s horse Havnameltdown suffered an injury to the left front ankle during an undercard race before the Preakness Stakes ran, which led to being euthanized at the Maryland track.
Horses die in consecutive races at Belmont Park, following history-making event
Mashnee Girl didn't survive the first race on Sunday, nor did Excursionniste in the 13th on Saturday.
Mashnee Girl didn't survive the first race on Sunday, nor did Excursionniste in the 13th on Saturday.
The field breaks from the starting gate in the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y., on June 10.
Seth Wenig / AP
June 11, 2023,
By David K. Li
Horses died in consecutive races at Belmont Park, dealing more untimely blows to the beleaguered sport which had little time to celebrate of its most uplifting events of the year.
Mashnee Girl, trained by Mark Hennig, broke down in the first race on Sunday, suffering a catastrophic injury to her left front leg at the storied race course just outside of New York City before she was put down.
"Despite the immediate response and best efforts of on-site attending veterinarians, the horse was humanely euthanized due to the severity of the injury," New York Racing Association Vice President Patrick McKenna said in a statement on Sunday.
About 17 hours earlier, in the 13th race on Saturday, a similar fate befell Hennig-trained Excursionniste, was also suffered a fatal injury to the front left ankle.
Both tragedies happened on Belmont's turf course as the field was nearing the top of the stretch.
"I'm not holding up very well," an emotional Hennig told NBC News, sniffling throughout the conversation. "It's been very emotional. I just can't fathom this ever happening, two horses you run in a row. I mean I've run over 10,000 horses and have never had anything close to this."
That tragedy unfolded just after the 12th race, when Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes and made Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown jewel.
Animal rights group PETA was quick to blame Belmont for the twin tragedies.
“Two dead Thoroughbreds in two days with the same trainer on the same track means one thing: Belmont Park is failing to protect horses," PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a statement. "Like Churchill Downs, Belmont must suspend racing immediately to avoid the same bloodbath. Anything less makes Belmont complicit in the fatalities.”
Including Mashnee Girl and Excursionniste, four horses have died during races at Belmont Park's spring/summer meet, which began on May 4 and has encompassed 1,670 horses starting in 214 races, according to McKenna.
"NYRA’s comprehensive safety strategy is informed by the most advanced science and research in consultation with independent experts, veterinarians, and horsemen," the NYRA rep said. "The health and safety of horses and jockeys competing at NYRA tracks is our highest priority and one that stands above all other considerations."
Mashnee Girl and Excursionniste both had clean bills of health with no concern for racing, their trainer said.
"Neither one of them has been on a vet's list, they're clean-legged horses," Hennig said. "It's just horrible, horrible, horrible luck. These horses were in good, sound racing condition. These two horses never had issues with these ankles, the same ankles that fractured."
Saturday’s Belmont Stakes capped a tumultuous five weeks of racing that normally shines a bright light on the sport of kings. Instead, a string of untimely death raised questions about the sport’s viability.
A week ago Friday, Churchill Downs, host of the Kentucky Derby, announced it had temporarily stopped racing there to investigate its recent fatalities.
And shortly before National Treasure won the Preakness, the ordinarily party-filled day at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore was overshadowed by tragedy when Havnameltdown broke down at the top of the stretch of the $200,000 Grade IIII Chick Lang Stakes and had to be put down.
June 11, 2023,
By David K. Li
Horses died in consecutive races at Belmont Park, dealing more untimely blows to the beleaguered sport which had little time to celebrate of its most uplifting events of the year.
Mashnee Girl, trained by Mark Hennig, broke down in the first race on Sunday, suffering a catastrophic injury to her left front leg at the storied race course just outside of New York City before she was put down.
"Despite the immediate response and best efforts of on-site attending veterinarians, the horse was humanely euthanized due to the severity of the injury," New York Racing Association Vice President Patrick McKenna said in a statement on Sunday.
About 17 hours earlier, in the 13th race on Saturday, a similar fate befell Hennig-trained Excursionniste, was also suffered a fatal injury to the front left ankle.
Both tragedies happened on Belmont's turf course as the field was nearing the top of the stretch.
"I'm not holding up very well," an emotional Hennig told NBC News, sniffling throughout the conversation. "It's been very emotional. I just can't fathom this ever happening, two horses you run in a row. I mean I've run over 10,000 horses and have never had anything close to this."
That tragedy unfolded just after the 12th race, when Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes and made Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown jewel.
Animal rights group PETA was quick to blame Belmont for the twin tragedies.
“Two dead Thoroughbreds in two days with the same trainer on the same track means one thing: Belmont Park is failing to protect horses," PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said in a statement. "Like Churchill Downs, Belmont must suspend racing immediately to avoid the same bloodbath. Anything less makes Belmont complicit in the fatalities.”
Including Mashnee Girl and Excursionniste, four horses have died during races at Belmont Park's spring/summer meet, which began on May 4 and has encompassed 1,670 horses starting in 214 races, according to McKenna.
"NYRA’s comprehensive safety strategy is informed by the most advanced science and research in consultation with independent experts, veterinarians, and horsemen," the NYRA rep said. "The health and safety of horses and jockeys competing at NYRA tracks is our highest priority and one that stands above all other considerations."
Mashnee Girl and Excursionniste both had clean bills of health with no concern for racing, their trainer said.
"Neither one of them has been on a vet's list, they're clean-legged horses," Hennig said. "It's just horrible, horrible, horrible luck. These horses were in good, sound racing condition. These two horses never had issues with these ankles, the same ankles that fractured."
Saturday’s Belmont Stakes capped a tumultuous five weeks of racing that normally shines a bright light on the sport of kings. Instead, a string of untimely death raised questions about the sport’s viability.
A week ago Friday, Churchill Downs, host of the Kentucky Derby, announced it had temporarily stopped racing there to investigate its recent fatalities.
And shortly before National Treasure won the Preakness, the ordinarily party-filled day at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore was overshadowed by tragedy when Havnameltdown broke down at the top of the stretch of the $200,000 Grade IIII Chick Lang Stakes and had to be put down.
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