LAUREL, Md.--The Maryland Jockey Club cancelled racing on April 21 after two fatalities at Laurel Park on Thursday, April 20.
On April 22 the Jockey Club issued a status of the race track that said it was safe and that racing would resume next week, but, according to the Thoroughbred Daily News, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the Maryland Horse Breeders' Association sent a joint email to Maryland Racing Commission Chairman Michael Algeo calling into question the safety of the track and calling the current situation a “catastrophic emergency.”
"Convinced that there is something wrong with the track that needs to be repaired, the horsemen wrote that the condition of the dirt track “is a serious threat to the life and safety of both riders and horses and must be immediately addressed.” The statement added that “…many owners have taken their horses off the track or sent them to other racetracks and training facilities, which is eroding the great product Maryland is able to offer.”
The Maryland Racing Commission has scheduled an emergency meeting to be held Tuesday at 11 a.m at Laurel, which could answer the many questions surrounding the track's problems and when racing will resume at Laurel.
THE MARYLAND Jockey Club issued the following new statement late Saturday regarding the status of the Laurel surface.
The Maryland Jockey Club has cancelled its Thursday, Apr. 27 racing program at Laurel Park due to insufficient entries. The racing office will be open and taking entries Sunday for the Friday, Apr. 28 program.
We acknowledge the recent statements in the press regarding the safety of our racing surface. However, we want to emphasize that 1/ST Racing and the Maryland Jockey Club prioritize safety above all else, and continually engage in proactive analysis of our racing and training surfaces. To this end, we have engaged the services of Dennis Moore, a renowned industry expert, who has been conducting routine testing of the Laurel Park racing surface for the past three days. Dennis, along with independent engineering experts, have performed a comprehensive battery of tests during this time, to ensure the safety of our racing surface.
Particle size distribution via the following methods:
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Laser diffraction
Sieve and hydrometer
Orono Biomechanical Surface Test (ASTM Standard F3400)
Peak Vertical Load
Peak Fore-Aft Load
Peak Vertical Deacceleration
Ground Penetrating Radar
Percentage surface crossfall
Bulk Density
X-ray diffraction
Base inspection
The results of these tests were all within industry norms. Based on these tests and their professional knowledge, our track experts have advised that there are no issues with the track and that it is safe to race and train.
In addition, Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, Director of Equine Safety and Welfare with HISA, has at our request reviewed Laurel's fatality data and stated, “I've reviewed the data provided to me this morning by the Maryland Racing Commission and find a racing fatality rate at Laurel of approximately 1.3/1,000 starts since January 1st. By comparison, the Equine Injury Database shows a rate of approximately 1.98/1,000 at this same point (through Apr. 21) last year.” As stated the current fatality rate has decreased from last year at the same point.
Even though the track surface is within industry standards certain Horseman have determined not to submit entries for this Thursday's racing card. Hopefully after reviewing the facts live racing will proceed.
We hope that all stakeholders will be able to come to a consensus and adopt the enhanced veterinary and safety protocols that have been implemented with great success in California. MJC has made repeated requests of the horsemen and are still waiting for their approval to be able to move forward with their implementation.
While we all know that catastrophic injuries will not be eliminated completely it is clear from the above that our track is not the issue, and we urge the Commission and the MTHA to take advantage of the proven enhancements to improve horse safety.
