Record Day at Keeneland blemished by Injuries
Posted on October 12, 2007
The Associated Press reports that Saturday was a record day for Keeneland Race Park. But with the good news about the record of stakes races – of which 4 horses would win spots in the Breeders’ Cup, there was also some bad.
There were many injuries including 2 fatalities.
One of the more famous horses injured was Teuflesburg (he was the 17th place finisher at the Kentucky Derby). In the Grade 3 Phoenix Handicap, he had to pull up just short of the finish line because of sesamoid fractures. He is expected to undergo surgery this weak to fuse the fractured bones in his ankles.
Keeneland tries to protect the horses with grass and rubber bricks to help absorb the shock – but sometimes when you have a large and heavy animal, they can just hit funny and cause significant damage to themselves.
Keeneland has installed Polytrack – which is one of the new artificial surfaces that is believed to help cut down on the number of injuries of horses. It is extremely expensive, but if it can help protect the multi-million dollar horses from being injured, its worth it in the long run.
» Filed Under Kentucky Horse Events and Clinics, Lexington Kentucky
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