Review: Spa Surface Not Factor in Fatalities

The New York State Gaming Commission Aug. 30 reported that a preliminary review has found that surface conditions at Saratoga Race Course are not to blame for the 14 equine deaths during the track's current meet.

NYSGC executive director Robert Williams, who presented a brief overview during a board meeting in Saratoga Springs, said the number of deaths is similar to equine fatalities during the 2014 and 2015 summer meets.

The state's Equine Safety Review Board, a panel whose members include Dr. Scott Palmer, the NYSGC equine medication director, is expected to publish its findings on the equine deaths in the coming weeks. The panel has been meeting weekly, Williams said, to discuss the Saratoga fatalities.

Williams said he has been informed that a review of various track-related issues, including cushion depth, moisture content, and training times, "indicate that the 2016 main track surface meets standards consistent with previous years thereby making track condition unlikely as a contributing factor for 2016 Saratoga equine fatalities."

Williams said the 14 fatalities since May 30 at Saratoga have included 10 exercise-related musculoskeletal injuries, six of which were racing-related and four training-related. One was deemed an "accidental death" due to a fall, one from an infectious disease, and two from sudden cardiac deaths following exercise. There were 13 in 2015 and 14 in 2014.

The New York Racing Association has also brought in racing surface expert Dr. Mick Peterson from the University at Maine to review the Saratoga track; Peterson has previously served as a NYRA consultant.

"While any equine fatality on the grounds of a New York track is tragic and fully investigated, this spike has been the cause of great concern for the commission staff and the New York Racing Association," Williams told NYSGC members.

The six training-related fatalities occurred on the main track and at the Oklahoma Training Track, the NYSGC said.