aqueduct cancelled today after 2 horse spill

[Toccet02]

Anyone know what happened? Did the Jockeys refuse to ride the rest of the card?

[geowarrior]

http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=37407

This is what happened during the race, but it doesn't specify why the rest of racing was cancelled.

[Rokeby Forever]

The track is falling apart, and there's nothing that can be done as long as bankrupt NYRA stays in charge in 2007. The main track was closed early because it fell apart, and now the inner dirt is collapsing. The superintendent said the track needs $3 Million in limestone to shore the surface up, but bankrupt NYRA can't put 10 cents into the place.

The NYRA should be used as human shields in Iraq.

[MidwestTrainer]

There is a dispute over which hospital they are taken to in the event of an injury. Apparently the jocks refused to ride until this is resolved. I think racing is also cancelled for tomorrow.

On another note the horse was taking a VERY suspicious drop. Now we know why.

[geowarrior]

Oh Midwest Trainer, say it aint so. That is really too bad when two horses die and a jockey is injured. I would hope a guilty conscience is pricking but I suspect not.

Eddie Martin jr. has ridden one of my partnership horses in Ill. That jockey has been very fortunate this last couple of days to escape injury in two very serious accidents. Jose Santos seems to have sustained quite severe damage. That poor guy just can't seem to catch a break since his Funny Cide days.

[MidwestTrainer]

I agree, it makes me sick to hear something like that. It makes me wish we could take an eye for an eye, in these cases. If breakdowns truly only happened because of a misstep or bad luck, they would be very rare.

[Lucy]

There is a dispute over which hospital they are taken to in the event of an injury. Apparently the jocks refused to ride until this is resolved. I think racing is also cancelled for tomorrow.

TVG confirmed this, on both counts....but the two cancellations are not related - tomorrow's card was cancelled due to expected below-zero wind chills. Just as well, it'll give 'em an extra day to work things out with the jockeys.

Meanwhile, the track is reported to be 'fine'.

[Toccet02]

I actually didn't see the spill itself, I was in the other room (we're painting, ugh) but I looked in mid-race and knew something terrible had happened from Imbriale's tone of voice.
Jan Rushton commented on one horses taking an enormous drop in class.

[Rokeby Forever]

That's not the answer. The Inner Dirt was built 30 years ago as "state of the art" for winter racing...and since then, the NYRA hasn't put a dime into the maintenance of the surface. Now it freezes more than normally and breaks apart every time the weather gets warm. The place needs to be resurfaced, and the Excelsior Group can't wait to do it, but the NYRA has delayed themselves into controlling NY racing throughout 2007 and nothing will change while they stay in charge....except maybe more stakes cancellations, purse deductions, and the bookkepper holding up winning purses longer.

The Main Track finally collapsed and the NYRA moved racing to the Inner Track a week earlier than schedule. Nobody even knows if the Main Track will be used in the spring.

The NYRA is more of an enemy to NY Racing than Osama is to America!!!

[angelsprite]

Y'all, this is terrible! It's the same everywhere. The one thing I see more than any other thing in racing in this country is DO NOTHINGS IN CHARGE! But people just won't put anything together to get a movement going. Everyone is too busy with their own personal troubles, and let's face it, in Texas and in NY, those personal troubles are getting bigger for a lot of people.
I hate to hear of horses and jockeys injured or killed due to preventable catastrophes!
When will it end?

[BenB]

It only stops when the party is over and out

[mightyhijames]

There is a dispute over which hospital they are taken to in the event of an injury. Apparently the jocks refused to ride until this is resolved. I think racing is also cancelled for tomorrow.

On another note the horse was taking a VERY suspicious drop. Now we know why.

there's an article in the racing form today about the jockey's dispute about the hospital care they receive. it started when jose santos was misdiagnosed after the spill on thursday.

[MidwestTrainer]

You would think a hospital is a hospital, but I know of a rider that got injured and went to the "closest" hospital. They claimed he had a very very minute fracture in his clavicle and would be able to ride in two weeks.

When I picked him up from the hospital I looked at the x-rays, his clavicle was broken completely through in two seperate spots. Needless to say, the second opinion was much different.

Everyone knows this horse was dropping for a reason and I think it is disgusting that the connections do not have respect for the riders, the families of the riders, or the connections of the other horses in the race. How can they feel no shame?

[rudydee]

There is a dispute over which hospital they are taken to in the event of an injury. Apparently the jocks refused to ride until this is resolved. I think racing is also cancelled for tomorrow.

On another note the horse was taking a VERY suspicious drop. Now we know why.

Midwest Trainer is on the money on every aspect of this unfolding story. Arroyo asked to be taken to a different hospital. The ambulance crew refused. They have orders to take the jockeys to the "closest" hospital.
So they did. Aroyo was not happy and he called from the hospital to the jock's room to complain. The jockeys voted and they will not race until the issue is resolved. The drop in class for the horse, Cadillac Cruiser that broke down is another mess. Cadillac Cruiser was claimed out of the race.

[Rokeby Forever]

The dropdown horse is NOT this issue. The horse cleared the track vet, didn't it? Don't blame the connections for running the horse if the vet OK'ed it.