By Laura Pugh
There will undoubtedly be those who complain about Santa Anita’s decision to cancel live racing for Saturday, March 2nd, while moving the four stakes races, including the San Felipe and Santa Anita Handicap, to Sunday, March 3rd.
They will say “Back in my day, running on all types of surfaces was a sign of greatness,” blah blah blah.
To that, I say, yeah, and injuries and fatalities were higher and often ignored due to the lack of social media presence that has put the sport of Thoroughbred racing in a very negative light. Yes, times are changing, but it is for the better. It is for the SAFETY of the horses.
It was only a few years ago when Santa Anita was under heavy scrutiny due to the rash of breakdowns that was occurring. While it was stated that nothing was wrong with the surface, officially, there are still those who believe the track was affected by the abnormally high amount of rain that plagued the track that winter and early spring. Guess what? They are having a very similar year when it comes to abnormally high amounts of rain, and I for one, commend them on doing what is right, which is playing it safe.
There is no need to put qualifiers on greatness when those qualifiers lead to running in environments that aren’t safe. These athletes are running at 40mph, in conditions that are already unpredictable. Why is it that in order to prove greatness, we need to see them run on a surface that is difficult to impossible to gain good traction over, and can amplify the chances of a slip or misstep, leading to a catastrophic accident? It makes no logical sense.
Yes, the greats of the past did it, and yes, it added to their legacy, but in the grand scheme of things, are we really going to try and say that not handling an off-surface detracts from a legacy? Would American Pharoah be any less of a legend if he had won the Preakness in dry conditions? Is Flightline any less impressive because he never ran on an off-track? I didn’t think so.
In the grand scheme of things, adding additional risks, like running over an off track just isn’t worth it.
We need to stop holding onto yesteryear and start adapting to the now. The now, present day, is shifting its focus to increasing safety standards for the horses and jockeys, and that is a GOOD thing.
If you can’t get on board with that, then you can fully expect to get left behind.
