Latest headache to hit the US a timely reminder that racing's core customers are its most important
There were sad scenes at the conclusion of the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga last weekend when Maple Leaf Mel stumbled and suffered what proved to be a fatal injury just ten yards from the post and with the race won.
Freak accidents can happen to any horse at any time but the scrutiny racing in the US has faced at times this year has never been more intense and what had the makings of a feelgood story for fledgling trainer Melanie Giddings cruelly turned into another PR nightmare.
Earlier this summer I took an in-depth look into the world of US racing as it faced up to a catalogue of negative headlines which started when seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the build-up to the Kentucky Derby.
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Published on inLewis Porteous
Last updated
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- 'I couldn't give a toss about who will win the Gold Cup' - it's time we took a leaf out of Ted Walsh's book and lived in the moment
- The traditional handicapping system is holding back jump racing - it's time for a radical overhaul
- Good luck to those who spent big at Tattersalls last week - recent history suggests you might need it
- Galileo's death has left the staying division at a critical crossroads - but there's also an opportunity to be seized
- Britain’s middle-distance crisis: how this year’s Group 1 results reveal a shocking pattern