I would like to respond to Ryan Metzger's letter to the editor published in the Paulick Report on Aug. 28, 2023. As a former turf writer for United Press International and Bloomberg Sports, for which I covered the Kentucky Derby and many major racing events of the 1990s, I am like many others appalled and heartbroken by the recent deaths of Maple Leaf Mel and New York Thunder.
There are many variables as to why this is happening, seemingly so often, and so tragically that these injuries are increasingly catastrophic in nature. I would like to address what I believe are two of the most likely culprits that Mr. Metzger brought up in his letter. First, and I quote:
“Not putting horses who had career ending injuries on the racetrack into the gene pool…”
As I researched the pedigree of Maple Leaf Mel, I was struck by the similarities to Eight Belles, who broke down in a similar fashion at the end of her run in the 2008 Kentucky Derby. Both fillies were inbred multiple times to Raise a Native, the brilliantly fast champion 2-year-old of 1963, who broke down in a front limb after four starts, and both descended from Unbridled's Song.
Eight Belles was inbred 3x to Raise a Native, Maple Leaf Mel 4x.
Raise a Native was a breed shaping stallion who is responsible for the great rivalry of son Alydar and grandson Affirmed. However, as we seek the brilliance of Raise a Native, we also need to be mindful of infusing stamina and soundness, as was done by the great racing and breeding families of the past.
To save the future of the sport we love, we would be wise to look to the past, when racing was at its best. The Pillars of the Turf we should not just visit at the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, we should look to their guidance, their wisdom in breeding and racing, which gave millions of Americans so much joy in the 1940s, '50s, '60s, and '70s.
An example is Arthur B. Hancock and son Arthur “Bull” Hancock Jr. of Claiborne Farm. They both looked to European bloodlines to infuse stamina and soundness. The stallions they valued were often descended from European Classic winners or Classic winners themselves. The two Hancocks imported breed-shaping stallions Nasrullah and Blenheim II, stood Princequillo, and their breeding methods gave us Triple Crown winners and numerous Classic winners.
In stark contrast, today we value as stallions sprinters, brilliantly fast, too often unsound horses with abbreviated careers, while Classic winners like Sunday Silence and Empire Maker are sent overseas, usually to our regret. We are breeding horses with great hearts, but not providing them with the skeletons they need to carry their hearts around the track going at full tilt from the moment the gate opens.
Which brings me to another of Mr. Metzger's proposals:
“Running longer, safer distances …”
There is too much emphasis on speed in American racing. We are obsessed with blazing fractions and stakes and track records to the detriment of our beautiful and courageous equine athletes. A few years ago I took a Racing Europe trip to Ireland, where we watched the morning works at the Curragh with John Oxx, trainer of Epsom Derby and Arc de Triomphe winner Sea the Stars.
I noticed that Mr. Oxx was not holding a stopwatch. I asked him how he knew the times of the works. He responded (I paraphrase, but the spirit remains), “I don't know. I see how fit they are by how they are moving and how they come back. The time does not matter.”
Anyone who has watched racing in Europe knows that distance is valued over sprinting. The horses typically run the first several furlongs at an easy gallop, and are not asked for their best effort and maximum speed until the last few furlongs.
The contrast with American racing is stark. In the case of Maple Leaf Mel and New York Thunder, both horses were asked to run full out, at maximum effort, from the moment the gate opened for seven furlongs. Basic Physics states that Force = Mass x Acceleration. The force we ask these horses to exert on their limbs via Acceleration (a derivative of speed) during sprint races is enormous. The question should not be why does tragedy happen, but why doesn't it happen even more often?
If we want safer racing in America and less tragedy, there needs to be a shift away from speed to the European model of longer distances. Racing secretaries need to card more races over a mile. This is not my original idea. It was suggested by Eight Belles' breeder Robert Clay of Three Chimneys Farm, responding to criticism, in an article by Ray Paulick, special to ESPN.com, dated June 23, 2008:
“We breed for the market, and the market is demanding brilliance,” he said. “That's where we are in the cycle of history. We – American breeders at least – have probably cycled this industry too far to the speed and brilliance side and away from the stamina and durability side. This is a healthy debate. Maybe the breeders can now say, 'Let's move this back,' and racing secretaries will change how they write races, and the pendulum will swing the other way.”
In conclusion, I have loved horse racing since Seattle Slew mesmerized me as a little girl. I want it to succeed. But I was at the track Whitney day and Travers day, and I am having trouble watching it at the moment. I appeal to the folks in charge, that business as usual is not going to save the sport. We are losing fans, and every time a horse goes down, we lose more.
I overheard some gentlemen at the Saratoga select sale discussing Maple Leaf Mel, and the last thing I heard them say before they walked away was “nothing can be done.” Please assure all of us that love the Thoroughbred, that they are wrong. Before it all disappears.
— April Alfarano, New York
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