An additional four Thoroughbreds were rescued from the fire while no people were reportedly injured in the blaze.

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The barn was engulfed in flames in a matter of 20 minutes and those on the scene say the man of the moment was Prado, with assistance from fellow Kenneally grooms Cristobal Munoz and Estuardo Godoy. Brendan Walsh's grooms Salvador Hernandez and Jose Garcia also were involved, including extricating their stable pony, the retired racehorse Scuba, from the barn.

“They are guys who have been with us a long time,” Kenneally said. “They are good people, so their natural instinct is to try to help. If there's a situation where you're needed, they're the type of people who will jump in and do the right thing.”

Prado noticed the flames while emptying a wheel barrow and yelled to his coworkers. According to those at the scene, Prado jumped into action and one by one retrieved the six racehorses, getting them out by their halters without a lead shank and handing them to his colleagues, who then found empty stalls for the horses.

Prado estimated it took “two or three minutes” to get the six horses out. Five minutes later, he said the barn was completely immersed in flames. Seven fire departments assisted to extinguishing the fire.

Asked later why he went back into the flaming barn, Prado said: “There wasn't any option. The horse had to get out.”

“Racing is a way of life. Taking care of our horses is a way of life,” said Michael Ann Ewing, owner and trainer of Bold and Bossy who was involved in the fire a day after getting loose on the highway. “These guys who stepped in–most of them I've never met–they're heroes. They just dropped everything. Especially those guys who ran into a burning barn without thinking and saved seven horses. Because it could have been really bad.”

“These acts of bravery are a testament to the real folks who represent this industry in largely unseen capacities and actions,” said Ellis Park racing secretary Dan Bork. “To do what they did, to run into a building engulfed in flames–and then go about their business as if nothing ever happened, like what they did wasn't anything out of the ordinary–they're true heroes with their totally selfless acts of courage.

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I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who assisted in removing my horses from the fire this evening. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to every single one of you that put yourselves at risk to make sure 58 horses are able to see another day. The actions of so many this evening proved that this industry is a family with a fierce love of the horse that triumphs over anything else.

I am heartbroken to say that Beastie D and American Sailor were both unable to be saved and perished. Beastie D, a 3-year-old Verrazano colt was a recent purchase from the Sale in Ocala. While we didn't have him long, his presence was felt as he was an individual with an abundance of class and potential.

American Sailor was apart of my family and took my operation to a new level. We were preparing for a 9-year-old campaign and he had been training fantastic. This was a horse that owed me absolutely nothing. He was the pride and joy of my stable and was the horse that took me places in my career that I had only ever dreamed of going. Sailor was so loved by everyone that worked with and around him. He was one of the sweetest horses to be around in the stall, but when he stepped foot on the track- he was nothing but business. He was family.

I want to also express my condolences to my owners Dan Eubanks and Raj and Vedhya Jagnanan who love their horses dearly & to my staff who go above and beyond day in and day out to make sure our horses receive the best care.

Thank you again to everyone who has reached out. It is much appreciated.

#BELMONTSTRONG

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President and executive director Jim Rhodes told the Aiken Standard the outpouring of offers of support since the fire occurred has been humbling. Organizations and individuals have offered over $45,000 of financial support.

In addition to the barn being damaged, the organization lost tack, medical supplies, computers and appliances, as well as four tons of feed.

The Miniature Horse, Whistle, is currently at a local equine hospital where he's being treated for burns. Whistle had been surrendered to the rescue after a dog attack required extensive medical care and bills that his owners couldn't afford.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Read more at the Aiken Standard.

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The former track, located in the southern Vermont town of Pownal near the borders of Massachusetts and New York, last ran a Thoroughbred meet in 1976 and had been closed for racing since 1991 after converting to a greyhound configuration. The building was abandoned and no one was hurt in the blaze, which had to be quelled by 10 fire departments using 20 trucks

A report issued late Thursday afternoon by the Vermont State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit noted that the fire within the grandstand was not the first in recent months, and that partiers and/or vandals trespassing on the grounds were believed to have been involved.

The report stated that “the building was the scene of several other small fires over the summer which had been put out by the fire department as well as numerous events of vandalism and littering throughout the property. These were deemed to be young adults hanging out in the area and entering the building to vandalize the structure, skateboard, and even more recently, ATV riders were noted inside the structure driving around.

“The fire progression was extensive and it was decided by the fire chief to only fight the fire from the exterior to prevent injury or possible death by any internal firefighting efforts by fire personnel,” the report continued. “Based upon the examination of the exterior and noting several areas of collapse in the roof and the damage to heavy support columns to the three-story steel and concrete building it was deemed too dangerous to conduct an internal examination.”

The report stated there was no electricity powering the structure. The Berkshire Eagle further reported that the grandstand, which was once fairly secure and monitored by video surveillance, “has sustained water and other damage from roof leaks and a flood that overflowed the nearby Hoosic River and entered the lower sections.”

Stephen Soler, managing member of Green Mountain Race Track, LLC, which owns the property, told the Eagle that “a significant amount” had been spent this year to re-secure the building. He said the fire should be considered arson “since they had to tear down boards to get in there.”

As recently as April, the Eagle reported, Pownal town officials had been concerned about “reports of youth and others entering the grandstand for parties or other reasons and sometimes starting campfires on the cement floors.”

The Eagle quoted a Pownal zoning official who said the town determined in the spring that “it did not have legal authority to force the owners to demolish the grandstand building, which has been informally estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. But officials will likely reconsider Pownal’s options in light of the fire damage.”

Green Mountain first hosted Thoroughbreds in 1963 and added Standardbred racing a year later. In 1968, the track was the first on the East Coast to host Sunday racing, drawing busloads of horseplayers from as far away as Philadelphia. Greyhound racing took over in 1976. With the occasional exception of non-pari-mutuel harness racing at several county fairs, there has been no racing of any kind in Vermont since then.

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“Our local community has been deeply impacted by the Bobcat Fire burning for more than a week in the mountains behind us,” said Aidan Butler, Executive Director of California Operations for The Stronach Group. “The current weather pattern has kept the smoke in the valley and the air quality is quite poor right now. The Red Cross is using Santa Anita as the evacuation zone for people – including many of our horsemen – whose homes are less than two miles from here. As excited as we are to welcome back live racing, we are first and foremost committed to safety. This is the responsible decision to make at this time so people can plan accordingly.”

The Opening Week now will feature a blockbuster schedule of outstanding stakes action, offering over $2-million in purse money. The stakes schedule includes seven races which are “Win and You're In” races for the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships. The stakes races originally slotted for this weekend will be run as follows: the Chillingworth on Friday, September 25, the Speakeasy on Saturday, September 26 and the Tokyo City Cup on Sunday, September 27.

Entries for Opening Day, September 25, will be drawn on Sunday, September 20, as scheduled. First post will be 12:30 p.m. PT.

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