The 1st race at Gulfstream yesterday, in the words of the chartwriter: “A Gillion Points chased in the four path, sustained an injury to her left front leg, stumbled, and lost the rider midway around the far turn, then had to be euthanized.”

“Then had to be euthanized.”

There was also this addendum: “No changes were made after the stewards held an inquiry to look at the actions of A Gillion Points around the far turn.” Is there a reader among you who still thinks that horseracing is anything more than a (callous, archaic) gambling business? A Gillion was three years old; this was her third time under the whip.

Meanwhile…

Woodbine Racetrack is, supposedly, the class of Canadian racing. Think of it as their Churchill or Santa Anita. Yesterday, the track released a statement that read in part:

“Woodbine Entertainment announced today that it has cancelled the scheduled race card for Sunday as a precautionary measure to prioritize the safety and well-being of the horses and jockeys. … This follows the cancellation of the final two races of Saturday’s card due to safety concerns with the All-Weather Main Track. Additionally, training on the All-Weather Main Track was suspended this morning.

“‘The safety of our horses and jockeys is always our highest priority,’ said Bill Ford, Executive Vice President of Racing at Woodbine. ‘In consultation with our industry partners, we have decided to take these precautionary steps to ensure that the track conditions meet the highest safety standards. Woodbine has long been recognized as one of the safest racetracks in North America, and we are committed to maintaining that reputation by thoroughly assessing and addressing any issues.’”

Left unsaid was the why: Three horses were killed there Saturday, one unidentified while training and two – 3-year-old Social Dancer and 6-year-old Owen’s Tour Guide – while racing. Three dead, in a matter of hours, at “one of the safest racetracks in North America.” All three kills, by the way, came on Woodbine’s synthetic (“All-Weather”) track, which, say the increasingly-desperate apologists, is the safest surface.

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