In the 5th at Charles Town Saturday, Midcentury Modern “clipped the heels of Big Bolt” (who herself had “hit the rail”) and went down. Besides the gruesome fall itself, noteworthy here is the track announcer utterly ignoring it when it happened. Also: While the chart says Midcentury eventually “walked off,” that could be because the ambulance was already in use: the “winner,” Love the Sauce, was carted away post race.
Then this: Sunday, at the Colonial Cup steeplechase – where “friends and family unite for an exciting afternoon of racing,” where you can enjoy a “best dressed and best hat competition,” and, best of all, where “children 12 and under are free” – no fewer than four horses went down: Forever Hopeful, St James the Great, Lightning Rod, and Welshman. While all were said to have “walked off,” just the sight of them falling should be enough for any compassionate, responsible parent to forever forswear this event going forward.
