Watch War of Will win the Preakness while Bodexpress completes the race without a rider.

By Equestrian Life

A sentimental win, tragic deaths, a riderless horse and talk of a $20 million match race — it’s been a chaotic week in American racing.

War of Will, the horse nearly flattened by Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby, has gone on to win the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (US).

In the Kentucky Derby, War of Will was lucky to stay on his feet and avoid serious injury when Maximum Security shied sideways on the final bend — a move that ultimately saw the horse disqualified despite passing the post first. War of Will was unplaced.

Saturday’s Preakness wasn’t without drama — jockey John Velazquez was knocked off Bodexpress coming out of the gates when the horse decided to put in a couple of bucks. Bodexpress ran the course without him (becoming a social media hero in the process), and thankfully both were uninjured.

War of Will’s rebound win at Baltimore (and Bodexpress’ exceptional riderless effort) was a glimmer of good news amidst the bad in US racing over the past week.

The day before the Preakness at Pimlico, a horse passed away following a race. A 3-year-old filly named Congrats Gal died 100m past the finishing post after the jockey pulled her up to finish last. No cause of death has been released, but some reports have pointed to hot weather potentially playing a part in the incident — although this remains unconfirmed.

The death received intense media coverage in light of the spate of fatalities at Santa Anita Race Track in Southern California.

There have been two further deaths at Santa Anita in the past week — meaning there have been 25 fatalities there since Dec. 26. The two deaths were 3-year-olds Commander Coil and Spectacular Music. Commander Coil tragically suffered a shoulder injury during training and had to be euthanized, while Spectacular Music injured his pelvis during a race and was later euthanized. Previous deaths at the track have already led to racing twice being suspended at the track with some even reporting that the on going trouble is threatening the sport in the state altogether. According to a CBS Los Angeles investigation, alongside the 25 deaths since late December 2018, a further 36 horses died at Santa Anita earlier in 2018 — bringing the total to more than 60 for 2018/19.

Horse racing in the US has been under the microscope in the past few months with intense media coverage of race track deaths, to the point where many are saying the sport is “at a cross roads” and needs to change.

In other news, the fallout from Maximum Security’s Derby disqualification continues. The horse’s owner (who has launched a lawsuit again his horse’s disqualification in the Derby) has offered up as much as $20 million to the owners of fellow Kentucky Derby runners Country House, War of Will, Long Range Toddy and Bodexpress (the horses impacted by Maximum Security’s interference in the Derby) if their horses finish ahead of his horse the next time the face off in a race this year. All five horses could meet in the July 20 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. The invitation is open to any race at any track with all of the horses or individually. You can read more about the potential "match race" here. The other owners are yet to respond.


 

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