MGM Northfield Park cancelled the majority of its racing program Monday evening after a horse got loose from its harness, bolted for the infield pond and drowned.
The cancellation occurred after the second of 15 scheduled events. The remainder of the races in the Buckeye Stallion Series will be contested Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. at Northfield Park,
according to a racing industry news source.
Information is scant on the incident, and the person to whom Scene was directed at Northfield Park was unable to receive voicemails due to a full mailbox, but horse racing publications and social media accounts believe the horse to have been "Alfred Hanover."
Marty Irby, the executive director of Animal Wellness Action, a Washington D.C. based nonprofit working to promote public policy that ends cruelty to animals, sent Scene a statement in the wake of the accident, which he called a "catastrophe."
"We are saddened to see yet another racehorse death in the world of harness racing and call on the U.S. Trotting Association and its members to join in supporting the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act that took effect last week by opting into the anti-doping program, and oversight under the new national standards," Irby said.
"As the body count continues to climb, these rampant deaths continue to turn the betting public away from the horse racing industry. Where else would we tolerate any athlete drowning during a sporting event without a serious investigation? The authorities should investigate this incident."
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