Congrats Gal dies after race is over
Filly’s death is 1st since 2016 on Preakness weekend
The Miss Preakness Stakes featured a record-breaking run by Covfefe, but the race and Black-Eyed Susan Day was marred by the death of 3-year-old filly Congrats Gal, whodied soon after pulling up and finishing last in the nine-horse field.
The death, which was confirmed in a statement from The Stronach Group, was the first on Preakness weekend since two horses died on Preakness day in 2016. A cause has not yet been determined, and The Stronach Group said a full necropsy will be performed to try to determine the cause of death.
“Congrats Gal suffered sudden death after the eighth race today,” the statement read. “The incident occurred after the wire. Commission veterinarians attended to the horse immediately. Our thoughts go out to all of the owners, trainers and connections of Congrats Gal.”
Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also issued a statement after the death of Congrats Gal.
“The sickening collapse and sudden death of Congrats Gal at Pimlico today are proof that the Maryland racing industry has not done enough to protect horses,” the statement said. “PETA will be calling for a formal investigation, including a necropsy and blood toxicology panel, and for the release of all medication and veterinary records. We will be contacting the district attorney’s office, as we did in California, where the D.A. has appointed a task force to investigate training and veterinary practices.”
This already has been a year of safetyrelated controversy in the racing industry. Santa Anita Park shut down temporarily during a three-month period in which 23 horses died. The number was so unusually large that the string of fatalities prompted a backlash that reached Congress and prompted California senator Dianne Feinstein to call for a suspension of racing until the causes of all 23 deaths were determined.
Santa Anita is owned by The Stronach Group, which also owns Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park.
“The Stronach Group is committed to the welfare and safety of horses above all and we are saddened by what happened today,” Friday’s statement continued.
On Preakness day 2016, Maryland-bred Homeboykris, a 9-year-old gelding who ran in the 2010 Kentucky Derby, collapsed and died of a heart attack after winning the first race. In the fourth race, Pramedya, a 4-year-old filly, collapsed on the turf during the final turn with a fracture in the left front leg. She was euthanized on the track.
Another water-main break
Three days after a serious water main break near the main entrance of Pimlico Race Course disrupted preparations for Preakness weekend, another rupture occurred Friday in the basement of the main building during Black-Eyed Susan Day.
The Stronach Group confirmed the break Friday evening, and said the problem was repaired with water restored to an affected area within one hour.
“We apologize for the inconvenience to our guests,’’ the company said in a statement. “These types of incidents are unfortunate but expected when dealing with the aging infrastructure of a 100-plus-year-old facility.”
Castellano’s big day
Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano already was having a good day before he won the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes aboard Point of Honor. He had already won four of the previous five races. A quick review:
Race 6: Castellano rode Eons for trainer Arnaud Delacour, emerged from a 13-horse field and paid $8.80 to win the Northwestern Mutual “Spend Your Life Living Race.”
Race 7: His second victory came on favorite Chalon in the Skipat Stakes. The 5-year-old mare was racing for the first time in six months and finished ahead of medium long shots Everlasting Secret and Hailey’s Flip.
Race 8: Riding another short-odds horse, Castellano came home on Covfefe in a record Miss Preakness time of 1:07.70 and paid $5.60 in a race that was marred by the death of filly Congrats Gal.
Race 9: His fourth straight win came on another layoff horse. Dogtag was racing for the first time since September and outfinished German-bred Nova Sol and Fashion Faux Pas.
Race 11: In the feature race, Castellano rode Point of Honor to the Grade 2 victory, holding off surprising Ulele and secondfavorite Cookie Dough.
Attendance, handle records
Black-Eyed Susan Day drew a record crowd of 51,573, eclipsing the previous high of 50,339, set in 2017. The total handle was $22,281,300, surpassing the previous record of $19,895,000, also set in 2017.
Streak ends for Las Setas
Laurel-based Las Setas entered the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes with a string of four straight victories and wins in three straight stakes races, but finished seventh in the eight-horse field.