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The latest catastrophie of horse breakdowns at Arlington Park continued Wednesday.
Gringa Hug, a 6-year-old mare running in the fourth race, pulled up in the stretch and later was destroyed. Her death was the third of a thoroughbred in the last two racing days at Arlington and brought the number of dead horses at the track this season to at least 27. Scores more have been sidelined or retired because of running-related injuries since the live opening in early May.
The track released a statement identical in format to the one released Sunday after horses named Big Attlet and Our Memento died. It read, in part, that Gringa Hug ''will be sent to the University of Illinois for necropsy examination to try to determine the cause of injury.''
Gringa Hug suffered her fatal injury in the Arlington ''death zone,'' an area on the dirt track between the half-mile pole and the sixteenth pole. All 27 fatalities at Arlington this summer occurred because of running on the dirt surface, and almost all of the 27 happened within the ''death zone.''
Arlington retained a consultant two months ago who recommended minor adjustments to the track, then declared the dirt surface ''safe.'' The Illinois Racing Board then retained two consultants, both of whom concluded the surface was ''safe.''
After heavy rainfall last week, track observers reported that the dirt surface once again began to ''play'' inordinately fast Saturday.
In a riding oddity before the fourth race Wednesday, top jockey Mark Guidry suddenly took off Gringa Hug after winning the third race on Ostenaco. Guidry had ridden Gringa Hug in her last two races. No reason was given for his decision. Chris Emigh was aboard the Ron Goodridge trainee when she broke down.
Gringa Hug, a 6-year-old mare running in the fourth race, pulled up in the stretch and later was destroyed. Her death was the third of a thoroughbred in the last two racing days at Arlington and brought the number of dead horses at the track this season to at least 27. Scores more have been sidelined or retired because of running-related injuries since the live opening in early May.
The track released a statement identical in format to the one released Sunday after horses named Big Attlet and Our Memento died. It read, in part, that Gringa Hug ''will be sent to the University of Illinois for necropsy examination to try to determine the cause of injury.''
Gringa Hug suffered her fatal injury in the Arlington ''death zone,'' an area on the dirt track between the half-mile pole and the sixteenth pole. All 27 fatalities at Arlington this summer occurred because of running on the dirt surface, and almost all of the 27 happened within the ''death zone.''
Arlington retained a consultant two months ago who recommended minor adjustments to the track, then declared the dirt surface ''safe.'' The Illinois Racing Board then retained two consultants, both of whom concluded the surface was ''safe.''
After heavy rainfall last week, track observers reported that the dirt surface once again began to ''play'' inordinately fast Saturday.
In a riding oddity before the fourth race Wednesday, top jockey Mark Guidry suddenly took off Gringa Hug after winning the third race on Ostenaco. Guidry had ridden Gringa Hug in her last two races. No reason was given for his decision. Chris Emigh was aboard the Ron Goodridge trainee when she broke down.