Opinion: Mongolian Groom's death at Breeders' Cup raises big concerns for veterinarians

Hindsight says Mongolian Groom should have been scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Foresight, it appears, was in short supply prior to the 4-year-old gelding’s breakdown on Nov. 2.

Training videos shot at Santa Anita in the days preceding the Breeders’ Cup Classic indicated an issue that, at a minimum, called for unusual caution before Mongolian Groom was cleared to compete — there was a palpable glitch in his giddy-up.

“What I saw was a very short (excerpt) and the horse was clearly demonstrating a gait abnormality,” said Dr. Mary Scollay, former equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC). “And so it raises questions and I don’t know to what extent those questions were asked or answered."

The training videos showed Mongolian Groom favoring the left hind leg -- the leg that sustained multiple fractures during his stretch run in the Classic, leading to the horse being euthanized. With 30 veterinarians in attendance, and thoroughbred racing’s safety record in sharp focus, the fatal injury has overshadowed one of the sport’s major events and renewed calls for racing’s abolition.   

“You blew it, boys and girls,” equine veterinarian Dr. Steve Allday said on Steve Byk’s "At The Races" radio show on Tuesday. “So stand up and take your medicine. Sit down and talk about it. Figure out what you screwed up. You're about to see the demise of this industry because of your mistake.”

A day after Mongolian Groom’s death, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., California) renewed her call for racing to be suspended at Santa Anita. California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave the state’s horse racing board 30 days to provide recommendations for regulatory or statutory changes to improve animal welfare.

Mongolian Groom was the 37th horse to die at Santa Anita since Christmas.

“I wasn't there and I wasn't asked to evaluate him,” Allday told Byk on the radio show. “Obviously, he wasn't a patient or client of mine. But from what I see, that horse is visibly deficit in the left hind, and unless they knew the severity or the cause of it, the nature, a lame horse really shouldn't race.

“I can't tell you what (on-site veterinarians’) priorities are, or what they were looking for or what their parameters are. I can only tell you that the thing they've got to do is look in the mirror."

Of the 11 horses raced by Mongolian Stable in 2019, Mongolian Groom was both the busiest and most bankable. The Breeders’ Cup Classic was his 11th race of the year — none of his stablemates has raced more than six times — and his $533,891 in purses represent 75% of the barn’s total.

Eager to exploit his star’s earning potential, owner Ganbaatar Dagvadorj invested $200,000 in the supplemental fee to make Mongolian Groom eligible for the $6 million Classic. Though that fee would have been refunded in the event of a scratch, big races have a way of clouding the judgment of a horse’s human connections.

INVESTIGATION: This horse was one of 23 who died at Santa Anita and left many unanswered questions

TRACK TO SLAUGHTERHOUSE: Some thoroughbreds being sold end up being slaughtered for food

One of the biggest risk factors for condylar fractures, Scollay says, is the Derby Fever that afflicts aspiring horsemen determined to run for the roses.

Consequently, it sometimes falls to the veterinarians to intercede on behalf of the horses.

“I do not know of any regulatory veterinarian who has ever made a decision to allow an unsound horse to run in a big race because it was a big race,” Scollay said. “Having been in the role, I’m going to throw my allegiance to the regulatory veterinarians till all the facts are out.”

California Horse Racing Board veterinarian Timothy Grande examined Mongolian Groom on the morning of the Breeders’ Cup Classic and, according to board spokesman Mike Marten, “determined the horse to be racing sound.” Grande did not immediately respond to an interview request.

“What we need to do is wait to see what the investigation reveals in terms of who saw what when, and what did they do about it,” Scollay said. 

In retrospect, Mongolian Groom should not have run in the Breeders’ Club Classic. In real time, decisions can be more difficult.

Tim Sullivan: 502-582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @TimSullivan714.