After injury in Monday opener, Thistledown cancels rest of card

Thistledown, which raced Monday for the first time since canceling a week of racing because of track-surface investigation and maintenance, called off the card after a single race.

In Monday's opener, Tayyara disputed the lead and was taking over on the turn, but she abruptly pulled up past the five-sixteenths pole. As she was pulling up she bumped into another horse, Timely Secret. According to the Equibase chart for the race, Tayyara was euthanized after that injury. Timely Secret walked off after pulling up, according to the chart.

The first race was announced as official after several minutes, described on the track feed as a tote delay. Horses went to the paddock for the second race, but with 10 minutes to post the track announced that the rest of the card was canceled. The track did not state a reason on the feed, only that racing was scheduled Tuesday with first post at 12:50 p.m. EDT.

A Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority spokesperson told Horse Racing Nation on Monday that HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus asked the management at Thistledown to cancel after the first race, and the track agreed to do so. According to the statement, she also asked the track to conduct an investigation and be prepared to discuss the results with her this afternoon so they can agree on next steps.

Monday was Thistledown's first race day since canceling live racing last Monday through Thursday after surface concerns. The track terminated superintendent Sean Wright on Monday, spent the week implementing track surface recommendations from HISA and rehired previous track superintendent David Ellsworth. Training, which had not been held Wednesday through Friday, resumed Saturday.

Tim Hamm, who is regularly near the top of the trainer standings at Thistledown, said that he hadn’t witnessed any surface problems firsthand.

“I've raced at Thistledown about 30 years, and over the course of that time, I've considered that racetrack surface to be one of the better ones I race on around the country,” Hamm told Horse Racing Nation on Monday. “And in the last five years, I probably started, I'd have to look it up, 850 to 1,000 horses. And I think I've had one significant injury over that amount of time and none this year. So from that perspective, I was up there last week The track looked fine prior to all this starting.”

Hamm said he has 35 or 36 horses stabled at Thistledown. He entered a 3-year-old gelding, Merger, in Monday's second race. Merger was the 2-1 favorite in live odds when the race was canceled.

“I'm sure hoping it gets straight,” he said. “When I saw that (cancellation) today, I said, you got to be kidding me.”

Hamm, who has two entries at Thistledown on Wednesday, has no reservations about continuing to race at Thistledown.

“I will race over it until I see something myself …” he said. “I've had so many people tell me over the years what to do with my business, unless I see it myself that's what matters to me, then I take action. And I just haven't seen it, either in the mornings or in the afternoon, even with minor injuries with my own horses.”