Mongolian Groom's trainer 'very sorry' for Breeders' Cup incident
Enebish Ganbat, trainer of deceased Breeders' Cup Classic contender Mongolian Groom, on Monday told USA Today he's "very sorry" for the events of Saturday, when the gelding broke down in the stretch at Santa Anita Park and was euthanized due to injury.
Ganbat, a native of Mongolia, described the Breeders' Cup as "a wonderful holiday" to USA Today's Josh Peter, adding that "my horse made this a very bad holiday. I just want to say I'm sorry for everything."
What caused the 4-year-old gelding's left-hind limb to buckle is under investigation, as the Breeders' Cup, in a statement Saturday said it has commissioned renowned equine Dr. Larry Bramlage "to conduct an independent evaluation, the results of which will be published when completed."
In the meantime, national news headlines continue billing Mongolian Groom's death as the 37th on record this year at Santa Anita Park, where the spate of equine fatalities led to significant safety reforms and laid the baseline for a summer Del Mar meet void of catastrophic injuries.
Mongolian Groom's death figures to ramp up conversations again about use of the whip. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Saturday -- before the horse's death was announced -- issued a statement calling for a ban, which the California Horse Racing Board began exploring last spring.
Aidan Butler, who heads The Stronach Group's California racing operations, told USA Today that with jockeys and their whips, the new 360 Gentle Touch model outfitted with foam on its end, "Nobody is overdoing it. The jockeys believe it’s absolutely mandatory for safety. I ride horses a little bit, so I agree that sometimes you need something."
Last week, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein deemed the Breeders' Cup a "critical test" for racing in California. In a new statement Monday, she said the racing industry failed.
"Despite increased scrutiny and additional measures that have been put in place, the horse racing industry was unable to make it through a single weekend without a critical injury and euthanized horse," Feinstein said.
“In the past, I’ve called for horse racing to be suspended at Santa Anita until it could ensure the safety of horses would be protected. With continued racetrack deaths, it’s clear that not enough has changed, so I renew that call.
“I will work with Governor (Gavin) Newsom to look at all options to protect racehorses and increase transparency at racetracks. If the horse racing industry is unwilling to treat these magnificent creatures humanely, it has no business operating in the United States.”
Santa Anita Park's fall meet ended Sunday. The circuit shifts back to Del Mar beginning Friday.
Last weekend's statement from the Breeders' Cup detailed measures leading up to the championships -- in which 13 races were run without incident before the classic -- saying, "We have worked closely with Santa Anita leading up to the World Championships to promote enhanced equine safety. Santa Anita has implemented numerous industry-leading
"In addition, Breeders’ Cup always observes the most thorough up-to-date medication practices and restrictions, testing protocols, equine security and surveillance program, veterinary exams, injury management protocols and racing surface testing. These measures are in place to ensure our athletes are racing under the safest and most transparent conditions possible."
Mongolian Groom presumably passed through a number of veterinarian checks before declared fit to run in the Breeders' Cup. Multiple other top contenders, including Imperial Hint (Sprint) and Fleeting (Filly & Mare Turf), were declared vet scratches the morning of their races.
Attention has been called to the Hightail gelding's final work before Breeders' Cup, after which Ganbat said he was "unhappy" with the time, five furlongs in a plodding 1:02. Ganbat said at the time it was "because the saddle moved back," not due to a physical issue.
Video of the breeze and any other recorded track work by Mongolian Groom was removed from XBTV.com, a Stronach Group-owned property. The work remains on XBTV's social media channels.
Mongolian Groom made 11 starts in 2019, with an upset victory in the Sept. 28 Awesome Again (G1) encouraging connections to pay a $200,000 supplemental fee into the Classic (he was not nominated having sold for $11,000 as a yearling and $12,000 as a 2-year-old).
Ganbat, who began training in the U.S. in 2010, is a previous Breeders’ Cup winner of the 2015 Turf Sprint with Mongolian Saturday.