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MARTIN STATE AIRPORT. A LITTLE LESS THAN 4.5 HOURS FROM POST TIME FOR THE 148TH RUNNING OF THE PREAKNESS AND HAPPY TO BE JOINED BY NBC’S LEAD VOICE OF NBC SPORTS, MIKE TIRICO. GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, MIKE. IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK. I WAS BUSY THIS AFTERNOON, BUSIER THAN I PLANNED, SO I HADN’T HAD A CHANCE TO CHANGE IT SO WELL, PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN HERE. THAT’S ALL GOOD. YEAH. THIS IS A WARDROBE PREGAME SHOW. WE’LL GET TO THE ACTUAL WARDROBE. IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO BE HERE. GREAT TO BE BACK IN BALTIMORE AS WELL. AND IT IS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE STORY THAT IS YOU CAN’T SEEM TO ESCAPE RIGHT NOW AND CERTAINLY MAJOR TRIPLE CROWN HORSE RACING, ANOTHER HORSE PUT DOWN AND IT’S ONE OF BOB BAFFERT HORSES. JUST AS WE WATCHED THIS CONTINUE ON AFTER THE DERBY AND THE LEADING UP TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY OR AT CHURCHILL DOWNS, RATHER, WHAT’S YOUR SENSE OF THE OVERALL STATE NOW OF OF HORSE RACING? IT’S A THREE FOLD CONVERSATION. THERE HAVE BEEN HORSE FATALITIES OVER THE YEARS. IT’S BECOME SOMETHING THAT IS A PART OF THE SPORT THAT IS ACCEPTED, NOT WILLINGLY, BUT IT’S UNDERSTOOD AS PART OF THE SPORT BY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY. FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE FANS WHO WATCH ON THESE BIG WEEKENDS OUTSIDE OF THE INDUSTRY, THEY CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENS. AND THE TOLERANCE IS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH LOWER. THAT’S NOT TO SAY IT DOESN’T HURT WHEN THIS UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT HAPPENED IN THE SIXTH RACE TODAY. I HAPPENED TO BE BACK HERE BY THE BARNS AND I WATCHED BOB AND JOE BAFFERT COME BACK AND THEY WERE IN TEARS. THEY WERE EMOTIONAL. THE PEOPLE WHO TRAIN AND OWN THESE HORSES CARE ABOUT THEM SO MUCH. IS THERE AN ANSWER? NO. IS IT BETTER THAN IT WAS? YES. BUT AT THIS TIME, WHERE THERE’S OTHER LEGALIZED FORMS OF SPORTS GAMBLING OUT THERE, HORSE RACING NO LONGER HAS THAT DOMAIN TO ITSELF. THERE’S GOING TO BE MORE SCRUTINY AND MORE QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE SPORT. WHILE THE PEOPLE INSIDE THE SPORT, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE USED TO IT, COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE OUTSIDE ARE ASKING LOUDER AND LOUDER QUESTIONS EVERY TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS. AND LAST POINT ON A BIG STAGE TO DERBY WEEKEND PREAKNESS UNDERCARD WHEN IT HAPPENS DURING THE BIGGEST DAYS, IT MAKES THE BIGGEST HEADLINES, RIGHT? THAT’S WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD LIKELY SEE MAYBE CONGRESS GET FURTHER INVOLVED. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE A GOVERNING BODY THAT IS GOING TO START TAKING CONTROL OF THE THE WAY THAT THE SAFETY AND THE REGULATIONS FOR THE WHAT WE’VE SEEN FOR THE HORSES STARTING A COUPLE OF DAYS HERE AFTER WE RUN THE PREAKNESS TODAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF TEETH THAT GOVERNING BODY HAS WILL REMAIN TO BE SEEN IF IT’S POWERFUL AND STRONG, IT WILL CERTAINLY LEND THE CREDIBILITY BACK TO THE INDUSTRY. YEAH, IT’LL FORMALLY THESE THINGS. RIGHT NOW, THE WAY I TRY TO DESCRIBE IT TO SOMEBODY WHO DOESN’T FOLLOW AS CLOSELY AS MAYBE THE PEOPLE BACK HERE DO, IS THAT IT’S A JIGSAW PUZZLE AND EACH PIECE HAS DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS. SO THE RULES IN KENTUCKY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE RULES HERE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE RULES IN NEW YORK, DIFFERENT FOR THE RULES IN CALIFORNIA. THIS WILL HAVE A UNIFORMITY TO THE RULES SO THAT WILL HELP. PART TWO THAT WILL HELP IS THAT WE’LL HAVE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF ALL THE HORSES. SO THE NOTES THAT ONE VETS TAKING ARE SEEN BY ANOTHER. SO IN GENERAL, WILL IT HELP? YES. ALTHOUGH YOUR FIRST BLUSH MIGHT BE MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROL IS NOT GOOD FOR ANY COUNTRY. RIGHT. BUT THIS WILL BE STANDARDIZING THE QUESTION BECOMES HOW CAN YOU EVER GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN’T TALK TO THE HORSES, WE CAN’T SAY, HOW YOU FEELING? OKAY. DOES THIS HURT? THEY DO MORE DIAGNOSTICS THAN EVER BEFORE. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE THAT. HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE. THE INDUSTRY NEEDS TO BE TRUSTED BY THE FANS FOR THE FANS TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND TRY TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE SPORT. SO THEY HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THAT. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP IT A NICHE SPORT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LIKE IT ONLY THAT’S FINE. BUT THAT DOESN’T WORK IN ANY BUSINESS MODEL. GOING FORWARD, I THINK YOU CAN CONTINUE TO NEED TO TRY TO FIND WAYS TO GROW THE SPORT. ONE OF THEM IS TRANSPARENCY AND HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND THAT WE’RE DOING EVERYTHING WE

Bob Baffert-trained horse euthanized after injury on track at Pimlico

A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized on the track after going down with injury and unseating his jockey during a race on the Preakness undercard on Saturday.Havnameltdown, the 4-5 favorite, broke slowly from the rail during the sixth race, the Chick Lang Stakes, allowing Gaffalione and Ryvit to establish command up front.Havnameltdown and jockey Luis Saez were able to move into a stalking position by the first quarter of a mile, which went in 22.23 seconds, and the two rounded the far turn side-by-side.Approaching the stretch, Havnameltdown stumbled and threw Saez off his back while Ryvit was able to continue on and draw clear of late-running Prince of Jericho.Havnameltdown continued running around the final turn in some distress. The 3-year-old colt was looked at by veterinary staff before being euthanized.1/ST Racing released a statement, saying, in part: “During the Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico, the No. 1 horse, Havnameltdown, sustained an injury and immediately received on-track medical attention from an expert team of veterinarians led by Dr. Dionne Benson. During the subsequent evaluation, she observed a non-operable left fore fetlock injury. Due to the severity and prognosis of the injury, Dr. Benson and her counterparts made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the horse.”Saez was conscious and taken to a hospital for evaluation, complaining of leg pain, the track announced. He was attended to by medical personnel on the track for several minutes before being put on a stretcher and into an ambulance.Saez, a Panamanian who turned 31 on Friday, was scheduled to be the jockey on First Mission, which was scratched on Friday from the Preakness because of an issue with his left hind ankle.”The loss of Havnameltdown will be felt across the entire horse racing community, and everyone at the MJC and 1/ST Racing extends our heartfelt condolences to Havnameltdown’s connections,” 1/ST Racing said in its statement.Baffert has horses running on Preakness weekend for the first time in two years after returning from a suspension stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed drug test. He was not able to enter horses in the Derby either of the past two years as part of a decision by Churchill Downs. He could not have any in the 2022 Preakness or Belmont because of a 90-day ban in Kentucky respected by Maryland and New York.One of his horses, Arabian Lion, won an earlier race. Baffert is also set to saddle National Treasure in the Preakness.Havnameltdown, owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, had won four of his six career starts prior to this race. He’d most recently finished second in the Saudi Derby in February.The fatality comes on yet another major race day, in the aftermath of the Kentucky Derby being overshadowed by the deaths of seven horses at Churchill Downs over a span of 10 days.1/ST Racing addressed the health and safety of horses in its statement, saying: “Over the past year, 1/ST Racing has worked tirelessly to implement numerous industry-leading reforms, including additional medication restrictions and new operational requirements, to enhance the existing health and safety measures with the intent of providing the safest racing environment possible. In addition, 1/ST Racing and the Maryland Jockey Club observe the most stringent medication practices and restrictions, pre- and post-race testing protocols, equine security and surveillance measures, veterinary exams, injury management protocols and racing surface testing. These measures are re-evaluated and expanded every year to ensure our athletes are fit to compete safely in any race associated with 1/ST Racing.”

BALTIMORE —

A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized on the track after going down with injury and unseating his jockey during a race on the Preakness undercard on Saturday.

Havnameltdown, the 4-5 favorite, broke slowly from the rail during the sixth race, the Chick Lang Stakes, allowing Gaffalione and Ryvit to establish command up front.

Havnameltdown and jockey Luis Saez were able to move into a stalking position by the first quarter of a mile, which went in 22.23 seconds, and the two rounded the far turn side-by-side.

Approaching the stretch, Havnameltdown stumbled and threw Saez off his back while Ryvit was able to continue on and draw clear of late-running Prince of Jericho.

Havnameltdown continued running around the final turn in some distress. The 3-year-old colt was looked at by veterinary staff before being euthanized.

1/ST Racing released a statement, saying, in part: “During the Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico, the No. 1 horse, Havnameltdown, sustained an injury and immediately received on-track medical attention from an expert team of veterinarians led by Dr. Dionne Benson. During the subsequent evaluation, she observed a non-operable left fore fetlock injury. Due to the severity and prognosis of the injury, Dr. Benson and her counterparts made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the horse.”

Saez was conscious and taken to a hospital for evaluation, complaining of leg pain, the track announced. He was attended to by medical personnel on the track for several minutes before being put on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Saez, a Panamanian who turned 31 on Friday, was scheduled to be the jockey on First Mission, which was scratched on Friday from the Preakness because of an issue with his left hind ankle.

“The loss of Havnameltdown will be felt across the entire horse racing community, and everyone at the MJC and 1/ST Racing extends our heartfelt condolences to Havnameltdown’s connections,” 1/ST Racing said in its statement.

Baffert has horses running on Preakness weekend for the first time in two years after returning from a suspension stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed drug test. He was not able to enter horses in the Derby either of the past two years as part of a decision by Churchill Downs. He could not have any in the 2022 Preakness or Belmont because of a 90-day ban in Kentucky respected by Maryland and New York.

One of his horses, Arabian Lion, won an earlier race. Baffert is also set to saddle National Treasure in the Preakness.

Havnameltdown, owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, had won four of his six career starts prior to this race. He’d most recently finished second in the Saudi Derby in February.

The fatality comes on yet another major race day, in the aftermath of the Kentucky Derby being overshadowed by the deaths of seven horses at Churchill Downs over a span of 10 days.

1/ST Racing addressed the health and safety of horses in its statement, saying: “Over the past year, 1/ST Racing has worked tirelessly to implement numerous industry-leading reforms, including additional medication restrictions and new operational requirements, to enhance the existing health and safety measures with the intent of providing the safest racing environment possible. In addition, 1/ST Racing and the Maryland Jockey Club observe the most stringent medication practices and restrictions, pre- and post-race testing protocols, equine security and surveillance measures, veterinary exams, injury management protocols and racing surface testing. These measures are re-evaluated and expanded every year to ensure our athletes are fit to compete safely in any race associated with 1/ST Racing.”