Breeders' Cup contender Practical Move dies after morning gallop at Santa Anita
Practical Move in his stall during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 01, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Practical Move, a 3-year-old colt that was entered in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Saturday at Santa Anita Park, died Tuesday of what is suspected to have been a cardiac event.
Practical Move was returning from a workout on the track when the event occurred. His rider was uninjured and the horse was immediately attended to by veterinarians from the California Horse Racing Board, 1/ST Racing and Breeder's Cup.
Practical Move last raced on Oct. 6. He won four races in a row including in the Santa Anita Derby, San Felipe Stakes and Los Alamitos Futurity.
He had five wins in his career, one second-place and two third-place finishes in eight starts and earned $923,000.
He was trained by Tim Yakteen.
Breeders' Cup races -- one of the sport's biggest and most prestigious events -- will be held at Santa Anita Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday, Breeders' Cup Classic contender Geaux Rocket Ride seriously injured his front leg during a workout at Santa Anita and has since undergone surgery to repair what Breeders' Cup officials called "an open condylar fracture with intersesmoidian ligament damage."
The horse's owner, Pin Oak Stud, posted on social media Monday that Geaux Rocket Ride "is having an unexpected response to the surgery and isn't recovering as we hoped. He appears to be in no pain and is eating. Our boy is still fighting hard so we will keep fighting for him."
Another Breeders' Cup Classic entry, Arcangelo, dropped out of the race Tuesday due to an issue with the colt's left hind foot. In remarks posted on social media from Santa Anita, trainer Jena Antonucci confirmed the issue with the horse's foot that "he's not fully resolving, and we're running out of time" to successfully treat the problem before the race.
She insisted that the horse is "honestly doing great" and bouncing around in his stall, but needs more time for treatment.
"This will always be horse first, no matter absolutely what," Antonucci said.
Arcangelo had been the second-favorite in the morning line for Saturday's $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, with odds of 7-2. Arabian Knight is the current favorite at 3-1.
ESPN reported that Kentucky Derby winner Mage had been expected to run in the Classic but never made the trip to Santa Anita "after spiking a fever last weekend."
Prior to Tuesday's death of Practical Move, Santa Anita had seen 12 horses die from a racing or training injury this year, with another eight racehorses dying from "other" causes, according to the California Horse Racing Board. Santa Anita officials have touted safety improvements that have brought down the annual number of fatalities since 2019, when 42 horses died at the track, sparking widespread debate about safety issues at Santa Anita and about horse racing in general.
Breeders' Cup officials insisted in a statement Saturday they've taken all necessary safety precautions for this weekend's event.
"Leading up to the World Championships, the Breeders' Cup has been working closely with Santa Anita Park, the California Horse Racing Board, and our veterinary team to ensure every Breeders' Cup runner is fit to race," organizers said.
"The Breeders' Cup Veterinary Team also coordinated with regulatory and track veterinarians across the country to thoroughly review the veterinary records associated with all potential Breeders' Cup runners starting in early October. This expanded veterinary review protocol is designed to ensure, to the extent possible, every horse that made the trip to Santa Anita Park for the World Championships was sound to race and train.
" ... Safety always comes first, which is why Breeders' Cup and industry leaders like the CHRB and 1/ST Racing have been longtime advocates for the uniform safety and integrity reforms that eventually became part of HISA. We are constantly evaluating and updating our safety and screening measures so we can continue to provide the safest possible racing environment."
Breeders' Cup officials are expected to discuss equine safety during a media briefing at Santa Anita on Wednesday.