When is Dead not Dead??

 If your listed as dead, does that mean you are really dead? No, not if the New York State Racing and Wagering Board lists you as Dead.

For the second time in 3 months the New York State Racing and Wagering Board listed a horse on their Equine Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database as an "Equine Death" when in fact the horse was alive.

On Wednesday in the 8th race at Saratoga Race Course, a horse,  Bluember, fell just short of the finish line while racing, throwing Ramon Dominguez to the ground. Another horse, Money in Motion, was injured while he tried to avoid the spill. It looked bad and that evening I checked the Racing and Wagering Board website and found both horses listed as dead.

I questioned the Money in Motion death on Twitter Thursday morning as I thought it was strange no one in the Media reported the death.  Later that day Intrepid writer/reporter/blogger Teresa Genaro confirmed on Twitter that indeed Money in Motion was actually alive and well,  and not dead as reported by the State Racing and Wagering Board.

This same error happened in June when Giant Ryan was injured racing at Belmont Park. Giant Ryan was listed that evening as an "Equine Death" on the website only to later be declared alive and well. That time the Board chalked it up to "basic human error". After that Screw up Board Spokesperson Lee Park reported to Teresa Genaro on her blog (www.brooklynbackstretch.com) that:

 “As of this morning we are implementing internal controls to ensure that a second set of eyes sees the information before it is formally published."

Perhaps New York State now needs to hire a 3rd person (complete with union wages and a generous benefit plan) to become involved in the quality control.

 

Personally I think racing deaths and injuries should be reported and listed on the New York Racing Association website (www.nyra.com). How many people are even aware of the Racing and Wagering Board website? Let's be transparent like the NFL where a detailed injury list for every team is reported daily and easily accessible in most daily newspapers and on the NFL website. Accurate, Accountable and Transparent, is that too much to ask?