Latest headache to hit the US a timely reminder that racing's core customers are its most important
There were sad scenes at the conclusion of the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga last weekend when Maple Leaf Mel stumbled and suffered what proved to be a fatal injury just ten yards from the post and with the race won.
Freak accidents can happen to any horse at any time but the scrutiny racing in the US has faced at times this year has never been more intense and what had the makings of a feelgood story for fledgling trainer Melanie Giddings cruelly turned into another PR nightmare.
Earlier this summer I took an in-depth look into the world of US racing as it faced up to a catalogue of negative headlines which started when seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the build-up to the Kentucky Derby.
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- We're all bit players in Willie's World - but spare a thought for the man who would be king in any other era
- Repeat winners, raw emotion and awesome amateurs: there are still plenty of potential Grand National fairytales
- He wasn’t even there - but the Caldwell dispersal sale still revealed the most important factor behind Willie Mullins’ dominance
- Prize-money differences mean data on Sunday evening trials comes with an enormous caveat
- Reasons to be fearful: jump racing's very existence might even be at risk unless major issues are addressed