GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — A 3-year-old horse was euthanized after collapsing in a race Saturday at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, park officials confirmed after days of social media speculation.
Moro Chief tumbled during the fourth race and was taken off the track in a trailer. Two days after the incident, people who attended the race were still seeking answers as to what happened.
"I couldn't sleep that night!" wrote Leslie Coffee Sharrock in response to a post asking Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie what happened on their Facebook site. "I have googled the trainer, the jockey, the owner...nothing."
A woman who was sitting with her three children in front of Sharrock left after the accident.
"How traumatizing for them," she wrote. "And not letting the audience know anything."
"Silence is very strange," she added.
"Bombard them with calls and messages," wrote Chip Dimaano. "And post to your page. Absolutely insane they haven’t even mentioned anything."
While many commenters said they had called and messaged the park asking for details on Moro Chief's condition, there was still no official word until Monday afternoon.
In a reply to comments, Lone Star Park confirmed Moro Chief was euthanized.
"The state veterinarian, who follows each race in the chase truck, attended Moro Chief within seconds of the accident," Lone Star Park wrote. "He was taken by ambulance to the test barn where the state and private veterinarians consulted. Regrettably, the nature of Moro Chief’s injuries gave the attending veterinarians no other choice but to euthanize him. By use of the necropsy report, State veterinarians will determine if the horse may have had any pre-existing injury which went undetected in the pre-race examinations."
When WFAA reached out for further details on the horse's injuries, Scott Wells, president and the general manager of Remington Park & Lone Star Park, sent the same response.
"The safety of our equine and human athletes is our number one priority," he wrote. "Over the years we have had a very good safety record, but any accident is thoroughly investigated to make sure there are no issues with our racing surfaces or our safety protocols."
Wells said veterinarians examine each horse before training sessions and every race.
"Horses showing any kind of soundness problems are not allowed to enter or race," he said in the written statement.
Moro Chief had two wins in seven career starts and earnings of $17,176, according to Equibase.
Moro Chief's death comes as concerns have been raised over the recent deaths of two horses in a two-day period at Santa Anita races in Arcadia, Calif.
Sunday, Truffalino collapsed near the end of a third race. A spokesman with Santa Anita told the Associated Press that the 3-year-old filly died of a heart attack.
The day before, 4-year-old Formal Dude tumbled close to the finish line during the 10th race at Santa Anita. Formal Dude was later euthanized.
While the California Horse Racing Board recommended the track suspend its horse meets, Santa Anita has resumed racing, the Associated Press reported. In all, 29 horses have died at Santa Anita.
