Two strides from triumph, tragedy struck at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday when the popular filly Maple Leaf Mel sustained a catastrophic injury in the $500,000 Test Stakes (G1) in front of a horrified crowd on Whitney Day.
Maple Leaf Mel, trained by Melanie Giddings, had outclassed her rivals and was about to run her career record to 6-for-6 when her right front leg snapped, throwing jockey Joel Rosario to the ground. The filly went down for a few seconds, picked herself up and hobbled past the finish line. She was euthanized on the track due to the severity of the injury, according to the New York Racing Association.
Giddings, a cancer survivor in her first year training on her own, had the filly named for her by owner Bill Parcells, the NFL Hall of Fame coach.
Rosario sustained a face laceration and was off his mounts the rest of the day (The Daily Racing Form reported he was taken to a hospital for stitches in his lower gums).
Triumph and Tragedy: Pretty Mischievous Secures Grade 1 Victory Amidst Controversy
Pretty Mischievous and Tyler Gaffalione – Photo Credit Mathea Kelly
Pretty Mischievous ($5.70), the slight favorite over Maple Leaf Mel and trained by Brendan Walsh, won the 7-furlong Test with Clearly Unhinged second. It was her third straight Grade 1 win – she also won the Kentucky Oaks and the Acorn.
“I don’t want to say a lot, to be honest. I’d rather leave it. It’s just cruel what happened. I just feel terrible for Melanie and that whole team,’’ Walsh said. “That must be gut-wrenching. My filly ran her race, but that’s another story. I don’t know what to think right now.”
Controversy is sure to follow, especially when an undefeated fan favorite breaks down near the finish line of a Grade 1 race being nationally televised (Fox Sports). Maple Leaf Mel came into the race after winning the Victory Ride (G3), Giddings’ first graded stakes win.
Her heart-warming story of dealing with ovarian cancer, Parcells naming his filly for Giddings, and then sending Maple Leaf Mel to her when she left as an assistant to Jeremiah Englehart, gained national attention.
Part of a statement issued by NYRA said: “In the process of investigating this injury, a necropsy will be performed at Cornell University with the results to be analyzed by Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) officials, the New York State Equine Medical Director and NYRA leadership.”
NYRA VP of communications Pat McKenna added: “The health and safety of horses and jockeys competing at NYRA tracks is our highest priority and one that stands above all other considerations. “NYRA, HISA and the New York State Gaming Commission will closely review the circumstances around this incident to ensure we are providing the safest possible environment for racing and training at Saratoga Race Course.”
In the $1 million Whitney (G1), the featured race of the day, 10-1 White Abarrio ($22.40) upset heavy favorite Cody’s Wish, giving trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., a surprise 64th birthday present. Dutrow recently returned from a 10-year suspension for numerous medication violations.