Tragedy struck again at Woodbine Nov. 16 as Flawless Ruler sustained a leg injury in the day's final race and was euthanized.
A week ago, Woodbine canceled the final two races Nov. 9 and the entire Nov. 10 card following the breakdowns of three horses—two during racing and one during training. Safety concerns were raised over the Tapeta surface.
Woodbine and its Tapeta consultants performed maintenance over the course and were back to full training on the track Nov. 13 and racing Nov. 14 with the approval of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
In a statement, Woodbine said a thorough investigation of Flawless Ruler's breakdown was conducted and AGCO-licensed veterinarians concluded "The injury was unlikely to be a result of track conditions."
The injury occurred as the 12th race field, a race for CA$14,000-$15,000 claimers traveling 1 1/16 miles, entered the stretch. According to the Equibase chart, Flawless Ruler "lost ground to others four wide through the last turn, was eased in the seventh path turning for home and left via equine ambulance."
The Woodbine statement said that AGCO veterinarians examined the 5-year-old Honor Code gelding back at his barn where they determined the "injuries were too severe for a full recovery."
Owned by Bruno Schickedanz and trained by Norman McKnight, who claimed him two starts prior, the Ontario-bred won two of 21 starts, finishing in the money six times for earnings of $53,265.
