Emerald Downs Under Fire

At least 12 horses have had to be destroyed because of injuries sustained while racing this season at Emerald Downs, and some trainers and breeders are blaming the track surface.

State records show at least 24 other horses were injured during races and had to be removed from the track in a horse ambulance.

Some critics of the 2-year-old track argue that racing should be suspended until the track surface can be fixed, the Tacoma News Tribune reported.

Records show that since the season began in March, 12 horses have been euthanized because of major injuries that resulted from stumbling or breaking a leg during a race. That’s about .2 percent of the nearly 6,000 starts, according to veterinarian Dan Dahl, who works for the Washington Horse Racing Commission. Nationwide, the breakdown rate ranges from .14 percent to .2 percent, he said.

“We are near the high end of the range,” Dahl said. “We don’t like it to be that high … but it’s not an excessive number.”