Trainers fury as US vets stop European challengers running at the Breeders’ Cup

03 November 2023 , 21:13

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Givemethebeatboys training at Santa Anita this week (Image: Getty Images)

One of Europe’s best hopes for victory on the first day of the Breeders’ Cup has been prevented from running by vets.

Royal Ascot winner River Tiber was a hot favourite for the £3.2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita in California.

But the Aidan O’Brien-trained hotpot was declared a non-runner by vets concerned about his soundness hours before the race. As a result Ryan Moore switched to the trainer’s other runner Unquestionable.

Givemethebeatboys, who was set to run in the Juvenile Turf Sprint for Jessica Harrington, was also scratched by US vets despite connections feeling confident he was fit to run.

The owners of Givemethebeatboys paid £1.1 million to buy the colt before Royal Ascot and the cost of travelling him to California was likely to have set them back in the region of £50,000.

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Harrington accepted the importance of horse welfare at the Breeders’ Cup, where horses are assessed more stringently than elsewhere owing to the US record of horse injury and fatality, but did not agree with the decision.

“They tell me that he is lame on his off fore,” she said. “They saw him trotting up there and he has not had a single issue all week.

“He has been examined at least three times a day. He has been out on the track, he was galloped. He has done stalls. There are vets on the gallops.

“He went out this morning as usual and did a little trot on the gallop and came back in and then the vets came down to have a look at him and they decided that he was not entirely level on his off fore.”

She went on: “I don’t agree with them. Where they trot our horses up in the quarantine centre is not a level place. They trot on some mats and then all of a sudden you are on sand and turn around and trot back.

Jessica Harrington: disagreed with the vets decision (PA)

"They pushed him and poked me. They said no so we have no appeal and they haven’t actually told us where he is lame."

Harrington said the vets’ decision would put her off running at another Breeders’ Cup.

“It would definitely,” she said. “I brought out here what I thought was a very sound horse. I know they’ve got to be careful. But being careful and being over the top are two different things.”

Broadcaster Nick Luck reported that Aidan O’Brien also disagreed with the vets’ decision, saying, ““We are just visitors here. When you’re in Rome you don’t argue with the Pope

Jon Lees