LIVE RACING PUT ON PAUSE AT THISTLEDOWN

HMDC RUNNERS ALL LEGGED UP BUT NOWHERE TO GO

In a week when four of our runners were entered and ready to roll, racing has come to a halt at our home base of Thistledown due to surface concerns. Schedule to go to post Tuesday was Lofty Cowtown and our first juvenile starter of the season, Gray Perfection. On Wednesday Smokin Joe was set to go and Thursday, I Belong First was scheduled to compete in the first race. The status of these races remains in limbo. The following was filed by Chelsea Hackbarth of the Paulick Report:

Thistledown Racino in North Randall, Ohio, did not host live racing last week due to concerns from both jockeys and management over the condition of the dirt racing surface. Live racing resumed on Monday, July 28, only for Tayyara to sustain a catastrophic injury in the afternoon's first race, a $12,500 claiming event. Track announcer Matt Hook said on the live broadcast: "Tayyara is out of the race, Tayyara has been pulled up. She's broken down."

The track feed then went dark for several minutes, before a graphic appeared on the screen announcing that the remainder of Monday's card had been cancelled.

According to a spokesperson for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority: "Lisa Lazarus (HISA CEO) asked Thistledown to cancel after the first race and they agreed to do so. She also asked them to conduct an investigation and be prepared to discuss the results with her by this afternoon so that they can agree on next steps."

The Equibase chart confirmed that Tayyara suffered a catastrophic injury and had to be euthanized. Tayyara is a 5-year-old daughter of Khozan owned by Enrique Lopez and trained by Enrique Lopez, Jr., according to Equibase. The mare won her most recent start in a $7,500 claiming race at Thistledown on July 10, 2025.

Tayyara's death is the 10th catastrophic injury to occur at Thistledown since

the meet began on April 21. Seven such injuries occurred during races, and three additional fatal injuries occurred during training hours.

Last week, Thistledown fired track superintendent Sean Wright. Various reports and images from social media indicated issues with rocks on the racing surface, but Wright told the Paulick Report the issue had to do with a lack of water on the surface due to his team disregarding his instructions.

Wright also told the Thoroughbred Daily News he had contacted HISA with concerns about the track surface, and that he was fired due to being a "whistleblower." Thistledown brought back former official David Ellsworth, who retired in 2024, to supervise restoration of the surface, according to Daily Racing Form.