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Wandshara (FR) (2004-2007), 3yo bay filly


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“Vanned Off”—Dead

Continued . . .

UPDATED: We’re sorry to report Lyrical Passage (CAN) broke down, fell, and was fatally injured at Del Mar on 11/20/2016. The maiden 2-year-old colt was reported in race results as having been “vanned off,” while The San Diego Union-Tribune reports he was “euthanized on the track.”

Typically, when a horse suffers a catastrophic injury and is euthanized at the scene (or collapses and dies, usually due to a heart attack), Equibase would report in race results “humanely euthanized” or “humanely destroyed” (or “collapsed”). But lately we find Equibase omitting the euthanized part and simply reporting “vanned off.” That’s true, the horse was vanned off—dead.

To overlook or omit the fact the horse was euthanized prior to getting pulled into the horse ambulance and vanned off, even though onlookers saw the tarp erected to hide the euthanization itself, seems inaccurate and misleading. Of course, in some cases the horse is euthanized on the track when inside the ambulance. Perhaps Equibase reporters or track officials don’t know what action was taken on the track at the time and there is no mandate to find out in time to report the race results under deadline? Who knows?

Just saying, we’re finding these discrepancies more and more. We’re not saying all these inaccuracies are intentional; how would we know? But we are saying all these inaccuracies cloud the truth.