A better Belmont Park, for horses and fans

Belmont Park’s biggest race day of the year turned tragic in 2023 when a 4-year-old gelding suffered a “catastrophic injury” to his leg during the last race of the Belmont Stakes. Excursionniste was euthanized on the track before a large crowd. He was just one of 221 horses who died at Belmont from a racing or training injury in a five-year period.

The Triple Crown cycle kicks off again at the end of next week, with the Kentucky Derby on May 2. The concluding Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga Race Course, as it was in 2024 and 2025, while the Elmont venue wraps up construction.

One of Long Island’s jewels, Belmont Park is just months away from a September reopening, after an extensive yearslong renovation that includes a new grandstand and a new synthetic track — most importantly one that’s safer for the animals. As horse racing enthusiasts look forward to returning to Belmont, the safety of those majestic animals must remain paramount.

That’s why ongoing research into the detection and prevention of thoroughbred injuries is so important.

A new three-year study, financed by New York State and the New York Racing Association, will utilize standing CT and PET scanning machines to be placed at Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists, the hospital located near Belmont. The machines, which veterinarians can use for horses who remain awake, thus avoiding general anesthesia, could help in the detection of hairline fractures as well as changing metabolic activity and other medical trends that might alert physicians to a horse’s risk of injury.

That work will be paired with ongoing studies into biometric sensors — wearable technology that can help trainers and vets determine if a horse’s health or gait changes — and assessments of blood biomarkers as additional early signs of potential problems.

All of this can improve the safety of thoroughbred racing. Routine, more typical X-ray screening often doesn’t detect early changes or problems in a horse’s bones. If the more advanced screening detects a concern earlier, more horses could be protected from further injury.

The use of this technology should make a difference as the research continues. In addition, the availability of standing scanners at Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists could help to better assess a horse’s overall health. That should make Belmont a safer, better racetrack.

Data on horse injuries and fatalities is already extensive and, thankfully, updated regularly. Regulators should continue to monitor incidents of injury and death once Belmont reopens to assess whether the improvements to the track and the work at the nearby hospital make a difference. That would benefit the thoroughbreds and everyone who works with them at Belmont.

When the Belmont Stakes returns to Belmont Park in 2027, it should be a celebration, turning tragedy into triumph.