Thoroughbred owner Bruno Schickedanz was responsible for the fatal breakdown of his horse of the year Wake at Noon last June 29 at Woodbine Racetrack, the Ontario Racing Commission ruled Thursday.
After 13-year-old Wake at Noon broke his left leg while at Woodbine for a workout and was euthanized, the Toronto racetrack suspended Schickedanz's privileges indefinitely.
Schickedanz appealed to the ORC to overturn the suspension, but in a 15-page ruling, the commission dismissed the appeal, saying Woodbine acted in the best interests of the public and the horse.
A three-member panel ruled that Schickedanz took an active role in decisions regarding his 500-horse stable, that he made increasing demands on the aging horse, and that he did not take "precautionary measures" to protect Wake at Noon, which hadn't raced since Nov. 18, 2007.
The hearing was told that the last time Wake at Noon raced, he was vanned off the track with an injury to his front leg. Schickedanz testified that he did not remember the incident.
The ruling said that it was a group decision between Schickedanz, his farm manager, Tracy Harpley, and exercise rider Dessislav Luokanov to send the horse to Woodbine to train. However, the panel said, none of them was licensed as a trainer or veterinarian.
Wake at Noon had earned $1.6-million for Schickedanz, but when the horse retired in 2004, he had difficulties getting mares in foal, so Schickedanz sent him back to the races.
During the hearing, Schickedanz testified he had been spending money on the horse and was hoping to earn some of it back through racing him. "I think anybody would be thinking that if they were doing it," he said. "Is that a bad thing, by the way?"
Schickedanz sent the horse to trainer Tom Marino at Woodbine, but the trainer's knowledge of the horse was minimal; he did not know the horse's age, for example. The panel said Marino's willingness to accept direction from the Schickedanz team was significantly different from trainers such as Greg de Gannes, who also trained a stable of horses for Schickedanz at Woodbine, top Woodbine trainer Mark Casse, and other former Schickedanz trainers.
Casse testified that it was "appalling" to return Wake at Noon to training because he was a former champion and had earned his retirement. He said he wouldn't train a 13-year-old horse because, at that age, the horse would have deteriorated bone and muscle.
Schickedanz testified that horses older than 10 do race. Over a two-week period, he produced evidence that 15 11-year-olds, six 12-year-olds and six 13-year-olds had raced in North America.
Casse said the circumstances surrounding the death of Wake at Noon have been bad for racing because it caused a negative public outcry. He said he is questioned about the incident when he is at other tracks.