Tragedy has struck both the horse racing and plaid community. Mad for Plaid, a maiden claimer, had to be euthanized just days before the Del Mar opener. After breaking her left front leg, Mad for Plaid tried to escape for the ambulance; a daunting site for spectators. Eventually the horse was caught, sedated and pulled back to the ambulance by a winch prior to being sedated.

To make matters worse there was a rather long delay for the atrocious “ambulance” to arrive. Even Joe Harper, Del Mar’s chief executive, felt “there’s no excuse for this.” Steve Kenly, owner of Mad for Plaid had this to say, “This is unreal. This is like the Dark Ages.”

It is truly a shame that one of the only race horses we could relate to is no longer with us.