Horse dies at Belmont Park; 2nd fatality after Triple Crown race

ELMONT, N.Y. — A second horse died at Belmont Park less than 24 hours after the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

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Mashnee Girl fell near the quarter pole and sustained a “catastrophic injury” to her left front leg, according to New York Racing Association spokesman Pat McKenna.

The 5-year-old mare was euthanized due to the severity of her injury, according to The Associated Press.

In a statement, McKenna said that a necropsy will be performed at Cornell University, with the results to be analyzed by Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority officials and the New York State equine medical director, according to the AP.

It was the second straight day that a horse had been euthanized at the track, located in Elmont, New York.

On Saturday, Excursionniste was pulled up by jockey Flavien Plat one race after Arcangelo won the Belmont Stakes, The Associated Press reported.

The horse, who was running in a 1 1/6-mile race on turf at Belmont Park, suffered a “catastrophic injury to his left leg,” according to a statement handed out by McKenna.

Mashnee Girl had three wins in 19 career starts and earnings of $194,065, according to Equibase, the horse racing industry’s database.

Both Mashee Girl and Excursionniste were trained by Mark Hennig, according to the AP.

In a statement, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said officials at Belmont Park should suspend racing at the Long Island track.

“Two dead thoroughbreds in two days with the same trainer on the same track means one thing: Belmont Park is failing to protect horses,” PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said. “Like Churchill Downs, Belmont must suspend racing immediately to avoid the same bloodbath. Anything less makes Belmont complicit in the fatalities.”