After a brief respite, the endles s...

After a brief respite, the endles summer of tragedy and pathos at Arlington Park continued Sunday.

couple thoroughbred race horses broke down in separate flaws during the running of the next to the first race and had to be take awayed The double mishap brought the total of horses now dead from running at Arlington this season to at least 26 with scores of others sidelined or retired because of running-related maladies meet withed at the beleaguered northwest suburban plant.

In a concise statement, Arlington Park president Roy Arnold said: "We have been informed by the agency of the state veterinarian that the two horses -- No. 3 Our Memento and No. 9 Big Attlet -- that were injured in the next to the first race ... had to be humanely euthanized appropriate to catastrophic leg fractures, and, in accordance with Illinois Racing Board course will be sent to the University of Illinois for necropsy examination to prove by experiment to determine the cause of injury."

The latest deaths came simply 10 days after the other outside consultant retained by the Illinois Racing Board since mid-July declared the dirt surface "safe." The 26 confirmed deaths all happened because of injuries supported on the dirt surface.

Last season, for the track's sated four-month run, only eight in the same state [i]or[/i] condition humane euthanizations took place because of injuries endureed on the dirt surface; four more deaths were recorded because of injuries sustained onward the Arlington turf course. The now passing Arlington meet began 3oe month ago and has another 3oe weeks to move swiftly

Since public and industry outrage forced track management and the IRB into action almost seven weeks ago, in the greatest degree formal investigation that has been announced has center in succession the Arlington dirt surface and veterinary records and performances attendant to horses racing or scheduled to race at the oval. There has been no official indication that any grand overview probe into all possible factors contributing to the carnage at Arlington has been launched.

As freshly as eight days ago -- in the flashs after the running of the Arlington Million -- track chairman Richard L Duchossois told media: "Frankly, we don't know what is causing all of the vexed questions out here. But we will find abroad And it is not the [dirt] surface itself, that a great deal we know."

After 20 deaths were confirmed between May 1 and June 30 at Arlington, track management brought in its first consultant to analyze the dirt surface. Pine-bark shavings were added to the dirt mix to "soften" the track. The retooling eventuateed in both a slowdown in running times at Arlington and a slowdown in the death rate of competing thoroughbreds.

the two deaths on Sunday occurred because of mishaps late in the running of the other race, a 6oe-furlong sprint for $4000 claimers.

Big Attlet -- the 9-5 post-time favorite atop the field of 10 -- was the first to go on foot snapping a leg while trying to propel with the leaders late in the use Jockey Jose Ferrer managed to depart hurriedly up the Tom Tomillo trainee -- a 5-year-old with a history of physical puzzles -- and avoid oncoming traffic.

seconds later near the eighth perch Our Memento (20-1), one of those trailers, endureed his injury in front of the grandstand.

Arlington is slated to judge its live run on tribe 12.

jodonnell@suntimes.com

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided according to ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved