It has been reported that racetrack officials have been forced to cancel two cards of live horse racing this week due to an ongoing deer issue which reared its head again this past weekend.
As a report by goerie.com explains, officials with Pennsylvania Thoroughbred raceway Presque Isle Downs were forced to cancel the track’s Sunday, June 28 card of live racing after a deer ran onto the track during a race and cut in front of the lead horses. Nobody – neither horses nor people – were hurt due to the incident.
The article states that track officials made the decision to cancel the rest of the track’s scheduled races after the Sunday happening. Although, the report also states that Sunday’s deer occurrence was not unique at the facility.
It was just eight days ago when five deer found their way onto the track after a race had been contested. The goerie.com article also cites industry reports as saying that a similar incident, this time involving two deer, occurred this past Wednesday.
The report offers quotes from track management and a representative from the jockeys’ guild. All parties have spoke of concern over the incidents.
"Racing is already dangerous enough," Heriberto Rivera, a retired rider that has a management position with jockeys’ guild, said Monday. "When you then have to watch for deer coming across like that, it's not good. You can't have animals weighing hundreds of pounds crossing in front of you when you're going 35 to 40 miles an hour."
In light of the incidents, the casino's VP/GM, Jeff Favre, said on Monday that his organization is taking the situation seriously. The report explains that a long-term solution is being worked on, and all the proper agencies are in the loop regarding the problem, yet there is no final solution to the ongoing problem at this point.
Favre has been quoted as saying that a solution to the issue is “not as easy as one might think.”
(With files from goerie.com)