SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Two horses were ordered scratched from Saratoga’s third race Friday because they last started in the Grade 3, $250,300 Robert G. Dick Memorial, a turf stakes at Delaware Park on July 1 from which the top two finishers suffered fatal breakdowns in their next starts, another horse was pulled up and vanned off, and a fourth horse was a vet scratch -- all in races at Saratoga. Parnac and Lady Rockstar, third and fifth, respectively, in the Robert D. Dick, were scratched from Friday’s $125,000 third-level allowance race scheduled for 1 1/8 miles over Saratoga’s inner turf course. The race ran with four horses and was won by Kalifornia Queen, trained by Chad Brown. Sopran Basilea, who won the Dick, suffered a fatal injury to her left foreleg galloping out after finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Glens Falls at Saratoga on Aug. 3. On Sunday, Ever Summer, second in the Dick, suffered a fatal injury approaching the quarter pole of an allowance race. In that same race, Frivole, who had finished last in the Dick, was pulled up by jockey Manny Franco after taking a misstep into the clubhouse turn. Talbeyah, fourth in the Dick, was scratched from the Aug. 6 allowance by the track veterinarian in the morning. “This highly unusual confluence cannot be ignored, which is why NYRA asked the trainers of Lady Rockstar and Parnac, the respective third- and fifth-place finishers in the Robert G. Dick, to scratch from race 3 today to allow for additional information to be gathered,” Pat McKenna, NYRA vice-president/communications, said in a statement. McKenna confirmed that NYRA president and CEO Dave O'Rourke ordered the horses to be scratch. Further, McKenna said that PET scans will be performed on Lady Rockstar and Parnac at clinics chosen by their respective connections -- at NYRA’s cost -- and the results will be evaluated by NYRA regulatory veterinarians and Dr. Scott Palmer, the New York State Gaming Commission’s equine medical director. “Should the PET scans and further examinations reveal nothing out of the ordinary, then those horses will be permitted to enter races during the summer meet,” McKenna said. “While we understand this decision may be frustrating to the connections of Lady Rockstar and Parnac, the application of an extra level of scrutiny is appropriate in this instance. The health and safety of horses and jockeys competing at NYRA tracks is paramount.” Brendan Walsh, the trainer of Lady Rockstar, called it “disappointing” that his horse was forced to scratch Friday. The Walsh-trained Viareggio finished sixth in the Dick Memorial. She, or any of other horses who ran in the Dick, would be required to undergo a PET scan to race in New York. Viareggio has worked four times at Turfway Park since the Dick and is under consideration for a race at Woodbine or Kentucky Downs, Walsh said. Walsh said both Lady Rockstar and Viareggio both came out of the Dick sound. “Absolutely,” he said. “They’re both on the work tab. “They both came back and worked two weeks later. I did not have a hesitation about any of it.” Christophe Clement was the trainer of Ever Summer, who suffered a catastrophic injury to her left foreleg at the quarter pole of last Sunday’s fourth race and was euthanized. Clement was forced to scratch Parnac from Friday’s third race, but still was able to run Canisy, who finished last of four. Regarding having to scratch Parnac, Clement said, “I am surprised by the way the decision was implemented, but I understand the decision.” Graham Motion trained Dick winner Sopran Basilea, who had to be euthanized after injuring her right foreleg while galloping out after running fourth in the Glens Falls. Motion also trained Frivole, who finished last in the Dick and who was pulled up by jockey Manny Franco in the early stages of Sunday’s allowance race and was vanned off. Motion said that Franco told him Frivole spooked from something early in Sunday’s race, “perhaps a camera and took an awkward step,” Motion said.   Motion said that Frivole has inflammation in a hock. Motion seemed baffled by NYRA’s decision to scratch horses coming out of the Robert Dick Memorial. “It’s an odd precedent to set,” Motion said. “It’s just a tragic coincidence. As far as my filly is concerned, she has a possible hock injury which we’re investigating.” Mark Casse said Talbeyah, fourth in the Dick, was a vet scratch from the Aug. 6 allowance race because she got loose in the barn that morning and wound up kicking four barn boards. “My filly’s fine,” Casse said. Due to running races over wet turf courses, the NYRA has experienced issues with its two turf courses for at least a week. On Aug. 4, NYRA conducted the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks over a soft Mellon turf course. It had taken the two previous scheduled turf races on that card off the turf and, due to weather, wound up canceling the final four races on the card, three of which were scheduled for the turf, including the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes. On Aug. 5, Whitney Day, NYRA kept four of its six scheduled turf races on the turf, three of which were stakes. Two races were run on the Mellon turf, two on the inner. The courses were labeled soft or yielding for those races. On Aug. 6, NYRA ran a maiden race and an allowance race over the inner turf course and a claiming race over the Mellon turf. It was after Ever Summer broke down in the allowance race -- and some jockeys expressed concerns with the turf courses -- that turf racing was canceled for the rest of Sunday. There was no turf racing Wednesday or Thursday, NYRA moving nine scheduled turf races to the main track and canceling the one steeplechase event carded for Wednesday. Friday, NYRA conducted three turf races but transferred two others to the main track. Through Friday’s 22nd day of the meet, 37 scheduled turf races have been moved to the dirt. In 2022, only 17 scheduled turf races the whole meet had to be transferred to the main track. In 2021, there were 45 scheduled turf races moved to the main track. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.