SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Nobel was euthanized on the Saratoga turf course on Saturday after suffering a catastrophic injury to his left foreleg just after finishing the fifth race, becoming the fifth horse during this Saratoga meet to die after suffering musculoskeletal injuries during a turf race. The incident further raised concerns about the condition of the track’s grass courses during a season marked by rain. A 4-year-old Irish-bred colt making his first start in the U.S., Nobel had won three of six starts in England for trainer Andrew Balding before being transferred to the U.S. and the barn of Brendan Walsh. He had raced four times on the turf in England, and twice on artificial surfaces. He had worked over the turf at the Oklahoma training track on Aug. 20 in anticipation of his Saturday start. In short, he did not have a resume that sets off alarms. Nobel's death came amid increasing scrutiny of the racing product at Saratoga this summer, which has seen eight horses die due to injuries suffered during racing – including New York Thunder, who died later on Saturday's card in a horrific injury suffered in the stretch of the Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes, run on dirt. Four horses have also died during training hours. On Thursday, the New York Racing Association, the New York State Gaming Commission, and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority acknowledged that they were conducting an “expanded” inquiry into the deaths, which is beginning to draw attention outside of the racing world. The inquiry involves a review of the racing and training histories and medication records of the dead horses, as well as the results of their necropsies. In New York, and in every other major racing state, any horse that dies at a licensed racing or training facility is necropsied. NYRA, the NYGSC, and HISA have said that the result of the reviews will be made public, and that information gathered during the review will be used in “real time … to inform potential interventions.” Elements of that review and, specifically, concern about the turf course were on display on Saturday morning, when, at approximately 10 a.m., two veteran Saratoga jockeys, brothers Irad and Jose Ortiz, met on the turf course with Robert Williams, the executive director of the New York State Gaming Commission, along with Carmine Donofrio, the former state steward who assists during the racing meet, and Ron Ochrym, the director of the NYSGC’s racing division. The group met for approximately 15 minutes. After the meeting, the Ortiz brothers were adamant in their belief that the turf courses were safe, though both said that they showed the officials a “bumpy” spot in the turf where the gate is parked for 1 1/16-mile races. “I’m telling you right now, why the horses are breaking down, it’s not a track issue,” Jose Ortiz said. “The track is in beautiful shape.” “It’s not about the turf course, that’s my opinion,” said Irad Ortiz, the leading rider at the meet. “I don’t think the turf course is getting the horses hurt.” Yet after Nobel went down, officials were back on the turf course. David O’Rourke, NYRA’s chief executive officer; Dr. Scott Palmer, the NYSGC’s equine medical director; Glen Kozak, NYRA’s vice president of racing facilities and surfaces; and Frank Gabriel, NYRA’s vice president of racing, all met at the spot where Nobel was injured and put down. The group walked several sections of the course and returned to the frontside after 30 minutes in the area. “We wanted to walk the course, to make sure everything is all right,” said Dr. Palmer, just after returning. “We have not been able to document that there is anything wrong with the turf at this point.” Asked what the group was discussing, Dr. Palmer said that he needed to directly review the turf conditions at the area. As part of the review, members of the group paced off lanes on the inner turf course and consulted technical data that NYRA collects throughout the racing day. “As the equine medical director, I have to go on data,” Dr. Palmer said. “I can’t go on feeling, or anecdote, or stories, or the money, I have to have data.” A clearly frustrated O’Rourke said that the review did not turn up anything unusual. “We are doing everything we can,” O’Rourke said. “All the readings are good. There’s nothing visibly wrong. The course is in perfect shape.” One hour after Nobel was euthanized, the eighth race was run over the same turf course, without incident. Shortly after that race, NYRA announced that the 13th race, the final race of the day, was being moved off the turf to the main track. The 11th race of the day, the Grade 1 Sword Dancer, would remain on the main turf course. With the switch to dirt of the 13th race, the number of turf races moved off the turf at this year’s rainy Saratoga meet reached 57, through 33 days. Last year, 17 races were moved off the turf over 40 days.