Here's a link to the whole race and commentary from DRF.
http://www.drf.com/news/journey-home-wins-wild-edition-jimmy-durante-stakesSorry, I know it's not the popular thing to do but I"m siding with the house on this one, declaring the race a "no-contest" would have been the wrong decision, inconsistent with prior events.
I've certainly seen worse things, pigeons, seagulls, deer, fallen horses, jockeys on the ground, harness buggies flying in the air, a drunk trying boxing in the stretchrun, etc. etc. etc. that didn't refund money to the bettors.
And withholding purse money from the winners would have been shameful.The whole case for the other side is built around intentional neglect from the track, that's just silly, and what a catastrophe it could have been, the key word being couldhave. The fact is the field recovered and the race went on.
Was it a learning experience for the track, you bet it was. Will the styrofoam be nailed down or replaced before a single race is run today, you can bank on it.
Just when you think you've seen everything, or you think you know every possible way there is to lose a race, something like this pops up, and there will be something to trump it in the future. And then, everybody will say, "Remember that crazy windy day with the debris on the track at DelMar, good thing nobody got hurt"