UPDATE 2-Vino Rosso wins Breeders' Cup Classic, Mongolian Groom injured

Vino Rosso won the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday at Santa Anita Park in a race that saw another horse taken away by ambulance after he suffered a "serious" injury to his left hind ankle. Vino Rosso stormed across the finish line in a route but Mongolian Groom never made it there and was taken from the track in an equine ambulance.

Favorite McKinzie (5-2) was second and Higher Power (9-1) finished third. Santa Anita Park has been under intense scrutiny following the deaths of 36 horses at the famed Southern California track this year.

The race track implemented a series of reforms around drug use and brought in a record number of veterinarians prior to the start of the two days of racing at the annual world championships, which attracts horses from around the world. No horses were hurt during the first 13 races but the four-year-old gelding pulled up near the final turn and race workers used a green screen to shield any view of the horse from the crowd of 67,811.

"Mongolian Groom sustained a serious injury to his left hind ankle," veterinarian Scott Palmer told reporters. "The injury is a serious one. He has been taken to Santa Anita Equine Hospital."

The next step will be to assess the nature of the injury, which will include radiographs and most importantly increasing the blood supply to the injured area, veterinarian Bryan Langlois said. "Then decisions can be made. Likely no new info to be released until that is done," he said.

Vino Rosso trainer Todd Pletcher said he hoped the injury could be treated. "I'd like to learn more information and I'm hopeful that it's something that you can have surgery for and have a recovery," he said.

"It's something that we were all very concerned about coming in. We were anxious not only about running in huge races like these but also hoping that everything would go smoothly and safely. "Everyone took every precautionary measure they possibly could."

Also Read: UPDATE 1-Vino Rosso wins Breeders' Cup Classic, Mongolian Groom injured