Go For Wand Portion of Telecast Is Criticized

Many racing officials were disturbed Saturday when ABC showed footage of Go For Wand’s fatal breakdown during the Eclipse Awards portion of “Wide World of Sports.”

Jane du Pont Lunger, owner of Go For Wand, sat teary-eyed in the front row as a tape was shown of Go For Wand breaking down during her stretch run with Bayakoa in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Belmont Park in October. The filly was destroyed on the track minutes after she went down.

“It wasn’t good,” said Bob Levy, who finished a two-year term as president of the Thoroughbred Racing Assns., one of the sponsors of the Eclipse Awards. “But we have no control over the content of the telecast. We’re just happy that ABC elected to cover the horse of the year and give racing all this exposure.”