The NYS Gaming Commission has finally confirmed the death of 4-year-old G W’s Hammer in last Friday’s 5th at Finger Lakes – “went down at finish” with a fractured cannon. The gelding was ridden by Jamie Rodriguez, trained by James Acquilano, owned by River Card Stable, and bred by William Butler. For trainer Acquilano, this makes 11 dead – all at Finger Lakes – in the past five years.
Mr. Acquilano, were those eleven horses that were killed under your watchful eye your family members?…just like all connections who have a horse die immediately claim?…and you’re probably devastated? Having TWO FAMILY MEMBERS DIE EVERY YEAR would be enough for me to find a new “sport” in which to participate! How do you carry on?……
RIP G W’s Hammer. It’s likely you’ll not only NOT be mourned or missed, Acquilano probably won’t even remember your name by the time his next family member breaks down and dies.
These trainers need to be investigated.