Through a FOIA request to the Maryland Racing Commission, I have confirmed the following kills on that state’s tracks thus far this year:
Let’s Blaze, May 3, Laurel T – “[multiple] fractures”
Congrats Gal, May 17, Pimlico R – “artery rupture with severe internal hemorrhage”
“Dr. Daniel: When she collapsed after the wire in right lateral recumbency, my initial thought was exhaustion or heat stroke. We quickly got cold water on her, tack off, and after a few minutes, attempted to get her sternal. She rolled back, her heartbeat became harder to feel, and she developed nystagmus. Within 30 seconds she started taking agonal breaths and died on her own.”
String Bean, May 23, Pimlico R
“Dr. Walsh: On the morning she broke down, she was being her usual, high strung self and bucked/jumped down the shed row instead of jogging. The groom had to place a lip chain on her to jog her. When the jockey was pulling her up before the wire, I immediately called the horse ambulance for her as she had an obvious left front lameness. Palpation and visualization showed a displaced mid body sesamoid fracture with the proximal piece comminuted and beginning to swell. The filly was being difficult to hold still and examine. I asked [owner/trainer] if he wanted me to have her taken to the barn so he could get radiographs and see if she was savable or if he wanted to have her euthanized. He said she would be difficult to keep quiet to rehab, he didn’t want to fool with it, and elected euthanasia. For safety of all involved and to allow the horse to settle, she was vanned to the pen for euthanasia verse [sic] doing it on the track so that she could be safely restrained…”
Follow the Petals, Jun 16, Laurel R
“Dr. Daniel: When I arrived Follow the Petals was in left lateral recumbency, had grey oral mucous membranes, no palpable heartbeat, and was not breathing. I removed her tack and she took a few agonal breaths at that point. We believe that Follow the Petals did indeed suffer from cardiovascular collapse while running her race. The subsequent injury to her spinal cord/column further hastened her death on the racetrack in the course of her fall.”
“Dr. Walsh: I reviewed the race footage of Follow the Petals fall. She was racing along well, then as she passed the 16th pole, her head sinks as she has both forelegs flex. As she goes to extend her legs, she clips her toe in the dirt, collapses to the track knees and pole first before rotating in a summersault [sic]. Looking at the pathology report and the incident footage, we believe the fractures to her spine and both knees occurred due to the force of the impact with the track.”
“Pathologist’s Comments: We are very relieved to hear that the jockey is ok. We share your clincial [sic] impression that this mare suffered a severe acute ‘heart attack’, that cardiovascular collapse resulted in her stumbling and flipping and then dying.”
“HEAD: severe subcutaenous hemorrhage over top of head; LUNGS: focally extensive acute hemorrhage; JOINTS: some chronic degenerative joint disease in both hind fetlocks, and moderate to marked chronic degenerative joint disease with synovial irritation in both front fetlocks; STOMACH: acute glandular mucosal ulcers/erosions; extensive chronic active squamous mucosal ulcers; BRAIN STEM, THALAMUS: multifocal acute hemorrhage.” (Follow the Petals was five years old)
Hot Sriracha, Jun 29, Laurel R
“Dr. Walsh: Hot Sriracha was down in right lateral recumbency…when we pulled up. The gelding started to get up, but I was able push him back down. Davy and I were able to hold him down until help arrived so he didn’t struggle getting up and hurt one of the down riders. While holding his head, I could see his right front cannon bone had a comminuted fracture with a large bone fragment piercing the skin mid cannon. He was euthanized on the track as soon as additional help arrived to hold him down.”
“Pathology: The right front distal limb is dangling at an abnormal angle, with sharp bone end protruding out through a tear in the skin. The cannon bone is shattered. There are three full thickness skin defects (tears) through one of which 3cm of the distal end of a fragment of cannon bone protrudes. There are very numerous (>50) bone shards and splinters in the subcutaneous hemorrhage around the holes in the skin, and in the space created by the catastrophic shattering of the cannon bone.”
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