A dam apparently named Open Window (the Gaming Commission seems a bit uncertain) died at Aqueduct on June 4th of an “apparent cardiovascular event…after breezing on the main track.” The State categorized this as a training death – Gary Contessa,…
I’ll say this about the chartwriters (or stewards or whoever is responsible) at Parx: They consistently disclose their dead in the official results, making them virtually unique in the nation. Still, this is not praise, as horses are dying on…
Sunday afternoon at Buffalo Raceway, Faith N Moon was killed after fracturing a leg in the 5th race. As NY and California are the only states to give up their harness dead, it’s hard to say how many Standardbreds are…
As the racing world mourns another dashed Triple Crown dream, we remind that the lives of at least six Thoroughbreds were snuffed out on American tracks this Belmont weekend: 4-year-old Sweet Teri K, Saturday, Belterra, race 4 5-year-old Lemon Sundae,…
In the span of an hour and a half yesterday at Parx, two horses died on the playing field: In the 5th race, 8-year-old Lobo Del Norte, claimed for $12,500 prior to the gun, “clipped heels and fell before the…
In addition to Stormdefrere, at least two other Thoroughbreds were killed in action on one of racing’s most celebrated days: 5-year-old Lemon Sundae died after the 1st race at Finger Lakes from a “possible heat stroke.” This after “[losing] contact…
5-year-old Stormdefrere, making her third start in 21 days, broke down and died in tonight’s 3rd race at Penn National. The trainer/owner who pushed the not-yet-fully-mature mare to her breaking point is Varsamis Barbalios. This is horseracing.
Broken and gone from the weekend: 3-year-old gelding Jess a Speeder broke down in Friday’s 7th race at Arapahoe 5-year-old mare Berrymeaux broke down in Saturday’s 2nd race at Mountaineer 3-year-old colt Archie’s All Heart broke down in Sunday’s 4th…
Each day, I review the Equibase charts of every Thoroughbred and QuarterHorse race run in the U.S. the day before. The goal: to identify and document as many of racing’s casualties as possible. Unfortunately, some fall through the cracks –…
According to a source at the track, 4-year-old Kingston Jamaica broke down (in both fronts) and died while practicing Thursday morning at Belmont. Born in Ireland, the colt had raced three times in the States, all for Todd Pletcher/Gary Barber.…
5-year-old mare Silver Arch broke down in the stretch of Tuesday’s 7th race at Parx and is dead. Over a 2 1/2-year “career,” the Thoroughbred had three different trainers and three different owners; this was her first race under Michael…
5-year-old Big Note collapsed and died of “an apparent cardiac event” after yesterday afternoon’s 2nd race at Santa Anita. The complicit: jockey Drayden Van Dyke, trainer Javier Jose Sierra, owner Hugo Catalan, breeder Willow Tree Stud Farm, and all prior…
