(Reuters) – A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized on the track after going down with an injury and throwing Panamanian jockey Luis Saez during a race on the Preakness States undercard at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday.
Havnameltdown went down as he came around the final turn and sustained a “non-operable left fore fetlock injury” that led to the decision to euthanize the 3-year-old colt, 1ST Racing, which operates Pimlico Race Course, said in a statement.
1ST Racing also said Saez, who was transported to Sinai Hospital in Baltimore for further evaluation, is stable and conscious.
“The loss of Havnameltdown will be felt across the entire horse racing community, and everyone at the Maryland Jockey Club and 1/ST Racing extends our heartfelt condolences to Havnameltdown’s connections,” said 1ST Racing.
The fatality comes after the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago was overshadowed by the deaths of seven horses at Churchill Downs in the lead-up to the Run for the Roses.
Baffert has an entrant in the Preakness Stakes where the Hall of Fame trainer is seeking a record-breaking eighth win in the middle jewel of U.S. thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.
For Baffert, one of the sport’s best-known figures, the Preakness Stakes marks his first Triple Crown race in two years due to a suspension after one of his horses, Medina Spirit, tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of the 2021 Kentucky Derby title.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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