LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 22) — Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan
received minor injuries and his horse, Vinstar, was euthanized after the horse
took a spill Saturday during the first race at Churchill
Downs.
Bridgmohan was taken to a Louisville hospital, but had no broken
bones or serious injuries, an agent for the jockey said.
According to a
statement from Churchill Downs, the 29-year-old jockey was dropped near the
sixteenth pole in the six-furlong sprint when the horse appeared to take a bad
step.
Bridgmohan, who rode Pyro to eighth place in this year's Kentucky
Derby, appeared to be kicked by a trailing horse as he rolled under the
rail.
Dr. Lafe Nichols, the state veterinarian for the Kentucky Horse
Racing Authority, said Vinstar had to be euthanized after suffering sesamoid
fractures in both front legs and a dislocated right front fetlock.
The
3-year-old son of Vindication was owned by Stonestreet Stable and trained by
Steve Asmussen.
A second horse was euthanized in the fourth race,
according the Courier-Journal.
Naughty Fu Peg was given a lethal
injection after fracturing the knee of his right foreleg during the race, the
newspaper reported Saturday. The 3-year-old gelding was trained by Tim Burton
for owner Sano Park.
A recent Associated Press survey found that
thoroughbred racetracks in the U.S. reported more than three horse deaths a day
last year and 5,000 since 2003, and the vast majority were put down after
suffering devastating injuries on the track.
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[RC] Horses eutheanized at Churchill Downs - Horseraser
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