BALTIMORE – A horse trained by Bob Baffert was sidelined after injuring his leg in Saturday’s Preakness undercard race and sending his jockey to the hospital.
A few hours into the second leg of the Triple Crown, favorite Havnameltdown hit the front and threw jockey Luis Saez on the back in the sixth race, and continued to race around the circuit with difficulty.
The 3-year-old donkey was looked after by the head of the animals Dr. Dionne Benson and others, who confirmed that the injury to his left leg was irreversible and decided that the horse should be put down, according to a statement from 1 / ST Racing. , who owns the railroad.
Saez was diagnosed and taken to Sinai Hospital for evaluation, complaining of leg pain, tracker officials announced. He was treated by paramedics on the road for a few minutes before being placed on a stretcher and put into an ambulance.
Havnameltdown’s death comes on another big day of racing, after the Kentucky Derby was marred by seven deaths at Churchill Downs over 10 days.
“It’s the worst feeling. And we feel sad. We feel sad when these things happen. There’s nothing worse than coming back and the cage is empty,” Baffert said. “He’s a good horse.
The 4-5 favorite in the $200,000 dirt race is breaking from within the No. Havnameltdown and Ryvit, the winner of the last race, were at the front of the group coming into the second round.
Fans in the crowd at Pimlico Race Course were shocked when the horse stumbled before the final turn and dropped Saez. In an unrelated scene, at the same time Saez and Havnameltdown were being watched, 2Pac’s “California Love” continued to blare from the infield speakers set up near the scene.
Meanwhile, at Pimlico, the horse was led by the railway staff, then led behind black barriers.
“Very sad,” said Tyler Gaffalione, Ryvit’s jockey. “Hopefully, Luis is fine. We were kind of talking, and he just disappeared. I looked back and I saw Luis coming to the side.”
Baffert said his horse “obviously took a big hit coming out of the gate.”
“We don’t know if this caused the injuries, but we will be very transparent with those investigating this terrible accident,” he wrote on Twitter.
Baffert has horses running at Preakness weekend for the first time in two years after returning from a suspension stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed drug test. He has not been able to enter horses in the Derby for at least the last two years as part of the Churchill Downs concept. He could not participate in the 2022 Preakness or Belmont because of Kentucky’s 90-day ban honored by Maryland and New York.
One of his horses, the Arabian Lion, won a previous race. Baffert was also set to place National Treasure in the Preakness.
Saez, a Panamanian who turned 31 on Friday, was originally slated to ride arch-rival First Mission in the Preakness. But that horse he was scratched on the advice of a veterinarian due to a problem with his left rear knee.
In the 2019 Kentucky Derby, Saez rode on the first line, but the stewards revoked the win and dropped the colt to 17th due to obstruction of several horses. Saez was then suspended, charged with causing a disturbance.
Earlier this year, he rode Kentucky Derby Mage to finish runner-up in the Florida Derby. At Churchill Downs two weeks ago, Saez’s horse, Tapit Trice, finished seventh in the Derby.
Havnameltdown, consisting of Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, won four of their six starts before the tournament. He had finished second in the Saudi Derby in February.
“We’ve never had a problem with him,” Baffert said. “We care a lot about all of these horses, and it’s still happening. It’s a sad thing. I feel really bad for that horse. And I just hope that Luis is OK.”