7:42 P.M.APRIL 10, 2013
Updated7:57 P.M.
Reports (click here) have surfaced linking Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert to having as many as seven horses on a list of 36 horses that have died suddenly of cardiac arrest or aneurysms in the last two years in California....
...U-T San Diego also has requested necropsy information from all race horses that have died in the last 18 months in California. The CHRB reports that 19 horses died acutely from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. Baffert trained four of them. And thus far in the fiscal year that ends June 30, 17 horses have died suddenly. Baffert trained three of them, including a 5-year-old mare that died last month at Hollywood Park, according to the reports....
...Paulick didn’t name the trainers, but he said trainers “with more than 30 years of experience” told him they hadn’t lost more than three horses to sudden death in their entire careers....
Baffert had five potential horses for the Derby. They have all been pulled from the competition. Horses are known to run or work themselves to death. They don't have a good gauge to find their point of exhaustion until it is too late. They have strong muscles that can increase unrealistic on the heart. Equine collapse is a known problem when they are asked to out perform their capacity.
Kentucky Derby Rankings: (click here) Bob Baffert won’t have horse in field as Governor Charlie and Code West are withdrawn
Revolutionary still remains on top having worked well at Churchill Downs this week and will look to give jockey Calvin Borel his fourth career Derby winner.
By Jerry Bossert
April 30, 2013
...Govenor Charlie, who won the Sunland Derby on March 24 by five lengths, missed some training after coming up with a sore foot and will now be pointed for the May 18 Preakness, while Code West will be aimed for the June 8 Belmont Stakes....
It was about this time last year when an HBO Series was cancelled because horses were dying.
Updated 3/15/2012 12:39 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The horse racing series Luck (click here) was canceled by HBO after a third thoroughbred died during production of the series starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, the channel said Wednesday....
..."While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won't in the future," the channel said. "Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision."...
If I were doing the necropsies, I'd be looking for 'acquired' vs. 'genetic' cardiomyopathy, inbreeding, ratio of cardiac muscle to skeletal muscle, muscle maturity for age, over developed muscle (both cardiac and skeletal), hydration at time of death and drugs.
GOLDENCENTS GIVES O'NEILL GOOD FEELING FOR DERBY (click here)
GARY GRAVES AP Sports Writer Published:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Back at Churchill Downs for the first time since winning the Kentucky Derby with I'll Have Another, trainer Doug O'Neill is thinking about winning another one.
And why not?
This time around, the trainer has Goldencents, who like I'll Have Another, comes into the Saturday's Derby off a victory in the Santa Anita Derby.
"It's great to be back," O'Neill said. "It's wonderful looking at the twin spires and dreaming of what could be coming on May 4."
Goldencents has O'Neill looking forward to Saturday, especially after the 3-year-old colt took his first jog around the track. A day after making the cross-country flight from California, the colt co-owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino jogged a leisurely mile with exercise rider Jonny Garcia aboard. Jockey Kevin Krigger looked on....
04/28/2013 6:38PM
