Jockey injured, 2 horses (in different races) euthanized last Sat at Churchill Downs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - 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 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.
Yawn.