This is getting much reekier. Apparently the owner of about half those horses is Victor Vargas, who recently went through an acrimonious divorce and turned around and bought a hugely expensive home in Palm Beach, very close to Wellington where it is thought the horses were poisoned on arrival:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/sports/othersports/21polo.html
“Veterinarians who examined the animals said that it appeared that they had died from heart failure caused by a toxin of some sort. ... the animals might have been exposed to contaminated hay or deliberately poisoned. The horses all came from the same stable but had various owners. Some belonged to the team’s owner, Victor Vargas, an immensely wealthy Venezuelan banker. The remaining horses were owned by individual riders on the team,....
“Mr. Vargas, who recently went through an acrimonious divorce in Palm Beach, became well known in the area last year when he purchased a $70 million home, one of the most expensive residential real estate deals in the country. “
Mr. Vargas, who recently went through an acrimonious divorce in Palm Beach, became well known in the area last year when he purchased a $70 million home, one of the most expensive residential real estate deals in the country. He could not be reached for comment, but Mr. Rizzo described him as “in shock and mourning.”