A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized at Pimlico Race Course, the site of the Preakness Stakes, hours before the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday.
Havnameltdown sustained a “non-operable left fore fetlock” injury at Pimlico, and doctors made the decision to put the horse down.
“The loss of Havnameltdown will be felt across the entire horse racing community, and everyone at Maryland Jockey Club and 1/ST Racing extends out heartfelt condolences to Havnameltdown’s connections,” 1/ST Racing, the owners of Pimlico Race Course.
Owners of Pimlico reported that the jockey was taken to hospital after he fell off the horse. He is conscious and stable.
Havnameltdown died after seven horses had died for various reasons in the days and hours leading up to Kentucky Derby.
Two other horses died just hours before the race at Churchill Downs.
Baffert’s employment at Churchill Downs was suspended for two years after Medina Spirit, the original winner in the 2021 Derby race, tested positive for drugs. The horse died in December of that year after it was disqualified.
PETA called Churchill Downs a “killing ground” on the day before the Derby. On Saturday they expressed similar sentiments regarding the Baltimore racetrack and Baffert.
“Pimlico should have followed Churchill Downs’ example and barred Bob Baffert from the track,” PETA said in a statement. “Baffert has been implicated in drug scandals, the deaths of seven horses who collapsed in California, and at least 75 horses in his care have died. The tragic death of Havnameltdown is the latest in a long line of fatalities. The racing industry must kick out the bad guys or it will have blood on its hands as well as blood on its tracks.”
Mage will continue his quest for the Triple Crown on Saturday.
