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Baffert-trained horse on Preakness undercard euthanized, jockey hospitalized

profilephotocropby:Suzanne Halliburton•05/20/23•

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Havnameltdown
Francois Nel/Getty Images

A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized Saturday after suffering a leg injury during an undercard race at the Preakness Stakes at Pemlico.

Havnameltdown, which was a favorite for the race, stumbled forward and tossed jockey Luis Saez off his back. Havnameltdown continued running, but reports from the track suggested the horse was in distress.

The colt was three years old. Dr. Dionne Benson, the chief vet at the track, found that Havnameltdown’s injury to its front leg was inoperable. The decision was made to put down the horse.

Baffert, via twitter, said “we are just devastated. This is a shock to everyone at our barn who love and care for these horses every day. Hanvameltdown was obviously hit pretty hard coming out of the gate. We don’t know if that contributed to the injury, but we will be fully transparent with those reviewing this terrible accident. Right now, our thoughts are with Luis Saez and we are hopeful he will be okay.”

Horse deaths overshadow whether Mage will win Preakness

As Baffert said in his tweet, Havnameltdown was bumped out of the gate by Ryvit. Havnameltdown continued running. In fact, Havnameltdown and Ryvit were ahead as they came around the second turn. Ryvit won the race.

Meanwhile, Saez was taken to a hospital via ambulance for further evaluation. He complained of leg pain while he was at the track.

The main event at the Preakness, which is the second leg of horse racing’s triple crown, is set for 7:01 p.m. Saturday. The main focus will be whether upstart Mage, who won the Kentucky Derby, will be victorious at Pimlico. However, the deaths of so many horses continues to overshadow the race results.

Eight horses have died since late April at Churchill Downs. Seven of them died in the 10-day run up to the Kentucky Derby. Now add Havnameltdown at the Preakness to the death total.

Baffert’s presence at the Preakness also is controversial. He’s a legendary trainer. Yet he also just finished a ban from Triple Crown racing. He’s back for a Triple Crown event for the first time in two years. His horse running in the Preakness main event is National Treasure. And a Baffert-trained horse has won the Preakness seven times, so keep your eye on his entry.

Baffert hasn’t been allowed to run a horse in a Triple Crown event because of what happened with Medina Spirit in 2021. Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby that year and finished third at the Preakness. However, the horse tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid used to treat inflammation. It’s also a banned substance when it’s used the day of a race. Medina Spirit died of a possible heart attack in December, 2021. Weeks later, race officials stripped Medina Spirit of his Kentucky Derby title.