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Worst Spill You've Seen
Watching the Preakness undercard on TV this past Saturday in that turf race was the worst spill I think I can remember. Im glad Eddie Castro was alright, but the poor horse got trampled pretty badly. Anyone got better?
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They showed a pretty good one on the Real Sports thing on HBO where Asmussen was interviewed.
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At least it was on the backstretch and happened in a second. I've seen way worse than that - the British horse in the 2005 mile comes to mind. Fleet Indian, obviously, Go for Wand, of course.
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Watch the Grand National from England. It's over jumps...BIG jumps. Typically 43 horses start and about 12 finish.
Spyder |
It was either 1994 or 95.. in the slop at Belmont.. Smart Little Boy and Scherbo.
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all of them.
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this is a maudlin thread....
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They are all bad, but Go for Wand was probably the worst I've seen on TV.
As far as live, it was pretty bad when Julie Krone went down at Saratoga. I can't remember the year or horses but I remember the hush that went over the crowd that day. Very Scary. It's obviously the worst part of the game. |
I've had threadds deleted for being boring
I think this thread needs to go away |
All of them...
In person, Bright One. :( |
The one that will be forever etched in my mind was the '82 Jockey Club Gold Cup with the breakdown of Timely Writer.
I wasn't a big fan of racing yet, but several of my classmates were and we watched the race at senior party. I was sick to my stomach after his breakdown...it was the first time I ever saw an incident like that. You remember things like that, good or bad. |
Exogenous breaking down before even setting foot on the track in the 2001 BC at Belmont.
And then the ill-fated Landseer on the turf. Gruesome day. |
My horse, Sage Chatter, in 1983, shattering his sesamoid and going down on the turn.
I was in the 6 furlong chute on the pony horse and could not get there fast enough. We've lost horses over the years of course, but that one hit me the hardest. You never completely get over it. |
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They were. |
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Worst spill I've ever seen -- not in the case of how graphic it was or how brutal it was -- but how it affected me:
Comprehensively It was the day we planned for 6 weeks, me taking my 18 year old coworker to the track for the first time. And I was so happy that Comprehensively was running, not only was she going for the first time, she was getting to see my favorite horse up close. I had lost money already, so we stood around to watch my boy run in this race. I played a measly trifecta bet and a few dollars to win on him just because it's what I do. He was midpack in the stretch, he wasn't going to threaten for the win, or maybe he was, but something went wrong. He stumbled, fought with all he had to stay up, took another step and lost it. Twyla went flying off of his back and onto the track, he flipped and twisted on the ground. He got up. I silently prayed, as fast as I ever have, that he would run off like I've seen so many times before. He stumbled. He couldn't stand up straight. He made his way inside the 16th pole, fighting to walk, seemingly unaware of what had happened or how it had happened. There he was being the horse that he is, giving every last bit and trying to find the wire, unburdened of his rider. He came right in front of us, and I saw his front right leg. Shattered. Flailing in all the wrong ways. I almost cried. And I started to as my friend looked at me, trying to understand how this horse meant so much to me. She had heard about him all day long, and I was so excited to share him with her. She caught on quickly from the look on my face and the tone of my voice that she caught during the few words I could manage to say. Mostly, "I'm going to cry." The man next to me shouted "on to the glue factory!" and it took everything I had to not lose it. For Twyla and the others risking their lives every second out there for his kicks. For these animals who love what they do. They do it for him. His trainer stood with him, his right arm underneath his neck, patting the opposite side, as the boy refused to give up. Refused to lie down. Refused to be anything but the winner. Not believing that somehow his leg didn't work anymore. I don't care if he runs in Portland. I don't care that it was a 3200N3L race. I don't care that he bankrolled only 13k in his career. I care that he gave me something to be excited about. I care that he gave every ounce every time. Gamely. I care that he was a beautiful animal and a beautiful racehorse and that meant something to me. I care that every time I knew he was running I would find a way to get to the track to see him, it was a dream come true that he came to Portland to run in front of me, instead of on TV. He was the 8-5 favorite. So at least, if anything today, he was loved. |
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Some horrible stories here. :(
The worst I saw was a G1 winner, a gelding called Cent Home. He broke a leg with a furlong to go, but wanted to catch up with the rest of the field with his leg flapping horribly. One of my favourite horses won the race but I didn't care, was too busy trying to keep myself from crying as the rider tried desperately to pull him up. One of the images of that day that lives on in my mind is the jockey crouching on the ground where he dismounted with his face in his hands. The worst thing was that the owner said the day before the race that it would be his last race before he had a nice well-deserved retirement. |
I haven't seen too many since i started following horse racing (which I am very glad about) but the one Johny V was involved with a year ago before the derby on Octave or Up an Octave was pretty hard for me to watch, made me feel pretty bad. I can't believe that people at the track actually wish for a horse to breakdown just so they can win their bet, pretty sad when you hear a guy saying "break a leg, come on, breakdown" pathetic!
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For some reason Snack sticks in my mind. This was in the 2005 Santa Catalina (now the Bob Lewis stakes). Snack was a crazy closer who had tore up the fields at Hoosier Park or whatever it is in Indiana. Would close from way way back. Paul Reddam purchased him and a few weeks later he was running in the Santa Catalina. I had never seen him run but had heard about him and he sounded fascinating. Was in his usual last position on the back stretch when he broke both front ankles or at least that's what they said. You could see him go down in the video but they cut away real fast. He was probably euthanized on the track but the ESPN guys didnt say for sure or maybe they didnt know. I think Declans Moon won the race before his season ended with the bone chip..
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I was there that day. They butchered that "ambulance run". The guy next to me called them "farm hands". Appropriate description. They brought the water truck and hosed the horse off, one of the gate workers must have diagnosed heat exhaustion. Then they tried to drag him to his feet. By the halter first. The vet was nowhere to be found. It was pathetic. Before they killed the horse they finally surmised it was a broken shoulder. That's why the horse couldn't get up. The horse thrashed forever. The nitwits were practically torturing that horse. You're right. Little kids were crying and screaming. I remember a little girl on her dad's shoulders begging her dad to make them "stop hurting the horse". I damn near starting crying too . . . it was very bad. |
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I saw it mentioned elsehwere I don't think any horses were put down...but opening day a couple of years ago Saratoga...1st race Jumpers I think nine started and only 2 or 3 finished wasn't pretty by any means. Of course either was our group at the end of the day!!!
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I was there for the A Huevo situation in 2005, but we don't need to rehash that. Terrible, terrible situation for a 9YO gelding.
The year prior, I can't remember the horse's name, but there was a horse who seized up coming down the stretch at Charles Town in the WV Breeders Classic. It looked awful, but then the vet was on the scene and realized what it was, allowed the poor guy to regain his senses, he got up and walked away under his own power. Very scary situation. |
The reason why I started this post was to hear some of the stories that we have read in this thread. To anyone who misinterpreted this as an attempt to disgust people, please accept my sincerest apologies
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Spook Express belongs in here too...
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We were in Ruidoso last fall for the all-american futurity, and they had a thoroughbred race on the undercard and a horse broke down right by the wire and it just layed there kicking and bawling. Finally, the ambulance came and whenever they went to give him the needle, the people with the tarp moved, so the entire grandstand could see the horse buck, kick and then fall to the ground. I have no idea why they moved the tarp. That was a awful sight to such a good day.
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pine islands wasn't pretty either rip
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i for the life of me can't remember the race or horse anymore but does anyone remember back to smarty jones preakness on the the undercard, i believe one of the stakes. a horse that went down and got back up and was just standing there with its poor leg. thats thw worst ive seen after a spill. its like get the damn tv off the horse. very upsetting:(
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Hendrix was really bad, but we've talked about that already when it happened.
I prefer to remember him for the sweet boy and kind soul he appeared to be. When I was a kid, about 11 or 12, I was in the truck with my mom driving up to the paddock. On that road to the paddock, was the "dead box". For those who might not know what that is, it is a 3 sided "stall" with high walls, where they would put horses who had broke down until the rendering guys could come take away the bodies. My mom would tell me beforehand if there was a horse in there so that I could hide my face. On this particular occassion, she forgot, and I saw a horse in there with a chunk of the rail entering the chest, and all the way thru, exiting toward the rear of one side. It was horrifying. My mom told me that the horse hit the rail and it came down, but was unable to veer out before hitting the end of the still standing portion of it. I like to think he died instantly. Of course, this was back in the days where the rails were far less safe. |
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I don't usually save things like that, but..... As far as the original question, I just can't answer that. Breaks my heart to remember..... All i can say though is that they're all special. I've seen brilliance in claimers and champions alike. They're all special. |
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