Gorgeous George - An Appreciation

[my miss storm cat]

O'Brien praises ‘unbelievably talented horse'

by Jon Lees

AIDAN O'BRIEN on Sunday saluted the epic achievements of George Washington, the champion miler whose quest for Breeders' Cup honours ended in his death.

Ballydoyle's enigmatic star was humanely destroyed after the $5 million Classic at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on Saturday, prompting calls from leading trainer Jim Bolger for an end to dirt racing and drug use in US racing.

The son of Danehill had to be put down after being pulled up by Mick Kinane shortly after entering the rain-sodden straight. George Washington incurred an open fracture of the cannonbone in the right front fetlock joint and also fractured both sesamoids.

“It was obviously a straightforward decision,” said O'Brien. “The bone had gone through his skin so there was no chance of surgery.

“To try to gethim back together, he would have suffered a lot more, so it was the right thing to do.”

George Washington won six of his 14 races, including four at the highest level, and accrued prize-money in excess of £800,000.

Many believe his best performance came in the 2,000 Guineas last year, when the mercurial colt produced a devastating turn of foot to win the Newmarket Classic.

His other Group 1 victories were achieved in the National Stakes and the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in his juvenile season, and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at three.

He retired to stud after the 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic, but was put back into training this year after being found to be infertile.

“He was an unbelievably talented horse,” added O'Brien. “He had abig attitude and a big ego. He believed he was the best and he knew he was the best.

“He was just one of those freaks that don't come along very often – he was a natural athlete,” the Ballydoyle handler told RTE Sport.

George Washington was the tenth horse to be euthanised at the Breeders' Cup and the second from the O'Brien stable following Landseer in the 2002 Mile.

The colt began to labour entering the final turn and Kinane had eased off when George Washington stumbled and broke down 100yards from the line.

Kinane was quickly off his back and had removed the saddle as help arrived to keep the horse on his feet, but his injuries were so serious he could not be saved. The decision was taken quickly to put him down on the track.

Coolmore supremo John Magnier said: “It makes you appreciate the good days.

“The vets did a great job in holding the horse up and he was put down very efficiently and very quickly. Nobody could have done anything better than that.”

There were uncanny parallels in the life and death of George Washington with Barbaro, who fractured his right hind leg during last year's Preakness Stakes.

Barbaro's owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson had also bred George Washington and their colt won the Kentucky Derby on the same day George Washington captured the 2,000 Guineas.

Unlike Barbaro, who survived until the following January when he, too, was euthanised, nothing could be done for George Washington, according to Dr C Wayne McIlwraith, the on-call veterinarian of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

“George Washington sustained an open fracture of the cannonbone in the right front fetlock joint and disarticulated the joint at the same time and had both sesamoid fractures broken,” hesaid. “So it was a hopeless injury as far as repair, and he has been euthanised.

Bolger, in addition to paying tribute to George Washington yesterday, added: “His legacy, apart from being a very exciting champion, will be that from now on Breeders' Cups will only be run on Polytrack.

“The sooner they're all Polytrack and they cut out the drugs, it will be a better competition.

“If they had Polytrack and turf tracks without the drugs, it would sort the men from theboys.”

[brockguy]

saturday wont go down as one of the better days of my life.. so so sad..

[my miss storm cat]

I couldn't watch this all the way through but thought I'd post it.....


http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=4

[NoChanceToDance]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

I couldn't watch this all the way through but thought I'd post it.....


http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=4

The video sent a shiver down my spine. Some heartbraking photos in there.

Thanks for the memories big fella.

[Riot]

Beautiful eulogies.

Thank you, George.

[_ed_]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

I couldn't watch this all the way through but thought I'd post it.....


http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=4

That was hard to watch, the good bits made it worth it though. Thanks.

Sadly I didn't see many of George's races on TV here, but from what I saw of his behaviour before and during the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot this year I got a good idea of what a character he was.

And an amazingly talented animal to go with it.

My memories of this year's BC are not fond ones, hoping for an exciting and injury-free day on the Cushion Track next year.