Baffert-trained horse euthanized at Pimlico; jockey to hospital

BALTIMORE — A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized on the track after going down with an injury and unseating his jockey during a race on the Preakness undercard Saturday.

Hours before the second leg of the Triple Crown, favorite Havnameltdown buckled forward and threw jockey Luis Saez off his back during the sixth race and continued running around the final turn in some distress.

The 3-year-old colt was looked at by chief veterinary officer Dr. Dionne Benson and others, who determined the injury was inoperable and decided the horse should be put down, according to a statement from 1ST Racing, which owns and operates the track.

Saez was conscious and taken to a hospital for evaluation, complaining of leg pain, the track announced. He was attended to by medical personnel on the track for several minutes before being put on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

The fatality comes in the aftermath of the Kentucky Derby being overshadowed by the deaths of seven horses at Churchill Downs over a span of 10 days.

Havnameltdown, the favorite at 4-5 and breaking from the inside No. 1 post, was bumped out of the gate by No. 2 Ryvit and broke a step slow.

Fans in the crowd at Pimlico Race Course gasped when the horse stumbled before the final turn and tossed Saez. The horse was brought under control on Pimlico’s homestretch by track staff then led behind some black barriers.

In an incongruous scene, at the same time Saez and Havnameltdown were being looked at, 2Pac’s “California Love” blared from infield speakers set up right near where the incident happened. The music was stopped during the next race.

Baffert has horses running on Preakness weekend for the first time in two years after returning from a suspension stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed drug test. He was not able to enter horses in the Derby either of the past two years as part of a decision by Churchill Downs. He could not have any in the 2022 Preakness or Belmont because of a 90-day ban in Kentucky respected by Maryland and New York.

One of his horses, Arabian Lion, won an earlier race. Baffert is also set to saddle National Treasure in the Preakness.

Saez, a Panamanian who turned 31 on Friday, originally was supposed to ride top contender First Mission in the Preakness. But that horse was scratched on the advice of veterinarians because of an issue with his left hind ankle.

At the 2019 Kentucky Derby, Saez rode Maximum Security across the line first, but stewards revoked the victory and dropped the colt to 17th for impeding the paths of several horses. Saez was accused of causing the interference and suspended.

Earlier this year, he was aboard Kentucky Derby champion Mage for a runner-up finish at the Florida Derby. At Churchill Downs two weeks ago, Saez’s horse, Tapit Trice, came in seventh in the Derby.

Havnameltdown, owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, had won four of his six career starts prior to this race. He most recently finished second in the Saudi Derby in February.