Vino Rosso surged to the lead to beat McKinzie by 4 1/2 lengths in the $6 Million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Higher Power was third. War of Will led the first part of the race, faded to ninth.
Vino Rosso was ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. who had an amazing Breeders’ Cup meet. An hour earlier he rode Brick and Morter to the win in the 1 1/2 mile Turf (bolstoring his horse of the year prospects). He also won with Four Wheel Drive in the Juvenile Turf Sprint and Spun to Run in the Dirt Mile.
After thirty-six horses died this year at Santa Anita, many safety precautions were put in place for the Breeders’ Cup and the meet was injury-free until the last race. Unfortunately, Mongolian Groom, who ran in the Classic, was pulled up after the quarter pole, after running in the front of the field, with a serious injury to his left hind. According to The Paulick Report, the gelding has multiple fractures in his lower cannon bone and upper pastern.
“It is a serious injury. They’re getting some consultation and evaluation and are going to discuss it with the connections,” said Dr. Alan Ruggles, the AAEP’s on-call veterinarian and a surgeon with Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. “It’s obviously a challenging injury. I think what people have to realize is that (surgery) is not for every client. You have to have an honest discussion of what the options are and what the risks are. Hopefully it’s something that can be managed. Sometimes simple things don’t work out. Sometimes I’ve had fractures I fixed that I never thought I could.” The Paulick Report
Sending healing thoughts and prayers to Mongolian Groom and his connections.
Update: The Breeders’ Cup has just announced that Mongolian Groom has been euthanized. RIP