“It was a quarter-mile after the race,” Jones said in disbelief. “(Breakdowns) just don’t happen there. There’s always a reason things happen, but right now I see no reason for this. She ran the race of her life; she put it out there.”
Dr. Larry Bramlage agreed. "She appeared to be galloping out fine," he said. "I haven't seen this before."
Jones said the injuries were so severe there was no way Eight Belles could be saved. He also said he saw no problem with the racing surface at Churchill, and had no reservations running the filly against colts given the way she had trained for the race.
It was a complete freak accident; as noted, this almost never happens in races.
The only time I saw or heard of anything comparable was the case of 1982 two-year-old champion Roving Boy, who had to be destroyed after he shattered both hind legs in a fall after winning a race in Santa Anita on November 3, 1983. He fell just past the finish line.
He had had surgery for a broken cannon bone some time earlier, but it was for one of his front legs.
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