CHURCHILL DOWNS TRAGEDY : HEAD-ON COLLISION KILLS TWO HORSES IN MORNING WORKOUT.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. In a freak accident that stunned the racing community at Churchill Downs Churchill Downs, Ky.: see Louisville. , two horses died after a head-on collision A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side-collision or rear-end collision. Rail transport With rail, a head-on collision often implies a collision on a single line railway. during a morning workout. The horses - Rare Reason and Miss Carson - were on the track Saturday when they collided on a turn. No people were injured. ``I was in shock,'' said Rare Reason's trainer, Walter Bindner. The animals were completing routine exercises when Miss Carson's bridle broke near the finish line. The 4-year-old filly threw exercise rider Mark Fuchs and headed back up the stretch where Rare Reason was coming toward her. The two horses collided head-on near the three-eighths pole. ``I was going around the turn and here comes the loose horse,'' said Dean Flatland flat·land n. 1. Land that varies little in elevation. 2. flatlands A geographic area composed chiefly of land that varies little in elevation. , who was riding Rare Reason. ``I was trying to go one way or the other, and the horse just kept coming straight at me - and bang.'' ``They hit so hard, by the time I had gotten up, the horse (Miss Carson) was lying there dead. And our horse was just lying there.'' Veterinarians Veterinarians and veterinary surgeons (vets) are medical professionals who operate exclusively on animals. Well-known and notable veterinarians include:
castrated male horse. Rare Reason, who was unable to stand. Workers used a sled and a winch to load the horse onto an equine ambulance, but he died as the ambulance was leaving for a Lexington clinic. Dr. Alex Harthill, who helped try to save the Firecracker Handicap winner, speculated the horse's death was caused by damage to the central nervous system. ``The management of Churchill and the people on the backside were really helpful,' a shaken Bindner said. ``I think every veterinarian veterinarian /vet·er·i·nar·i·an/ (vet?er-i-nar´e-an) a person trained and authorized to practice veterinary medicine and surgery; a doctor of veterinary medicine. vet·er·i·nar·i·an n. on the backside was out there working with Alex, trying to save him.'' Track superintendent Butch Lehr said head-on collisions between horses are almost non-existent. He said he remembered only one other in more than 20 years at the track. Rare Reason was to run next Saturday in the Newbury Stakes at Arlington. He had 10 victories in 31 starts, including the Dueling Grounds Derby and the Pennsylvania Governor's Cup. He was owned by Mason Rudd. Miss Carson had three victories in 21 starts. |
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