OCEANPORT, N.J. - George Washington broke down in the stretch of the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, injuring his right front leg and causing the European star to be euthanized.
Jockey Mick Kinane pulled up George Washington at the rear of the nine-horse field as 1 Curlin dashed to a 4 /2-length victory on the sloppy track at Monmouth Park.
George Washington fractured his cannon bone and was euthanized on the track at the request of trainer Aidan O'Brien,according to Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian.
"That's a hopeless injury," he said.
As George Washington skittered a few steps on his injured leg, workers rushed to him and surrounded the 4-year-old colt with brown screens that blocked the view of the crowd. A horse ambulance quickly appeared and maneuvered into position as 41,781 fans watched in silence.
The workers managed to load George Washington into the ambulance under the cover of the screens.
"There was a condylar fracture and that makes the ankle unstable," Bramlage said. "He broke one sesamoid [bone] and then dislocated the ankle to the side. That destroys the blood supply, which makes this such a difficult injury."
George Washington was in fifth at the half-mile pole, then dropped back to seventh before getting hurt in the stretch.
He was back in the Classic a year after finishing sixth in the race at Churchill Downs. The colt was retired at the end of last year with plans to go to stud, but was found to be infertile and put back into training.
Sports, Pages 31 on 10/28/2007