Mongolian Groom euthanized after leg injury in Breeders' Cup Classic

Mongolian Groom was euthanized following a serious injury sustained late in the running of Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic.

He was pulled up by jockey Abel Cedillo near the eighth pole after suffering a fracture to his left hind limb. He was unable to put weight on the leg and left the track in an equine ambulance.

"Mongolian Groom sustained an injury in the Breeders' Cup Classic today and was immediately attended to by an expert team of veterinarians, led by board-certified veterinary surgeon Dr. Ryan Carpenter," the Breeders' Cup said in a statement. "During their evaluation at the equine hospital at Santa Anita, they observed a serious fracture to his left hind limb. Radiographs were taken and a complete evaluation was performed.

"Given the extent of the injury, Dr. Carpenter, in consultation with Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, veterinary surgeon and professor emeritus at Colorado State University, Dr. Rick Arthur, Equine Medical Director of the California Horse Racing Board, and attending veterinarian Dr. Vince Baker, recommended humane euthanasia of Mongolian Groom.

"The death of Mongolian Groom is a loss to the entire horse racing community."

Breeders' Cup Ltd. added that veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage will conduct an independent evaluation of the incident, and the results will be released publicly.

Mongolian Groom was a four-year-old gelding who was sired by Hightail.

Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., has been the subject of intense scrutiny and controversy in the past year due to the increasing number of racehorse deaths at the track. Mongolian Groom is the 37th horse to die at Santa Anita since last December, according to The Associated Press.