Odysseus was put down Aug. 9, 2010, at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute near Lexington, Ky., due to complications from laminitis after receiving treatment for colitis. He was 3.
The chestnut colt with a white blaze was foaled in Kentucky in 2007. Bred by Haymarket Farm and Lakemont Stable, he was by Malibu Moon out of Persimmon Hill (by Conquistador Cielo).
Odysseus won three races, including the Tampa Bay Derby, in five starts for $223,670.
He appeared to be on track for the Kentucky Derby before hyperexending a knee in the Blue Grass Stakes on April 10, 2010.
Padua Stables purchased him for $250,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2-year-old sale in 2009.
Giant Ryan was euthanized June 14, 2012, at New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania due to complications from a racing injury, including laminitis. He was 6.
The New York-bred bay colt had a white star and white socks on three legs (both front and right hind). He was foaled in 2006.
Giant Ryan fractured both sesamoids in his left foreleg during the G2 True North Handicap on June 9, 2012, at Belmont Park. He was transferred to New Bolton and scheduled for surgery to fuse the fetlock joint, but the procedure was delayed over concerns about the blood supply to the damaged area.
Unable to bear weight on the injured leg, Giant Ryan overloaded the others. After Giant Ryan developed signs of laminitis, owner Shivananda Parbhoo decided to put the horse down.
He death came five days after the injury, suffered as he battled for the lead in the stretch run of the True North.
Giant Ryan was a son of Freud out of Kheyrah (by Dayjur). He won eight races in 17 starts for earnings of $686,841.
Kip Deville, winner of the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile, was euthanized June 11, 2010, at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., after a lengthy battle with laminitis and repeated bouts of colic. He was 7.
The gray roan colt was born May 3, 2003.
In mid-October 2009, he suffered a routine case of colic but developed laminitis over time in his front feet. He appeared to have recovered enough in March 2010 to be moved to a rehabilitation facility, but he regressed quickly.
He also won the grade 1 Woodbine Mile, Frank E. Kilroe Handicap and Maker’s Mark Mile.
Bred in Oklahoma by Center Hills Farm, he was by Kipling out of Klondike Kaytie (by Encino).
He won 12 of 30 starts and earned $3,325,489.
Shinko King, one of New Zealand’s leading breeding stallions, was put down May 17, 2012, after a lengthy battle with laminitis. He was 21.
The bay stallion had a star and thin stripe. He was bred in Ireland and was the son of Fairy King.
According to owner Henk Smith, the horse developed laminitis a decade earlier while shuttling between Japan and New Zealand for a couple of years. Shinko King recovered but would have new bouts once in a while.
Shinko King had been based at Paxton Park in Cambridge since 2007. He first stood in Japan before moving to New Zealand’s Ashwell Farm in 1998.
He sired five group one winners: Eskimo Queen, Thumbs Up, C’Est La Guerre, Bramble Rose and Barinka.
California turf horse Thorn Song was put down Aug. 4, 2014, at Alamo Pintado Veterinary Clinic in Los Olivos due to complications of laminitis. The stallion was 11.
A 16.1 hand gray roan with a white snip, he was by Unbridled’s Song out of Festal (Storm Bird).
The horse suffered a career ending tendon injury at Del Mar in July 2009 and developed laminitis. He spent the next year and a half recovering at Alamo Pintado before entering the breeding shed.
Bred in Kentucky by Pinnacle Racing and Taylor Made Farm, Thorn Song was bought by Ahmed Zayat for $200,000 at the 2005 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds sale. He won eight of 29 starts and earned $1,132,700.
He was feared dead in 2010 after news circulated that Zayat had collected a $2.75 million mortality insurance claim. An independent vet determined the horse met the criteria of the policy, and North American Specialty Insurance Company made the payment.
Still, the veterinary clinic tried a last-ditch stem cell treatment on Thorn Song, and he made an astonishing turnaround, according to Dr. Doug Herthel.
Thorn Song entered stud in 2011 at Harris Farms under ownership of the insurance company.
At the time of his death, no details were provided about his new bout of laminitis.
Jimmy, a half brother to Australia’s famous sprinter Black Caviar, was euthanized Dec. 29, 2013, after losing a battle with laminitis. The unraced colt was 2.
Born in 2011, the bay had two white hind socks.
Jimmy was Australia’s most expensive thoroughbred, being purchased for the record price of AU $5 million by the BC3 syndication at the 2013 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
BC3 failed to meet several payment deadlines to the auction house, even though investors paid the syndicate for their share, and Inglis Bloodstock repossessed Jimmy later in 2013.
BC3 was run by Bill Vlahos, who was accused of promoting an exclusive betting club that turned out to be a Ponzi scheme. Money from investors in the betting club went to pay for horses through BC3. In December 2013, Vlahos resigned from BC3 and declared bankruptcy.
In early November 2013, Jimmy received treatment at the University of Melbourne Equine Centre at Werribee for swelling in a leg due to a bite by a white-tailed spider, an injury that some questioned due to its rarity. He suffered a reaction to antibiotics used to treat the swelling, which resulted in diarrhea and then laminitis. He underwent treatment for the laminitis but deteriorated on Christmas Eve and was unable to get to his feet by Dec. 29, when he was put down.
The horse reportedly was insured for more than his purchase amount of $5 million.
Australia’s Herald Sun said Jimmy’s death was followed by wild speculation that Vlahos had orchestrated the death for the insurance.
Jimmy was by Redoute’s Choice out of Helsinge.
By some accounts, $15.47 million was owed to vets, trainers and investors at the time of the horse’s death.
Australian star sprinter Hay List was put down Feb. 3, 2015, after battling laminitis. The gelding was 9.
Foaled Aug. 24, 2005, in Australia, the bay horse had a white stripe.
Hay List was hugely popular in Australia due to his ongoing rivalry with unbeaten mare Black Caviar.
He had been fighting laminitis since mid-December 2014. In his final weeks, the horse “was taking two steps forward, five steps back,” according to trainer John McNair, who had been caring for him with his wife, Sue.
Hay List “had a terrible night (Monday), and we could not put him through that again.”
The horse reportedly had chronic hoof problems throughout his career yet still went on to be rated the world’s second-best sprinter behind Black Caviar.
Hay List won 15 races in 28 starts, earning $2,559,575. He had Group 1 wins in the Newmarket Handicap. All Aged Stakes and Manikato Stakes. He ran second to Black Caviar in four Group 1 races.
Hay List recovered from two colic surgeries and a fractured knee.
The horse was by Statue of Liberty out of Sing Hallelujah. He was bred and owned by T. J. Davenport.
Big Kiss was put down on July 11, 2014, due to continuing issues in his hind end resulting from laminitis. He was 6.
The bay gelding was born in 2008.
He developed laminitis from grain overload in June 2013. He suffered from OBEL grade 4 laminitis, the most severe grade, for a year and spent much of that time lying down, permanently affecting his back.
Charlie Owen, developer of Laminil, a potential treatment for laminitis, agreed to transport Big Kiss from Kentucky to Colorado to treat him. The idea was to do a live case study that horse lovers could follow to see how Laminil worked through regular updates and videos. It was also a chance for investors to evaluate the drug.
It was clear from the outset that Big Kiss had suffered greatly from the laminitis. His radiographs showed the extensive damage to his feet. His bed sores had two types of infection. He was treated with antibiotics, and a tube was inserted in one bed sore to help drain the pus. Big Kiss was given a poor prognosis, but he had heart and mounted a promising early comeback.
On June 18, two days after his second Laminil treatment and 16 days after he arrived, the vet upgraded his condition to OBEL grade 2 and said he was noticeably improved, standing, holding his front legs underneath him and walking without much resistance. Still, the vet had concerns about his back and said back pain could cause just as much pain as laminitic feet.
Big Kiss ran his last race in April 2013. He was by Southern Image out of Fair Kris and had 28 starts with 7 firsts, 9 seconds and 3 thirds. His career winnings totaled $95,000.
Intense Holiday was euthanized June 12, 2014, after losing a battle with laminitis following surgery. The colt was 3.
The dark bay horse, born in 2011, had two hind socks.
He suffered a condylar fracture to his right foreleg while working out at Belmont Park on May 25 in preparation for the Belmont Stakes. He was treated at Hogan Equine Veterinary Clinic in New Jersey, where he underwent surgery on May 27. He was expected to recover and retire to the breeding shed, but he developed laminitis in both forelimbs in the days following surgery and was euthanized.
He finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby and won the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in February 2014.
He was trained by Todd Pletcher.
Sired by Harlan’s Holiday out of Intensify (Unbridled’s Song), he was purchased by Starlight Racing for $300,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling auction.
Intense Holiday won two of nine starts with total earnings of $551,900.
Noble Causeway was put down May 27, 2014, after losing a brief battle with laminitis. The stallion was 12.
The striking 16.1 hand chestnut, born in 2002, had one hind stocking (right hind).
He had three wins in 18 starts with earnings of $360,010. The colt finished second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby in 2005 and competed in that year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
Noble Causeway was bred in Kentucky by Reiko and Michael Baum and was by Giant’s Causeway out of Mimi’s Golden Girl (Seeking the Gold). He was purchased for $1.15 million by My Meadowview Farm at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale. Nick Zito served as his trainer.
The horse entered stud in 2008, standing at Sequel Stallions in Hudson, N.Y., but stopped breeding in early May 2014 when he started showing symptoms of laminitis.
His progeny include Samraat, who finished second in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes and fifth in the Kentucky Derby in 2014.
Rockport Harbor was euthanized Aug. 2, 2013, due to laminitis. The stallion was 11.
Born in 2002, he was bred in Kentucky by Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and Taylor Made Farm. The colt was dappled gray with a white blaze, two white stockings and two white socks. He was out of Unbridled’s Song by the stakes-winning Copelan mare Regal Miss Copelan.
He raced for owner Rick Porter during the mid-2000s and was undefeated as a juvenile with wins in the Grade 3 Nashua and the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct.
Porter bought the yearling colt for $470,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling auction.
Rockport Harbor won five out of eight starts and earned $324,800.
He suffered a hoof injury in 2004 in the Grade 2 Remsen.
Rockport Harbor stood at Darley’s Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky., for his first six seasons, then moved to Dr. William Solomon’s Pin Oak Lane Stud in New Freedom, Pa., in 2012.
At the time of his death, his progeny had nearly $3.1 million in earnings.
Disco Rico was euthanized on Dec. 18, 2014, after a two-year battle with laminitis. The stallion was 17.
Born in 1997, the 16.0 1/2 hand bay stallion had a stripe and three white stockings.
He had repeatedly fought back from close calls with laminitis, particularly over the previous year
He was sired by Citidancer out of the Apalachee mare Round It Off. Bred in Maryland by C. Oliver Goldsmith, he was bought as a 2-year old by Joe DiRico for $82,000.
Disco Rico won nine of his 17 starts and seven stakes, including the Maryland Breeders’ Cup Handicap (gr. III) at Pimlico Race Course and the Jersey Shore Breeders’ Cup Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth Park. The colt retired after three seasons of racing with $532,244 in earnings.
He entered stud in 2002 and stood at Murmur Farm in Maryland, then at Keane Stud in New York, siring 11 stakes winners.
He liked jelly doughnuts, peppermints, carrots and beer, according to DiRico. Hopefully not all at once.
Bond Holder was put down April 19, 2014, due to complications from laminitis. The stallion was 3.
Foaled March 15, 2011, he was bay with a small star.
A leading 3-year-old prospect pointed toward the Kentucky Derby, the colt ultimately did not race in 2014.
He missed a February start due to traveling poorly on a flight and was scratched from the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby after developing an abscess in a foot. He was transferred to a Florida equine clinic for treatment, which continued for five weeks. After Bond took a turn for the worse, he was euthanized.
He won the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes in September 2013 at Santa Anita Park. It was his only win in seven starts. He earned a career total $366,000.
The bay colt was by Mineshaft out of the Conquistador Cielo mare Cielo Girl. He was bred by Lazy Lane Farms, LLC, owned by Reddam Racing LLC and trained by Doug O’Neill.