Bond Holder loses battle with laminitis

Bond Holder, the winner of the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes at Santa Anita last September, has been euthanized after a battle with laminitis, trainer Doug O’Neill said on Saturday.

Bond Holder had been undergoing treatment at a Florida equine clinic in the last five weeks for the hoof disease. His condition recently took a turn for the worse, O’Neill said.

“We’re all pretty heartbroken,” he said.

A 3-year-old, Bond Holder did not start this year, and had 1 win in 7 starts and earnings of $366,000. He was considered a leading 3-year-old prospect in California over the winter.

Owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, Bond Holder was fourth in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita last November. Bond Holder was fourth in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park in December in what turned out to be the final start of his career.

Bond Holder was scheduled to start in the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Feb. 22, but missed the race after becoming unsettled on a flight from California to Louisiana. He was then sent to Tampa Bay Downs for the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby on March 8 but did not start in that race after an abscess was detected in a foot.

A few days later, Bond Holder was moved to the Florida clinic.