Updated on 07/04/2012 5:10PM

Grade 2 winner Millionreasonswhy dies in freak training accident

By Marty McGee
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Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Millionreasonshy, winning her first start of 2012 in the Wide Country at Laurel Park in March, died instantly when she crashed through a rail training at Sagamore Farm.

Millionreasonswhy, a 3-year-old filly who won the Grade 2 Matron Stakes at Belmont Park last July and was never worse than third in six career starts, died Sunday morning in a training accident at Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Md., where she was based with trainer Ignacio Correas IV.

A news release issued Sunday by Sagamore, which owned Millionreasonswhy after buying her for $115,000 at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sales, said the filly died instantly of internal injuries after crashing through the rail on the six-furlong training track.

On Monday, Correas said that Millionreasonswhy was warming up for a workout when she got spooked by a deer who ran through the infield of the track. Millionsreasonswhy dumped her exercise rider and ran off, crashing through a rail.

Ironically, Correas had pushed the workout back a day because he felt it was too hot to breeze the filly on Saturday.

“What happened was very unfortunate,” Correas said. “It’s sad.”

“This is a very emotional day for our team,” said Sagamore general manager Tom Mullikin. “Millionreasonswhy was a tough and classy filly that had not yet reached her full potential. She was also a very sweet horse that was always a pleasure to be around.”

Millionreasonswhy won her career debut in June 2011 at Colonial Downs, then captured the Matron on July 3 in her next start. She then finished second in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga in her last start at 2. This year, she returned by winning the Wide Country at Laurel Park, then was third in the Grade 3 Comely at Aqueduct and second in the Miss Preakness at Pimlico.

Correas said that Millionreasonswhy was buried right next to Native Dancer, the Hall of Fame horse campaigned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, the longtime proprietor of Sagamore Farm, in the 1950s.

Sagamore is the resurgent Maryland farm made famous by the late Alfred Vanderbilt and by legendary horses such as Native Dancer. The farm is now owned by Under Armour tycoon Kevin Plank.

- additional reporting by David Grening

Mitch McMahon More than 1 year ago
Quick, somebody get JJ a hobby
j b More than 1 year ago
Just shows that this was just a dumb horse actually being spooked by a much smaller deer. lol
Elijah Allison More than 1 year ago
your all crazy!!!!
Bsb Jaws More than 1 year ago
Sorry Joy ,buttZ... that ain't gonna fly. Nobody misunderstood you . On the contrary they understood you quite well. As you said ,you've been commenting here for a couple of months . Coincidentally thats about the time of the NYT BS expose of the evil game of horse racing. Since you have commented for a couple of months you know that the writer isn't going to answer any questions you may have. If it was a question for the writer than why didn't you say Mr. McGee ? Or write him a private e-mail ? I'll tell you why. Because it was an acusation against racing not a question for the writer. You got called on it and now you want to snivel for sympathy. Forget it . You ain't gettin' any. Your eye skipped over it because your eyebrows were raised in self-rightous indignation. I've fed and watered horses owned by HORSE LOVERS that never show their face to give their horse a grooming or a peppermint . I've drank a couple beers with the horses that were particularly ignored by their horse loving owners. Not racehorses ,buttz... saddle horses. The beers were on me. I'm fed up with BS horse lovers . You never heard of this horse before and you know it. . You don't know if she was sweet or a damn vampire. I've befriended horses that nobody would dare to go in the stall with. Your comments are only on blogs that have to do with injured or dead horses. You are trying to tear down MY game. I don't like it. You and the other phoney horse lovers on this thread bumped into some opposition and you don't like that. Too bad. If the death of a horse you never heard of causes you so much grief then this ain't your game. Racehorses break down . Get over it.
JoyJackson21 More than 1 year ago
You just called me a liar, and that is not the truth. I am not a liar. I spoke the truth. When I read the article, my eye skipped over the line that the horse had been spooked by a deer. I read that on another site the following day and realized I made a mistake in critizing the writer, and I've apologized to him. You have to stop being so cynical because you are accusing me of things I never thought of doing or saying. I never said a word against the connections of this horse, nor did I ever say a word against any horse people, nor have denegrated racing. Why would I? I enjoy horseracing and everybody knows that! What an incredibly baffling and wrong thing to say to me! And what the heck are you babbling on about about the New York Times? I rarely read the Times, I'm not from the New York area. I do read the Wall Street Journal, though. That's a New York paper. I take what is written in the New York Times with a grain of salt, just as I do all journalism sources, because what you read or hear is often not told with the full truth revealed, but instead with some sort of agenda in mind. And for your information, I started posting on this board when the Derby preliminary races started because I was excited about what I was seeing from this year's 3 year old crop, and I wanted to discuss those races with people who would understand why I was so excited about what I was seeing. That's all. No other reason. Your accusations are totally baseless and you are definitely inventing things in your own fevered brain about me that are simply not true. And are you telling me I have to have heard of or personally know a horse before they get injured in order to feel sympathy for them and their connections that the horse has been hurt or needed to be euthanized? That is an utterly ridiculous statement. And tell me, am I supposed to know every person who has been attacked or murdered that is mentioned on the evening news in order to feel compassion for them, too? No, you know that I don't have to know them to feel empathy for them, but I definitely do feel empathy for them and what they have gone through. Your reasoning is definitely not solid on this point where I am concerned. And since when am I tearing down your game? I don't recall ever saying one word against you before, or the sport of horse racing, as whole. Why would I do that when I bet on horses myself and have for decades now? Now, I have said that what is done by some stewards, state agencies, and some breeders need to be tweaked and improved, but there isn't an industry in the entire world that is perfect and does not to be improved, including horse racing. Pointing out that things could be improved is not trying to take away your industry. To the contrary, I would like it to improve so that this industry can thrive, because right now this industry is slowly declining, which I think is a great shame. And the 'love it or leave it' attitude is not going to help it to thrive, either. And to clear up the fallacy you mentioned above, I only comment on two horseracing blogs, both of the highly regarded websites, this one being one of them, and neither of the blogs have anything to do with injured or dead horses. So I just caught you in a lie, a big fat lie. The blogs I comment on is solely about how wonderful the races a particular horse has run and how we admire the races and the horses. So you just lied, and I certainly do not appreciate you making false accusations against me. You, sir, are talking out of your hat on this one. And in order to accuse me of being on those blogs that talk about dead horses you would have to be on that blog yourself. And you have certainly NEVER seen me on that blog. Ever. Ever. Ever. And you sound as if you've had one too many beers tonight when you wrote this little diatribe of hate to me. And I myself have pointed out a number of times on this very forum that horses break down all of the time, they are fragile creatures, and it happens, so you are preaching to the choir on that one, Jaws. And I don't need to 'get over it' because I already know that point. The only person who needs to get over something is you. You need to get over the hate. I am not affiliated with PETA in any way, and I never have been. I am concerned about the well-being of horses though, just as we all do, and I also care deeply about the well-being of people as well. I am a compassionate person and I am not going to apologize for it or try to justify myself to you.
john More than 1 year ago
Anyone who rides or trains knows horses are spooked because they are herd animals and naturally spook and run from anything so odd unless they are accustomed to seeing it. Use your intelligence and maybe your heart its ok to feel bad for the animal and their people. Its not ALWAYS about the money! I've lost two over the year in a natural farm and safe surrounding even the vet gets a little choked up and one of the horses had just come to us. Be nice some people have emotions we cant help it. And yes owners do care trainers too we spent all the money we had at the time to save the horse and Im glad we did to this day. Many others do too... you do see absentee owners as a groom who really dont spend time (even a minute) with their horse and it is strange but dont judge everyone by a few. I feel bad for the horse and never met her.
john More than 1 year ago
Guess what this is my game. Seen it all too lighten up theres good and bad this person wasnt criticizing racing as sooo many do today who dont know the game. I dont feel bad the spotlights on the game cos it will give honest trainers a better chance.
JoyJackson21 More than 1 year ago
Alright, this forum went completely crazy because I asked the writer of the article what happened to cause the accident because that was a missing part of the article. When I hear that an accident happens on the expressway on a traffic report, the first question I ask myself is why did that happen? This is the same thing. I was not casting aspersions on the connections of the horse. Far from it. I have heard that Millionreasonswhy was spooked by a deer and that's what caused her to run into the gate. That should have been reported in the article, and that was all that I was asking about. That explanation was good enough for me. I was saddened for the horse, nothing else. All of you went off on some kind of weird tangent because I was concerned that Millionreasonswhy had something happen to her that caused her death. I am not with PETA, so I don't know where that accusation came from. Voodoo Daddy had just been injured a few days earlier, and my comment regarding Millionreasonswhy was related to the article concerning Voodoo Daddy because in the Voodoo Daddy article the reason why the horse was spooked was mentioned in the article. I commented on that the day it happened as well. The question of why did it happen to Millionreasonswhy was directed at the writer of the article because a vital piece of information had been left out, that's the only reason for the question. I am grateful that Millionreasonswhy did not suffer in a prolonged fashion. And I mourn for a wonderful horse who life was ended too soon in a tragic way. The way I was spoken to by many on this forum was totally disrespectful. I often have different views from many of you, but I offer my views to you without uttering a word of profanity to you, or telling you to go piss on a pole as someone disgustingly told me to do before, or without denigrating you in any way. I am respectful to all of you and I would appreciate it if you would extend me the same courtesy in return. And many of you assumed a lot of things that were simply not true about my comment and you ran with it. Your assumptions were all totally wrong. Totally.
JoyJackson21 More than 1 year ago
I did not see the line where this author explained why the accident had happened, my eye must have skipped over it when I read the article. I read on another website yesterday that Millionreasonswhy was spooked by a deer and that was enough explanation for me, that's all I asked to know - why had it happened. So, I apologize to the writer of this article because I missed the line why the accident had happened. I don't apologize for being concerned for the horse, though. I will always be concerned for the horse when I read that one has been involved in an accident. I am always concerned about the humans involved in the accident as well, and you should all know that already - you've read enough of my comments over the last few months to know that I am always concerned for all involved - and you should also know by now that I am not a member of PETA. I'm a horse racing fan who appreciates the nobility and the talent of the horses, their jockeys, and their connections, that's all. And I should have to defend myself for having those sympathies.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
What a tragedy. So sad. Thank God this happened during training and not in front of thousands in a race. Seeing that would make me feel like passing out or throwing up. I'm sure many other would feel the same. That image would haunt me for months.
Elijah Allison More than 1 year ago
lol
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Maybe thoroughbred racing should take a page from Harness Racings book and get rid of the inner rails altogether. That would eliminate a lot of accidents. There are other ways. It can be done. "Dogs" or hedges can be used.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
Dogs and hedges can be used
Frank More than 1 year ago
exacly -- good point. take the rails down like harness racing. By the way does anyone know the breakdown rate of harness race horse versus thoroughbred? Look it up you may learn something.
Jill Pflugheber More than 1 year ago
Right, well the physical dynamics of trotting or pacing versus galloping are far different. Never do harness horses have their full weight (also minus a rider) coming down on a single leg. In a gallop, each leg hits the ground individually, thus bearing full weight. Trotting and pacing, the horse always has TWO legs bearing weight at one time.
Anonymous More than 1 year ago
The Standardbred Horse is stronger and more sturdy built through the legs, and Standardbred Horses have more powerfully built feet than Thoroughbreds .
Alex More than 1 year ago
Hedges? Dogs!? Is this some kind of joke? Yes, what thoroughbred racing needs to do is take a page from harness racing. Ahaha. It must be a joke. Sure is funny!
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
This guy Plank seems to be making a revival of Sagamore as part of his honest efforts to bring Maryland back. A sad time for all...
Morris More than 1 year ago
i keep a list of speed ratings on horses to rate them by . i also keep a list of ratings of bloggers, which i call e.e.i.q. numbers. that stands for" estimated equine i. q." 1 of the highest horses on the list was "the factor ", some of the higher bloggers were dr. drinkin bum & joy jackson21 . well after this weekend all 3 afore mentioned, having declining numbers. have a good day. "an ole railbird"
Todd Brown More than 1 year ago
There is a difference between being an animal lover and trying to stir something up. Horses were put on this planet to work and to run.....just because something like this happens doesn't mean humans wanted it to and don't care about the animal. PETA is all about PETA and raising money. Those liberal idiots don't self educate enough to start as much crap as they do. I hate it for the horse and the connections, but trying to always dig up the evil in a bad situation makes me wanna puke. Geez!
Daryl Steen More than 1 year ago
Horses were put on this planet to work and to run... and you are calling other people idiots ?
Stacia More than 1 year ago
If it's your goal to constantly vilify people, regardless of actual facts or common sense in each individual situation, in order to push an agenda and force them to fit a negative stereotype that you want to promote, then yes...you are an idiot. On a side note, did you know that PETA has a 90% kill rate of perfectly adoptable animals in their "shelters"? Funny how it's a two way street...
Daryl Steen More than 1 year ago
As a member of No Kill Nation (look it up Stacia) I am not a big fan of Peta...the point I am making is that horses were not put on this earth to only serve our purpose...we as a community that enjoys watching them run owe it to them to treat them with the utmost respect from their racing days through their retirement...is that such a debatable point ?
Stacia More than 1 year ago
Daryl, that is not at all a debatable point and yes, they should be treated with the utmost respect and care before, during, and after racing. What their purpose here on earth, let alone us as humans, is anyone's guess; but trust me, with that said I'm not condoning abuse, neglect, etc. Todd also stated in his comment that it's not as if humans don't care about the horses, so I think we are all on the same page about that. And I want to clarify that I wasn't saying that you were PETA. I was trying to support Todd's comment of calling them idiots when you questioned it. Basically, if you (meaning any person - you, me ,etc...) are going to act/think like they do, it's hard to argue the state of idiocy. I'm sorry if it came off that I was saying that directly about you, but it wasn't my intent, just some bad wording...that is what I get for posting without enough coffee.
Bsb Jaws More than 1 year ago
No kill nation . LOL. As bad or worse than PETA . Tofu anyone ? It's none of your business what someone else does with THEIR livestock. Everything on earth is here for mans use. Man is king of the beasts. In case you didn't know Thoroughbreds are manufactured by man strictly to race. Go watch Electric Horseman again Peta Plant.
john More than 1 year ago
Everybody knows horses were put on this planet to eat you out of house and home. Everybody also knows in order to be horse lover and owner you have to be crazy. So everybody fits right here! Just red this blog. Take down rails and put up 10 ft solid wood fences slanted all way around. sometimes works whos gonna pay for it? plus you have to be upstairs to watch the race....
Gina Spadafori More than 1 year ago
PETA is *not* the same as "liberal." In fact, many of us who self-identify as liberal loathe these pet-murderers (they kill more than 90 percent of the adoptable pets they take into their shelter in VA -- a couple thousand pets a year). This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with a world view regarding animals with which many people -- liberals/conservatives alike -- strongly disagree. I also don't agree that PETA is all about the fund-raising. They're about getting attention more than anything else. PETA is out of step with many of us who care about animals. This was an accident, pure and simple. PETA actually should be happy: They prefer their domestic animals dead.