Belmont Park: Davona Dale winner Live Lively euthanized

Live Lively, winner of the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream, had to be euthanized Saturday morning after fracturing both sesamoids in her left foreleg at the conclusion of a workout at Belmont Park, trainer Mark Hennig said.

Live Lively, who had finished second to Dreaming of Julia in the Gulfstream Park Oaks, was kept out of Friday’s $1 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and was preparing for a start in the $500,000 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico on May 17.

“She breezed beautifully this morning, came home in 23 and change, galloped out three-quarters in 1:13 and a couple,” said Hennig, referring to a breeze that was officially timed in 1:01.06 by Belmont clockers. “Just before she was pulling up she broke her sesamoids in her left front just as she switched to her left lead.”

Live Lively was taken to the barn for evaluation, but the X-rays showed the unsalvageable injury.

“It was just not one of those things we could do anything about, unfortunately,” Hennig said.

After Live Lively was beaten 21 3/4 lengths by Dreaming of Julia in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Oaks on March 30, Hennig and owner Lee Lewis opted to skip the Kentucky Oaks and point for the Black-Eyed Susan.

“You try and do the right thing, you make a decision that’s in the best interest of your horse, and you got an owner that’s on board with that,” Hennig said. “I felt like she got stronger and stronger with every breeze and it all goes away in one step.”

Live Lively, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, had a record of 3-1-1 from five starts and earned $280,300.