Charles Town: Down Town Allen euthanized

Down Town Allen, a favorite at Charles Town where she won 24 of 38 starts dating back to 2009, was euthanized Monday due to injuries she suffered during the Original Gold Stakes on the April 18 Charles Town Classic card.

Down Town Allen is the only West Virginia-bred filly or mare to earn more than $1 million. She was pulled up midway through the seven-furlong race as the 2-5 favorite with torn suspensory ligaments. She had been under the care of William Riddle at the Cecil Veterinary Clinic in Port Deposit, Md., since her injury.

"She was at our clinic from the outset and we all wanted to do absolutely everything we could to save her,” Riddle said. “She arrived with a tear in her suspensory and we put a cast on her leg and treated her in the hyperbaric chamber initially. We removed the cast and outfitted her with a special shoe and she was exposed to a lot of supportive treatment including antibiotics as well. Despite the extensive efforts, there wasn’t any evidence of healing and we unfortunately thought we had to make the decision that was made.”

Down Town Allen, an 8-year-old daughter of Windsor Castle, was bred, owned, and trained by John Casey. Prior to being injured, she had won 14 consecutive starts at Charles Town.

“I’ve been in the business a long time and I’ve never had or seen a horse like her,” Casey said. “She was a racehorse who loved being a racehorse but with her disposition and the way she was, she was also like a pet that was a part of our family. When she was at the track, she’d just win stake after stake. When she was away from the track, she’d let kids ride her around a show ring."

In all, Down Town Allen won 25 of 42 starts and earned $1,029,387.