One in Vermillion wins Jerkens after New York Thunder's fatal injury

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — In a shocking, stomach-turning replay of what happened here three weeks ago, a Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga was decided after a horse, seemingly on its way to victory suffered a catastrophic injury in the stretch.

New York Thunder, with a clear lead approaching the sixteenth pole under Tyler Gaffalione, broke his left foreleg leaving the field for the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens behind him to battle it out for the win. One In Vermillion, last, 11 lengths back after a half-mile, was the one who got to the wire first, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Verifying. It was 1 1/2 lengths back to Arabian Lion in third. Fort Bragg and Drew’s Gold completed the order of finish.

The Jerkens was run over a muddy, sealed track, made so by rains that came during the middle of the card.

New York Thunder hobbled to the finish line in front of a horrified crowd. The scene, which made the place fall silent, was eerily reminiscent of the Grade 1 Test Stakes here on Aug. 5 when Maple Leaf Mel, just yards away from winning the Grade 1 Test, also suffered a fatal breakdown.

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New York Thunder did have to be euthanized on track, behind a blue screen.

Tyler Gaffalione, the rider of New York Thunder, fortunately escaped injury in the Forego. New York Thunder was Gaffalione’s last mount on Saturday’s card. Earlier in the day, Gaffalione went down on the colt Nobel, who broke down in his left foreleg galloping out following a sixth-place finish in an allowance race on turf.

Gaffalione had a bruise over his right eye from that incident. Two races later he won the Grade 1 Forego aboard Gunite.

In the Jerkens, New York Thunder was on the lead through fractions of 22.29 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.40 for the half-mile, stalked by Arabian Lion. Turning for home, New York Thunder opened up a five-length lead at the eighth pole and was on his way to victory before he fell.

“He didn’t really give me much time to react,” Gaffalione said. “I took one bobble and he kind of just disappeared from underneath me.”

Gaffalione rolled under the safety rail. After a few minutes he got up, was assisted to an awaiting ambulance where he was taken to First Aid and cleared to ride moving forward.

New York Thunder, like Maple Leaf Mel, was undefeated entering his Grade 1 stakes debut. The breakdown left tears in the eyes of trainer Jorge Delgado, who, after tending to his horse on the track, walked out of the facility, hands on his head.

As was the case when Pretty Mischievous won the Test, there was no winner’s circle ceremony following the Jerkens.

One in Vermillion won the Iowa Derby in July and was coming off a third-place finish behind Red Route One in the West Virginia Derby.

One in Vermillion, trained by Esteban Martinez, had shown speed in his six most recent starts dating back to the Santa Anita Derby. In the Jerkens, he was last early on under Irad Ortiz Jr., riding the horse for the first time.

“You don’t want to win a Grade 1 that way,” Ortiz said. “He run a great race. They ran away from me, I wait, tip him out in the stretch, he was closing, I never thought I was going to catch the winner.

“It’s sad, for the owners of the horse who went down, he was already a winner, I think,” Ortiz added. “Unfortunately, that happened. I asked about the rider, they said he was okay, I’m glad Tyler is okay, he’s a friend of mine.”

One in Vermillion, a son of Army Mule, covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.63 and returned $41.40 to win. He was given a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

When asked about the similarities to the Jerkens and the Test a few weeks ago, Ortiz said, “Speechless. Nothing you can say about it, it’s so sad for everyone who loves the sport. Great day, everybody shows up to see a great event and unfortunately these kinds of things happen. But sometimes that happens in horse racing.”

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