Queen's Plate entrant dies

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Rockfield, who had been entered in Sunday's Queen's Plate at Woodbine, was euthanized following an accident during training hours there Friday morning.

"He was feeling good coming on to the track," said Alec Fehr, who trained Rockfield for the Knob Hill Stable of Steve Stavro. "He bucked a couple of times, dropped his rider, and ran away. He got his bridle caught up, hit the railing and broke his leg."

Dr. Robert McMartin, the attending veterinarian, diagnosed the injury as "a fracture and massive ligament damage in the right stifle." McMartin said the horse was being sent to the Animal Health Laboratory at the nearby University of Guelph for a postmortem.

Rockfield, a 3-year-old colt by Alphabet Soup, had won his maiden over 1 1/16 miles at Woodbine last Sunday and was 30-1 on the Queen's Plate morning line.