Runaway horse dead in Saratoga

A horse trained by Ken McPeek was euthanized Thursday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. after it got loose from its handlers, ran free onto a major road, and sustained a significant injury.

The horse, Daylasoul, was a 3-year-old filly owned and bred by Michael Harrison who had run four times, most recently finishing second in a $40,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs on July 1. She was scheduled to run at Saratoga on Aug. 1, according to McPeek.

McPeek has a private barn on Gridley Avenue,down the road from the stable entrance to Saratoga’s main track. According to McPeek, who was in Kentucky on Thursday, the horse had already finished its morning training and was back at the barn when it got loose from its handlers.

McPeek said he believes the filly fell while running on the road, adding, “she didn’t get run over by a vehicle.”

McPeek said the filly suffered a broken elbow from the incident and was able to be walked onto an equine ambulance. She was not euthanized until she had been transported back to the barn, where the broken elbow was diagnosed. According to the Albany-Times Union website, Saratoga police said the horse was hit in front of the Lincoln Bath House near the entrance to Saratoga State Park.

“We’re all sick about it,” McPeek said. “It’s a tragic accident.”