Baffert Horse Breaks Leg, Is Euthanized

The short, troubled career of one of trainer Bob Baffert’s Kentucky Derby hopefuls ended about 20 yards past the finish line at Hollywood Park Saturday when Premier Property was euthanized after he buckled under jockey David Flores following a third-place finish in the Hollywood Futurity.

Premier Property, undefeated in three starts before Saturday, had limited vision in his left eye and ran as a ridgling, a horse with only one testicle. He had mowed down all the opposition going into the Futurity, winning his last two races by a combined 10 1/2 lengths.

With an eighth of a mile left, the Futurity had the look of a Baffert tour de force, with Premier Property and stablemate Prime Timber battling for the lead, but Tactical Cat overtook both of them in the last 40 yards to win by a half-length. Prime Timber outfinished the fading Premier Property by 4 1/2 lengths for second place.

When Flores tried to pull up Premier Property just past the finish line, the jockey heard a loud snap. The horse went down near the rail, with Flores rolling underneath the rail for protection. Baffert, track veterinarian Ray Baran and Hal Earnhardt, who owned Premier Property, rushed to his prostrate body. The injury was to the horse’s lower left foreleg. “It would have been a tough one to save,” Baran said. “It would have been impossible to get him standing. The break was just in pieces. It was the second, third and fourth metacarpal bones.”

Flores, who rode Premier Property in all his races, came away with a sore ankle, but was able to ride in the next race.

“The horse was tired,” Flores said. “There was nothing I could do, and he just rolled, and I rolled with him.”

Premier Property won the Hollywood Prevue three weeks ago and was the 7-10 favorite in Saturday’s five-horse field.

Baffert, who has won the Kentucky Derby the last two years, with Silver Charm and Real Quiet, lost another Derby contender last year when Inexcessivelygood was destroyed after an injury in the Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park.

“He [Premier Property] was tired and rubber-legged,” said Baffert. “It’s not the track’s fault, he was just tired. He was trying hard at the end. It’s a shame.”

Baffert said that Premier Property was insured, but didn’t know the amount.

“I know he wasn’t insured for what he was worth,” Baffert said.

Earnhardt, who won last year’s Santa Anita Derby with Indian Charlie before the colt ran third in the Kentucky Derby, bought Premier Property in April for $100,000.

Wayne Lukas, the trainer of Tactical Cat, wasn’t in town for the Futurity. Lukas, once a Southern California fixture, has shifted his focus to Kentucky, New York and Florida. Tactical Cat’s win was only the third stakes victory in Southern California for the Lukas outfit this year and only the 17th win overall.

Tactical Cat, ridden for the first time by Laffit Pincay, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 3/5, two seconds slower than the Futurity record. Bred and owned by William T. Young, the son of Storm Cat and Terre Haute picked up $235,800 of the $393,000 purse, paying $15.80 to win as the fourth choice.

Tactical Cat, who has won three of nine starts, had lost four straight before Saturday.

Horse Racing Notes

In other stakes Saturday, Lazy Lode, leading all the way, beat favored Yagli by 1 1/2 lengths in the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup, and Love That Jazz, the only filly in the field, beat 55-1 Peyrano to win the $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes. . . . Corey Nakatani rode Lazy Lode to victory a few hours after returning from Saudi Arabia, where he finished fourth with Florida Sun in the Crown Prince Cup. Prepo, trained by Ron McAnally and ridden by Alex Solis, won the Crown Prince. . . . Canadian industrialist Frank Stronach said Saturday that his $126-million deal to buy Santa Anita has been accomplished. Stronach said that he doesn’t anticipate any front-office changes at the track. “Usually,” he said, “management people are as good as the owners they work for. I’m not planning to go in there with a buzzsaw.” . . . Stronach, whose stable leads North America this year with more than $7 million in purses, plans to set up a division of 20 to 30 horses at Santa Anita. Bob Baffert, he said, will train several of his 2-year-olds.