[quote=Cunningham Racing]Florida-bred Second of June suffers fatal injury in training mishap

Edited Churchill Downs Press Release


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Barbara Cesare’s Second of June, runner-up in the Woodward (Grade I) and a contender for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic powered by Dodge, suffered a fatal injury on Wednesday during a workout at Churchill Downs.

The 5-year-old son of Louis Quatorze was nearing the completion of a one-mile work for trainer Bill Cesare in preparation for next week’s Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) at Belmont Park when he suffered a major injury to his right hind ankle. Second of June was vanned off the track and was euthanized a short time later. The track was rated “fast” at the time of the mishap on a sunny morning at the historic track.

Cesare said that Second of June had been training very for the Jockey Club Gold Cup and had been scheduled to leave for Belmont Park on Sunday. A strong effort in that race would have earned Second of June a start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over his home track at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4 - a race that was scheduled to be his final career start.

“The vet went over him from head to toe just yesterday,” said Cesare. “He couldn’t have been any better.”

His runner-up finish to Premium Tap in the Woodward on Sept. 2, in which he led until the final furlong and was beaten by only a half-length, improved Second of June’s career record to 4-6-2 in 14 races and boosted his earnings to $528,800. Second of June had emerged as a Kentucky Derby contender in 2004 with a victory in the Holy Bull (GIII) and a narrow loss to Read the Footnotes in the Fountain of Youth (GII) at Gulfstream Park, but he came out of the latter with a fractured leg that knocked him out of the Derby and kept him away from competition until the end of that year.

The hard-luck Second of June raced four times before he was sidelined again by inflammation in an ankle that knocked him out of a scheduled start in the 2005 renewal of the $750,000-added Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) at Churchill Downs. He did not return to competition following that setback until mid-June of this year, when he dropped a nose decision to Suave in a one-mile allowance race at the Louisville track.

Second of June failed to win in seven starts since his initial injury in the 2004 Fountain of Youth, but turned in strong performances in those races that included a third place finish to Badge of Silver in the 2005 New Orleans Handicap (GII), a narrow loss to Grand Reward in the 2005 Oaklawn Handicap (GII), and a third place finish to veteran stars Suave and Perfect Drift in this year’s Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park.

“Life is hard sometimes,” said Cesare. “He gave us a lot of good times. It just wasn’t meant to be. We were only going to run him a couple of more times.”

Cesare’s mother owned Second of June, who was named for the birth date that he shared with his trainer.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2007. The track’s 2006 Fall Meet is set for Oct. 29-Nov. 25. Churchill Downs has served as host to the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships a record five times and will host the event again on Nov. 4, 2006.



Thanks Joel.