Farewell, Finallymadeit

[my miss storm cat]

Wow, this is just too sad.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/106099.html


Saratoga | Posted 8/5/2009, 10:42 am
Finallymadeit euthanized after training injury
By David Grening


SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Finallymadeit, a multiple graded-stakes winner and $1 million earner, fractured his left front cannon bone during a workout Tuesday morning over the main track and had to be euthanized, trainer Tim Ritvo said Wednesday. Finallymadeit had been expected to run in Saturday's Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga.

"We were really excited about running him," said Ritvo, who took over the 5-year-old horse's training last month. "My heart goes out to the owners. Another example of the highs and lows of the game; on Monday I won two races including a stakes and I'm pointing for a Grade 1, then Tuesday I'm putting him down."

Finallymadeit, a son of Concerto owned and bred by Rolando Rodriguez and Robea Stables, won 16 races - including 12 stakes - from 47 starts and earned $1,026,640. His graded wins included this year's Grade 3 Skip Away at Gulfstream in April and the Grade 3 Memorial Day Handicap at Calder in May. He also won the Grade 3 Fred Hooper at Calder last December. In his last start, Finallymadeit finished third in the James Marvin Stakes here on opening day, a race his connections were using as a prep for the Whitney.

According to Ritvo, Finallymadeit was cremated at the equine hospital at Cornell University, and his ashes will be sent to his owner's Eclipse Training Center in Ocala, Fla.

"He was an iron horse," Rodriguez said. "He was part of the family. We called him the running heart."

[parsixfarms]

That's brutal news.

[Sightseek]

Very sad indeed.

[SniperSB23]

That really sucks. Now people will use his rigorous campaign as the reason for the breakdown and be even more reluctant to race their horses.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

That really sucks. Now people will use his rigorous campaign as the reason for the breakdown and be even more reluctant to race their horses.

Hopefully they will instead use this for a reason not to change trainers after 2 years of success. But they wont.

[JerseyJ]

Sucks for the connections, but the connections changed trainers for a clear reason. It's not that Negrete was doing anything wrong with the horse, but if the horse had stayed in Florida at Calder, there were no real G1 opportunities, which was clearly the reasoning for the move and it had been said that they were looking to get him a G1 win for his stallion resume. Ritvo is a Calder guy, who has a string in New York hence the change because I don't believe Negrete trains anywhere other than Calder. It's just one of the sad, harsh realities of the sport than can happen at any time and it's a situation where you feel horrible for the connections.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Hopefully they will instead use this for a reason not to change trainers after 2 years of success. But they wont.

I am sure Tim Ritivo was the reason the horse broke his leg? Maybe it was just an accident?

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

That really sucks. Now people will use his rigorous campaign as the reason for the breakdown and be even more reluctant to race their horses.

how are you positive that its not related to his campaign?
Frankly I was to the point of expecting this news, I could sense it coming and kind of cringed when I'd see him entered again and again. They ran him so often this year in tough contests and I don't think he got a break. The horse ran hard and fast every time.