[KDK241]

Most horses are raced/trained at 2 years old and the Derby horses are 3 year olds. The problem with horse racing is that all race horses share a birthday on Jan. 1st of the year so even if the horse really isn't going to be 3 until June, it is considered 3 in the race world on Jan. 1st and is eligible for 3 year old races. Most horses are bred so that they are born as close to Jan. 1st as possible so they will be 3 when the racing season begins. Horses are pregnant for 11 months so it's not too hard to figure out. I really think it was just a terrible tragedy and I don't think anyone will be able to say exactly what happened. She was running fine during the race, didn't show any issues at all and then suddenly went down. Either that or she was hiding and fighting the pain at the end until they just gave out. I have seen a horse break it's leg while running in the pasture with no one even on them, just playing around. All it takes is a wrong step because their legs are so fragile.