UMN Researchers Studying Sudden Cardiac Death In Racehorses To Aide In Medina Spirit Investigation

University of Minnesota researchers will assist in investigating the death of famed Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, who collapsed and died on the racetrack Monday in Arcadia, California, of a suspected cardiac event.

The horse's necropsy—the animal equivalent of an autopsy—will be conducted at the University of California, Davis. But samples of hair, blood, and heart tissue are en route to the College of Veterinary Medicine's (CVM) Equine Genetics and Genomics Laboratory, where scientists studying cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in racehorses will apply their expertise to the overall picture of the 3-year-old colt's death.

Unlike the breakneck pace for which he was famous in life, the study of Medina Spirit's death will be slow and methodical. California racing authorities have said there is no timetable for necropsy results but that it could take months. The CVM researchers will release the results of their analysis to the California Horse Racing Board separately, and likely much later. Ultimately, to buttress the necropsy, the researchers hope to determine whether Medina Spirit had specific genetic factors putting him at risk for sudden cardiac death.

The CVM scientists, led by Assistant Professor Sian Durward-Akhurst and Professor Molly McCue, will also incorporate the Medina Spirit samples into an ongoing research project seeking to understand genetic and other risk factors for sudden cardiac death in racehorses. The researchers' goal is to identify horses at risk for sudden cardiac death—and to put tools into the hands of racetrack veterinarians that will allow them to identify those horses in time to scratch them from a race—in order to prevent future such tragedies. Those tools include an at-rest electrocardiogram (ECG) combined with artificial intelligence to identify horses likely to develop irregular heartbeats during a race—even if their resting ECG looks normal.

“Medina Spirit's death is devastating, and sadly, such deaths occur all too frequently,” Dr. McCue said. “Our hope is to find ways to pinpoint horses at risk so we can intervene before they lose their lives. In addition to helping equine athletes, this research may also provide answers for sudden cardiac death in young human athletes.”

McCue's lab has been studying horse genetic disease for nearly two decades. Durward-Akhurst and McCue have been working on sudden cardiac death in racehorses since 2015, when Durward-Akhurst was a PhD student, including creating with their collaborators the largest publicly available comprehensive catalog of equine genetic variation.

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Dual Breeders’ Cup Runner-Up Lancaster Bomber Dies At Age Seven

Lancaster Bomber, an Irish Group 1 winner who finished second in two Breeders' Cup races, died Tuesday of an apparent heart attach, South Africa's Drakenstein Stud announced on social media.

The 7-year-old son of War Front entered stallion duty at The National Stud in England for the 2019 breeding season, and he shuttled to Drakenstein Stud for the Southern Hemisphere seasons. His oldest foals are yearlings of 2021.

“It's with a sad and heavy heart that we say goodbye to Lancaster Bomber today,” Drakenstein Stud's social media post read. “He collapsed this morning in his paddock from a suspected heart attack. He was a young stallion with a bright future, and we are very sad that we will not see the best of him.”

Bred in Kentucky by the Sun Shower Syndicate, owner of his dam, the Indian Ridge mare Sun Shower, Lancaster Bomber raced for the Coolmore partnership from the yard of trainer Aidan O'Brien.

The globetrotting horse broke his maiden in Ireland and finished second in the Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes in England before traveling stateside to Santa Anita Park, where he finished second behind Oscar Performance in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

His 3-year-old campaign saw him test some of the marquee sophomore races in the world during the first half of the season, including the G2 UAE Derby, the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas, and the G1 St. James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot; finishing second in the latter. The second half of the year saw him continue to hop back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, including a runner-up effort in the G2 Woodbine Mile Stakes and a second to World Approval in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar, with races in Europe sandwiched in between. He finished the year in Hong Kong, with a fifth in the Hong Kong Mile.

Lancaster Bomber finally got his graded stakes win in his final career start taking the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland. He retired with two wins in 18 starts for earnings of $1,422,743.

 

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Sale Worker Ramirez Dies At Keeneland January Sale

Ricardo Ramirez, an employee of consignor James Herbener Jr., died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack after collapsing in the back ring while leading a horse at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, Thoroughbred Daily News reports.

Herbener told the TDN that Ramirez, 66, was a three-decade veteran of the Thoroughbred industry after moving to the U.S. from Mexico, having previously worked for Ashford Stud. He was working at the sales for Herbener between driving a cab in Lexington, Ky., and he lived in nearby Versailles, Ky.

The consignor also said he was contacted by the coroner after the incident, and he was told that Ramirez had apparently suffered from COVID-19 in November, which could have presented or agitated underlying heart conditions, though there were no signs of trauma.

Read more at Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Heart Attack Claims Manduro at 18

Highweight Manduro (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}-Mandellicht {Ire}, by Be My Guest), sustained a fatal heart attack at Haras du Logis on Saturday, Darley announced. The five-time highweight was 18 and stood for €7,000 at Haras du Logis this year. Bred by Rolf Brunner, the half-brother to SW, G1 German Oaks third, and Group 1 producer Mandela (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}) brought €130,000 at the 2003 Baden-Baden September Yearling Sale and would race his entire career in the colours of Baron Georg von Ullmann.

Two-for-two in his juvenile season and named Germany’s champion 2-year-old colt after a win in the 2004 G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten, Manduro won two of his three appearances at three, including the G3 Preis der Deutschen Einheit. Transferred from Peter Schiergen to Andre Fabre prior to his 4-year-old bow, the French highweighted older horse that year saluted in the 2006 G2 Prix d’Harcourt and was never worse than third in seven more starts in 2006, five in Group 1 company.

At five, Manduro was the finished article and swept all before him in a five-for-five campaign before injury derailed his Arc bid. Starting off with a win in the G3 Earl of Sefton S., Manduro earned his first Group 1 tally in the G1 Prix d’Ispahan, and claimed the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois in succession. His final victory was back at ParisLongchamp in the G2 Prix Foy before injury forced his retirement with a record of 18-10-3-4 with $1,990,563 in earnings. He was named the French highweighted older horse from 7-9 1/2f and 9 1/2f-11f, as well as the highweighted older horse in England from 9 1/2-11f.

Retired initially to Kildangan Stud in 2008, he stood at Dalham Hall Stud in 2009, before serving three more years in Ireland. The dark bay has been based in France since 2013.

Manduro is credited with three champions, and 35 black-type winners–20 of them at group level. Leading his progeny is three-time Group 1 winner Vazirabad (Fr), with Ribbons (GB), Charity Line (Ire), Mandaean (GB), Ultra (Ire), and Braco Forte (Brz) other top-shelf winners. The last-named is a two-time Group 1 winner in Brazil from Manduro’s single Southern Hemisphere crop during the 2012/13 season. As a broodmare sire, Manduro has seven black-type winners, three group winners and one Group 1 heroine-G1 English 1000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}).

Sam Bullard, Darley Director of Stallions, said, “Manduro has been a wonderful servant and will be greatly missed by the team. He has been a reliable source of winners and stakes performers for breeders.”

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