Sugar Bowl Winner Wildcat Shoes Lucky to be Alive

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(from Fair Grounds notes)
Wildcat Shoes, who set a stakes record in winning the Sugar Bowl Stakes for 2-year-olds Sunday at Fair Grounds, is lucky to be alive after suffering severe heat stroke in his career debut at Arlington Park in August.

"Unfortunately it was one of those days where the weather changed for a couple of days," trainer William Fires recalled. "He opened up on them down the lane and looked like he was gonna win by himself ... and just quit."

Fires initially thought that Wildcat Shoes bled into his lungs, impairing his ability to breathe, and in turn, causing him to stop running. The condition is very common for horses that do not run on bleeding preventatives, such as Lasix, and is not detrimental to the horse's long-term health.

But Fires would discover that something a lot more serious had actually occurred. The Kentucky-bred son of Forest Wildcat nearly died while cooling him out following the race.

"On the way back to the barn we realized that he was having a heat stroke and had to get the water hose on him (to cool him out)," said Fires. "We almost lost him."

Fortunately, the speedy son of Forest Wildcat recovered from the near fatal episode to realize his racing potential.

"He pulled through it and we gave him plenty of time to get over it," Fires said.

Wildcat Shoes has been undefeated since, reeling off three consecutive victories, and is now a stakes winner. He won the Sugar Bowl by five lengths over seven rivals as the 2-1 favorite.

(Chart, Equibase)

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