Top grass female Tuscan Evening collapsed after a workout on the Del Mar turf course Aug. 8 and died. Track officials suspect that the 5-year-old grade I winner suffered a heart attack, but there was no official confirmation of that.
Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer could not be reached for immediate comment. The death was confirmed by the Del Mar press office.
Owned by William DeBurgh, the Irish-bred Tuscan Evening was being prepared for the Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT) at Arlington Park Aug. 21.
"She had just completed a six-furlong workout on the turf course in 1:15 2/5 and was galloping out to the half-mile pole when she collapsed and she was gone," said Del Mar spokesman Dan Smith.
She had worked routinely and gave no indication that there was anything wrong, Smith said. The unidentified exercise rider was not injured, he added.
Tuscan Evening was six-for-six in 2010, all in graded stakes, including a victory in the Gamely (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park. The daughter of Oasis Dream--The Faraway Tree, by Suave Dancer, was coming off a win in the Modesty Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Arlington July 17.
Prior to her Modesty victory this year, she won the Monrovia (gr. IIIT), Buena Vista (gr. IIT), Santa Ana (gr. IIT) and Santa Barbara (gr. IIT) handicaps at Santa Anita, as well as the Gamely. She won from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/4 miles this season.
A winner of 12 of 16 starts since joining Hollendorfer's stable after transferring from Ireland for the 2009 racing season, Tuscan Evening won 12 of 27 races overall with earnings of $1,138,508. She was a nine-time stakes winner.
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