Retired grade I-winning millionaire gelding The Usual Q. T. was euthanized the first week of February due to complications from an illness, trainer Jim Cassidy confirmed Feb. 27. The son of Unusual Heat—Lunge, by Western Fame, was 8.
According to Cassidy, The Usual Q. T. had suffered from a condition called peritonitis, which is an inflammation in the stomach lining.
"He got colic about a year ago and we got him through that and he was fine," Cassidy said. "Then, about three or four months ago, he got peritonitis. They worked on him for days at the hospital, then we brought him to the racetrack and worked on him there. He seemed to be fine for a couple weeks, but then he got really bad."
Cassidy said The Usual Q. T. underwent several treatments at West Coast Equine Hospital in Somis, Calif., but eventually the decision was made to euthanize him when his condition worsened.
A three-time California champion, The Usual Q. T. won four graded stakes, including the 2009 Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) and 2010 Eddie Read Stakes (gr. IT). Raced by a partnership that included Don Van Racing, Michael Nentwig, George Saadeh, and Jeffrey Byer, he compiled a record of 8-6-5 from 23 starts, for earnings of $1,531,240.
"He showed his stuff on the racetrack; he was as good of a horse as I've seen," said Cassidy, who had kept The Usual Q. T. at his farm near Duarte, Calif., since his retirement in 2012. "He was really a pet the last few years. He'd mess around and play. He was really kind. There were no complaints about him. We tried everything (to save him)...it's a shame, because he was just 8 years old."
The Usual Q. T. was bred in California by Carlee Van Kempen.