Kinsella, who sold for a sale-topping $2.2 million at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale, was euthanized Jan. 25 after breaking down following a workout over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface. The 4-year-old son of Mr. Greeley raced for Team Valor International.
“We breezed him, and he finished the work right at the finish line,” said Team Valor’s Barry Irwin. “The injury to his front leg started at the cannon bone and went right through the sesamoids. They were shattered, and we put him down right there.”
Kinsella had been scheduled to run in a mile turf race at Santa Anita Jan. 23. The race was moved to the main track because of heavy rains that had saturated the area, and Irwin scratched Kinsella.
“We were afraid to run him on the main track because of the track conditions, so we waited until the track was OK for him to work in preparation for a race this Saturday (Jan. 30),” Irwin said. “It was just horrible what happened.
“I sent him out because he had trained great at Keeneland on the Polytrack and on the all-weather track at GoldMark Farm in Florida.”
Kinsella was North America’s fifth-highest-priced yearling of 2007. Team Valor purchased him at the Saratoga yearling sale from Gainesway, agent.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Kinsella won two of five starts and earned $65,505. He won at Gulfstream Park and at Saratoga and ran third in the Bryan Station Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland in the fall. In his last start, he ran unplaced in the Dec. 26 Malibu Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita.
Bred in Kentucky by Liberation Farm and Oratis, Kinsella was produced from the Kings of Kings mare Win My Heart, who is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Secret Liaison.