In Excess Filly Breaks Down At Barretts

Excessively Unique, a daughter of In Excess, was euthanized after breaking down Sunday during Sunday's preview show for Barretts Equine's 2-year-olds in training sale that will be held Tuesday at Fairplex Racetrack. The filly had just finished working an eighth of a mile in :10.6 and was galloping out in the first turn at Fairplex Park when she fractured her right foreleg. Her rider, Quarter Horse jockey Ralph Seville, was not injured.

"It was a compound fracture, right below the knee," said the filly's consignor, Mary Knight. "I couldn't possibly blame the track; it was excellent. The injury was simply the result of one bad step. Bred in California by Vessels Stallion Farm, the filly was produced from the Lyphard mare Unique Expression, who is a half-sister to grade I winner Fascinating Girl. Excessively Unique had worked an eighth in :10.9 during the first under tack show for the Barretts auction on March 5.

"Her X-rays were a hundred percent clean, which is a rare thing," Knight said. "Ralph told me that she felt so good today that he just decided to let her gallop out nice so people could see her nice, long stride. The next thing he knew, he heard a pop. She went down, and that was it.

"This is the worst part of the business," Knight continued. "It's so hard to shake it off. As a trainer, I know this is not the right thing to do with young horses. When I'm training horses for the races, I would never do this. But the marketplace has compelled us to go ahead and set these horses down."

Meanwhile, a Bertrando--St. Helens Shadow colt worked the fastest quarter-mile in 20.7 seconds. The colt consigned by Becky Thomas' Sequel Bloodstock was timed in 9.8 seconds for his first eighth of a mile, a time faster than any ever recorded for an eighth mile workout at a Barretts under tack show.

The fastest time Sunday for one-eighth of a mile was shared by two juveniles who each went in 10.0 seconds. One was Hip No. 26, a Pulpit--My Imagination colt consigned by Chapman Farm and the other was Stiletto Heels, an Unbridled's Song--HIgh Heeled Hope filly from the Jerry Bailey Sales Agency consignment.