Bossanova Euthanized After Hollie Hughes Fall

Lorraine and Rod Rodriguez's Bossanova, winner of the Fall Weight Handicap (gr. III) in November, was euthanized Sunday after fracturing both sesamoid bones of his right foreleg during the stretch run of the $81,675 Hollie Hughes Handicap at Aqueduct.

The 4-year-old son of Pine Bluff was making what appeared to be a winning move when he reached the pacesetting A One Rocket in the mid-stretch. But he pitched forward and threw jockey Javier Castellano, who escaped from the fall with a bruised hand and wrist. The horse was taken off the track by ambulance but could not be saved. Bossanova, who was trained by James Bond, won four of 10 races and earned $234,426.

Barry K. Schwartz' favored Papua, who lost to Bossanova in the Fall High Weight, won the six-furlong event for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up by a neck at the wire over A One Rocket.

Papua vaulted his fallen rival, found a seam between A One Rocket and Love Less and carried jockey Mike Luzzi to the victory in 1:10 2/5.

"I was getting a good trip," said Luzzi, whose rated his mount behind the pace of :23 1/5; :46 and :58 over the fast inner dirt track for his fourth victory of the afternoon. "He started to kick in and Javier (Castellano, aboard Bossanova) went down right in front of me. The horse I was on jumped him and kept on running. He never missed a beat, really. He's very athletic, he's a racehorse. Just to overcome that, he jumped. He curled like a steeplechase horse and he hit the ground faster than he was running before that. He is an athlete."

It was Papua's first start of the year. His ninth win in 22 lifetime starts pushed his career bankroll past $380,000. He won last year's Hollie Hughes as well.

"Game horses make trainers," said trainer Mike Hushion, who will now weigh his options for the 5-year-old son of Louis Quatorze.

He returned $4.80, $2.70 and $2.30. A One Rocket paid $6.20 and $4.20, and Love Less was $3.60.

(Chart, Equibase)