Assiniboia Downs loses a champion

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This article was published 02/06/2016 (3624 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“The king is gone but he is not forgotten, this is the story of…” — Neil Young

Magic D’ Oro, the 2015 Horse of the Year in Manitoba, collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack Wednesday night at Assiniboia Downs in the P.C.’s Bluff Stakes, the seventh and final race on the card.

Heavily favoured in the 51/2-furlong sprint and the picture of health after winning his past four starts at the Downs, Magic D’ Oro was jostled a little at the start of the race, but quickly surged into contention under jockey Richard Mairs. Perfectly positioned between horses just back of eventual winner Swiss Idol on the turn, Magic D’Oro uncharacteristically began to drop out of contention and was eased up into the stretch, before collapsing.

As the horses crossed the wire without Magic D’Oro, fans looked back to see the fallen champion lying on his side on the muddy track under threatening skies. His groom, Tiffany Husbands, was pulling on the lines of his bridle trying to get him up as trainer Tanya Lindsay yelled, “Somebody help me!”

The ambulance crew rushed to the scene, but it was already too late.

“It was a very sad day,” said Manitoba Horse Racing Commission veterinarian Dr. Joe Meek. “He wasn’t breathing when we got to him. There was still a flicker in his eye, but he was gone.”

A full autopsy has been scheduled at the University of Manitoba.

Magic D’Oro was without question the best horse in training at the Downs. He was the Sidney Crosby/James Braddock/Cinderella Man of the local horse racing scene — much, much tougher than he looked, especially when the money was on the line — yet tender with his handlers. And while he may not have always won on his travels throughout North America, he always gave you everything his heart had to give. In horse racing or human terms, he was what they call “genuine.”

“He was a really nice horse, and he looked like a good horse,” said 12-time leading trainer Ardell Sayler, whose champion Balooga Bull staged some epic battles with Magic D’ Oro in 2014.

“The good ones always seem to get injured. They just try too hard. He had all the class in the world. You always knew he was the horse to beat. He made you run. We’ll always remember him.”

“The care and dedication that trainer Tanya Lindsay puts into her horses is unmatched,” said Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn. “My deepest sympathies go out to Tanya and her owners. It is the most unfortunate aspect of our sport. It’s a rare occurrence and it’s something you never get used to. I will forever remember the rivalry he had with Balooga Bull. Horses like Magic D’ Oro make you fall in love with this sport. They’re the one per cent of horses that make you want attend the races when they’re running. They are very hard to find and devastating to lose. “

Owned by Martin Yeroschak and Barry Arnason, Magic D’ Oro started 31 times during his career and compiled a record of 11-4-3, amassing earnings of $219,596.

The six-year-old stallion by Travers Stakes-G1 winner Medaglia d’ Oro out of the mare Jennie R. by Awesome Again made 11 starts at Assiniboia Downs over the past three years, won seven times and finished second three times, recording stakes victories in the Free Press Handicap, Manitoba Mile, R. J. Speers, Assinboia Downs Gold Cup and De Cat Stakes.

No one was more attached to Magic D’ Oro than his trainer, Lindsay, who managed to put on a brave face in the heat of the action, but was extremely distraught later on in the barn and Thursday morning, finally unable to hold back the tears.

Sitting in her feed room by herself crying, her golden cat of three years, Flash Gordon, touched his nose to her moist face trying to console her to no avail.

“He was my buddy,” said Lindsay. “He was my friend. I just miss him. It’s hard being here. I’m going to miss him for a long time. It’s just so…”

And she cried.