The Great Rowdy Irishman also died at the Iroquois steeplechase race in much the same manner. He is buried there. He was an amazing chaser.
My heart goes out to the connections of Arcadius, truly tragic.
[QUOTE=gardenie;6312637]
There seems to be an increase in these types of deaths, and medications may be a common thread. Many of the newly touted drugs on the market failed to be safe for human use, and have moved on to the animal market.
Firocoxib (INN; brand names Equioxx and Previcox) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug of the COX-2 inhibitor (coxib) class, currently approved for use in dogs and horses. Firocoxib was the first COX-2 inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for horses.[1]
http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/DeramaxxRimadylMetacam.htm
I am also curious how many of the horses that have died in this sudden fashion were on ulcer meds and if any studies have been done.[/QUOTE]
What is the relevance or relation to horses dying in sudden fashion and ulcer meds? I have never heard of that even being suggested? I have heard of people experiencing low calcium levels after long term use of omeprazole but that is about it.
I was also there, front row halfway between the last fence and finish line. Just after the last fence Crowley fumbled his whip and dropped it. This horse raced to finish leaving behind the 2nd place horse on a hand ride. Very cool. It was very memorable watching the winner on the jumbotron jog back looking fabulous, sound and happy on a soft rein. I even talked with the knowledgable horse person I was with as to how great the horse was looking as he jogged back to the winners circle. This was in no way a horse that looked distressed after finishing.
Betsy, I’m very glad to hear that Steeplechasing is required to be clean of meds. I didn’t know. The recent NYTimes coverage of flat racing, the high number of horse deaths and the drug cocktails they commonly use did not go unnoticed around here. Non-horse people are talking and wondering if that could be the case with this situation and I’ve been dreading the possible public results of an investigation. Best case scenario is that not only are any results clean, but someone makes and effort to make that point publicly as well as your point that drug limits in steeplechasing are much stricter then flat racing.
One of these days when your are back in town, Betsy, you need to look me up. I now have a place just off Old Hillsboro Road and it would be great to see you!
Iroquois has a good piece on this on their website –
http://mysteeplechase.com/in-the-news/the-loss-of-our-great-champion
As I said before, “heart attack” which in horse parlance = anyeurism. Great all the way up to the point that he … wasn’t.
Coulda happened in the field.
Again, I cannot stress enough that this horse was a top athlete from THE top outfit (and ridiculously THE top) with a top rider on a championship course in perfect conditions (cool, drizzly, soft) with a perfect race (rated kindly, waited patiently, rallied willingly, won in hand - Brian Crowley tapped him ONE TIME as an atta-boy, otherwise hand-rode him to relatively easy victory.
THE HORSE WAS NOT ‘ON DRUGS.’
Well Susan!!!
Gosh darn it all - I was in your 'hood hte whole weekend, at my dad’s over on Stillhouse Hollow!!
Very sad for those who were close to him.
Race horses are athletes , there are highs and lows and risks including injury and death.
What is sadder to me is what the animal activists are saying
https://www.facebook.com/CarriageHorseCruelty Scoll till you find the Post startring :Carriage Horse Cruelty
8 hours ago
People make me physically and emotionally sick!! This sweet, beautiful, innocent soul died making blood money for people! Sweet Arcadia was only 8 years old and had his entire life ahead of him. The greed and selfishness of people caused this poor horse to die yesterday after Nashville’s Steeplechase. He ran the race, won and collapsed and died! His big, beautiful heart burst! It is a despicable, abhorrent event that is dressed up with fancy hats, fancy cars and all the elite people and socialites of Nashville. They try to clean it up and say it’s for charity. It is nothing but abuse and torment for these horses. Arcadia was not the first horse to die at this event and, sadly, he will not be the last. This is why I fight on…to keep this from happening again and again. RIP Sweet Arcadia. You deserved better!
Originally posted on Chris’s wall" Share
54 people like this. 73 comments.
I see they care so much that can’t even get his name right. The comments are mind blowing.
"Carriage Horse Cruelty; Why is it that the people who use and exploit horses all deflect responsibility onto another form of animal abuse and exploitation? The carriage drivers point to the eventing people, the eventing people point to the racing people and the racing people point to the eventing people.
The truth of the matter is that as long as humans can make a buck off of an animal there will be abuses and the exploitation is inherent. You can say that the horses are loved and cared for and probably some are, but the problem is that every one of these industries spawns abuse and exploitation.
Horses do not enjoy running until their legs snap or their hearts burst. Humans have created monstrosities and they cash in on those and the animals keep suffering because they have no voice and they have no choice. And the owners & abusers cry all the way to the bank about how much they love their horses. If you love animals, you don’t exploit them."
People like ^^ are dangerous
See page B13 of today’s NYT for a most excellent commentary by Joe Clancy, publisher of the Steeplechase Times, interim editor of the Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred, and a lifelong horseman who was right there when this happened. 'He’s an insider with inside access to the racing world, an amazing way with words and insightful penman.
Really neat story.
I don’t know how to ‘find’ the link - sorry. Story was emailed directly to me without a link. Maybe someone more intelligent can put it up here.
[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;6316574]
See page B13 of today’s NYT for a most excellent commentary by Joe Clancy, publisher of the Steeplechase Times[/QUOTE]
Aforementioned story link here - “After the Best Race of His Life, a Horse’s Death” -
Caution the story is accompanied, at the top, by a picture of him down
Hackinaround- I totally agree. I was forwarded the “Carriage Horse Cruelty” thread from a freind who knew that I knew Arcadius’s connections. I have been posting to the facebook conversation but quite frankly give up. The people who are replying are beyond ignorant. I know one of Sheppard’s assistants well, and have witnessed her devastation at the loss of this horse. As Hunter’s Rest has said so well, Arcadius was in peak condition, trained by the best, and clearly loved by his owner and his jockey. It really angers me to see people who have no knowledge of this horse or even the industry for that matter chiming in so adamently.
As Joe Clancy tweeted (about the NYT’s piece):
Trying to do Arcadius, the people, and the moment, justice.
Indeed. Well delivered.
This morning’s Tennessean:
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120515/NEWS/305160049/Arcadius-condition-undetectable-experts-say?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p
I thought it was well done and a good explaination in lay terms.
Not to mention the reason why cox 2 inhibitors were pulled from the human market is exactly the reason why they were not pulled from the equine markets. Not only are horses not 4 legged humans, they do not have myocardial infarctions.
And as long as we have made the link (how I’m not sure) between a cox 2 inhibitor and ulcer meds, the whole advantage of cox 2 inhibitors is to reduce the possibility of needing ulcer meds.
That entire post was sort of a random unrelated insert wasn’t it?
On a more somber (and related) note, how sad for his connections. I too remember when Rowdy Irishman met the same fate, and I wouldn’t wish this unpredictable event on anyone.
Thanks for the NYT article, GG. As always, the Clancys have such a way with words. And Arcadius certainly ended with style.
[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;6315552]
Iroquois has a good piece on this on their website –
http://mysteeplechase.com/in-the-news/the-loss-of-our-great-champion
As I said before, “heart attack” which in horse parlance = anyeurism. Great all the way up to the point that he … wasn’t.
Coulda happened in the field.
Again, I cannot stress enough that this horse was a top athlete from THE top outfit (and ridiculously THE top) with a top rider on a championship course in perfect conditions (cool, drizzly, soft) with a perfect race (rated kindly, waited patiently, rallied willingly, won in hand - Brian Crowley tapped him ONE TIME as an atta-boy, otherwise hand-rode him to relatively easy victory.
THE HORSE WAS NOT ‘ON DRUGS.’[/QUOTE]
Well said HR… Sad for all the connections involved. :no:
