George Washington
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Irish Stamp
Forum Moderator
Gutted about the whole event now - it's terrible when things like this happen. I'm thankful our press aren't as graphic as the US (from whom I got descriptions second hand via US friends).
RIP Gorgeous George
RIP Gorgeous George
Spoons
At the Start
Friend of mine came home on same plane as Kinane and he told him hed never seen an injury as bad in his life.
I must say I'm not impressed with A, a photographer taking that picture or B, a news article publishing it.
I find that totally wrong and have emailed my disgrace to the magazine. No one wanted to see him like that its just sick.
Shame on sports illustrator :rant:
Irish Stamp
Forum Moderator
If it's news then it will be photographed Chris. There are certain photograph's I'm not overly keen on seeing (including this one), the Landseer photo (which won an award) and in terms of non-racing photogrpah's various ones from the Vietnam war (the Viet Cong member being executed), the pictures of the children running away from Hiroshima etc. would all be examples of this 
K
Kathy
Guest
I refused to watch any of the Breeders Cup Racing last night because the ground looked absolutely appalling. What a horrible way to lose such a fantastic horse. I'm totally gutted.
It's at times like this I feel I need a break from this Sport Of Kings. I know the best evidently die young, but this is a horrendous way for young George to end his life.
A truly remarkable horse who had his fair share of problems (temperment, fertility and niggling injuries) and he so didn't deserve to end his life this way.
The end of a real equine hero. I cannot believe we will never see George Washington grace our racetracks ever again. Clearly I feel sorry for the connections but my heart goes out to the lad and lasses who looked after him. What a very sad journey home they will have.
RIP George
It's at times like this I feel I need a break from this Sport Of Kings. I know the best evidently die young, but this is a horrendous way for young George to end his life.
A truly remarkable horse who had his fair share of problems (temperment, fertility and niggling injuries) and he so didn't deserve to end his life this way.
The end of a real equine hero. I cannot believe we will never see George Washington grace our racetracks ever again. Clearly I feel sorry for the connections but my heart goes out to the lad and lasses who looked after him. What a very sad journey home they will have.
RIP George
O'Brien salutes 'unbelievable' George
Sunday, 28 October 2007 17:01
Aidan O'Brien saluted the epic achievements of George Washington, the 2006 champion miler whose quest for Breeders' Cup honours ended in tragedy.
Ballydoyle's enigmatic star was humanely destroyed after the $5million Classic at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The supremely talented son of Danehill had to be put down after being pulled up by Mick Kinane shortly after entering the rain-sodden straight.
George Washington sustained an open fracture of both sesamoid bones to leave his proud trainer crestfallen.
'He broke his canon-bone and misplaced a joint so it was obviously a straightforward decision,' said O'Brien.
'The bone had gone through his skin so there was no chance of surgery.
'To try and get him back together, he would have suffered a lot more so it was the right thing to do.'
George Washington won six of his 14 races, including four at the highest level, and accrued total prize money in excess of £800,000.
Many believe his best performance came in the 2000 Guineas of last year, when the mercurial colt produced a devastating turn of foot to win the Newmarket Classic.
His other Group One victories were achieved in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, the National Stakes and the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
'He was an unbelievably talented horse,' added O'Brien.'He had a big attitude and a big ego.
'He believed he was the best and he knew he was the best.
'He was just one of those freaks that don't come along very often - he was a natural athlete,' the Ballydoyle handler told RTÉ Sport.
Jockey Seamus Heffernan developed a lifelong affinity with 'Gorgeous George' and rode him into third place behind Notnowcato in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown in July.
'He was one of the most talented horses I've known, but was extremely temperamental,' said Heffernan.
'I had the pleasure of riding him in the Eclipse. He was tricky going to the start, but he was as fresh coming back in after the race.
'He was very difficult and was the character of the yard.
'He was the daddy.'
Sunday, 28 October 2007 17:01
Aidan O'Brien saluted the epic achievements of George Washington, the 2006 champion miler whose quest for Breeders' Cup honours ended in tragedy.
Ballydoyle's enigmatic star was humanely destroyed after the $5million Classic at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The supremely talented son of Danehill had to be put down after being pulled up by Mick Kinane shortly after entering the rain-sodden straight.
George Washington sustained an open fracture of both sesamoid bones to leave his proud trainer crestfallen.
'He broke his canon-bone and misplaced a joint so it was obviously a straightforward decision,' said O'Brien.
'The bone had gone through his skin so there was no chance of surgery.
'To try and get him back together, he would have suffered a lot more so it was the right thing to do.'
George Washington won six of his 14 races, including four at the highest level, and accrued total prize money in excess of £800,000.
Many believe his best performance came in the 2000 Guineas of last year, when the mercurial colt produced a devastating turn of foot to win the Newmarket Classic.
His other Group One victories were achieved in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, the National Stakes and the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
'He was an unbelievably talented horse,' added O'Brien.'He had a big attitude and a big ego.
'He believed he was the best and he knew he was the best.
'He was just one of those freaks that don't come along very often - he was a natural athlete,' the Ballydoyle handler told RTÉ Sport.
Jockey Seamus Heffernan developed a lifelong affinity with 'Gorgeous George' and rode him into third place behind Notnowcato in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown in July.
'He was one of the most talented horses I've known, but was extremely temperamental,' said Heffernan.
'I had the pleasure of riding him in the Eclipse. He was tricky going to the start, but he was as fresh coming back in after the race.
'He was very difficult and was the character of the yard.
'He was the daddy.'
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
It`s about time they had the "World Championships" on a different continent. The racing on the dirt yesterday was ludicrous.
RIP.
RIP.
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
True, admittedly i was pocket talking after the Classic on the chat forum. It just didn`t look right to me. Racing belongs on turf - end of story.
Shame to lose George Washington in this way. A Terrible shame and loss.
Personally, I thought he was a very overrated horse and I hope this death dosent cause a constant stream of how great he was in his racing career in the media. He has lost far too many races and had too many excuses to be called a great horse.
Personally, I thought he was a very overrated horse and I hope this death dosent cause a constant stream of how great he was in his racing career in the media. He has lost far too many races and had too many excuses to be called a great horse.
by Jon Lees
.
IT wasn't the scenario Aidan O'Brien had envisaged on the eve of another Breeders' Cup Saturday.
Then, giving his final thoughts before the curtain was raised on the 24th championships, he looked ahead to the Classic, in which the iconic George Washington was to make his swansong.
"George is the exciting one," he said. "When you know George, you can believe anything can happen."
That notion was still very much alive shortly after 5.30pm on the apron at the edge of the Monmouth Park main track, where O'Brien, his wife Anne-Marie and their four children stood engaged in idle conversation withJohnny Murtagh and his wife Orla.
The results from four races in which the O'Brien team had been involved so far were mixed. Achill Island had finished second in the Juvenile Turf the previous day, All My Loving run a creditable fifth in the Filly & Mare Turf, Excellent Art snatched a gallant second from a hopeless draw but Dylan Thomas, hot favourite for the Turf, had floundered.
It was time for the last Cup event. There were no lofty expectations, but if George Washington, Ballydoyle stable's signature horse for the past three seasons, could produce another positive performance on the dirt, the O'Brien family could leave Monmouth and head home.
At 5.47pm the mood altered significantly. The pictures on the giant screen on the infield had shown George Washington leaving the stalls on terms and turn into the first bend in contention and holding fifth place.
He began to labour at the end of the backstretch and when he reached the straight, Mick Kinane had eased up on him. Their race was over and they dropped out of the camera shot.
Curlin flashed past the line, a stunning four and a half length winner of a $5million race to widespread glee followed by seven others. One of the runners was missing.
The O'Briens peered down the track where, 100 yards away, George Washington had been brought to a stop in front of the grandstand, the victim of a catastrophic leg injury. People were running to his aid, the screens were being erected. We all knew what would follow.
O'Brien stayedwhere he was for a few minutes, his wife was blinking away tears. Orla Murtagh offered a consoling shoulder. Then he instructed them to wait while he went onto the track. The visit was brief. He returned to collect his family and began to leave.
Attempts to get a reaction from O'Brien yielded no response. By now in tears himself, this was a time when the heart-broken trainer, so patient with the media throughout the week, would keep his thoughts to himself.
Behind him were John and Sue Magnier, George Washington's owners. John Magnier commiserated with the Ballydoyle stable staff, giving a hug and a pat to each one, all distraught at the loss of the universally popular 'Gorgeous George'.
O'Brien reached an area near the jockeys' room where he stopped to make a phone call and then spoke with a comforting face from back home, fellow trainer John Oxx, while in the adjacent press conference room Dr C Wayne McIlwraith confirmed the worst. George Washington had been euthanised at O'Brien's request. The injury was "hopeless".
Then the O'Briens walked out of Monmouth Park, almost certainly never to return.
.
IT wasn't the scenario Aidan O'Brien had envisaged on the eve of another Breeders' Cup Saturday.
Then, giving his final thoughts before the curtain was raised on the 24th championships, he looked ahead to the Classic, in which the iconic George Washington was to make his swansong.
"George is the exciting one," he said. "When you know George, you can believe anything can happen."
That notion was still very much alive shortly after 5.30pm on the apron at the edge of the Monmouth Park main track, where O'Brien, his wife Anne-Marie and their four children stood engaged in idle conversation withJohnny Murtagh and his wife Orla.
The results from four races in which the O'Brien team had been involved so far were mixed. Achill Island had finished second in the Juvenile Turf the previous day, All My Loving run a creditable fifth in the Filly & Mare Turf, Excellent Art snatched a gallant second from a hopeless draw but Dylan Thomas, hot favourite for the Turf, had floundered.
It was time for the last Cup event. There were no lofty expectations, but if George Washington, Ballydoyle stable's signature horse for the past three seasons, could produce another positive performance on the dirt, the O'Brien family could leave Monmouth and head home.
At 5.47pm the mood altered significantly. The pictures on the giant screen on the infield had shown George Washington leaving the stalls on terms and turn into the first bend in contention and holding fifth place.
He began to labour at the end of the backstretch and when he reached the straight, Mick Kinane had eased up on him. Their race was over and they dropped out of the camera shot.
Curlin flashed past the line, a stunning four and a half length winner of a $5million race to widespread glee followed by seven others. One of the runners was missing.
The O'Briens peered down the track where, 100 yards away, George Washington had been brought to a stop in front of the grandstand, the victim of a catastrophic leg injury. People were running to his aid, the screens were being erected. We all knew what would follow.
O'Brien stayedwhere he was for a few minutes, his wife was blinking away tears. Orla Murtagh offered a consoling shoulder. Then he instructed them to wait while he went onto the track. The visit was brief. He returned to collect his family and began to leave.
Attempts to get a reaction from O'Brien yielded no response. By now in tears himself, this was a time when the heart-broken trainer, so patient with the media throughout the week, would keep his thoughts to himself.
Behind him were John and Sue Magnier, George Washington's owners. John Magnier commiserated with the Ballydoyle stable staff, giving a hug and a pat to each one, all distraught at the loss of the universally popular 'Gorgeous George'.
O'Brien reached an area near the jockeys' room where he stopped to make a phone call and then spoke with a comforting face from back home, fellow trainer John Oxx, while in the adjacent press conference room Dr C Wayne McIlwraith confirmed the worst. George Washington had been euthanised at O'Brien's request. The injury was "hopeless".
Then the O'Briens walked out of Monmouth Park, almost certainly never to return.
EC1
On a break
I'm very sorry for all the connections, O'Brien is a genuine horse man that has a special relationship with his animals.
I've read some shite on the net about it being their fault, what nonsense. They took a chance on this race after passing more obviously suitable options, it unfortunately ended in the worst possible way.
I would bet that GW was in really good form to be even taken over for this race, and even though many people thought he had no chance, he wasn't the kind of horse you could ever say that about.
George had the ability to make people eat their words, his performance in the Guineas and his QE11 win blew people away. To people who thought he had no chance last night I would say, how can you know that? he didn't conform to predictability and was quite capable of pulling just one more of those breathtaking performances out.
We won't forget those explosions of energy he produced in a hurry, whereas I have forgotten many horses that were far more consistent but lacked the fireworks he had.
Even after his sad demise he is still the most talked about horse over the last few years.
I've read some shite on the net about it being their fault, what nonsense. They took a chance on this race after passing more obviously suitable options, it unfortunately ended in the worst possible way.
I would bet that GW was in really good form to be even taken over for this race, and even though many people thought he had no chance, he wasn't the kind of horse you could ever say that about.
George had the ability to make people eat their words, his performance in the Guineas and his QE11 win blew people away. To people who thought he had no chance last night I would say, how can you know that? he didn't conform to predictability and was quite capable of pulling just one more of those breathtaking performances out.
We won't forget those explosions of energy he produced in a hurry, whereas I have forgotten many horses that were far more consistent but lacked the fireworks he had.
Even after his sad demise he is still the most talked about horse over the last few years.
I dont think George Washington was a "great" horse but alot conspired against him. Remember bar his maiden run he was unbeaten as a two year old....injured as a three year old but still came back and won the QEII and well its unfair to judge him on this season due to the mess up with the stud career.
Not a great champion but a champion three year old who at his best would have given the recent greats plenty to think about. But there was so much more to George than just ability and thats why he was the highlight of nearly every race he ran in.
Not a great champion but a champion three year old who at his best would have given the recent greats plenty to think about. But there was so much more to George than just ability and thats why he was the highlight of nearly every race he ran in.
Colin Phillips
At the Start
Gal, I know I've pulled your leg over your loyalty to this horse, but, I am truly gutted, he has not had the best of fortune during his short life, and as you say he has in that short time illuminated the sport.
trackside528
At the Start
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- Apr 30, 2006
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- 5,377
Quite sure its six Gal.
Sea Pigeon
At the Start
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2007
- Messages
- 505
I beleive he has 6 mares in foal, hope one is half as good as their dad
Colin Phillips
At the Start
Welcome to Talking Horses, Sea Pigeon. :clap:
Sea Pigeon
At the Start
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2007
- Messages
- 505
Thank You Colin
You only have to watch those races for which the links were posted above to know that at his best, he wasn't overrated. AOB kept emphasising at the time how serious his muscle injury had been, so it was a great training feat to get him back to win the QEII; who knows what else he might have won last year, if he'd been injury free? And I always felt this year that if GW were going to get back to his best, it would not be until next year when he'd had time to 'forget' his stud career.
The horse was immensely talented, but as AOB has pointed out in so many interviews, his mental quirks went with the territory, and were part and parcel of hsi brilliance. Anyone who has spent a half hour or so watching him at the races, could see how incredibly intelligent this horse was. He was so much more than a racehorse; and this sometimes diffused his attention and focus.
As to blame... John and Susan Magnier were at Monmouth. They employ AOB, and they make the decisions. end of story. Anyone who thinks AOB would willingly have risked this horse with whom he had such an affinity on that surface, needs to think again, imo. He made it clear he'd have liked to keep the horse in training at the end of last season, as he so lacked mental maturity. Being retained trainer to some of the richest, and greediest, bloodstock breeders in the world means you have no choice in such matters, eg losing your best Classic hope to the breeding shed when he's not even has a run in his Classic year. If I sound angry, well, I am. But I'd put the blame where it's due.
AOB trains where he does because he has the best raw material, and the best facilities, in the world.
That doesn't mean he has an easy job.
Oh, and welcome Sea Pigeon, whoever you may be!
The horse was immensely talented, but as AOB has pointed out in so many interviews, his mental quirks went with the territory, and were part and parcel of hsi brilliance. Anyone who has spent a half hour or so watching him at the races, could see how incredibly intelligent this horse was. He was so much more than a racehorse; and this sometimes diffused his attention and focus.
As to blame... John and Susan Magnier were at Monmouth. They employ AOB, and they make the decisions. end of story. Anyone who thinks AOB would willingly have risked this horse with whom he had such an affinity on that surface, needs to think again, imo. He made it clear he'd have liked to keep the horse in training at the end of last season, as he so lacked mental maturity. Being retained trainer to some of the richest, and greediest, bloodstock breeders in the world means you have no choice in such matters, eg losing your best Classic hope to the breeding shed when he's not even has a run in his Classic year. If I sound angry, well, I am. But I'd put the blame where it's due.
AOB trains where he does because he has the best raw material, and the best facilities, in the world.
That doesn't mean he has an easy job.
Oh, and welcome Sea Pigeon, whoever you may be!
Brown Jack
At the Start
Can only join everyone else in saying how terrible an end to such a friendship between a great horse and a great trainer. Only small comfort is that Aidan was with him when he died. It does matter to a horse to have someone near that he knows and trusts.
GW was exciting and that is what racing needs and loves.
The ground was truly appalling and I cannot help but think he should not have run. It's always a tough decision to make and there but for the Grace of God go all of us who own racehorses..... in the end let us just hope that the officials in the US decide to install polytrack everywhere and we have an end to this mud bath that some of these horses are forced to run in.
We will never know what caused it. Horses can carry slight injuries, small hairline fractures etc. and their legs can go anytime.
My other half is from the US and has seen many deaths on this kind of ground. Only the big events make the news, but everyday at little tracks horses can face the same pressures. We had enough problems here with Wolverhampton and Southall ourselves before the new surfaces.
Just gutted for all concerned.
GW was exciting and that is what racing needs and loves.
The ground was truly appalling and I cannot help but think he should not have run. It's always a tough decision to make and there but for the Grace of God go all of us who own racehorses..... in the end let us just hope that the officials in the US decide to install polytrack everywhere and we have an end to this mud bath that some of these horses are forced to run in.
We will never know what caused it. Horses can carry slight injuries, small hairline fractures etc. and their legs can go anytime.
My other half is from the US and has seen many deaths on this kind of ground. Only the big events make the news, but everyday at little tracks horses can face the same pressures. We had enough problems here with Wolverhampton and Southall ourselves before the new surfaces.
Just gutted for all concerned.