By 8 a.m. Thursday morning, all that was left of a Kentucky Derby dream was lying across a wooden railing in front of Barn 43 at Churchill Downs. Folded and placed there like a silent memorial, the bright-yellow saddle cloth read, “Wild On Ice.”
The horse by that name was already gone. Earlier that morning, Wild on Ice had been loaded on an equine van for transport to a surgical facility in Lexington for examination after injuring his left hind leg during his final workout before the Derby, which will be contested May 6. Later Thursday morning came the worst of all updates: The gelding had been euthanized, according to owner Frank Sumpter.
The starkly poignant column written by W.C. Heinz for The New York Sun in 1949, remains revenant: “Death of a Racehorse.” Then, it was Air Lift, son of Bold Venture, full brother to Assault. Today, it is Wild on Ice, son of Tapizar.
