What terribly sad news to read off the sudden death of Irish racing bred filly Tuscan Evening, who collapsed with a suspected heart attack after a routine exercise gallop at Del Mar racetrack in California on Sunday morning, writes Elliot Slater.
Owned by William de Burgh, those analyzing horse racing tips note that the daughter of Oasis Dream had rocketed to prominence Stateside after a stunning run of success this term, winning her last six races all in graded company, including the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Hollywood Park at the end of May.
The winning streak of the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained five-year-old mare had catapulted Tuscan Evening to stardom in the US, following a frustrating career in Ireland where she displayed a great deal of ability for trainer John Joseph Murphy, but never quite managed to fulfill her potential, leaving her native land as an 11 race maiden despite having finished second to Halfway to Heaven in the 2008 renewal of the Irish 1000 Guineas before being demoted by the stewards for causing interference in the closing stages.
Her record of 9 wins from 13 starts in the US and her great partnership with jockey Rafael Bejarno showed what a shrewd move it had been to transfer Tuscan Evening who soon reveled on the fast ground in California and seemed ideally suited by the generally small fields that faced the starter for the graded action.
Her sudden loss to US racing and in particular to the de Burgh family who had great hopes for her at stud after retirement, once again shows the fragility of thoroughbred racehorses and the fine line between tremendous success and sudden tragedy, making it all the more important for owners and breeders to really savour the good times when they come along.
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