Horse Racing Community Mourns as 12-Year-Old Saratoga Legend Is Euthanized

While the horse racing community was just coming out of mourning from three star horses’ passing, one more horse, who had been a record-breaker, was euthanized on August 11. On July 26, in Grade 3 Lake George at the Saratoga Race Course, Aterradora was eased in the gallop out after crossing the wire in fifth place. After initial care and treatments, radiography reported the worst update on the filly. 

There was a slab fracture in Aterradora’s right knee. Further examinations revealed that the damage was far more extensive and complex, with recovery no longer being an option. So, following the guidance of the attending veterinarians and with no possibility of recovery, Aterradora was humanely put down on July 28 at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. 

On August 5, in the ninth race at Saratoga, Setting Sun, a filly trained by Miguel Clement, was stopped in the stretch by jockey Flavien Prat after sustaining an injury to her left front leg. Imaging revealed multiple fractures that could not be surgically repaired, and so she also had to be put down. And barely a week had passed after her demise, when Blood Horse reported that Imperial Hint, a legendary horse, whose Saratoga track record hasn’t been broken, “was euthanized in Louisiana following a lengthy struggle with laminitis.” Clear Creek Stud in Folsom, Louisiana, where he spent the entirety of his stud career, announced the news.

Imperial Hint was a standout on the track. He was a multiple Grade 1 winner who earned $2,209,055 over his career and had notched eleven stakes victories. He was placed in five more, leaving a lasting mark on the racing world. The most notable of the achievements of the late 12-year-old legend was his record at the Saratoga race course.  

When he was six years old, Imperial Hint delivered a breathtaking performance in the 2019 Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes. He clocked six furlongs in 1:07:92 and set a new track record. It is a record that remains unbroken at Saratoga Race Course to this day. This remarkable victory was even more special as it marked his second triumph in the Vosburgh Stakes.

He quickly became a fan favorite. From his first crop, he sired stakes winner TDZ Hint of Power and stakes-placed Sweet Morgan Leigh. Imperial Hint will be remembered for the heart and joy he brought to the track and to everyone around him. After his demise, a lot of fans have poured in condolences. 

Teary-eyed horse racing fans poured in condolences for Imperial Hint

After reading about Imperial Hint’s demise, his admirers couldn’t hold back.“This is very sad! His Vanderbilt win at Saratoga was maybe the quickest turn of foot I’ve seen in a race. Just a little dynamo! RIP,” wrote one fan under Blood Horse’s post on X. Another fan wrote, “Rest in peace to the ‘Little Rocket’ 🚀 . I absolutely adored this horse when I was younger, and he was so fun to watch. What a speedball he was.” Imperial Hint left a big mark both on and off the track. 

He pulled off back-to-back wins in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga at ages five and six. It included a standout victory over champion sprinter Mitole in 2020. Bred from Imperialism out of the Lahint mare Royal Hint, Imperial Hint spent his entire stud career at Clear Creek Stud. 

Remembering those memories, one more fan wrote, “NOOOO! 😞He was a huge favorite of mine 💔 RIP little rocket 🚀 Set those heavenly stars on🏇🏻💨🔥🏆.” While other fans also reacted to his passing with comments like “Oh man!!  A little guy, but so fun to watch!!!! 💔💔” and saying, “RIP Little 🚀.” Affectionately known as “Little Rocket,” he covered both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse mares. He now joins his longtime owner, Raymond Mamone, who passed away in 2021, in the afterlife.