Sunland Derby winner Wild On Ice was euthanized Thursday, hours after suffering a hind leg injury during a workout.
“Wild On Ice gave us so many great moments,” Wild On Ice owner Frank Sumpter said. “He’ll forever be remembered. It’s a sad situation. My heart goes out to the team, trainer Joel Marr and everyone who helped us get to this point. These horses give us so many great moments in life and our team puts in so many hours taking care of the horses. He had a fracture in his hind leg and it was determined he couldn’t be saved. Wild On Ice had so much heart.”
It was announced earlier Thursday that Wild On Ice would miss the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby due the injury, which also eliminated the first ever Derby entry under 60-year-old jockey Ken Tohill.
Sumpter’s Grade III Sunland winner was removed from the field “due to a left hind leg injury that occurred following workout just before 6 a.m. on Thursday,” Churchill Downs public relations announced. Wild On Ice breezed five furlongs before Tohill pulled up.
After an initial evaluation at Churchill Downs, Wild On Ice was transported to Lexington to an equine surgical facility to undergo further evaluation.
Santa Anita Derby third-place finisher Skinner will be added to the Derby field with post position draw slated for Monday.
Tohill was on track for his first ever Derby ride with Wild On Ice and would have been the oldest jockey in the history of the event.
A jockey since the age of 16 in Northern California, Tohill has topped 4,100 winners and generated more than $71 million in purse earnings as of April 24, according to Equibase.
Tohill is credited by Sumpter for getting Wild On Ice this far. He was 35-1 when he won Sunland Park and the 50 Derby points that come with it on March 26.
Jockey Jon Court holds the distinction as the oldest rider in Kentucky Derby history. He was 58 when Long Range Toddy ran the Derby in 2019.
–Field Level Media
