Sailor's Cap dies suddenly in stall
ELMONT, N.Y. - Sailor's Cap, upset winner of Sunday's Grade 3 Poker Stakes here, died suddenly Wednesday morning in his Belmont Park stall, his connections said.
According to a press release put out by Team Valor International, which owned the multiple stakes winner, Sailor's Cap spiked a temperature during the day on Tuesday and collapsed in his stall at trainer Jimmy Toner's barn Wednesday morning around 4:30 a.m.
"We are all in complete shock over this turn of events," Toner said.
Sailor's Cap will be sent to the New Bolton Clinic in Pennsylvania for an autopsy, Toner said.
Sailor's Cap, a son of Distant View, won four races from 10 starts and earned $616,970. As a 3-year-old, he won the Grade 3 Colonial Turf Cup and was second, beaten a neck, in the Grade 3 American Turf at Churchill Downs.
"He was just coming into his own," said Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor. "This shows the highs and lows of this game. It is a tough nut to swallow."
