Individuals who own horses treat them as if they are a part of their family. It is quite easy to see the reason for this, as buying an equine and then taking care of its every need could really bring you quite close to it. This is why it is always very sad when the animal passes away and there’s barely anything the owner could do to change its fate. It is very hard for them to part ways from it.

The horse racing industry heard one such incredibly tragic news on December 19th. 16-year-old champion horse Uncle Mo had passed away. It passed away after being euthanized because of a foot injury. The owner of the horse, Mike Repole, announced this news on Sunday. “The Repole Stable family, the Todd Pletcher family, and the entire Coolmore family are heartbroken,” the Repole family shared in a statement. “Uncle Mo was so much more to me than a champion and iconic stallion—he was and always will be a part of my family.”

The horse, Uncle Mo, was born in Kentucky and had quite a legendary father in Indian Charlie. It was trained by Todd Pletcher during his racing career, with John Velazquez being its primary rider. The runner-horse had an amazing career that had five wins in its eight starts. This includes a major victory at the 2010 Breeders Cup Juvenile, which earned him $1.5 million. Thus, it was quite successful and a beloved horse.

This is why the Reddit community was absolutely devastated when they heard the news of the racehorse passing away. Many were aware of its legacy and thus paid the animal its last respects, which it wholeheartedly deserved. Some even talked about how it was an up-and-coming broodmare sire and could have a lot to give to this community.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. This passing away continued the trend of this month being quite a tragic month for the animals, as it also saw another major horse pass away in Always Dreaming. The thoroughbred race horse had a legendary status in the community as the winner of the 2017 Kentucky Derby and Florida Derby.

It passed away on December 10th this year after suffering from Covic. Thus, it was a very sad day for horse enthusiasts. Most of them mourned in the Reddit community and celebrated the legacy of Uncle Mo.

The community was extremely sad because of the horse’s passing away

The Reddit equestrian community was absolutely devastated after hearing the news of the horse. They even lamented on the fact that this was such an incredibly sad month for the horses. While Uncle Mo and Always Dreaming’s deaths were tragic, another horse named Lemon Drop Kid also passed away. A thoroughbred mare, the horse was known for winning the 1999 Belmont Stakes. Thus, it also held a very respectable place in the community. It passed away on December 14th at the age of 28.

“Sad month with the losses of Uncle Mo, Lemon Drop Kid, and Always Dreaming. The one thing you can unequivocally say about Mike Repole is that the man loves his horses. This is a tough one for him, I’m sure,” said one user. Entrepreneur Mike Repole was the owner of Uncle Mo. He became a huge fan of equines during his teenage years and acquired a lot of them while working in his company, Glaceau.

After he sold the startup to Coca-Cola, he opened the Repole stable, where he took care of his horses. Uncle Mo was his most accomplished horse, which is why it will hurt him a lot to part ways with it. After all, his achievements in the sport really make him an enigma in the community. “F-king stud!!!” said one user. But a lot of the horse’s achievements come from its incredible genetics, which emerge from another legendary horse, Northern Dancer.

It was the Canadian horse of the year in 1964 and was also the American champion at three years old. The animal was the foal of Playa-Maya, while it was the foal of Dixie Slippers. Thus, Uncle Mo has some legendary pedigree, which will hopefully live on with it’s own foals. “The bloodline will live on. Sad to see,” said one fan. Another fan spoke about the suddenness of the horse’s death. A few months ago, it was being named as one of the emerging broodmare sires.

In fact, it felt quite evident that the horse could really give us the next generation of great horses through its incredible pedigree. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be making the whole situation more tragic. “Bloodhorse just had an article about him becoming an emerging broodmare sire. This is just so sad!” said one fan. Another user talked about the fact that while the horse had made a lot of accomplishments in its racing career, it could have earned a lot more accolades had it not been for its penchant to get injuries.

“Much of the focus (rightly) will be on his record as a stallion but ran awesome as a two-year-old, only to be undone by some untimely ailments the following year. After a tough spring, he regrouped very nicely, albeit at shorter distances (118 Beyer in the Kelso) and thought for sure he’d run great in the Classic, which really was there for the taking that year. RIP,” said one user. Thus, it felt quite prophetic that the horse’s end would come through another injury itself. The animal passed away after being euthanized after a foot injury. But it will live on in the hearts of every equine enthusiast.