You wouldn’t believe how excited horse racing fans were during this year’s Kentucky Derby! They were on the edge of their seats the whole time. True to its nickname, “Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” the race kicked off with a strong start from Citizen Bull. However, as the Bob Baffert-trained colt began to lose ground, the final stretch turned into a showdown between Journalism and Sovereignty. So, in the end, there was just one winner, and Sovereignty snagged the G1 victory. But disaster has already hit the racecourse. So, what went south?

On X, DRF’s Mike Welsch reported: “Sorcerer’s Silver was vanned off after the 3rd race at CD with injury to right foreleg. Being taken to the Equine Medical Center for further evaluation.” On May 3, during the third race at Churchill Downs, Sorcerer’s Silver hurt his right foreleg and was taken off the track for immediate medical intervention at the Equine Medical Center. As of now, there haven’t been any new updates about the horse’s condition.

But the incident has invoked worry everyone in the horse racing world. PETA jumped in with a strong statement saying, “Only three races in, and Sorcerer’s Silver has already paid the price. He was rushed off the Kentucky Derby track today with a bone fracture. This follows 15 fatalities at Churchill Downs last year and one last week. If you’re still watching, turn it off.”

PETA made a bold statement about the injury, pointing out that it’s part of an alarming pattern of horse fatalities at Churchill Downs. They mentioned 15 deaths in 2024 and noted another one just a week ago. As a result of the industry’s lack of protections for horses, they demanded that people reevaluate their support for racing. So, how did the fans take it?

Concerned despite the Kentucky Derby vibe

Absolutely no arguments there that the Kentucky Derby was a lot of fun to watch! But this incident at the racecourse really broke a lot of hearts. A fan reached out with some concern, saying, “Thank you for update, will be praying for him to heal,” while another’s comment was worry laden, “Sorry to hear this.” Erin Birkenhauer, the racing manager at West Point Thoroughbreds, shared, “He has a fractured sesamoid and is going to Rood and Riddle for fusion surgery.” It looks like the horse suffered a pretty serious injury to its lower leg.

So, just to brush up some basic anatomy and give you insight, sesamoid bones are these two tiny bones found at the back of a horse’s fetlock joint. They’re super important for helping the horse bear weight and move around smoothly. A fracture in this area can be pretty serious and might even be life-threatening if proper treatment is not received on time.

The flood gate of worries opened up, with one comment saying, “So sorry to hear this news!” While this fan thanked the journalist for the update, they wrote, “THANK YOU. DID NOT LOOK GOOD TO ME. POOR BABY.” It was so tough to watch the equine go through this, especially on the day that was entirely meant to uplift the sport. We’ll just have to wait it out and see how the colt’s surgery pans out. Sorcerer’s Silver’s speedy recovery is the only thing on our minds. What about yours? Tell us in the comments below.