Ellis Park: Ova Charged falls during race and is euthanized

Ova Charged, who was on the verge of becoming a $1 million earner, suffered a right fetlock injury while leading a race Saturday at Ellis Park, and she was euthanized due to the extent of her injuries, a track spokesperson said.

The 6-year-old mare bred and owned by Evelyn Benoit’s Brittlyn Stable was in first place as the 1-2 favorite in the $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong race on a course rated good. Ridden by Corey Lanerie, Ova Charged was in the three path between horses in the upper stretch, according to the Equibase race chart, before she fell when she reached the sixteenth pole.

Lanerie walked back to the jockeys room under his own power, according to the Ellis Park news release from Churchill Downs Inc. spokesperson Kevin Kerstein. He rode one more race later on Saturday’s card.

Alex Achard, who was on Current Climate, was dismounted when he tried to avoid hitting Lanerie and Ova Charged. He was not seriously injured, and he kept his assignment in the following race.

Trained by Shane Wilson and bred in Louisiana, Ova Charged was 19: 15-1-0 with earnings of $918,575, according to Equibase. She had won seven consecutive races coming into Saturday, including the Grade 3 Unbridled Sidney on the Kentucky Oaks undercard.