Grade 1-placed juvenile Five Bars dies after training injury

Five Bars, third in the Grade 1 Frizette at Aqueduct on Oct. 4, after suffering a fatal injury Saturday during a workout.

Five Bars breezed a half-mile Saturday on the Belmont dirt training track, according to both Equibase and the New York equine death and breakdown database. According to the state database, Five Bars fell near the seven-eighths pole because of a catastrophic injury to her left front and injured her neck in the fall. The injury previously was reported by David Grening of Daily Racing Form.

Exercise rider Daphne Valentina was attended to by emergency medical technicians and taken to the hospital, according to the state database.

According to Grening, Five Bars had been pointed to the Demoiselle (G2), a Kentucky Oaks points race scheduled for Saturday. The Demoiselle was drawn Sunday and drew a field of six.

Five Bars, a Stuart Janney III homebred, was trained by Shug McCaughey. A daughter of Maxfield, she was the first starter out of the winning Data Link mare Secure Connection, a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Scarlett Sky. She impressed on debut on the Saratoga dirt Aug. 23, overcoming a troubled trip to win a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight by a hard-fought half length. Her only other start came in the Frizette, where she rallied from last of 10 to finish third behind Iron Orchard.