Hit Zero dies after collapsing at Laurel Park on Black-Eyed Susan Day

A racehorse suffered a fatal cardiac event Friday at Laurel Park on Black-Eyed Susan Day, casting a somber note over the opening of Preakness Stakes weekend.

Hit Zero, a first-time starter trained by Brittany Russell, finished last in Race 1 before collapsing after the field crossed the finish line. The horse was unsaddled and had begun walking back to the barn when he went down. Another of Ms. Russell’s horses, Bold Fact, won the race.

The Maryland Racing Commission confirmed Hit Zero died following an apparent cardiac event and said its equine medical director initiated a full post-incident review consistent with Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority fatality reporting requirements.

Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for 1/ST Racing, described the sequence of events to WBAL-TV. “After pulling up and finishing the race, the horse was unsaddled, began walking back to the barn and collapsed and ended up suffering catastrophic sudden death,” she said. Dr. Benson noted that sudden cardiac deaths are particularly difficult to investigate because some causes — such as electrical abnormalities in the heart — leave no trace detectable after death.

Hit Zero, a Maryland-bred by Twirling Candy, ran in a $35,000 maiden claimer and was owned by ItsTheJHo LLC and Evan Trommer. The horse was jockeyed by Ms. Russell’s husband, Sheldon.

The incident pushed the post time for the Black-Eyed Susan race back by roughly an hour, with the gates opening at 6:15 p.m. The race was the 102nd running of the stakes, which is considered ladies’ day at the track and falls one day before the Preakness.

Laurel Park is hosting racing this year while Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore undergoes a $400 million renovation.

A necropsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death, with the commission saying findings will be reported in accordance with HISA disclosure requirements once the review is complete.

Dr. Benson offered broader context on equine fatalities in the sport. “Fatalities, first off, are very rare in horseracing overall. It’s less than 1% of 1% of horseracing,” she told WBAL-TV 11 News. “Every horse that dies in Maryland on a race track goes for a necropsy or post-mortem, and then, there is a meeting that follows so we can work with the trainer to find out if there was anything abnormal about the horse.”

It was not the first time a horse died during Preakness weekend events at the track. In 2019, the filly Congrats Gal collapsed and died while running in the Miss Preakness Stakes, faltering in the upper stretch in 83-degree heat before being eased across the finish line.