Champion horse dies

The 2019 Barbados Derby winner Nzinga passed away today.

Reports are that the three-year-old filly was recovering from an abscess in a hoof that subsequently became infected and resulted in her death.

The three-year-old full sister to Jackmananny Gap won this year’s Derby at big odds of 21\1 giving her owners Some Guys & A Gyal Syndicate their first Derby winner and breeder and trainer Raphael Greene his first Derby victory.

Nzinga, seen here winning this year’s Derby, died today.

By champion stallion Janak, Nzinga is the second Derby winner to die this year. Just five weeks ago 2016 Barbados Derby winner Northern Star died while at gallops at the track. He had just been brought out of retirement after a short stint as a stud.

Nzinga was vying for champion three-year-old honours this year after winning two races from nines starts, to go with one second-place and a third-place finish. She had won $77, 169 in prize money this year, which is second on the three-year-old list behind leading three-year-old filly Seventeenmillionus who has three wins from 10 starts and $85,672 in prize money.

The star filly had placed sixth in the first leg of the Barbados triple crown, the Barbados Guineas on April 30, at odds of 41 to 1 and fifth in the second leg, the Pinnacle Feeds Midsummer Classic at odds of 13 to 1.