The talented pacer Scotlynn Hamish was put down after fracturing his skull at the Ashburton trials yesterday.
The 5yr-old reared just before his trial started and fell to the track striking his head heavily.
Scotlynn Hamish won five of his seven starts and also recorded two seconds for his Ladbrooks trainer Dean Taylor, who raced the Live Or Die gelding with his wife, Lesley.
They bred the gelding.
"Dean is pretty upset. He has had him since he was a foal and thought a lot of him," Lesley, said last night.
• Houdini Star, having his first trial of the season, won the main heat for trotters yesterday.
The Sundon 7yr-old beat his John Hay stablemate Mon Star by a length and a-half.
He ran the 2400m in 3.11.1 from 30m.
The final 800m was run in 58, the last 400 in 28.
Houdini Star has not raced since finishing second to Stig over 3200m at Addington 12 months ago.
He was then found to have a hairline fracture of the pedal bone in his near front leg.
Houdini Star has been back in work five months.
"He will have one more trial at Ashburton next Tuesday and then two races before he contests the open class trotting races at New Zealand Cup week," Hay said.
He has the Dominion Handicap at Addington on November 13 as his early target.
He was second to Mountbatten in the the Dominion Handicap two years ago.
• J D Fortune recorded a smart 3.04.9 for the 2400m when he won the main heat for pacers yesterday.
He ran the last 800m in 55.6, the final 400 in 26.3, to beat Rider On The Storm (10m) by three quarters of a length.
J D Fortune, the winner of five of his 15 starts, has not raced since the Harness Jewels for 4yr-olds at Ashburton in May The Southland Racing Club meeting scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled due to lack on entries.
Only 43 entries were received.
• Bennyosler, winner of the Grand National Steeplechase in August was put down on Tuesday after breaking a cannon bone in a paddock accident.
The John Wheeler-trained 7yr-old won the Hawkes Bay Hurdles in June.
