Saratoga Six - Thoroughbread
- morethanpethk
- Jul 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 23
HIGHLIGHTS
Foaled February 15, 1974 - Died May 7, 2022 (28yo)
The Incident: October 22, 1984 (at 10yo) - US
The Incident : During training, the horse accidentally lost his footing, resulting in a fracture of the sesamoid bone in his left foreleg. Both sesamoid bones in his ankle suffered comminuted fractures, along with a dangerous 45-degree rupture of the suspensory ligament.
The Leading Surgeon: Dr. Larry Bramlage
The Outcome: A Success - Saratoga Six survived, thanks to an innovative plate-operated surgical technique. After rehabilitation, he became a stallion over 20 years. But tragically died on June 6, 2006, in a stable fire.
ABOUT THE HORSE
Saratoga Six is an undefeated winning horse in all his four career starts as a 2yo colt, with his biggest win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity in September 1984.
THE INCIDENT – 22 October 1984
Near the end of the morning workout of six furlongs at Santa Anita, it was a sudden and inexplicable accident. The owner and the trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, suddenly heard the cracking sound, like a rifle shot, above the soft thudding of hooves. Then he saw Saratoga Six pull up lame. It’s a bad step, there was no apparent cause of such injury in his medical record.
His left front leg snapped like a tree limb. It was a disruption of the suspensory apparatus that holds the ankle at a precarious 45-degree angle to the hoof. It was the same injury that Ruffian staggering in her tragic race in 1975, the same injury that killed 90% of the horses in the old day.
The injury of his left front leg appeared to have shattered both sesamoid of the ankle. The chances of saving the colt were about 50-50, but the owner had seek a specialist to perform surgery to fuse his ankle with at plate.
THE SAVING EFFORT – led by Dr. Larry Bramlage
The veterinarian assembled a seven-member team on 24 October preparing for the operation. The colt was in a good mood, the owner led him into the operation room, anaesthesia was given.
The team made an incision of roughly 14 inches in front of the bone. A bending press was used to fashion a metal plate 12 inches long that would fit the colt's sesamoid. The bone was scraped to make the plate fit. Then two 12-inch wires were placed along the surface of the bone to replace the ligaments that had snapped during the accident. The operation took two and a half hours.
Then the team attached the plate with 20 screws, after drilling threaded holes with a pneumatic instrument. The screws were also put in place with a pneumatic instrument. After that, the incision was closed. And finally, a cast was placed on the leg to protect the colt for the next 30-40 days.
When Saratoga Six was revived, the owner walked him to a recovery area. The colt seemed calm and well behaved, it’s a good sign to the veterinarian team. The owner was blessed that the colt was fine after surgery.
It’s crucial after the next 120 days, Dr. Bramlage kept monitoring the colt if any sign of laminitis in his foot. His circulation was in good conditions. The team saved Saratoga Six with their mind and effort by use of advanced medical technique.
THE OUTCOME
Saratoga Six is represented by 40 stakes winners in 20 years after surgery. Sadly, he was died in a barn fire in New Mexico, at 24yo, on 6 June 2006.
Source: The New York Times
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