Necropsy Shows Bobby Abu Dhabi Died of Spinal Injury

Grade 2 winner Bobby Abu Dhabi likely died from fractures to vertebrae in his neck, which occurred because of a fall as a result of sesamoid fractures in his right front leg, according to the final necropsy report from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

The report—which was obtained by BloodHorse via a Public Records Act request through the California Horse Racing Board—detailed the injuries the 4-year-old Macho Uno  colt sustained during a training incident July 22 at Del Mar. Jockey Victor Espinoza, who was aboard the Peter Miller-trained Bobby Abu Dhabi for a timed workout, fractured his C3 vertebra when he fell during the incident and is still recovering from that injury.

BALAN: Espinoza Injured After Bobby Abu Dhabi's Fatal Incident

Along with the sesamoid fractures in the colt's fetlock and damage to multiple cervical vertebrae, Bobby Abu Dhabi sustained fractures in his sacral vertebrae, near the base of his spine. The spinal fractures led to hemorrhaging around his spinal cord, which caused him to stop breathing and effectively ended his life.

"When the horse fractured its ankle—and this is speculation—when the horse fell, he landed on his head, fractured his neck, and when he flipped over on his back, he fractured his sacrum," CHRB equine medical director Dr. Rick Arthur said Sept. 28 at Santa Anita Park.

It was widely reported that the incident was from an apparent cardiac event because of the way it happened. Immediately after he fell, Bobby Abu Dhabi was motionless on the Del Mar main track and did not appear to have any signs of a catastrophic leg injury. But CHRB chairman Chuck Winner, with an off-the-cuff remark during a meeting Aug. 23, was the first to publicly indicate a cardiac event was likely not the reason for Bobby Abu Dhabi's death.

BALAN: CHRB Chairman Sheds Light on Bobby Abu Dhabi's Death

"It was a typical sesamoid fracture/fetlock failure. ... The fracture of the neck is the reason the horse died. ... (Bobby Abu Dhabi) wasn't euthanized, and we see this from time to time—the spinal cord was severed and the horse died. The same thing would happen to (a human). Some people end up being paralyzed, and some people end up being dead," Arthur said.

Arthur also said the other tests and findings—examinations, histology, and toxicology—from the necropsy did not show anything out of the ordinary for a 4-year-old racehorse, other than the likely anatomical irregularity, as explained in the report, that Bobby Abu Dhabi had a spleen that "was approximately twice normal size."

Owned by Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen, Bobby Abu Dhabi had a 4-2-1 record from nine starts, including a victory in the April 21 Kona Gold Stakes (G2), and earned $375,100.

He was bred in Kentucky by T/C Stable out of the Saint Ballado mare Wadena and was a $335,000 purchase by Rockingham from Grassroots Training & Sales' consignment to the 2016 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Grassroots pinhooked the colt for $85,000 from the Cross Keys Sales consignment to the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.