On July 19, Preservationist, the son of the legendary American racehorse Arch, galloped into the great unknown, leaving his admirers and close ones distraught. Bret Jones of Airdrie, under whom the horse began his career as a stud at the beginning of the 2020 season, was left “blind sided” by the news.

After all, he had learnt that the 12-year-old horse had been doing more than fine in Korea and had bred about 80 mares. However, “He colicked and had to go in for surgery and tragically did not make it,” Jones said. And now, barely a month since the 2019 Woodward Stakes winner’s demise, the horse racing community has been hit with another piece of terrible news as a much younger horse drew his last breath because of an unfortunate injury that he suffered at Del Mar.

An article by NBC 7 San Diego from August 3 shared the unfortunate fate that befell Uncrowned King after his recent fumble. As per the article, the “3-year-old thoroughbred colt has died after suffering an injury at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in the track’s first horse racing death of the year.”

The Joseph Vega-owned horse met with a terrible injury during the seventh race at Del Mar on Saturday. As per the official race chart, the 3-year-old colt was “chased from between, stumbled near the quarter pole, was pulled up and transported off the course via equine ambulance,” and was ultimately put out of his misery. Mac McBride, a track spokesman, confirmed on Sunday that the horse “was humanely euthanized due to injuries suffered racing.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune further reported that jockey Alfredo Bautista was thrown off his saddle during Uncrowned King’s accident, which resulted in the latter’s shoulder injury on Saturday. However, the horse’s rider did not suffer any major issues. “We offer our sincere condolences to the connections of Uncrowned King who was humanely euthanized by the attending veterinarians after Saturday’s seventh race due to the nature of his injury. For the last several years, Del Mar has been recognized as one of the safest racetracks in the country and we will continue our work to ensure the safest environment possible here for racing and training,” the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club said via a statement on Sunday.

Vega bought the horse in 2023 for $2000, but Uncrowned King only raced twice in his career, including the run on Saturday at Del Mar, which he didn’t finish. Indeed, an unexpected end to a life that could have gone on to become a horse racing celebrity. However, that wasn’t the only tragedy that the community had to deal with in 2025.

The Del Mar accident adds to the community’s 2025 miseries

This year, horse racing fans have said goodbye to a number of horses and iconic members of the community. Among them, the departure of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was undoubtedly the biggest loss. With 15 Triple Crown race victories to his name, Lukas’ popularity among his fans was certainly justified. At the age of 88, he also became the oldest trainer ever to win a Triple Crown race when Seize the Grey won the Preakness Stakes in 2024. His legacy is only rivaled by the legendary Bob Baffert, who became good friends with the former over the years.

Naturally, Baffert was devastated when Lukas passed away in June. “I’ll miss him every day,” wrote the two-time Triple Crown winner in a statement. Prior to that, in January, horse racing celebrity Perfect Drift also breathed his last at the age of 25 after battling with a paddock injury for years. The son of the legendary Dynaformer had won the Washington Park Handicap twice and was a horse that “kept showing up,” according to the doctor, which underscored the fighting spirit Perfect Drift possessed even after his retirement years ago.

Thankfully, not all injuries resulted in fatalities. In July, Del Mar worried the fans once again as the Doug O’Neill-trained 3-year-old filly Origami took a tumble during the $81,000 Allowance Optional Claiming. Luckily, the mare escaped the trouble with only a clipped heel, and fans were quick to send their good wishes and prayers for the horse and her rider.