OTI Racing and the Mick Price stable are mourning the loss of Group One star I’m Thunderstruck (NZ) (Shocking).
The two-time Group One winner passed away after an incident following a routine knee operation late on Thursday afternoon.
OTI’s Terry Henderson confirmed the news to Racing.com, adding that he is devastated to lose a much-loved galloper who had taken himself, the other owners and the Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable on an incredible journey.
“Reality is what it is. It’s something that can happen after an operation and unfortunately, it’s happened with this horse,” Henderson told Racing.com.
“As you can imagine, the owners, the staff at Mick and Michael’s stable are devastated. We just have to face the reality that this is one of those terrible things that can happen when you are trying to look after the horse as best as we can.
“It was a relatively simple procedure which has gone horribly wrong.
“The procedure went perfectly fine. The horse got up to recover from the surgery and initially appeared OK. But then he was very, very lame on the off side knee and clearly something was wrong.
“They took X-rays of it and there were multiple fractures in the knee. So obviously at some stage he has put weight on that knee in a manner which has caused that injury.
“From a humane point of view, we had no choice.”
I’m Thunderstuck amassed a staggering A$8 million in prizemoney in his 22 starts, winning the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) in the process.
He also won the Golden Eagle (1500m) and contested the All-Star Mile (1600m) twice, finishing second in 2022.
“It’s been an experience for all of us to be involved with,” Henderson said.
“I can’t say exactly what the words are (to lose him), but you can imagine what they are.”
