Young horse dies during Royal Ascot as TV presenter reveals heartbreaking news during live coverage
Harry's Girl opened her lungs on her debut at Newmarket in April, before finishing fifth at York in May, but sadly could not make it round the bend in the Queen Mary Stakes
The second day of Royal Ascot began on a sombre note with the untimely passing of Harry's Girl.
This was only the third outing for the filly, who had secured a victory at her first race in Newmarket during April, followed by a run at York in May.
Tragically, under the care of trainer Richard Hannon and jockey Sean Levey, she sustained an injury early into the five-furlong contest.
Ascot Racecourse released a statement lamenting the loss: "Unfortunately, Harry's Girl suffered a fatal injury during The Queen Mary Stakes," they said. "Our thoughts go out to all connections at this time."
During ITV Racing's live coverage of the event, presenter Ed Chamberlain conveyed the heartbreaking update, acknowledging that the incident 'cast a shadow' over True Love's win.
He announced: "We've just had this confirmed by Ascot - Harry's Girl did suffer a fatal injury. Our thoughts go out to connections. It's desperately sad for the Hannon team after their celebration with yesterday's winner Haatem."
The sorrowful news follows the recent demise of another of Hannon's horses, Norman's Cay, at the Epsom Derby meet only a few weeks prior.
Meanwhile, True Love, trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by jockey Ryan Moore, triumphantly claimed her first win. Coming off the back of a second-place finish behind Gstaad in Tuesday's Coventry Stakes, True Love entered the race as the 9-4 favourite and lived up to expectations.
She took a while to find her rhythm in the race as Zelaina set a blistering early pace, but she rallied impressively in the final furlong to outpace 100-1 outsider Flowerhead, with Patrick Biancone's American contender Lennilu coming in third. This victory marks O'Brien's inaugural win in the Queen Mary.
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