Promising two-year-old Gai Waterhouse-trained racehorse drowns in freak pool incident

A two-year-old racehorse has tragically died following a freak accident at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Tuesday. 

King Kirk, who was trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, drowned in a horse pool while completing a routine recovery activity.

It came after the horse had participated in a 740m two-year-old barrier at Randwick – his home track. 

The horse was a favourite to win next year’s $5million Golden Slipper and had been making his first appearance since making his debut win in the Group Three Breeders’ Plate. 

‘Unfortunately, King Kirk has passed away this afternoon following an incident that occurred during his recovery,’ a statement from the Waterhouse and Bott stable told owners of MyRacehorse.

‘King Kirk was routinely swimming at the Randwick racecourse horse pool under the supervision of his regular handler and foreman, when he panicked causing him to swallow a significant amount of water in the process.

The horse had been completing a routine swimming session at the Randwick Racecourse horse pool in Sydney

Kirk had been routinely swimming at Randwick Racecourses horse pool when he ‘panicked ‘ and drowned

‘Despite the efforts by his handlers, ATC (Australian Turf Club), staff and veterinarians, he sadly could not be saved.’

The news came after a statement was released earlier on Tuesday by members of the racing syndicate, claiming that he had returned in fine fettle. 

Following the colt’s trial, they took to MyRacehorse.com to state: ‘He looks to have come back in fantastic order. He was given a relatively easy time of it but it was great to see his maturity when he relaxed at the rear during the run. Once given some room, his turn of foot to the line was electric under minimal riding.

‘He will likely have another trial in 2 weeks time and he’ll take plenty of improvement out of today’s outing.’

Despite that, a later post on MyRacehorse would also confirm the sad news. 

‘Our thoughts are with all you, his owners, who loved and supported him, and with the stable staff who cared for him with such dedication every day,’ the statement read.

‘We know how much this loss will weigh on everyone, and we are here to support you in any way we can.

‘Today is a difficult day for us all, but we take comfort in the memories of his achievements, his strength, and his spirit.

‘King Kirk will be deeply missed, but he will remain in our hearts forever.’