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BALTIMORE — A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized on the track after injuring a leg during a race on the Preakness undercard Saturday and sending his unseated jockey to the hospital.

Hours before the second leg of the Triple Crown, favorite Havnameltdown buckled forward and threw jockey Luis Saez off his back during the sixth race, and continued running around the final turn in some distress.

The 3-year-old colt was looked at by chief veterinary officer Dr. Dionne Benson and others, who determined the injury to his left front leg was inoperable and decided the horse should be put down, according to a statement from 1/ST Racing, which owns and operates the track.

Saez was conscious and taken to Sinai Hospital for evaluation, complaining of leg pain, track officials announced. He was attended to by medical personnel on the track for several minutes before being put on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Havnameltdown’s death comes on another major race day, in the aftermath of the Kentucky Derby being overshadowed by seven fatalities at Churchill Downs over a span of 10 days.

“It’s the worst feeling. And we grieve. We do grieve when these things happen. There is nothing worse than coming back and the stall is empty,” Baffert said. “He is a nice horse. He could not have been doing any better. It’s sickening. I am in shock.”

The favorite at 4-5 for the $200,000 dirt race and breaking from the inside No. 1 post, Havnameltdown was bumped out of the gate by No. 2 Ryvit and broke a step slow but continued running in the 6-furlong race. Havnameltdown and Ryvit, the eventual race winner, were out in front of the pack coming around the second turn.

Fans in the crowd at Pimlico Race Course gasped when the horse stumbled before the final turn and tossed Saez. In an incongruous scene, at the same time Saez and Havnameltdown were being looked at, 2Pac’s “California Love” continued blaring from infield speakers set up right near where it happened.

Meanwhile, on Pimlico’s homestretch, the horse was brought under control by track staff, then led behind some black barriers.

“Very unfortunate,” said Tyler Gaffalione, Ryvit’s jockey. “Hopefully, Luis is OK. We were kind of heads-up, and he just kind of disappeared. I looked back and saw Luis coming off the side.”

Baffert pointed out that his horse “was obviously hit pretty hard coming out of the gate.”

“We don’t know if that contributed to the injury, but we will be fully transparent with those reviewing this terrible accident,” he posted on Twitter.

Baffert has horses running on Preakness weekend for the first time in two years after returning from a suspension stemming from 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s failed drug test. He was not able to enter horses in the Derby either of the past two years as part of a decision by Churchill Downs. He could not have any in the 2022 Preakness or Belmont because of a 90-day ban in Kentucky respected by Maryland and New York.

One of his horses, Arabian Lion, won an earlier race. Baffert is also set to saddle National Treasure in the Preakness.

Saez, a Panamanian who turned 31 on Friday, originally was supposed to ride top contender First Mission in the Preakness. But that horse was scratched on the advice of veterinarians because of an issue with his left hind ankle.

At the 2019 Kentucky Derby, Saez rode Maximum Security across the line first, but stewards revoked the victory and dropped the colt to 17th for impeding the paths of several horses. Saez then was suspended, accused of causing the interference.

Earlier this year, he was aboard Kentucky Derby champion Mage for a runner-up finish at the Florida Derby. At Churchill Downs two weeks ago, Saez’s horse, Tapit Trice, came in seventh in the Derby.

Havnameltdown, owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, had won four of his six career starts prior to this race. He had most recently finished second in the Saudi Derby in February.

“We never had an issue with him,” Baffert said. “We are so careful with all these horses, and it still happens. It is something that is disheartening. I feel so bad for that horse. And I just hope that Luis is OK.”

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Sources: BoSox send rookie Campbell to minors

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Sources: BoSox send rookie Campbell to minors

The Boston Red Sox are sending rookie Kristian Campbell to Triple-A, paving the way for the return of outfielder Wilyer Abreu off the injured list, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

Campbell, the reigning Minor League Player of the Year, signed an eight-year, $60 million contract extension before the beginning of the season and won American League Rookie of the Month in April, hitting .301/.407/.495. Since May, he has struggled offensively, hitting .159/.243/.222, and defensively as the Red Sox’s everyday second baseman.

The reset for Campbell, who turns 23 on June 28, comes in the wake of Boston trading star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The return of Abreu and eventual return of third baseman Alex Bregman from a right quadriceps strain are expected to fortify a lineup that ranks fifth in the major leagues with 358 runs scored.

Campbell rocketed to the big leagues after a 2024 in which he hit .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs over three minor league levels. Boston entered spring training hopeful he would earn the second base job, and despite hitting .167/.305/.271, the Red Sox were confident enough in Campbell’s ability to succeed that they locked him up to a deal that with two club options can run through 2034.

With a unique stance, Campbell managed to produce top-end exit velocities, and the Red Sox banked on that ability to make up for his lack of minor league at-bats. A fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2023, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Campbell responded with four multihit games among his first seven in the big leagues and finished April with four home runs and 12 RBIs.

May and June have proven far more difficult, with just four multihit games among the 38 he has played. Campbell spent the first eight days of May in the cleanup spot but has been dropped to the bottom of the order in June. In his last big league game Wednesday, he batted eighth and played center field.

Abreu, who turns 26 on Tuesday, is expected to rejoin the Red Sox 10 days after hitting the injured list with a strained oblique. He went 1 for 4 in a rehabilitation appearance with Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday and would head to San Francisco for the Red Sox’s series against the Giants that begins Friday.

In his third big league season, Abreu is hitting .245/.321/.471 with 13 home runs, just two shy of his career best in 2024. He joins a crowded outfield, with Gold Glove candidate Ceddanne Rafaela — who can also play in the middle infield — in center, All-Star Jarren Duran in left and top prospect Roman Anthony in right. Anthony is currently hitting third, the spot Abreu regularly occupied before his injury.

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Ohtani to pitch against Nationals on Sunday

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Ohtani to pitch against Nationals on Sunday

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani will next pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

The two-way superstar made his mound debut for the Dodgers on Monday against the San Diego Padres, throwing one inning and allowing one run and two hits. He also batted leadoff as the designated hitter and had two hits.

Ohtani faced Padres sluggers Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado in his 28-pitch outing.

The Dodgers conclude their four-game series with San Diego on Thursday night, looking for a sweep and their sixth straight victory.

Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season while with the Los Angeles Angels and missed all of the 2024 season after which he signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers.

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Jac jack: Royals’ Caglianone belts first MLB HR

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Jac jack: Royals' Caglianone belts first MLB HR

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jac Caglianone has his first career home run just shy of two weeks after his debut with the Kansas City Royals, and a day after the 22-year-old prospect sat out of a big league game for the first time.

Caglianone won a lefty-lefty matchup by pulling a 95.5 mph fastball from Jacob Latz into the Texas Rangers bullpen in right-center field to give the Royals a 3-0 lead in the second inning Thursday.

Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run shot off Texas starter Shawn Armstrong in the first inning of a bullpen game for the Rangers.

The sixth overall pick in last year’s amateur draft out of Florida, Caglianone went 0-for-5 in his big league debut at St. Louis on June 3. His average was at .196 after going 0-for-4 in the opener of a series at Texas and sitting out the second game.

Caglianone, who played his first six games on the road before making his home debut against the New York Yankees, swung at Latz’s 2-2 pitch above the strike zone, and pointed toward center field as he rounded second base after his 387-foot drive.

The 6-foot-5 Caglianone hit 15 homers in 50 games combined with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha before getting called up.

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