'We are heartbroken': Race Horse Dies Moments After Laurel Park Opening

ANNE ARUNDEL CO., MD — Hit Zero, a three-year-old horse, died moments after running in his first race on Friday at Laurel Park as part of the Preakness weekend.

The Maryland Racing Commission said Hit Zero suffered an apparent cardiac event, noting that a cause of death would not be confirmed until a necropsy is carried out and reviewed.

Hit Zero was trained by Brittany Russell and ridden by her husband, champion jockey Sheldon Russell.

"He was a beloved colt by so many in our barn, owned by our friend Justin Horowitz and Evan Trommer, and named by Justin’s daughter," Brittany wrote in an X post.

"He was truly a family horse. We are heartbroken."

💔 pic.twitter.com/RkCU9hM20n

— Justin Horowitz (@ItstheJHo) May 15, 2026

Deaths tied to the Preakness weekend have happened in the past.

In 2019, Congrats Gal suffered a fatal heart attack after running in the Miss Preakness Stakes. Three years prior, disaster struck twice the day that the Preakness was held: Homeboykris collapsed on his walk back to the barn and Pramedya was euthanized after a leg fracture.