Horse Is Electrocuted at Pimlico

A thoroughbred was electrocuted and his exercise rider hospitalized in a bizarre mishap Thursday morning in the auxiliary starting gate at Pimlico Race Course.

Fox Brush, a 3-year-old gelding, was killed inside a stall within the steel-framed gate when a cable from an electrical supply source came in contact with the rained-on gate, charging it with high voltage, according to preliminary reports. The exposed end of the cable can be plugged into an outlet that charges two 12-volt batteries that power the gate doors, track workers said.

Richard Clayton Beck, an exercise rider who was on Fox Brush at the time of the incident, was reported in serious condition in the intensive care unit of Sinai Hospital, near the track. A hospital spokeswoman said it is customary for electroshock victims to be kept in ICU for at least 24 hours of observation.

The mishap took place in thick fog on the Pimlico backstretch at about 8:45 a.m., while horses were training on a racetrack muddied by overnight rain. Fox Brush, the only horse in the starting gate at the time, apparently died when he pressed against its steel siding.

Even after Fox Brush fell to his knees, Beck and starting gate workers weren’t sure what had happened to the horse, according to observers. Beck, 36, climbed out of the rear of the stall without incident and, standing in the mud in leather-soled riding boots, grabbed the back door of the gate in an attempt to free Fox Brush. Witnesses said he let out a scream upon being shocked and was unable to let go of the door until Danny Fitchett, a member of the starting gate crew, ran over and pulled him away.

Jim Mango, senior vice president of Pimlico, said the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau is investigating the incident. Electricians were called in to verify the cause of the problem and to determine what changes, if any, are required to make the starting gate safe.