June 1 - The North American horse racing industry has experienced its share of tragedies in recent years, including the deaths of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, champion filly, Eight Belles in May, and most recently, 2007 Argentinean champion sprinter, Storm Marcopolo.

Storm Marcopolo was euthanized on May 16th in Lexington, Virginia at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, after complications arose while he was under anesthesia during a routine MRI on his front right foot.

Bred in Argentina, Storm Marcopolo enjoyed a good career with a seven-race Argentinean winning streak highlighted by an impressive win at the Gran Premio Carrreras de las Estrellas Sprint (Arg-G1) at San Isidro on June 30th 2007.

The 5-year-old was bought last year by US horse race owner, Michael Paulson, to run in the United States and, after three starts under trainer, Ken McPeek, managed to place third at Tufway Park's Holiday Cheer Stakes on December 29th, in what was to be his last race.

Said McPeek, 'It is very sad. Storm Marcopolo was having a problem with his front right foot which was thought to be either an abscess, a wall separation, or a blind quarter crack. So we sent him off to Hagyard Equine Medical Institute for an MRI.

'The attending vet called me soon after to tell me that Storm Marcopolo had died from complications related to the anesthesia, which obviously came as big shock to me and his owner Michael Paulson. He was a very special horse and will be missed,' he said.