Major Harness Star Maltese Artist Euthanized
Catastrophic Injuries On Track in Late May Took Life of Pacer
Jun 3, 2009
A million dollar baby was lost to Harness Racing on May 22 when eight-year-old gelding Maltese Artist died from catastrophic injuries to his pastern and ankle bone structures. The bones were hopelessly shattered as Maltese Artist went wrong leading his Molson Pace elimination heat at Western Fair Raceway, Western Ontario, Canada.
A track veterinarian performed the euthansia.
The accident occurred only days before the gelding's stable was planning to leave for Sweden to accompany Buck I St. Pat, a trotting mare, to the Elitlopp.
Maltese Artist Owned by Burke and Koran
Maltese Artist earned more than $2.3 million for his owners, Burke Racing Stable and James Koran, clocking his best time of 1:48.3 in 2005 in a Classic Series heat at Dover Downs, Delaware.
The speed mark was a world record that day for a five-eighths mile race track and a competition run by four-year-old geldings.
Maltese Artist's Racing Record
A son of Artiscape, Maltese Artist enjoyed his best year in 2007 when he grabbed thirteen wins from twenty-seven starts and earned $1 million in purses.
- 2003 -- 5: 1 - 0 - 1 --- Earnings, $7.482 --- Best Mile Time, 1:58.1
- 2004 -- 26: 3 - 8 - 6 --- $204,577 --- 1:49.2
- 2005 -- 25: 9 - 6 - 1 --- $463,678 --- 1:48.3
- 2006 -- 23: 2 - 5 - 2 --- $188,299 --- 1:49.2
- 2007 -- 27: 13 - 4 - 5 --- $1,053,830 --- 1:49.2
- 2008 -- 28: 6 - 7 - 3 --- $280,520 --- 1:50.1
- 2009 --- 17: 5 - 2 - 0 --- $124,285 --- 1:48.4
Career Totals: 151: 39 - 32 - 18 --- $2,322,671
Maltese Artist's Best Wins
Biggest scores for Maltese Artist included:
- 2007 --- the $345,000 Bobby Quillen Memorial, Harrington Raceway, Harrington, Delaware; the $205,000 American National, Balmoral Park, Crete, Illinois; the $125,000 Battle of Lake Erie, Northfield Park, Northfield, Ohio; $475,000 George Morton Levy final, Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York
- 2005 --- the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational, Hoosier Park, Anderson, Indiana; the Battle of Lake Erie; the $122,000 Four Leaf Clover final, the Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- 2004 --- the $150,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final, the Meadowlands
In Memory of Maltese Artist
The connections of Maltese Artist were in shock, Mickey Burke told interviewers May 26 (The Horseman and Fair World magazine, May 27, 2009, page 12). "...But life goes on," Burke continued. He described Maltese Artist as the horse who "...took (trainer and son) Ronnie and I from the local level to the national level".
Ron Burke was phoning the Molson race simulcast from The Meadows to his father when Maltese Artist went down and was unable to recover.
The Burkes had planned to name a paddock after Maltese Artist, one of several new enclosures under construction at the stable farm in Fredericktown, Pennsylvania.
"Instead," Mickey Burke said, "we are bringing his ashes home and he well be buried at the farm."
