TORONTO -- An exercise rider died Tuesday after being crushed by a thoroughbred at Torontos Woodbine Racetrack in what officials described as a "freak accident." Police said the rider was in the saddle around 6 a.m., when the horse went into an "unexplained wild gallop," showing signs of medical distress. The rider, who was identified as Mourad Boudraa, 40, was crushed into the track railing and then by the weight of the horse as it collapsed. Jamie Martin, vice-president of Woodbine Entertainment Group, said Boudraa was originally from Morocco and had three to four years of experience as an exercise rider. "He was a freelance so he worked for a number of trainers," Martin said. "I would say its a freak accident." The horse, Tawneys Wish, died of what Woodbine Racetrack officials said was believed to be a heart attack. The three-year-old dark filly had one start this year and $368 in winnings. Mike Pownall, an equine veterinarian, said the horses cause of death wont be known until a necropsy is performed. "Its like when you find those athletes that suddenly die and you find theres a heart defect, that would be the human equivalency," Pownall said. "You have no idea it was existing, or you could prevent it, or you could do anything to alter the course." In 2011, Canadian Olympic champion Eric Lamaze was riding his horse Hickstead in Italy when the animal suddenly collapsed and died of an acute aortic rupture. The horse had carried Lamaze to gold and silver at the Beijing Olympics in show jumping. The Ontario Racing Commission, which requires a necropsy whenever a racehorse dies, collects information for a database on common racehorse injuries in the hopes of minimizing future problems, Pownall said. Pownall said working with horses carries inherent risk and those involved in the industry are all too aware of what can go wrong. "They know the potential for unexplained, sudden things to happen," he said. "Its a hazard of the job." But in the tight-knit horseracing community in Canada, word travels fast when there is an injury or fatality, he said. "I was sad for the horse, sad for the rider. Nobody wants that. Im proud of the riders that go out there every day and proud of the horses that go out there," he said, adding that Woodbine Racetrack is a "well-regarded track" in terms of safety standards. Officials from the provincial Ministry of Labour are investigating the accident. A necropsy on the horse is set to be performed at the University of Guelph. Neven Subotic Jersey . Jackson Houck added a goal and two assists for the Giants (28-23-10), who halted a five-game slide, while Tyler Morrison, Mason Geertsen and Dominik Volek each scored once. Matt Bellerive scored both goals for the Blazers (12-43-5), who are 1-9-0 in their last 10 outings. Sebastian Rode Jersey . Riethers apparent stamp on Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj during Saturdays Premier League match at Craven Cottage was missed by the match officials. A three-man panel of former referees reviewed the incident and all agreed that it was a sending-off offence. http://www.dortmundfcfanshop.com/c-42-andriy-yarmolenko-fc-borussia-dortmund-jersey.aspx . - A pitch clock will be used this season during minor league games at Triple-A and Double-A, but it has been ruled out for the major leagues this year. Mahmoud Dahoud Jersey .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. Marc Bartra Jersey . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.WINNIPEG -- After a frantic first period Blake Wheeler might have been forgotten if not for what he did in the third. Wheeler scored two goals, including the winner, as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-4 on Friday in a game that featured a seven-goal first period. Wheeler ended a scramble in front of the Minnesota net when he poked the puck under a prone Niklas Backstrom with 9:20 remaining in the third period for his 14th goal of the season, giving the Jets a 5-4 lead. It was the ninth goal in December for Wheeler, who started the season with just five goals in his first 28 games. "I think confidence plays into it," he said of his recent success. "When the puck starts going in the net you find yourself getting into the scoring areas a little bit more. The puck seems to bounce your way a little bit more." Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen, Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom added goals for Winnipeg. Dany Heatley, Justin Fontaine, Stephane Veilleux and Mikko Koivu were the goal scorers for Minnesota. The Jets (17-18-5), who were coming off a humbling loss in Edmonton on Monday, finally managed to beat the Wild after losing each of the first three meetings between the teams. It was a fourth straight loss for the Wild (20-14-5), who have now dropped six of their last eight games. Neither team seemed interested in playing defence after the three-day Christmas break. The Jets led 4-3 after a first period that saw seven goals scored in the first 7:04, and featured three lead changes. "We dont have the luxury of finding reasons for things not being OK," said Wild coach Mike Yeo, who said the first period was clearly a by-product of the extended break. "Were in a position where we have to make things right." Minnesota struck first when Heatley scored on a wide-open net after a pass from Jason Pominville 2:13 into the game. But the Jets grabbed the lead before the game was six minutes old thanks to a short-handed goal by Kane and a one-timer in the low slot byy Jokinen.dddddddddddd "When they scored we responded, which was good to see," Kane said. It only took another 67 seconds for the Wild to go ahead 3-2, on goals by Fontaine and Veilleux. That ended Ondrej Pavelecs outing. The Jets starting goalie smashed his stick en route to the dressing room after allowing three goals on six shots, giving way to backup Al Montoya. Jets coach Claude Noel said the quick hook had more to do with his teams sluggish play in its own zone than anything. "I think our team needed a jolt," he said. Jets captain Andrew Ladd echoed the coach, saying that the team felt sympathy for the lack of support they provided for their goalkeeper. "I thought Monty did a great job once he got in there," Ladd said. "The first three goals, there was nothing Pav couldve done about them, so it was more about trying to get some momentum for our group on the bench." After nearly eight scoreless minutes, the Jets once again claimed the lead on late-period goals from Wheeler and Byfuglien. Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom allowed four goals on 11 first-period shots, and finished with 32 saves on 37 total shots. The lone goal in the second period came on a Wild power play, as a perfect passing sequence ended with an easy goal for Koivu to tie the game at 4-4. That was the only blemish for Montoya, who stopped the other 22 shots he faced. Enstrom added an empty-net goal from 175 feet with four seconds remaining. The Wild won each of the three previous meetings by one goal, including a shootout victory on Nov. 23. Both clubs return to action on Sunday, with the Jets travelling to Denver while the Wild head home to face the New York Islanders. Notes: Zach Parise, dealing with a lower-body injury, missed a second straight game for the Wild. ... The Jets were without defencemen Zach Bogosian (flu) and Mark Stuart, who was a late scratch with a lower-body injury after taking the morning skate. ... The teams have one remaining meeting, in Winnipeg on April 7. 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