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Racehorse Niatross put to sleep

Niatross, harness racing's horse of the decade for the 1980s, was euthanised after a large cancerous mass was discovered in his abdomen.

The 22-year-old stallion exhibited signs of discomfort on Friday and was transported to the veterinary centre, early on Saturday morning, where an examination revealed the large mass. After two days of monitoring and treatment, Niatross was put to sleep yesterday.

The breed's first sub-1:50 performer, Niatross was unbeaten in 13 starts as a two-year-old in 1979. His winnings that season, of 604,900 dollars, were the most any two-year-old of any breed had earned. He was voted harness horse of the year in 1979, one of only three two-year-olds ever voted overall champion.

The New York Postnamed Niatross its 1980 athlete of the year, the only time a racehorse has won that newspaper's honour.

Niatross retired with earnings of 2,019,213 dollars, the first horse of any breed to earn over two million dollars in only two racing seasons.

AP