Fayonagh's death a reminder of what it is that captivates us about racehorses

As the first anniversary of Vautour’s death comes around, the cruel fate Fayonagh suffered during a routine canter on the gallops on Wednesday morning provided yet another unfortunate reminder of just how fragile these magnificent physical specimens are.

It always seems incongruous that such powerful and majestic animals should be so susceptible to what, in many respects, sound like pretty innocuous injuries.

However, that leg fractures are often cataclysmic occurrences in thoroughbreds reflects what it is that makes them so cherished. They are physiological wonders of the world.