Eight Belles suffered ankle fractures, report says

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - Eight Belles, the filly who collapsed after the Kentucky Derby and was euthanized, suffered compound fractures of both front legs at the ankles, a necropsy report released Thursday revealed.

The necropsy found no pre-existing bone abnormalities, Kentucky's chief veterinarian Lafe Nichols said in a statement.

Eight Belles, who finished second in the Derby on May 3, was put down at Churchill Downs in Louisville shortly after suffering the catastrophic injuries at her fetlock joints.

The necropsy found no disease or condition affecting the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems or other major organs, Nichols said, adding that the results of routine post-race drug testing had not yet been received.

Animal rights groups have criticized the racing industry in the wake of Eight Belles' death.

The necropsy, ordered by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority (KHRA), was performed at the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center at the University of Kentucky.

(Writing by Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Alan Baldwin)