Steroids Didn't Kill 21 Polo Horses: Vet

Sources believe they reacted to tainted steroid cocktail

(NEWSER) - A mystery death claimed the lives of 14 horses from a Venezuelan team yesterday shortly before they were to compete in the US Open Polo Championship in Florida. The $100,000 horses suddenly struggled to breathe as vets fought to revive them, the Palm Beach Post reports. Onlookers wept after the animals "dropped to the grass," said a witness. Test results are pending, but sources believe the horses may have reacted to a tainted "steroid cocktail" illegally administered by the team vet to enhance performance. More»

(NEWSER) - Exactly what killed 21 polo horses in Florida is not known, but details of their enigmatic owner are emerging in spades. Victor Vargas has succeeded at the tricky proposition of banking in Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, and tried the US market—with less-than-stellar results. In 1993, he had to settle with the Fed for $1.5 million, and can’t invest here without government permission. Time takes a look at the secretive multimillionaire. More»

Common drug was tainted, he claims

(NEWSER) - A tainted vitamin supplement killed the 21 horses that collapsed before a polo match in Florida last weekend, the captain of the Venezuelan team claims. He notes that five horses not given the drug are fine. The French drug, called Biodyl, is commonly administered in Europe but not approved for use or sale in the US, the Miami Herald reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Florida has opened a criminal investigation into the deaths of 21 polo horses over the weekend in Palm Beach, USA Today reports, aiming to find out if negligence or foul play might have been behind the incident. “We would be looking at any and all possible leads,” said a spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture. More»

Tests not likely to reveal cause of deaths for weeks

(NEWSER) - Devastated polo team owner Victor Vargas cradled the heads of his fallen horses and sobbed as they died in his arms, colleagues said yesterday. The wealthy Venezuelan banker—whose business has thrived despite Hugo Chavez's socialist regime—rushed from animal to animal as 21 suddenly collapsed and died shortly before a Palm Beach polo tournament Sunday. It could be weeks before tests reveal the cause of their baffling deaths, according to the Palm Beach Post. More»