Amadeus Hall composes amazing comeback

Amadeus Hall has beaten the odds in a recent incident that would have ended most horse’s careers. The 5-year-old Royal Troubador gelding recently returned to the track, winning his qualifier in 2:03.1 for owner-trainer-driver Dan Taneyhill. The effort was amazing following an injury sustained in mid-May.

“I can’t believe this horse came back and won his qualifier after his paddock injury,” said Taneyhill, who won his first qualifying drive behind Amadeus Hall Saturday, June 23. “We weren’t sure this horse would survive, let alone make it back to the track. He’s surprised everyone.”

Following his May 10 start at Hoosier Park, Amadeus Hall was turned out in a paddock. Taneyhill and his crew went to gather the horses up from a farm near Hoosier Park, but they couldn’t catch Amadeus Hall, so they left him out.

“We never leave our horses out in paddocks overnight, but we couldn’t catch him and we had to get to the track for detention with the other horses in to race that night,” said Taneyhill. “After the races, we went back to get him and he got spooked. He took off running into the dark and the only thing we saw were sparks.”

Amadeus Hall had run through a fence and ran a pole through the top part of his skull. Besides a fractured skull that left a huge hole between his eyes, he had numerous cuts and scrapes from the incident. The prognosis didn’t look good.

“We got him in the trailer and I drove over to Dr. Keith Hollendonner’s house,” said Taneyhill. “I was sitting in their driveway at 1:30 in the morning honking the horn.”

Both Hollendonner and his wife, Stacy, came out and began working on the horse. They began removing pieces of bone and finally completed the work on the horse at 5 a.m. After a couple of weeks of recuperation, the trotter was taken back to the track.

“He pulls quite a bit so we trucked him at first,” said Taneyhill. “I didn’t want to pull on him and loosen any of the stitches up from his head. Missy and Russ Beeman took him to their farm and trucked him for us. Then, we put him in to qualify. The only injury he has now is a severed tear duct on the left side of his head. His eye waters all of the time but considering what he went through, that is minor.”

Amadeus Hall has seven wins in 58 career outings. He had recorded three wins earlier this year. He will look toward Indiana Downs to make his return to racing in July. (Hoosier Park)

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