Exercise rider dies; crushed by horse at Woodbine

TORONTO (AP) An exercise rider died Tuesday after he was crushed by a thoroughbred at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack.

Police say 40-year-old Mourad Boudraa was riding at about 6 a.m. when the horse went into an ''unexplained wild gallop,'' showing signs of medical distress. Boudraa was jammed into the track railing and crushed by the horse as it collapsed.

Woodbine says Boudraa originally was from Morocco and had three to four years of experience as an exercise rider.

Woodbine officials suspect the horse, Tawney's Wish, died from a heart attack. The Ontario Racing Commission will perform a post-mortem on the 3-year-old filly.

The horse had one start this year and $368 in winnings.