The 6-year-old French trotter, Galius, who finished a close second in the Prix d’Amerique in 2022 and was scheduled to race Sunday afternoon (Nov. 20) in the Prix de Bretagne at Vincennes died unexpectedly in the arms of owner/trainer Severine Raimond at 6 a.m. Sunday morning.

“After he had been in the field Saturday morning (Nov. 19) toying as always, Galius became ill Saturday afternoon and we brought him immediately to a clinic for treatment,” Severine Raimond told the French racing paper Paris Turf.

“However, during the night he became more ill, and he died in my arms in the morning.”

The cause of death of Galius still needs to be determined, but Raimond thinks that the chestnut trotter either had been poisoned or had an allergic reaction.

Galius raced 32 times, he won 16 races – including the Criterium des 5 Ans and Prix Tenor de Baune. He earned 769.100 Euros during his career.