TORONTO -- An exercise rider died Tuesday after being crushed by a thoroughbred at Torontos Woodbine Racetrack in what officials described as a "freak accident." Police said the rider was in the saddle around 6 a.m., when the horse went into an "unexplained wild gallop," showing signs of medical distress. The rider, who was identified as Mourad Boudraa, 40, was crushed into the track railing and then by the weight of the horse as it collapsed. Jamie Martin, vice-president of Woodbine Entertainment Group, said Boudraa was originally from Morocco and had three to four years of experience as an exercise rider. "He was a freelance so he worked for a number of trainers," Martin said. "I would say its a freak accident." The horse, Tawneys Wish, died of what Woodbine Racetrack officials said was believed to be a heart attack. The three-year-old dark filly had one start this year and $368 in winnings. Mike Pownall, an equine veterinarian, said the horses cause of death wont be known until a necropsy is performed. "Its like when you find those athletes that suddenly die and you find theres a heart defect, that would be the human equivalency," Pownall said. "You have no idea it was existing, or you could prevent it, or you could do anything to alter the course." In 2011, Canadian Olympic champion Eric Lamaze was riding his horse Hickstead in Italy when the animal suddenly collapsed and died of an acute aortic rupture. The horse had carried Lamaze to gold and silver at the Beijing Olympics in show jumping. The Ontario Racing Commission, which requires a necropsy whenever a racehorse dies, collects information for a database on common racehorse injuries in the hopes of minimizing future problems, Pownall said. Pownall said working with horses carries inherent risk and those involved in the industry are all too aware of what can go wrong. "They know the potential for unexplained, sudden things to happen," he said. "Its a hazard of the job." But in the tight-knit horseracing community in Canada, word travels fast when there is an injury or fatality, he said. "I was sad for the horse, sad for the rider. Nobody wants that. Im proud of the riders that go out there every day and proud of the horses that go out there," he said, adding that Woodbine Racetrack is a "well-regarded track" in terms of safety standards. Officials from the provincial Ministry of Labour are investigating the accident. A necropsy on the horse is set to be performed at the University of Guelph. Sam Mills Womens Jersey . Those cheers seemed more special this time because the captains run on Broadway could soon be over. The adoration surely sounded much nicer to Callahan than all the recent trade talk. Taysom Hill Youth Jersey . Then Klay Thompson put his foot on the gas. 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Behind the talents of rookie Johnny Gaudreau, the Flames will look to keep pace Thursday night when they face the Minnesota Wild in the second of a six-game homestand.ASPEN, Colo. -- Canadas Kaya Turski had one final chance to test her surgically repaired knee in competition before the Sochi Olympics, and she won a gold medal while doing so. The Montreal native, who was competing just five months after having surgery on her anterior cruciate ligament, captured her fifth Winter X Games gold medal in womens ski slopestyle Sunday. "I just wanted to get out there and land a run that was clean and solid, get back into the groove of things," said the 25-year-old. "My knees feeling really good. Ive had a lot of great support, a physical therapist travelling with me, all my sponsors have been really involved. Everyone is making sure Im on the right program." Turski injured herself back in August while training and it was uncertain then if she would be ready in time for her sport to make its Olympic debut in February. But with determination, and a great support network, she says was able to return back to the slopes well ahead of schedule. "I wasnt listening too much to what other people were saying," said Turski. "The moment I blew (my knee) so many things were going throough my head like, whats going to happen with the Olympics?.dddddddddddd.. (But) I knew if I put in my everything I could get back to as strong as I was." Turski scored 91.33 on her second run to cruise to first place, but admitted she has more to give. "I think that I was rewarded for my flow on the course, just keeping it cool and looking smooth," said Turski. "I want to bring that to the Olympics. I didnt want to throw my hardest tricks on the course today because I didnt want to compromise my chances heading into the Olympics." American Maggie Voisin took silver with 90.00 points and Kim Lamarre of Quebec City earned bronze with a best score of 85.00. "I was thrilled to have Kim on the podium with me, shes one of my best friends," said Turski. "Shes one to watch, shes a really, really strong athlete. She can have a winning run." Dara Howell of Huntsville, Ont., finished fourth with a score of 84.00 while Yuki Tsubota of Whistler, B.C. was eighth at 75.33. All four skiers are on Canadas freestyle team heading to next months Olympics in Sochi, Russia. 20:53ET 26-01-14 ' ' '