Burying Swale

In a distressing horse melodrama mysterious enough for Dick Francis, Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes Winner Swale collapsed suddenly last week. Just eight days after his emphatic four-length victory at Belmont--the 1 1/2-mile test of three-year-old champions--Swale returned from an ordinary gallop, reared up, tumbled over and died.

The pathologists' instant guess was that Swale's heart had failed, but in the autopsy no ruptures or lesions could be found. "We're really at a bit of a loss now," said Veterinarian Helen Acland. The brain tissue will not be fully examined for ten days; complete toxicity tests might take a month. The dark carcass of the son of Seattle Slew was sent to Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., for more than the traditional burying of the head, heart and hoofs. As Claiborne's only Derby winner, he rated burial in an oaken casket with a silver lid lined in the farm's yellow racing color.

It has been a mean year at Claiborne. The master of the farm, Seth Hancock, was also the main syndicator of Devil's Bag, thought to be a superhorse last year when a $36 million breeding future was arranged. Following lame three-year-old performances, he was actually declared slightly lame and retired to stud at Claiborne. In Trainer Woody Stephens' barn and heart, Swale started the year a second-stringer. What Swale's worth as a stallion might have been and how much insurance covered him are included in the mystery. But $50 million and $15 million are the common estimates. There has been no suggestion of foul play. Said Dr. Robert Fritz, the attending veterinarian: "Sometimes horses die on you, and you never know why."