A federal judge in Lexington, Ky., has ordered that the body of American Saddlebred champion Wild Eyed and Wicked be exhumed for additional forensic testing. The exhumation was set to begin on Feb. 2.

Wicked was one of five top Saddlebreds that were injected with an unknown, necrotizing (tissue-killing) substance on June 28-29, 2003, at Double D Ranch in Versailles, Ky. In the following weeks, Wicked and two other horses were euthanatized due to complications from their injuries. Wicked was buried at Double D. To learn more about this story, see www.TheHorse.com/sbreds.

The case has remained under investigation by the Kentucky State Police (KSP).

Wicked’s owners, Sally and Joe Jackson, had made a motion for exhumation that was held in abeyance by the court judge pending confirmation that the exhuming would not impede the KSP investigation, that samples were not already in vets’ custody, and that forensic examination could be of some benefit to the investigation. The Jacksons filed a renewed motion for exhumation on Sept. 17, 2004, after obtaining the required information

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