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. Cheap Air Max . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges. Cheap Air Max 270 Shoes .Chanathip Songkrasin opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Kroekrit found the target twice in the 57th and four minutes from fulltime.Vietnam and Malaysia play their second leg on Thursday. Vietnam won the first leg 2-1. http://www.airmax270discount.com/ . However, the intensity and physicality that has characterized the postseason so far has caught Gretzky by surprise. "Its a little bit risqué right now," Gretzky told Philadelphia radio station 97. Air Max 270 Outlet .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. Cheap Nike Air Max 270 Shoes From China . The Kings paraded the Stanley Cup through downtown Los Angeles on Monday to celebrate their second NHL title in three seasons.A federal judge on Monday granted preliminary approval to a landmark deal that would compensate thousands of former NFL players for concussion-related claims. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody in Philadelphia came about two weeks after the NFL agreed to remove a $675 million cap on damages. Brody had previously questioned whether that would be enough money to pay all claims. "A class action settlement that offers prompt relief is superior to the likely alternative — years of expensive, difficult, and uncertain litigation, with no assurance of recovery, while retired players physical and mental conditions continue to deteriorate," Brody wrote. More than 4,500 former players have filed suit, some accusing the league of fraud for its handling of concussions. They include former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffers from dementia. The settlement is designed to last at least 65 years and give $1 million or more to retirees who develop Lou Gehrigs disease and other profound neurological problems. "This is an extraordinary settlement for retired NFL players and their families — from those who suffer with neuro-cognitive illnesses today, to those who are currently healthy but fear they may develop symptoms decades into the future," plaintiffs attorneys Sol Weiss and Christopher Seeger said in a statement. NFL senior vice-president Anastasia Danias said in a statement that the league was "grateful to Judge Brody for her guidance and her thoughtful analysis of the issues as reflected in the comprehensive opinion she issued today." The original settlement included $675 million for compensatory claims for players with neurological symptoms, $75 million for baseline testing and $10 million for medical research and education. The NFL would also pay an additional $112 million to the playeers lawyers, for a total payout of more than $870 million.dddddddddddd The revised settlement eliminates the cap on overall damage claims but retains a payout formula for individual retirees that considers their age and illness. A young retiree with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs disease, would receive $5 million, a 50-year-old with Alzheimers disease would get $1.6 million and an 80-year-old with early dementia would get $25,000. Even with the cap removed, both sides said they believe the NFL will spend no more than about $675 million on damage claims by ex-players. Critics of the deal have said the league, with annual revenues approaching $10 billion, was getting off lightly. They could raise objections at a fairness hearing scheduled for Nov. 19, and ultimately opt out of the settlement. However, they would then face the risk of a protracted legal fight, and would have to prove any injuries were caused by NFL concussions and not any suffered in youth or college sports. The proposed NFL settlement had originally barred claimants from seeking a separate settlement against the NCAA, but that clause has been removed. A separate lawsuit is pending against the NCAA in Illinois. "I think the judge has forced them to make improvements," said University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias, who teaches product liability law. "I think she always felt she had an obligation to the players, to be sure they were getting a fair deal ... given the treatment to date." The settlement would be capped at $4 million on behalf of players diagnosed with traumatic brain injury after their deaths, such as San Diego star Junior Seau or Pro Bowler Dave Duerson. Both of their families, through lawyers, have expressed concerns about the settlement. Duerson died at age 50. A family lawyer has called their projected $2.2 million award to the family "not adequate." ' ' '