Hit Zero owner: ‘I don’t question’ care horse received before death at Laurel Park

In competitive cheerleading, “hitting zero” means completing a routine without deductions or mistakes. Bailey is a cheerleader, and when her ...

LAUREL, Md. — The 3-year-old horse was supposed to be perfect. That was the inspiration behind the name, Hit Zero, a piece of 10-year-old Bailey Horowitz’s world she carried with her as a curious and cheerful spectator on Friday morning at Laurel Park.

In competitive cheerleading, “hitting zero” means completing a routine without deductions or mistakes. Bailey is a cheerleader, and when her father, Justin Horowitz, bought a young colt in October 2024, he gave the horse a name that belonged partly to her. “I wanted my kids to fall in love with horse racing just like I did,” Horowitz said.

By the time Hit Zero stepped into the starting gate for his first career race on Black-Eyed Susan Day, the Horowitz’s had waited nearly 19 months to see him run. Over the past 1 1/2 years, trainer Brittany Russell gave Hit Zero time to mature, overcome the soreness that delayed his debut and evolve into the racehorse she believed he could be. Friday felt like the payoff for everyone’s patience.