Ten racehorses die in fiery crash on New Jersey Turnpike

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One of the horses was sired by the Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and another by the Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist.
Dennis N. Symons Jr.

Ten racehorses reportedly died early Sunday when the truck transporting them crashed on the New Jersey Turnpike.

The fiery wreck occurred about 3 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the turnpike in East Windsor, according to NJ.com, citing state police.

The driver of the truck pulling the trailer of horses crashed into a concrete divider, the report said.

While the driver and a passenger escaped serious injuries, all of the horses perished.

The animals were being trained by Christophe Clement and were on their way to his New York barn when they died, according to a tweet sent out by his stable’s twitter account.

“This morning we learned from Sallee that a van carrying horses to our barn in NY caught on fire,” the tweet read.

“We understand both drivers were admitted to hospital, and that all horses have passed. We are all devastated by the news and heartbroken – we are working to understand what happened.”

Clement is a highly-regarded trainer who won the 2014 Belmont Stakes with Tonalist.

He has earned over $127 million in over 25 years a trainer, according to his website.