A mystery death claimed the lives of 14 horses from a Venezuelan team yesterday shortly before they were to compete in the US Open Polo Championship in Florida. The $100,000 horses suddenly struggled to breathe as vets fought to revive them, the Palm Beach Post reports. Onlookers wept after the animals "dropped to the grass," said a witness. Test results are pending, but sources believe the horses may have reacted to a tainted "steroid cocktail" illegally administered by the team vet to enhance performance.
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