There might not be much in the neighborhood, but there is a veterinarian not far away who has an ultrasound machine, Newton said. He said that sometimes he's had his mares examined with the machine to evaluate their pregnancies. This time he did not. That's how Newton came by a set of twins, a circumstance that virtually has been eliminated in modern horse breeding. After the ultrasound came into use in equine medicine, veterinarians were able to discern the presence of twins early on in a mare's gestation.
Veterinarians generally eliminate one of the embryos because horse twins are undesirable.
Newton loaded the sick filly into the back seat of his extended cab pickup and took it to a veterinary clinic in Danville. The foal was treated with intravenous fluids and vitamins and fed powdered milk for several days. Now it's back home and doing fine. But he's sticking with the two names that came to him upon his surprise on April Fool's day. Maryjean Wall covers horse racing for the Herald-Leader.