I'll Have Another Scratched from Belmont NO TRIPLE CROWN!!
I'll Have Another will not be the first Triple Crown winner in 34 years -- the thoroughbred has been scratched from tomorrow's Belmont Stakes ... and may never run again.
The horse's trainer Doug O'Neill just dropped the bombshell on "The Dan Patrick Show" ... confirming the rumors that I'll Have Another was indeed injured. He was not specific, but said there was a "little problem" with the left hind leg.
O'Neill said his horse seemed fine "to the eye" -- but clearly, something changed this morning ... just one day before I'll Have Another could have become just the 12th Triple Crown winner in history.
I'll Have Another had already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness -- but O'Neill says the horse will not race again for at least 3 months, and could possibly be done for good.
A news conference is scheduled this afternoon in New York.
10:20 AM PT -- I'll Have Another's trainer Doug O'Neill just spoke at a news conference, claiming the horse had developed tendonitis in its left front leg ... and that's why IHA was pulled. According to the trainer, the horse is now officially RETIRED.
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Shaun White Does this Dog Make Me Look BADASS?
Olympic snowboarding sensation Shaun White is known for winning gold medals, shredding fresh powder ... and, now, for having a ridiculously adorable little dog.
The 25-year-old -- and his gorgeous long ginger locks -- was spotted with his super cute puppy having some lovely tea at a cafe in NYC yesterday.
Gnarly, dude. Gnarly.
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Deion Branch Like Pulling Teat
New England Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch got milk -- and he proved it last week at a dairy farm in Massachusetts ... filling a fat bucket with some freshly-squeezed moo juice.
The milking stunt was filmed at Jordan Dairy Farms in Rutland as part of a video campaign by Lactaid -- to show people lactose-free milk comes from real cows.
The cow's name is Ripley -- and Deion tells us his new lady friend "was bigger than the front seven on most NFL teams."
Unlike Tom, Deion didn't marry it.
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Kim Zolciak 911 Call Big Puppy Trouble During Fire Emergency
TMZ has obtained the frantic 911 call placed moments after "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Zolciak discovered a burning 4-wheeler in her garage -- and based on the call, her 2-pound puppy caused a metric ton of trouble.
We broke the story ... the Roswell, GA fire department dispatched one fire truck to Kim's house yesterday after an ATV caught fire on her property.
The blaze was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt -- but according to the 911 call, the entire emergency would have gone a lot smoother if not for her tiny English bulldog named Dolce.
During the call, the 911 operator orders Kim to leave the house -- but Kim insists on rescuing the dog first. Problem is ... Dolce's extremely small and went into hiding when she sensed trouble.
Much to the operator's chagrin, Kim spends several minutes searching for the dog -- before eventually finding it and evacuating the house.
Doggone it.
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'Britain's Got Talent' Dog Schedule Too Ruff to Do 'American Idol'
The dog who won "Britain's Got Talent" just rejected an offer to appear on the "American Idol" finale, TMZ has learned, because the talented canine is too busy being famous.
Sources tell TMZ ... Pudsey the dog and 17-year old owner Ashleigh were asked to appear live on the "Idol" stage -- it's unclear if they would perform -- but when producers called about the potential gig ... they were met with a big, fat NO.
The reason behind the rejection ... we're told Pudsey and Ashleigh have been getting offers round-the-clock since winning the UK's talent competition ... and the pair is literally too busy to squeeze in an "Idol" appearance.
Good news is ... we're told Pudsey will be making trips to NYC and L.A. soon for OTHER major TV appearances -- just not "Idol" -- and will meet with several producers as well.
Take that, Uggie.
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Patrick Dempsey Faces Doggone Dilemma
"Grey's Anatomy" star and real-life car accident hero Patrick Dempsey is in dire need of rescue himself ... or at least his dogs are, but this story may have a happy ending.
Sources close to Patrick's dogs tell us, the actor adopted two American Bulldog-Staffordshire Terrier mixes from an animal rescue in Texas recently -- but the two dogs (sisters and both alphas) were literally at each other's throats ... and Patrick's worried they might kill each other.
So, the Dempseys decided to put BOTH dogs -- Daisy and Ginger -- up for adoption on Ace of Hearts private adoption website.
We're told the Dempseys wanted to keep one of the dogs, but listed both to maximize the chances of adoption.
Here's the good news. We're told it looks like someone from a good home is going to adopt Ginger, though it's not a done deal. If it goes through, Daisy will be firmly ensconced in the Dempsey homestead.
FYI, the Dempsey's are big into animal rescue. Among their adoptions -- an 80-pound tortoise from the Valley Wildlife Rescue Center.
'Britain's Got Talent' Dog Fetches Million-Dollar Offers
The dancing dog that took home the "Britain's Got Talent" crown yesterday could be worth MILLIONS ... TMZ has learned.
In case you missed it, UK's nationwide talent search resulted in the the epic win of a 17-year-old girl, Ashleigh, and her dog, Pudsey, who perform adorable dance routines on stage.
Sources tell us ... ever since Pudsey made her "BGT" debut, offers for sponsorship and TV deals have been rolling in non-stop. We're told the deals could rake in millions of dollars -- on top of the $800k they already won from the show.
According to our sources, some of the offers on the table include: dog food endorsements, television shows, stuffed animals, dog toys and even a children's book revolving around the talented canine.
What can your dog do?
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'Real Housewife' Alex McCord Real Housecat Really Run Over by a Car
"Real Housewives of New York City" star Alex McCord and her family are dealing with a real tragedy -- their beloved cat Madge passed away this week after she was hit by a car.
Neighbors discovered the cat lying in the street on Wednesday after she managed to get out of the house. McCord said Madge's body was still in perfect condition, so the family (including their other cat Erin) was able to say their goodbyes.
McCord says the death of Madge has been difficult to explain to her two boys, adding, "We talked about how … she was different because she wasn't alive anymore. They each wrote her a little note which we put in a box we buried her in and put a marker above her grave."
RIP ... cat.
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Hitler's Alleged Grandson Even My DOG is German!
In what seems like a obvious attempt to convince everyone he REALLY IS Adolf Hitler's grandson ... a mustached man named Philippe Loret took his German Shepherd out for a walk in Paris this week.
Loret -- a former plumber who served in the French Air Force -- is adamant his father was Hitler's secret lovechild ... despite the lack of hard evidence to back his claim.
Loret claims his grandmother -- the son of a German soldier -- abandoned her son back in 1918 and fled to Paris due to the shame of having an illegitimate child ... only to reconnect 22 years later.
She eventually told her son that his father was Hitler ... and he passed the story down to Philippe.
"I believe I am Hitler's grandson. Of course I am. The evidence is there. If people don't believe it, that's their problem" ... Philippe told the Daily Mail.
As for Philippe's feelings towards the Jews ... he says what Hitler did was "wrong" ... yet he has 2 images of the evil bastard hanging in his home in Paris.
Jesse James' Dog Cinnabun In Good Health
Jesse James' prized pit bull Cinnabun has been in Texas with Jesse for over a year now and everything really is bigger in Texas ... because Cinnabun has put back on all the weight she lost during her health scare in 2010.
You'll remember ... Cinnabun went missing for three weeks and when she returned home, she was nearly 23 pounds lighter.
But Cinnabun is two and a half years old now and we're told she has been in perfect health lately and hangs with Jesse at the shop in Texas, just like she did in Long Beach.
Cinnabun will be a regular fixture on Jesse's new show, "Jesse James: Outlaw Garage," which premieres tomorrow on Discovery.
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Horse Racing Legend Bob Baffert Hospitalized in Dubai
Bob Baffert -- arguably the greatest horse racing trainer of all-time -- is recovering from emergency surgery in Dubai this morning after suffering a major heart attack.
Baffert -- a 3-time Kentucky Derby winner, 5-times Preakness winner and 1-time Belmont Stakes winner -- is currently in Dubai to race a horse in the $10 million Dubai World Cup.
The 59-year-old had experienced pain during the flight in ... and felt tired while he was checking out the barn. Baffert was eventually rushed to a hospital ... where doctors determined he had two blocked arteries.
According to Baffert's assistant, Baffert went under the knife and got 3 stents put in 2 of his arteries. His assistant says he's currently in recovery mode and is "doing very good."
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Donald Trump's Sons Reportedly Under Investigation for Controversial Hunting Trip
Donald Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, are under investigation in Zimbabwe to determine if their hunting trip -- which made news when photos of the guys posing with dead animals surfaced last week -- was actually legal.
The independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said that Trump's sons used a South African safari firm that is not registered in Zimbabwe during their 2011 hunting trip. They reportedly killed an elephant, an endangered leopard, a buffalo, a crocodile and other "big game" animals.
The task force is currently investigating whether license and trophy fees were paid and if the South African firm had been cleared by Zimbabwe wildlife authorities to operate.
Donald Jr. tweeted after the photos became public, saying, "I'm a hunter, for that I make no apologies ... I can assure you it was not wasteful ... the villagers were so happy for the meat which they don't often get to eat. Very grateful."
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'Luck' Horse Trainer 'Sometimes S**t Happens'
The man who trained the third horse that died on the set of HBO's "Luck" is telling friends ... NO ONE is to blame for the fatality ... insisting the animals received exceptional care, but sometimes "s**t happens."
Sources close to Matthew Chew -- who trained and owned horse #3 -- tell us the people who looked after the horses are some of the best in the business ... who thoroughly examined the animals at least twice a day during production.
Chew has told friends ... the horse was simply playing around when it "misstepped" and fell down Tuesday morning ... suffering a head injury that required it to be euthanized on the set.
We're told Chew believes the incident was a freak accident ... telling one person, "We were just horribly unlucky ... sometimes s**t happens."
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'Luck' Cancelled After 3rd Horse Death
4:30 PM PT: The crew was assembled for a meeting where they were just told the show is cancelled. They are pissed because production was supposed to last another 8 months and they were just told they will not be getting any severance.
4:20 PM PT: We've just spoken with on-set sources, who tell us the crew has not been told their show was cancelled. They're learning it from TMZ.
HBO has cancelled "Luck" after the latest horse death.
As TMZ reported, yesterday a third horse died during production of the show, and HBO just made the drastic decision to lower the boom.
HBO released a statement that reads in part, "While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won't in the future."
The statement goes on ... "We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horse racing anywhere with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than befall horses normally in barns at night or pastures."
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Jeremy Renner My Puppy Tragically Died
Jeremy Renner suffered a devastating loss last weekend, after his 8-month-old puppy Franklin dropped dead on a baseball field.
Jeremy's friend and business partner Kristoffer Winters was dogsitting the French bulldog last Saturday in Orange County -- and decided to take it to his nephew's little league baseball game.
We're told the dog was running around the field having fun on a very hot day -- near 80 degrees. Then, at around 2 PM, the pup began to vomit and convulse. Kris -- who had left to get a snack -- returned to find Jeremy's dog dead in a woman's arms.
We're told 3 people tried to give the dog mouth-to-mouth to revive the pooch -- to no avail.
French bulldogs notoriously suffer from heart problems, which could be exacerbated by heat.
We're told Jeremy and Franklin were EXTREMELY close and he's grief-stricken.
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HBO's 'Luck' No Moment of Silence For Dead Horse
The cast and crew of HBO's "Luck" didn't miss a beat after a horse died on location today -- they just kept on shooting.
Eyewitnesses tell us ... the horse suffered a fatal injury after rearing up, falling backwards and hitting its head on the ground, breaking its neck. It was then euthanized.
We're told the crew was told to drive themselves from Santa Anita -- where the accident occurred -- to Marina del Rey to continue shooting the show.
As we reported, this is the third horse death on the series. After one of the other horse deaths, HBO stopped production, but apparently horse death has become somewhat routine on "Luck."
HBO was scrambling today after we called with information about the death, trying to delay publication of the story.