'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner), the winner of last year's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, has come down with a knee injury that will prevent him from running in the upcoming Triple Crown races. The injury is not considered career-threatening.
The news of his injury was first reported by David Grening of the Daily Racing Form.
Aron Wellman, the managing partner of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the co-owners of Locked, described the injury as “a very minor ligament fray in the upper part of the left knee.”
Locked was first expected to make his 3-year-old debut in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 10, but missed that race due to a fever. Plan B was to run in last Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream but he was scratched by trainer Todd Pletcher, who was concerned with the way the colt trained the morning of that race.
“The morning of the Fountain of Youth, he didn't train like he normally does,” Wellman said. “He had trained exceptionally well in the weeks leading up to the Fountain of Youth. It was just that morning. It's a tribute to Todd's sharpness and his team for picking up on it. Any other trainer, he probably would have run. With Todd's attention to detail we weren't comfortable sending him over for the Fountain of Youth.”
On Monday, the colt was sent to Dr. John Madison in Ocala, who detected the injury.
“We trained him the day after the Fountain of Youth and he was better, but considering his profile and importance we decided not to take any chances,” Wellman said. “We sent him to Ocala and thanks to the state-of-the-art technology that exists now, they found the problem. No surgery will be required. He just needs time to let it reattach and heal, which is unfortunate because we're off the Classic trail. At the same time, we're thankful to Todd and his team for detecting it early enough so that this horse will still have a future. We're thankful to the vets up in Ocala, including Dr. Madison, who ran him through a body of tests. In the grand scheme of things we were fortunate because they are now able to detect injuries like the one he had. That couldn't have been done in the past.”
Thanks to state of the art technology, we've identified a minor ligament injury in Locked's left knee. Sadly, the Derby Dream is over, but thankfully @PletcherRacing caught the issue early and Locked will come back strong. The horse always comes first! #BelieveBig pic.twitter.com/o0ArPyPEd6
— Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (@EclipseTBP) March 8, 2024
Wellman said the goal now will be to make the major 3-year-old races run in the summer, including the GI Travers S. at Saratoga.
After winning the Breeders' Futurity, Locked ran third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The Fountain of Youth was to be his 3-year-old debut.
“Anybody who is in this game is in it with the dream of having a legitimate contender for the Kentucky Derby and the Classics,” Wellman said. “Locked fit that profile to a tee. We've been fortunate enough to have some legitimate Derby contenders in the past. I was fortunate to be part of the team with Animal Kingdom and Team Valor and we had some other horses who ran respectably in the race. But I don't know that we ever had a horse before who came into their sophomore season with the credentials and the profile that Locked had. We were really confident and had huge convictions that we had the right type of horse to really be effective in the Kentucky Derby at a mile and a quarter. Absolutely, this is a punch in the gut.”
The post Due To Knee Injury, Locked Will Miss Triple Crown appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Laurel Park will open for a 15-day Spring meet beginning Friday, April 5. In a release from the Maryland Jockey Club, the meet, which will run through Sunday, May 5, will play host to a total of nine stakes worth over $950,000 topped by the Federico Tesio S., a 'Win and You're In' for the Triple Crown's middle jewel, the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 18.
Additionally, the Weber City Miss S. offers 3-year-old fillies the chance to nab a paid spot in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. May 17. Laurel's current Heritage Meet continues through March 30.
The post Federico Tesio, Weber City Miss Top Laurel Spring Meet Stakes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
A tax package that will extend racing and breeding incentives in the state of the Florida, was approved Friday by Florida Legislature according to a release by the FTBOA. HB 7073, which was initially enacted in 2023, continues to provide state funding for HISA along with $20m in purses and/facility improvements split between Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs. It also gives $5m to the FTBOA for use as racing and breeding promotions and an additional $2.5m for Florida-bred racing incentives. In total, HB 7073 gives a boost of over $32.5m to the Florida racing and breeding industries.
“Once again, the legislative sponsors of last year's breeding and racing development program stepped up in a big way,” said FTBOA president George Isaacs. “I'd like to personally thank Marion County's Representative Stan McClain [R-Ocala] and Senator Blaise Ingoglia [R-Spring Hill] for continuing their support of this program. We have also enjoyed support from the state's legislative and industry leaders, including Representative Lawrence McClure [R-Dover].”
HB 7073 now goes to the desk of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for further action.
The post Florida Legislature Approves Extension Of Racing And Breeding Funds appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
