Epicenter, the Grade 1 Travers Stakes champion and contender for the Eclipse Award, suffered a fixable injury during Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
In the backstretch of the 1-mile race, won by Flightline, jockey Joel Rosario picked up the 3-year-old colt.
According to early indications, Epicenter appears to have a problem with his right front fetlock, attending veterinarian Dr. Alan Ruggles told NBC News after the race. “He was loaded onto the ambulance while being protected by a splint. He is being taken to his barn, where radiographs will be used to assess him.”
“After further evaluation by Dr. Larry Bramlage and his counterparts at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Epicenter was found to have sustained a repairable displaced condylar fracture to his right forelimb,” the Breeders’ Cup stated in a news release later on Saturday night. “He is settled for the night and will undergo surgery in the morning.”
Steve Asmussen’s trained horse Epicenter finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He won the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby while he was on the Derby circuit (G1). He has an 8-year record of 4-3-0.