Derby winner Animal Kingdom out for rest of year
June 29, 2011NEW YORK (AP) - Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom has a more serious leg injury that will require surgery, and the colt won't race again this year.
The colt's ownership, Team Valor International, said in a statement Wednesday that a second set of X-rays has revealed Animal Kingdom has a slab fracture in his left hind leg just above the small fracture to the cannon bone found two weeks ago.
Animal Kingdom will have a screw inserted to compress the fracture during surgery on Thursday at New Bolton Research Center in Kennett Square, Pa. The colt will then return to his home at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., for 90 days of rehab.
Team Valor says Animal Kingdom will be out of training for three months, with the goal of returning for the Dubai World Cup in late March.