Happy Saver to Receive Patch for Quarter Crack
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Photo: Rick Samuels
Happy Saver trains Oct. 29 at Keeneland
Wertheimer and Frere's Happy Saver , the longest shot in the Nov. 5 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at morning-line odds of 30-1, missed training Nov. 2 due to a quarter crack, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said.
"We're just waiting on our blacksmith to get over here," Pletcher said around 10 a.m. ET Wednesday. "He was over at Churchill this morning. We'll patch that—back in action tomorrow."
He is optimistic the chestnut 5-year-old by Super Saver , can recover from the setback to compete in Saturday's $6 million Classic at Keeneland. "I think he'll be fine," Pletcher commented.
A quarter crack is a vertically-oriented fissure in the hoof wall that can cause sensitivity and lameness. Farriers have multiple options to treat a quarter crack, including using a patch to conform to the hoof wall.
Happy Saver, winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) during a 4-for-4 campaign in 2020, will retire to Airdrie Stud in 2023 to begin stud duty. Fourth most recently in the Lukas Classic Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, he has a 5-5-1 record in 12 starts with earnings of nearly $1.2 million.