Vet: Epicenter Suffered Right Front Fetlock Injury

Grade 1 winner Epicenter  was transported to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital the evening of Nov. 5 in Lexington after what a veterinarian said was a right front fetlock injury during the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland.

The Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) winner, who finished second in two of the three Triple Crown races this year, was pulled up in the backstretch by jockey Joel Rosario. He would come to a stop approaching the far turn, where he would be examined and eventually loaded onto a van.

Rosario said going into the first turn with Epicenter, "He started not traveling really well for me, so I had to go easy, easy, easy, and then stop him because it seemed like he was not traveling as well as usual." He also said Epicenter "started moving at one point differently than he normally does, and then he got worse and worse."

An on-call veterinarian from the American Association of Equine Practitioners provided an initial update after the race.

"He was put in a Kimzey splint (and) walked on the van," said vet Al Ruggles. "He's now on his way to Rood & Riddle to be evaluated."

Ruggles also said, "It's a closed fracture, meaning the skin's intact, which is extremely important, so that's one of the major things that is a positive."

The Breeders' Cup official statement subsequently said: "Epicenter was pulled up by jockey Joel Rosario after sustaining an injury to his right forelimb in the Breeders' Cup Classic and was attended to immediately by an expert team of veterinarians led by (Kentucky Horse Racing Commission) chief veterinarian Dr. Nick Smith. The horse walked onto the equine ambulance and is being transported to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for further evaluation."

BloodHorse plans to provide updates on Epicenter's condition, either in new versions of this story or new posts.