Geaux Rocket Ride Not Recovering as Hoped

Grade 1 winner Geaux Rocket Ride  who had joint fusion surgery Oct. 29 following an injury sustained during training is not “recovering as we hoped,” according to an update from the colt’s owners Jim and Dana Bernhard with Pin Oak Stud.

“Rocket is having an unexpected response to the surgery and isn't recovering as we hoped,” said Pin Oak Stud in an update sent out on X (formerly known as Twitter) Oct. 30. “He appears to be in no pain and is eating. Our boy is still fighting hard so we will keep fighting for him. Under Dr. Carpenter's recommendation, he is moving to another facility better equipped to handle his post-op recovery.”

Geaux Rocket Ride, a 3-year-old son of Candy Ride  , is at Santa Anita Park with trainer Richard Mandella where he was preparing for a start in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

During morning training Oct. 28, the colt was pulled up soon after entering the stretch of a scheduled seven-furlong breeze under jockey Mike Smith. He appeared to stumble in mid-stretch, and Smith quickly brought Geaux Rocket Ride down to a halt, dismounted, and helped support the colt's injured leg until the on-track ambulance arrived.

Geaux Rocket Ride sustained a displaced condylar fracture and suspensory ligament damage in his right foreleg. Dr. Ryan Carpenter performed arthrodesis surgery, which fuses together broken bones to stabilize a joint. The procedure was done at Southern California Equine Hospital on the Santa Anita property.