Four-Week Recovery Projected for Mountain Bear

While Mountain Bear  suffered an injury to his left front leg that saw him vanned off after finishing second in the $920,000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) Nov. 3 at Santa Anita Park, trainer Aidan O'Brien believes he'll be able to recover in about four weeks.

"I think he has a non-displaced condylar fracture," O'Brien said after sending out Unquestionable  to victory in the Juvenile Turf and Mountain Bear to a runner-up finish. "That's a little fracture down into his cannon (bone). It's not displaced; so that's good."

Mountain Bear's jockey Dylan McMonagle quickly dismounted and was not injured. Mountain Bear was immediately attended to by California Horse Racing Board, Breeders' Cup, and 1/ST Racing veterinarians. He was taken via equine ambulance to the Southern California Equine Foundation equine hospital for further evaluation and diagnostics where the injury was diagnosed.

He then was returned to the barn in the care of his connections.

O'Brien said typically horses who suffer such an injury are able to recover in a few weeks.

"He'd get a cast on for four weeks and should be fine," O'Brien said. "He's down in the barn and settled in now. They were unbelievably quick to pick him up. He did no damage so that's very good news really."

An Irish-bred son of No Nay Never , Mountain Bear earned a placing in his first top-level try Friday. He is campaigned by owners associated with Coolmore, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor.

O'Brien said Mountain Bear likely will stay in the United States until he is fully recovered from the injury.