Au Moon Injured in First Start Back
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Au Moon, the 9-year-old brought out of retirement after greeting guests at the Kentucky Derby Museum, did not finish and was vanned off in his first race back at Monmouth Park Aug. 8.
Trainer David Carroll said Aug. 9 the Malibu Moon gelding sustained a soft tissue injury and was at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center under evaluation by Dr. Dean Richardson. Carroll said everyone associated with the horse was emotional over the situation and very concerned.
In Saturday's ninth race at Monmouth, a $23,000 optional claimer, Au Moon stalked the pace and made a bid between horses in upper stretch before weakening.
Au Moon, a $130,000 yearling purchase by owner Tim Brown at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale, has won six of 30 starts and earned $189,622.
From April to June of this year, Au Moon and a miniature horse greeted visitors at the Derby Museum at Churchill Downs. At the same time, however, he was sent to the track and trained by Carroll, leading to the decision to put him back in training.
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"At the museum he was training a few days a week," Carroll said in a release from the Derby Museum of the decision to bring Au Moon out of retirement. "If he didn't train when he was supposed to, it was no big deal. Once he came back to me, we had to get him back in shape again, training six days a week. He wants to come back and wants to compete. We're excited to see where he is now. ... This is all about the horse doing what he wants to do."
In preparing for his return, Au Moon had turned in solid works, including a July 13 five-furlong breeze in 1:01 at Churchill and a five-furlong breeze July 27 at Saratoga Race Course, in which his 1:00.76 time was sixth-fastest among 23 going the distance.