Dortmund Back to Training After Injury
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Kaleem Shah's Dortmund might have been forgotten by some in the aftermath of stablemate American Pharoah's Triple Crown run, but the massive son of Big Brown could be getting primed for a late-year campaign.
Dortmund, along with the rest of trainer Bob Baffert's Del Mar string, will head back north to Santa Anita Park Sept. 9. A return to the Arcadia, Calif. track could be a key for Dortmund, who won all three of his 2015 Triple Crown prep races at Santa Anita—the Robert B. Lewis (gr. III), San Felipe (gr. II), and Santa Anita Derby (gr. I)—and trained impressively there before a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and a fourth in the Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
He hasn't raced since the Preakness May 16 and has just recently returned to training after bruising his ribs in early August.
BALAN: Dortmund Sidelined With Bruised Ribs
The first breeze back for Dortmund was Aug. 24 at Del Mar, when he covered three furlongs in :36 2/5. His most-recent was Aug. 31, when he drilled four furlongs in :50 flat.
Dortmund may like running at Santa Anita, but beyond an opening-day card that features five grade I races Sept. 26, there may not be a great spot for him to land on the track's fall stakes schedule.
"He's back breezing now after that little problem getting cast in the stall," Baffert said. "He's doing good. We just don't have any plans yet (for his next race)."