Positive Prognosis for Undefeated Mr. Jordan

An injury to Mr. Jordan, an undefeated 3-year-old son of Kantharos  , is not as serious as initially believed, and the prognosis is that the colt will be able to fully recover, according to trainer Eddie Plesa Jr.

Owned by David Melin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa, Mr. Jordan had been expected to make his 2015 debut in the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes Jan. 3 at Gulfstream Park before being sidelined Dec. 19 with an injury thought to be a torn check ligament. Plesa said that despite the colt missing the Mucho Macho Man, he has received encouraging news about Mr. Jordan's racing future after the gray colt underwent surgery earlier in the week of Dec. 28.

"It's a better-case scenario than I would have thought. They did surgery on him Monday, and the prognosis is that he'll come back 100%. The time frame, the actual down time, will be 45 to 60 days, not as long as I had originally thought," Plesa said.

"It's hard to explain," the trainer said. "There's a bone that can protrude above the knee that can rub on the ligament. That's what it ended up being. When we first did the ultrasound of him, it looked like his check ligament was torn. But we did it immediately after the injury and it was kind of a foggy picture, because you can't see as clearly as you'd like to.

"After we took the initial one, we sent him up to Ocala and took another ultrasound, and it showed what I just said and they went ahead with the surgery. But until you get in there, you don't know the extent. It was one of those cases where it went so well, the surgeon called me.

"I kind of liken it to a trainer calling an owner. Sometimes they don't want to call, but when they do, there's usually a winner involved. That was the case with the surgery."

Included in Mr. Jordan's undefeated three-race career have been runaway victories in the Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park West and the one-mile Smooth Air Stakes.

Bred in Florida by Philip Matthews and Karen Matthews, Mr. Jordan was purchased by Plesa for $155,000 from the De Meric Sales consignment to the 2014 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. April sale of 2-year-olds in training. He had previously been purchased by Hubert Guy Bloodstock for $63,000 at the 2013 OBS August sale.

"This game has a way of making you wait, and certainly as long as I've been doing this, I've become accustomed to it," Plesa said of the setback. "If you do what you're supposed to do and give them the proper time, most of the time they'll comeback and repay you. I think that is this case."

Plesa has had success with bringing stakes horses back from injuries, particularly with Itsmyluckyday  , who came back from a nine-month layoff to win the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) last season, and multiple graded stakes-winner Best of the Rest, who won 16 of 32 starts and earned $1.4 million.