Wise Dan to miss Breeders' Cup with injury

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Lexington, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan has suffered a fractured bone and will miss this year's Breeders' Cup.

Owner Morton Fink told Breeders' Cup officials Monday that his 7-year-old champion gelding has developed a non-displaced fracture at the bottom of the cannon bone of the right front fetlock.

"He was scheduled to breeze in a few days and Charlie (trainer Charles LoPresti) checked him over to be sure he was 100 percent," Fink said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Charlie noticed some swelling in his ankle and quickly decided to X-ray him to be sure everything was alright. The X-rays identified a non-displaced "half-moon shaped" fracture of the bottom of the cannon bone in the RF (right front) fetlock. This likely occurred in his victory in the Shadwell (Turf) Mile.

"As a result, we have decided to withdraw him from the Breeders' Cup to allow the fracture to heal."

Wise Dan won the last two Breeders' Cup Miles, both at Santa Anita, and was voted Horse of the Year both times along with Eclipse Awards as champion older male thoroughbred and male turf horse for 2012-13.

"Wise Dan has accomplished a lot in his career so far," Fink added, "and given us endless joy. We would never want to race him unless he is 100 percent. We thank Charlie and Amy (LoPresti) and their staff for everything they have done to get the horse where he is, and for being so conscientious that a little swelling was not overlooked.

"Charlie has had tough decisions to make and we are very grateful that he made them in the best interest of Wise Dan. Dr. (Larry) Bramlage recommends that we wait at least 30 days and assess his progress before we make any further decisions. He is seven years old, with 30 starts in his career, so we'll let him show us what to do next."

Wise Dan won the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 4 with earlier victories this year in the Maker's 46 Mile and Woodford Reserve Turf Classic.

The 7-year-old underwent emergency colic surgery on May 16 and returned to the races by winning the Bernard Baruch at Saratoga on Aug. 30.

"We won't decide if he will return to training until we see if he heals perfectly because he has nothing left to prove," Fink continued. "This is not a fracture that can be helped with surgery; he has to heal it on his own. We would like to thank everyone for their support and best wishes. Wise Dan is a very special horse to us and to the racing community."

Wise Dan has career earnings of $7,552,920 with 23 wins in 31 starts.