Mastery breaks ankle in San Felipe victory
Trainer Bob Baffert never even had a chance to celebrate after Mastery’s 63⁄ 4- length victory in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday.
The Kentucky Derby favorite pulled up after the romp and was loaded into a horse ambulance, not a good sign for anyone associated with the outstanding colt that was running as a 3-year-old for the first time.
The bad news, not only for Baffert and Mastery’s owners, Cheyenne Stables, but also for fans, was that Mastery suffered a condylar fracture in his left front ankle.
“When he got back to the barn, he seemed OK, but when he got off the wash rack, he showed some filling in his left front ankle,” Baffert said after the race Saturday. “He’ll be operated on early Monday (at Santa Anita’s Equine Hospital) and they’ll insert two screws.”
It’s season-ending, but whether it’s career-ending will depend on how the surgery went.
“The most important thing now is to focus on his well-being,” said Baffert, who trained Triple Crown champion American Pharoah two years ago. “Obviously what happened is pretty disappointing. But you have to keep things in perspective. It could have been worse.”
Horses can return from this kind of injury, but a horse such as undefeated Mastery has a high residual value as a stallion.
With Mastery out indefinitely, San Vicente winner Iliad and Cecil B. DeMille winner Term of Art, who finished second and third, respectively, behind Mastery in the San Felipe, are bound for the Grade 1 $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 8, according to Leandro Mora, assistant to the trainer of both horses, Doug O’Neill. Iliad, along with Gormley, could be favored in that race.
Stevens returns:
Gary Stevens got his first win since coming back from hip replacement surgery Dec. 21 when he rode She has therite stuff to a half-length victory in Saturday’s sixth race at 1 mile on turf at Santa Anita.
“It’s great to be back and great to have support of the trainers this first week back,” the 54-year-old Hall of Fame rider said Sunday morning. “Paddy (trainer Gallagher) put me on a nice filly that fit my style, and fortunately we got the job done.
“The first win back is always the toughest. You’ve got to reprove yourself, and like any athlete, you’ve got to fight back and show that you’ve still got some shelf life.”
Next up, Rebel Stakes:
The $900,000, 11⁄ 16- mile Grade 2 Rebel Stakes will be the next Derby prep, on Saturday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Ark.
A strong field is expected to compete for the victory worth 50 points toward entry into the Kentucky Derby, including contenders Petrov, Royal Mo and Smarty Jones winner Uncontested.
Petrov already has competed in the first two legs of Oaklawn’s series of stakes for 3-year-olds, finishing second in both the Smarty Jones and Southwest Stakes. Jose Ortiz was aboard for both those starts and has the return call for the Rebel, according to trainer-owner Ron Moquett.
Uncontested won the Smarty Jones in January by 51⁄ lengths and led the way early in the Southwest before fading to sixth. He was favored in both races.
Also running is Untrapped, second in both the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes and Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds for trainer Steve Asmussen.
In 2004, the Rebel was won by Smarty Jones, who went on to win the Arkansas Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He finished second in the Belmont in his Triple Crown bid.
In 2015, the Rebel was won by American Pharoah, the 2014 champion 2-year-old who went on to capture the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.