Stevie Wonderboy Doing Great After Surgery

Even standing in his stall, two days after being operated on for a condylar fracture, Stevie Wonderboy continues to amaze trainer Doug O'Neill, who said the colt's surgery Wednesday went perfectly and he "looks fantastic."

"He's such an amazing horse," O'Neill said. "He's walking around his stall with a soft cast on his ankle, and is just doing great. We'll do a couple of bandage changes and then pull the sutures out. He'll probably be sent to Merv's (owner Merv Griffin) ranch next Thursday.

"I told Merv the one positive twist on all this is that he'll get to know him as well as we do. He's such an awesome horse to be around; he's very laid back and friendly. To be that fast on the racetrack and so laid back in his stall is a pretty cool combination. Merv is going to love him...even more than he already does.

O'Neill said Stevie Wonderboy's prognosis is "fantastic."

"It was great before he went into surgery," he said. "The joint is very healthy looking and the cartilage looks good. He'll have 90 days off and a month of tack-walking and we'll get him back going."

Stevie Wonderboy, winner of the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and Del Mar Futurity (gr. II) and the Eclipse champion 2-year-old male, suffered the fracture after working six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 at Hollywood Park on Monday.

Bred in Kentucky by John Gunther, Tony Holmes, and Dr. Walter Zent, Stevie Wonderboy is a son of Stephen Got Even--Heat Lightning, by Summer Squall.