Saarland Surgery a Success

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Cynthia Phipp's Saarland, who finished 10th in Saturday's Kentucky Derby (gr. I), had surgery May 6 at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington to remove a chip fracture from the front of his left fetlock joint.

Saarland was examined Sunday morning by Dr. Mark Cheney who found fluid in his left front fetlock joint. It was surgically removed to resolve the inflammation and allow the horse to resume training without the irritation to the join.

The amount of inflammation and debris found during the surgery indicates an acute inflammatory response severe enough that the injury certainly could have accounted for the his sub-par performance in the Derby (gr. I). Saarland is expected to return to training in the summer.

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