Three-time classic winner Camelot is scheduled to race on as a four-year-old next season, Coolmore Stud reiterated via Twitter on Saturday. The Montjeu colt just underwent exploratory surgery for colic Thursday evening, but is recovering well.
"Camelot has arrived at Coolmore from Fethard Veterinary Hospital and is in good shape," Coolmore tweeted. "He is expected to return to training for 2013."A big thank you to the surgeons and the team at the hospital who worked around the clock, along with all the staff at Ballydoyle and Coolmore."
Camelot will now have the opportunity to prove his merit further. The form of his classic victories in the Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas, Group 1 Derby and Group 1 Irish Derby has taken plenty of knocks, and he ended 2012 with a pair of losses that dented his reputation.
Runner-up in the Group 1 St Leger when attempting to become the first English Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky II in 1970, Camelot failed to fire when seventh in the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last Sunday. He was transported to the hospital Thursday after coming down with signs of colic.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien has hailed Camelot as the best horse he's had. With unanswered questions from 2012, his 2013 campaign should offer a better gauge of the colt's proper place in history.
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