E.K. Gaylord II’s Wilkinson, who registered a stunning 44-1 upset in the American Handicap (gr. IIT) last month, came down with colic June 18 and has been ruled out of the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile (gr. IT) at Betfair Hollywood Park June 30.
“At 6:30 (a.m.) he was in pain, got hot and wanted to lay down,” said Ral Ayers, assistant trainer to Jeff Mullins. “At first we thought we could handle it, but it got worse and he was on the van to West Coast Equine Hospital by 9 a.m. They had to cut him open and untangle the intestines. Luckily, no resection was needed.
“He’s doing OK now," Ayers added. "It usually takes two months to recover and if everything looks good, he can go back into training.”
Wilkinson had only been in the Mullins barn for about five days when he sprang one of the biggest upsets of the spring/summer meet, defeating Mr. Commons by 1 1/4 lengths in the American Handicap May 26 while running a mile in 1:33.37 over firm turf. The 4-year-old was previously trained by Neil Howard.
A son of Lemon Drop Kid out of the Afternoon Deelites mare Tasha's Delight, Wilkinson has a 5-3-3 career record in 18 starts with earnings of $336,994.
Wilkinson
Benoit Photo