Super Saver , winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), has been temporarily sidelined from racing due to condylar bruising.
“After a couple of uncharacteristic post-Derby efforts, we had Super Saver evaluated by Dr. Larry Bramlage at Rood and Riddle,” said Elliott Walden, vice president and racing manager for WinStar farm, which bred and owns the bay colt.
“A bone scan was performed on Super Saver which revealed marked activity in all four cannon bones,” said Bramlage in a statement. “The left front fetlock has the most radiographic change with a major bruise on the cannon bone. Once these are resolved, the horse should return to his previous form.”
Todd Pletcher, who won his first Kentucky Derby with Super Saver, responded to Bramlage’s report in a release saying: “This explains a lot to me--I couldn’t understand those last few efforts where Super Saver didn’t extend and lay it out there like he had in every other race he ran through the Kentucky Derby victory. He has always been very gutsy and determined in his races, even when he set fast fractions, so this answers a lot of head scratching. When he’s right, he’s the ultimate racehorse.”
Walden said Super Saver has been sent back to WinStar’s training barn and that they will “evaluate his progress going forward.”
Super Saver won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs and placed in two other graded stakes leading up to the May 1 Kentucky Derby, but has finished off the board in his three starts since capturing the Run for the Roses. In his most recent start, he ran a distant 10th in the Aug. 28 Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga. The son of Maria’s Mon out of the A.P. Indy mare Supercharger holds a record of 3-2-1 from 10 starts and has earnings of $1,889,766.