Triple AAA Ranch’s Uh Oh Bango, who is No. 21 on the graded earnings list of 3-year-olds and was considered on the bubble for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (gr. I), fractured his left front cannon bone in last weekend’s Arkansas Derby (gr. II) and will be out of action for four to six months, his trainer Kory Owens said April 13.
An Arizona-bred son of Top Hit, Uh Oh Bango finished fourth in the April 10 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Line of David. The colt closed well under Shaun Bridgmohan that day, giving his connections hope that he would improve in the Kentucky Derby, if he had enough earnings to get in. But Owens noticed a problem with him shortly after the race.
“He cooled out OK right after the race. He seemed fine,” said Owens, who is based at Turf Paradise in Arizona. “But then he got a little hot. When I took him out I knew something wasn’t right. We had an X-ray taken the next day.
“We were definitely looking at the Derby. He obviously wasn’t 100% and he was still one of the only horses closing. He kind of changed his running style for the race too, so we were optimistic he would improve off of it.
“We’re disappointed, but there is not much you can do.”
Owens said Uh Oh Bango would likely have surgery at an Oklahoma facility where he can also have time to layup.
Uh Oh Bango, who is out of the French Deputy mare French Debutante, has produced a 2-3-0 record from seven starts and earnings of $292,652. As a juvenile, he was runner-up in both the Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs and the Delta Jackpot (gr. III) at Delta Downs. Prior to the Arkansas Derby, he was fourth in the Rebel (gr. II).
