With Ability Sidelined With Shin Fracture

Edward Evans’ 2-year-old filly With Ability will miss the remainder of the year due to a saucer fracture of her left front shin. The Mark Hennig trainee, who won the $75,000 Fashion Stakes at Belmont Park in June, suffered her first defeat in the Sorority Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth Park on Aug. 12.

Hennig said he thinks the injury was sustained at Monmouth Park, noting that the track was harrowed just prior to the running of the Sorority and that he felt the track was extremely hard. With Ability finished third in the race, won by Stormy Pick.

With Ability was being pointed toward a start in the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga on Sept. 1. A victory there would have given the Evans-Hennig team a sweep of Saratoga’s juvenile fillies stakes. Hennig previously saddled Evans’ Gold Mover, winner of the Schuylerville Stakes (gr. II), and Raging Fever, winner of the Adirondack Stakes (gr. II).

Gold Mover is sidelined until October with what Hennig termed an "active shin."

Raging Fever will skip the Spinaway and is being pointed toward the Matron Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park on Sept. 17. “I’m waiting on the Matron because it gives her a little more time, even though her last race didn’t take much out of her,” said Hennig. “It’s a better situation for me to wait and go a mile rather than to try to squeeze the Spinaway in and come back 16 days later in the Matron.”