Belmont Stakes 2011 - Nehro injured during race, Ahmed Zayat and Steve Asmussen hope for quick recovery
Ahmed Zayat, a 48-year old Egyptian business man, who lives in New York, was quoted as saying “We will let the horse tell us when he’s ready”.
Zayat is the owner of the Steve Asmussen trained, bay colt, Nehro, who underwent surgery, to remove a bone chip from his right front fetlock on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, and till then he will not race.
After a five week break, Nehro made his way into the most gruelling and longest Triple Crown race, only to meet with a fate worse than expected.
Nehro broke from post 6, and, apart from encountering more dirt than any other contender, he also incurred an injury on his right front ankle.
The colt’s failure to rise to stardom in the 2011 Belmont Stakes may be because of mud and the small chip in his right front ankle. He finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes and was ridden by Corey Nakatani.
Dr. Larry Bramlage (DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS), the renowned veterinarian surgeon is scheduled to perform the surgery on the non-life threatening injury at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington.
Veterinarians spotted the injury after the Belmont Stakes, and deduced that it was a fresh one. James Hunt, the attending veterinarian spoke on this matter:
"We didn't see it until the next morning. It's not so much the bone fragment, but the health of the articular cartilage (that decides prognosis). You don't expect to see a lot of cartilage damage with fresh chips".
Zayat is of the view that he encountered the injury during the Belmont Stakes. The Egyptian doted over the three year old bay colt and was of the view that he would be able to shed his reputation of being a runner-up and win the 1 ½ mile Belmont Stakes.
He commented on this by saying, “He is a very brave and game horse to run fourth with the injury. You never know until (surgeons) go in and look”.
The Belmont Stakes was the seventh start for Nehro. Earlier, he had been second in all of his 2011 starts. He had claimed his maiden with deceased jockey, Michael Baze, on February 20, 2011. Nehro has earnings of $885,140.
The injury does not seem to be life threatening and depending upon his recovery he might start training for the Breeder’s Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. Although future plans for the colt have no time table set as of yet, he is to train as a four year old in 2012.
Nehro is sired by Mineshaft. Mineshaft ended up finishing his career after he got an injury in his right front ankle. Mineshaft was the 2003 American Horse of the Year.
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