Crack in the shin bone during a routine work will knock O’Prado Again off the Derby trail
Trainer Dale Romans suffered a major blue in terms of his Triple Crown hopes when his newly turned 3-year-old colt, O’Prado Again, cracked a shin bone in his right front leg during a routine work on 7 January, 2012, at Gulfstream Park.
Donegal Racing owned O’Prado Again took a while to get his racing career going, but when he did, he landed two back to back races, showing immense talent and promise.
His connections would have been gutted after the news, because the colt entered his sophomore season, and that is when things get interesting for 3-year-olds.
It took the son of El Prado, out of mare Leh She Run by Pulpit, fair amount of time to break his maiden, but eventually he did so in fourth asking at Keeneland on 28 October, 2011, coupled with jockey, Kent Desormeaux, at about 1 1/18 miles over the venue’s synthetic surface.
He attempted to break his maiden at first asking on dirt at Churchill Downs, but failed miserably to finish sixth on the day, but then tried on turf with two consecutive starts, first at Saratoga and then at Keeneland.
O’Prado Again fancied 1 1/8 miles, a distance over which he broke his maiden, in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on 26 November, 2011, on dirt, and immediately showed that he can be out there with graded stakes company and win races for his connections.
He downed 1 1/8 miles in 1 minute and 52.07 seconds by defeating the likes of Souper Speedy in second, who came charging down in the deep stretch, but kept at bay purposely by O’Prado Again’s own strong run. El Padrino sneaked in behind the leaders in third.
Trainer Dale Romans told about O’Prado Again’s injury on 11 January, saying: “He’s not bad, he’ll be back. The injury isn’t career threatening.”
The grey/roan colt is now scheduled to go to Ocala, for treatment on his right leg, and most probably a s***w will be inserted in the injured leg.
It will be a huge disappointment for Dale to lose a Derby prospect, but the tactics will be slightly altered, whilst O’Prado Again will be sidelined and give way to someone else in the wings.
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