Todd Pletcher's Violence is off the Derby trail. - Andy Lyons
The first major defection from this year's Kentucky Derby is Fountain of Youth runner-up Violence.
Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form tweets the words that horseplayers hate to read
Violence suffered a fractured right front sesamoid in FOY. No surgery, but racing career in doubt, per Pletcher. #KyDerby
— Jay Privman (@DRFPrivman) February 24, 2013
So scratch Violence off any of your lists. And if you had him in a future wager, time to rip up some tickets.
The number of defections from the Derby has been relatively light to this point in the year but there are still two months until the first Saturday in May and, unfortunately, some others will likely join Violence on the sideline.
Violence, a three-year-old colt by Medaglia d'Oro out of the Gone West mare Violent Beauty, won the first three starts of his career, including the G2-Nashua at Aqueduct and the G1-Cash Call Futurity at Betfair Hollywood Park. He lost his 2013 debut to Orb in the Fountain of Youth by a half-length.
UPDATE: From an article at the BloodHorse.com:
Resting comfortably at Gulfstream Park, the colt will ship to owner Steven Marshall’s Black Rock Stable Farm in Versailles, Ky., this week for further evaluation and recuperation.
“It’s such a disappointment to see such a promising colt sustain an injury,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He’s been training beautifully and made such an impressive effort in his second-place finish yesterday."


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