Ankle chip will delay Caledonia Road's 2018 debut

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Caledonia Road, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and a top contender for the Eclipse Award in that division, which was to be announced Thursday night, is “about a month behind” getting set for her 3-year-old debut after having surgery to remove a small chip from a front ankle, trainer Ralph Nicks said Wednesday morning at Gulfstream Park.

“She’s back jogging at Palm Meadows,” said Nicks, who has runners at both Gulfstream and the Palm Meadows training center north of here. “She seemed to come out of the Breeders’ Cup fine, but eight days later her ankle got puffy.”

Nicks said he was still hopeful of making the Kentucky Oaks on May 4, but conceded that this setback could put that in jeopardy.

Caledonia Road, a daughter of Quality Road, was a 3 1/4-length winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 4 at Del Mar. It was her second win in three starts in 2017. Caledonia Road won first time out against maidens at Saratoga, then was second in the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park.