Aqueduct: Gracer, three-time stakes winner, retired due to sesamoid fracture

Gracer, the dominant winner of Saturday’s $100,000 Dearly Precious Stakes at Aqueduct, came out of the race with a fractured sesamoid in her left front ankle and has been retired from racing, trainer Tony Dutrow confirmed Monday.

Dutrow said Gracer will be offered at public auction as a broodmare prospect in November. Gracer, a 3-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Exchange Rate who brought $150,000 at auction as a yearling, retires with a record of 4-1-1 from six starts and earnings of $243,000 for Team D and Three Chimneys racing.

On Saturday, Gracer cruised to a 10 1/4-length front-running victory in the Dearly Precious, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 96. Prior to that, she had won the Marshua Stakes at Laurel Park and the Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies at Penn National.

“She was getting better. That was a pretty fast race,” Dutrow said Monday.

Dutrow said Gracer had filling in her ankle Sunday morning, and X-rays showed the fracture. Dutrow said Gracer was to have surgery by Dr. Larry Bramlage to repair the fracture.