Atreides sidelined at least six months

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Atreides, who figured to be a major player in the handicap division at Gulfstream Park this winter, will be sidelined at least through the opening half of 2015 due to chronic ankle issues, trainer Marty Wolfson said Wednesday.

Atreides, a winner of 4 of 5 career starts including the one-mile Aventura Handicap in his 3-year-old finale, was being pointed for the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope next week. Atreides, a son of Medaglia d’Oro who is a newly turned 4-year-old, is owned by Stonestreet Stables.

“We sent him back to the farm to have his ankles blistered,” Wolfson said. “He’ll need at least 60 days off. This is the same reason why he didn’t start until so late in his career. It’s a real disappointment. I was going to run him in the Hal’s Hope, but I wasn’t going to stretch him out after that, I wasn’t looking at the Donn – a mile is where I wanted to keep him. But he should be okay, hopefully we can have him back running again by the summer.”