Badge of Silver has surgery

Badge of Silver, who was scratched from Saturday's Blue Grass Stakes because of a hairline fracture to the cannon bone of his right front leg, underwent surgery to repair the injury Monday at Rood and Riddle Equine Clinic in Lexington, Ky., according to co-owner Ken Ramsey.

Ramsey, who owns Badge of Silver with his wife, Sarah, said two screws were used to fuse the fracture. Ramsey said Badge of Silver needed two screws to repair a similar fracture after the colt's first start at 2. Those two screws were removed before Badge of Silver returned to training last fall.

Dr. Larry Bramlage performed the surgery on Monday. Ramsey said that Bramlage told him Badge of Silver would need three months to recuperate before he could be returned to training. Ramsey was holding out hope that Badge of Silver could make the Breeders' Cup this fall at Santa Anita.

Badge of Silver, a Silver Deputy colt trained by Ronny Werner, won his first three starts, including the Risen Star Stakes, before suffering his lone defeat when sixth in the Louisiana Derby. After a routine gallop by the colt on Friday morning, Werner took him out of his stall in the afternoon to let him graze, and Werner noticed Badge of Silver was favoring his right foreleg. X-rays were taken, which revealed the fracture.