Brass Hat out with injury

The roller-coaster racing career of Brass Hat has hit another low point. The 5-year-old gelding suffered a fractured sesamoid in his right front ankle following a Thursday workout at the Trackside training center in Louisville, Ky., and trainer Buff Bradley said it will take months before it can be determined whether he can return to racing.

"He was pulling up when he took a bad step," said Bradley, who trains Brass Hat for his father, Fred Bradley, the gelding's breeder and owner. "The injury won't require surgery, and it's in a good spot. It's non-displaced and not a complex fracture. Only time will tell if he can come back."

In 15 races, Brass Hat has 6 victories and earnings of more than $1.2 million, most of it from victories in the Ohio and Indiana derbies at 3, and the Donn and New Orleans handicaps early this year. He finished second in the Dubai World Cup in March and would have earned another $1.2 million, but was disqualified for a medication positive.

Brass Hat's career also has been marked by a 13-month layoff, from October 2004 to November 2005, caused by a condylar fracture just above his right ankle. The latest injury is unrelated to the old one, said Bradley. Brass Hat, by Prized, will recover at the family's Indian Ridge Farm in Frankfort, Ky.