Comfort sidelined with bone bruising

Comfort, the runner-up to Frosted in the Grade 1 Whitney, is sidelined with “mild to moderate bone bruising,” said Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Wellman said Comfort was diagnosed with the problem by Dr. Larry Bramlage shortly after he won the Seattle Slew Stakes at Belmont on Sept. 10. Bramlage recommended the horse be given 60 days off.

Wellman said Comfort is nearly halfway through that period. Wellman is hoping to get Comfort back in training by late November and would like to have the horse in position to be considered for a race like the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28, with a prep race beforehand.

Noting that there are only five runners in Saturday’s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, Wellman said, “It’s tough to be on the sidelines, not being able to run him. If he comes back well, he should be up among the top horses in the handicap division next year.”