Eurosilver out of Juvenile

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Eurosilver, the runaway winner of the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland last Saturday, will not run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, trainer Nick Zito said Thursday. Zito also said that Phoenix Breeders' Cup Stakes winner Najran has been retired.

Both colts are owned by the Buckram Oak Farm of Mahmoud Foustok.

Eurosilver, who would have been one of the favorites for the BC Juvenile, came out of the Breeders' Futurity with a bucked shin, "So we're going to fire the shin and stop on him," said Zito.

Zito said the 2004 Kentucky Derby is the ultimate goal for Eurosilver. "We'd like to run him once, maybe twice, before coming back here for the Blue Grass," said Zito.

Eurosilver, by Unbridled's Song, was making just his third career start when he won the Breeders' Futurity by nearly six lengths. It was determined Wednesday that he had a bucked shin, a relatively minor injury that occurs in many young horses. "Technically, Dr. [Mark] Cheney called it periostitis," or a minor break in the periosteum, the membrane that covers the shin. Standard treatment is to pin-fire or blister the shin to promote quicker healing.

Najran, winner of the Oct. 3 Phoenix Breeders' Cup Stakes at Keeneland, has been retired for unspecified reasons, according to Zito and Mohammed Moubarak, racing manager for Buckram Oak. A 4-year-old by Runaway Groom, Najran would have been a legitimate contender in the BC Sprint.

"This is a good time to stop on him because we're right here in Kentucky, where the major breeders can have a good look at him," said Zito.

Najran won seven of 15 starts and $483,448, with his most notable wins coming in the Grade 3 Phoenix and the Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont in May, when he ran a track-record 1:32.24 for a mile.

"One thing you can say about him, only Dr. Fager ran a faster mile than him," said Zito.