Geaux Rocket Ride having difficult time after surgery
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Geaux Rocket Ride, who underwent surgery to repair a displaced condylar fracture on Sunday, “is not right out of surgery,” according to trainer Richard Mandella, and has been transferred to the Chino Valley Equine Medical Hospital for further evaluation.
In a post on their Twitter feed, Pin Oak Stud, which owns Geaux Rocket Ride, wrote “Rocket is having an unexpected response to the surgery and isn’t recovering as we hoped. He appears to be in no pain and is eating. Our boy is still fighting hard so we will keep fighting for him. Under Dr. [Ryan] Carpenter’s recommendation, he is moving to another facility better equipped to handle his post-op recovery.”
The Chino Valley Equine Hospital is located about 25 miles from Santa Anita.
Geaux Rocket Ride was injured toward the end of a seven-furlong workout on Saturday morning, which came one day after a workout was postponed due to what Mandella said were “tender feet” as the result of having been re-shod Thursday.
Geaux Rocket Ride, in the work, was pulled up abruptly by jockey Mike Smith, who quickly dismounted and held the horse still until others arrived. A splint was placed on the right front leg, and Geaux Rocket Ride was vanned off the track and taken back to Mandella’s barn.
The condylar fracture did break the skin and there were strained ligaments around the sesamoids, according to Mandella.
The surgery was performed Sunday morning.
Geaux Rocket Ride won the Grade 1 Haskell in July and most recently finished second to Arabian Knight in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
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