Just Steel progressing from injury suffered in Preakness

Just Steel is progressing well in his rehabilitation on a Kentucky farm following surgery to repair a condylar fracture of his right front fetlock he sustained in the Preakness Stakes.

Just Steel, a son of Justify owned by BC Stables and Harry Schmueckle and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, placed in three of Oaklawn Park’s 3-year-old stakes earlier this year, highlighted by a runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. He finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby, then fifth in the Preakness two weeks later, won by the Lukas-trained Seize the Grey. He walked off the track with the other also-rans, but was discovered to have the injury back at the barn. He underwent surgery several days later at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., performed by Dr. Larry Bramlage.

Just Steel is now rehabbing at Mulholland Springs Farm in Lexington.

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“It’s been about 35 days since his surgery, so we’ve started hand-walking him – Dr. Bramlage would like to have him hand-walked for another month,” farm owner Martha Jane Mulholland said in a video update provided by Light Up Racing, an industry initiative seeking to inform the public conversation about horse racing.

Mulholland described Just Steel as “very sound” and said the colt will have another series of X-rays before progressing from hand-walking to paddock turnout.

“With Dr. Bramlage’s blessing, we will turn him out for a month, and then we will see when Mr. Lukas and Dr. Bramlage want to take him back [to the racetrack]. But he’s been a great patient, and we all anticipate a strong fall campaign.”

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