Maxfield declared out of Kentucky Derby after condylar fracture

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Maxfield, one of the top contenders for the 146th Kentucky Derby, has been declared out of the Sept. 5 race after exiting a Wednesday breeze at Keeneland with a condylar fracture of his right front cannon bone.

Trainer Brendan Walsh confirmed the injury shortly after Maxfield breezed a half-mile in 49 seconds over a fast track, emphasizing that the colt’s life was not in danger and that he was expected to fully recover from surgery. Dr. Larry Bramlage, the noted equine surgeon, was scheduled to operate on the colt Wednesday at the Rood and Riddle equine clinic in Lexington, Ky.

“It’s devastating, absolutely,” said Walsh, “although as far as these types of injuries go, it couldn’t have been much cleaner, thank goodness. The prognosis is very good for a full recovery, a screw or two to be inserted in the bone. That’s the main thing, that he’s going to be fine.”

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Bred and owned by Godolphin, Maxfield is unbeaten in three starts. After winning his debut at Churchill Downs, the Street Sense colt won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland last October before being scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile four weeks later with an ankle injury.

Away more than seven months, Maxfield returned with a victory in the May 23 Matt Winn at Churchill, immediately putting himself on the short list of Kentucky Derby favorites, along with Tiz the Law and Honor A. P. The Wednesday breeze was his first since the Winn.

“He started cooling out lame almost as soon as he got back to the barn,” Walsh said.

“Obviously, this could be worse, because the horse is going to be okay,” Godolphin USA president Jimmy Bell said. “At the same time, it’s extremely disappointing. It’s not very often you get yourself in a position like this with a horse this good. This is the game we choose to play in.”

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Bell was unsure whether Maxfield would race next year at 4, although it’s not uncommon for a horse to recover sufficiently from the intended type of surgery to resume a racing career.

Maxfield becomes the latest in an unfortunate series of recent Derby defections – Nadal was injured and retired May 28, while Charlatan was ruled out of contention just last weekend with a lesser injury. Also, trainer Brad Cox said Wednesday that Wells Bayou, winner of the Louisiana Derby, has been sidelined with bone bruising and will miss the Kentucky Derby.

Maxfield had been intended to race next in the July 11 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Walsh had only announced Monday that the colt would bypass the June 20 Belmont Stakes – the first leg of a revised Triple Crown in this upside-down year of the coronavirus pandemic – and would instead use the Blue Grass as a more timely prep toward the stable’s main goal, the Derby.

The injury continues a run of tough luck for Godolphin in regard to the Kentucky Derby. Owned by Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum, the worldwide powerhouse has made winning the Derby a priority for more than two decades now, but the best result from 11 Godolphin starters has been a fourth-place finish by Frosted in 2015.