Oscar Performance shows no signs of injury after Arlington Million

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Oscar Performance on Sunday morning still was walking soundly with no overt sign of injury after being pulled up in the closing stages of the Arlington Million and taken off the course in an equine ambulance.

Oscar Performance, the Million favorite, broke a half-step slowly from the outside gate in a nine-horse field, was briefly impeded by Robert Bruce to his inside, but got into a solid forward position in the race. Trainer Brian Lynch said Oscar Performance “appeared to be traveling fine down the backstretch,” but the colt had no punch in the stretch and was fading from contention when jockey Jose Ortiz pulled him up past the eighth pole.

Ortiz said after the race that he felt Oscar Performance take two bad steps and that he pulled his horse up out of an abundance of caution. Oscar Performance walked onto the ambulance with no sign of lameness, cooled out without incident last night, and on Sunday still was demonstrating no sign of an injury.

“Nothing showed up yet today,” Lynch said.

Nevertheless, Oscar Performance, Lynch said, was on his way to Kentucky on Sunday rather than heading back home to New York. He’ll go to the Rood and Riddle clinic and get a thorough going-over from Dr. Larry Bramlage on Monday.