Princess Dorian recovering well following surgery

DEL MAR, Calif. – Princess Dorian, who underwent surgery on Monday following a career-ending leg fracture in a claiming race Sunday at Del Mar, was up and walking about the grounds at the San Luis Rey Equine Hospital on Wednesday morning.

“She’s doing really well,” said her trainer and co-owner, Andrew Lerner. “The vets said she’s doing well, bearing weight, has a normal heart rate, eating, passing manure, all the things you want to see.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. But the surgery went better than expected, and the vets are happy. She’s cleared a big hurdle so far.”

Princess Dorian, whom Lerner co-owns with Erik Johnson, a defenseman with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, suffered fractures in her left front leg when competing in an $8,000 claiming race Sunday. Pictures posted by Lerner on Twitter of Princess Dorian’s surgically repaired leg showed a plate affixed vertically and numerous screws inserted horizontally were used to repair the damage.

Lerner said Princess Dorian likely would be monitored at the equine hospital for “10 to 14 more days.”

Princess Dorian, a 5-year-old mare, was one of three horses who suffered serious injuries racing Sunday at Del Mar. The other two horses had to be euthanized. Those were the first racing fatalities at Del Mar in one year. There were zero racing fatalities during the lengthy summer season. Sunday’s cluster was referred to as an “anomaly” by Dana Stead, the track veterinarian who was the first on the scene to aid Princess Dorian.