Princess Warrior undergoing surgery to repair ankle injury

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Princess Warrior, winner of the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes last fall at Churchill Downs, was scheduled to undergo fusion surgery Monday afternoon for an ankle fracture the filly sustained Friday during a race over the Churchill turf.

Trainer Kenny McPeek expressed optimism early Monday that Princess Warrior could be saved for breeding purposes. He said Dr. Larry Bramlage of the Rood and Riddle equine clinic estimated “there’s a 75 percent chance she can eventually become a broodmare” and that “we just need things to go smoothly, no complications” for that to happen.

Princess Warrior, owned by the Trommer family, took a bad step with just less than a furlong remaining in the Friday race. Neither her jockey, Brian Hernandez Jr., nor any other horses or riders were injured.

Princess Warrior, a 4-year-old filly by Midshipman, won four of 18 starts and earned more than $450,000. Her Mrs. Revere triumph was the most notable race of her career.

Drew Trommer, one of the owners, posted Monday morning on his Twitter account that the filly’s blood flow was good and that surgery would proceed as scheduled.