Samraat sustains stress fracture working for Jim Dandy
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Samraat, the multiple stakes-winning New York-bred 3-year-old, will miss the remainder of the year after being diagnosed with a stress fracture to his right shin, trainer Rick Violette said Sunday.
Samraat, who had won the Withers and the Gotham - both Grade 3 stakes at Aqueduct - had been pointing to Saturday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes here as a stepping-stone to the $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 23. Violette said while the injury is not life-threatening or career-threatening, it likely will keep Samraat sidelined for the rest of the year.
“I believe so. I think we’ve blown any shot bringing him back as a 3-year-old, but we will bring him back as a 4-year-old,” said Violette, who trains Samraat for Len Riggio. “You get a shot at the brass ring and your foothold slips.”
Samraat worked an easy half-mile here on Saturday and the injury was diagnosed Sunday morning. Violette said while he’s exploring all options of treatment, he said that Samraat would likely undergo a surgical procedure to deal with the problem.
“A lot of times they drill holes so the bone grows back with a decent density,” Violette said. “That’s one of the options.”
Samraat, a homebred son of Noble Causeway, has won 5 of 8 starts and banked $878,200. In addition to his wins in the Withers and Gotham, Samraat finished second in the Wood Memorial, fifth in the Kentucky Derby, and sixth in the Belmont Stakes.