Santa Anita: Out of Bounds injured, off Triple Crown trail

Sham Stakes winner Out of Bounds came out of a workout at Hollywood Park on Monday morning with a condylar fracture to his left front ankle, an injury that will require surgery and removes him from the Triple Crown, trainer Eoin Harty said Monday.

The injury was discovered not long after Out of Bounds worked five furlongs in 59.20 seconds - the best time of 21 at the distance on Monday - in preparation for a scheduled start on Saturday in the Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

"He worked fantastic, but we noticed something wrong as he was cooling out," Harty said. "Unbelievable. His work was sensational. Beyond belief. This is just horrible timing.

"It's a condylar fracture, but, fortunately, it's not displaced."

Harty said Out of Bounds would require surgery, but the injury should not be career-ending.

"His prognosis is excellent," Harty said. "It's just a matter of putting one or two screws across there."

The injury was a crushing blow to Harty, who has had high hopes for Out of Bounds.
"A horse like this, he's one in 10,000," Harty said. "Just to get your hands on a horse like this, and now this."

Out of Bounds is the second prominent Kentucky Derby contender to be injured in the past fortnight. Algorithms, the unbeaten winner of the Holy Bull Stakes, was sidelined because of a fractured splint that required surgery.

"Todd last week," Harty said, referring to Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Algorithms, "me this week."

Out of Bounds had made just three starts. After finishing fourth in his debut going six furlongs on Oct. 22 at Santa Anita, he defeated maidens going seven furlongs at Hollywood on Dec. 10, then stretched out around two turns in the Sham on Jan. 7, upsetting Secret Circle, who came back to take a division of the Southwest Stakes.

The San Felipe was scheduled to be his final prep for next month's Santa Anita Derby. Garrett Gomez, who rode Out of Bounds in the Sham, was scheduled to return on Saturday in order to ride Out of Bounds. Gomez has not ridden since fracturing his left heel in an accident at Santa Anita on Jan. 8, the day after the Sham.

Out of Bounds, a son of Discreet Cat, was bred and is owned by the Darley Stable of Sheikh Mohammed.

"It's very disappointing to all of us. We're disappointed, as is Sheikh Mohammed. This is the real deal," Harty said.

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