Stallion Congrats recovering from colic surgery

Grade 2 winner Congrats is recovering from colic surgery undergone while on shuttle duty last month in Australia and is expected to stand the upcoming Northern Hemisphere breeding season.

The 15-year-old son of A.P. Indy, who is based at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., was finishing his Southern Hemisphere duties at Vinery Australia when the surgery was performed.

“Congrats became uncomfortable late last month and was sent to Scone Equine Hospital, where an exploratory laparotomy was performed,” said Peter Orton, general manager at Vinery Australia. “He is back home in his own stall at Vinery Australia and continues to do very well.”

Orton said an incision was made to the small intestine to remove some material, but no portion of the gut was removed.

“We were relieved to hear Congrats is doing well,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar Farm’s president and chief executive. “After discussing the situation with Peter, we plan to ship [Congrats] back to WinStar by the end of January and expect that he’ll be ready to cover mares by the first week of March. A few years back, Speightstown had colic surgery in the same month and covered a full book of mares, so we are optimistic.”

Congrats is represented by five crops of racing age – excluding newly turned 2-year-olds of 2015 – led by Grade 1 winners Turbulent Descent, Wickedly Perfect, and Emma’s Encore. He is advertised for a fee of $35,000 for 2015.