Three Hour Nap to have surgery

CHICAGO - Three Hour Nap, the 2004 Arlington-Washington Futurity winner who broke down on the backstretch of the Washington Park Handicap on Saturday, is scheduled to have surgery Monday morning at the Rood and Riddle veterinary clinic near Lexington, Ky. Three Hour Nap has a condylar fracture in his right ankle that, according to trainer Hugh Robertson, "spirals all the way up the cannon bone to the knee." The fracture is non-displaced, meaning the bone didn't break apart, and Three Hour Nap will have a metal plate and screws surgically attached to the injured area in order to stabilize the bone, Robertson said.

"They said the prognosis was actually pretty good," said Robertson.

Three Hour Nap arrived at the clinic about 3 a.m. Sunday. The surgery won't take place until Monday in order to minimize the risk of colic, which apparently is more likely to affect a horse going into surgery so soon after a race.

"They said he got down there in good shape," Robertson said. "Once they get the plate in there and stabilize it, as long as he doesn't get any infection, he should be okay."