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| Oxbow has the equivalent of an ankle sprain, according to trainer D. Wayne Lukas
(Bill Denver/Equi-Photo) |
Preakness winner Oxbow emerged from his fourth-place finish in Sunday's
Haskell Invitational with a soft-tissue injury, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne
Lukas reported Monday morning.Oxbow returned on Monday to Lukas' barn at Saratoga's Oklahoma training
track, where his progress will be closely monitored. He was pulled up shortly
after crossing the wire in the Haskell.
"The X-rays were all perfectly clean," Lukas said. "It's what you guys would
call an ankle sprain, it looks like. I was more concerned with a condylar
(fracture) or something like that but, boy, he had a pretty set of X-rays. It's
amazing. For a horse with that many (starts), they were really clean."
Ridden by Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, Oxbow led through fractions of :23 4/5
and :48 1/5, going six furlongs in 1:12 2/5 before dropping back. He managed to
hang on for fourth, a head in front of Pick of the Litter.
"He just wasn't traveling comfortably," Lukas said. "Gary overreacted
probably a little bit, but the good thing is we X-rayed him from top to bottom
and everything's clean. (Stevens) thought at the half-mile that he was starting
to get uncomfortable, and he just kind of held him from there."
Lukas was unsure of the timetable for Oxbow's return, leaving his status for
the Travers uncertain. Sixth in the Kentucky Derby, he finished second to Palace
Malice in the Belmont Stakes.
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