Grade 1 winner Bodemeister was diagnosed with an injury to his left shoulder,
and upon deliberation among veterinarians and the owners, the decision was made
for him to retire to stud at WinStar Farm. Bodemeister has begun treatment and a
full recovery is expected in the coming months, but the three-year-old son of
Empire Maker would not have been able to return in time for major races at the
end of 2012.
“Bodemeister has a peripheral nerve injury which caused atrophy of the
infraspinatus muscle in his left shoulder,” said Dr. Larry Bramlage, specialist
from Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital. “Obviously, this made us look at something
unusual, rather than a normal lameness. His legs are perfect, but he was
clinical when jogging to the left. After ruling out neck issues with X-rays and
a myelogram, we feel confident in the diagnosis. It will take approximately 60
days to heal.”
According to trainer Bob Baffert, the injury likely occured a couple of weeks
ago at Del Mar when Bodemeister stumbled significantly during routine training.
It was enough to throw his exercise rider to the ground.
“He was just never quite right after that and we couldn’t figure out what was
going on with him,” Baffert said. “It’s extremely unfortunate. We wanted to win
the Breeders Cup with him.”
Initial plans are for Bodemeister to rehabilitate through mid-October at
WinStar before being available for inspection by breeders.
“The positive thing is that we now know what the issue is and it’s treatable.
Bodemeister will be back to full health,” said Elliott Walden, President & CEO
at WinStar. “Unfortunately, he would not be able to come back as a racehorse in
time to make any of the year-end goals such as the Breeders’ Cup, so Mr. (Ahmed)
Zayat, Mr. (Mike) Moreno and myself came to the conclusion that it was best to
retire him. With his raw speed, four Beyers over 100, Empire Maker killing it,
and his good looks, we think Bodemeister is the best stallion prospect this
year, and we’re looking ahead to what we believe will be an exciting future at
stud for Bodemeister.”
The heralded runner-up in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness,
Bodemeister is regarded as one of the fastest three-year-olds in the country. He
recorded century-topping BRIS Speed ratings in his final five starts, including
his runaway 9 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in April, and
clocked some of the fastest opening fractions in Kentucky Derby history.
“You must always put the horse first, and it is in Bodemeister’s best
interest to retire at this time,” owner Ahmed Zayat said. “The sportsman in me
is very disappointed, because the sky was the limit for his racing career. He is
the most brilliant horse that I’ve had the privilege of owning, and my family
and I will miss him thrilling us in the afternoons. But every end is a new
beginning, and we’ll now look forward with great anticipation to racing little
Bodes in the future.”
Bodemeister, who hails from the graded stakes-winning Storm Cat mare
Untouched Talent, retires with earnings of $1,304,800 for owners Zayat Stables
LLC and Mike & Tiffany Moreno.
“Bodemeister gave me and my family the thrill of a lifetime in the Classics
this year,” Mike Moreno added. “I decided to invest in him prior to the Derby
because of his exquisite talent and pedigree, and although this injury kept us
from fulfilling all of our dreams on the track, I look forward to supporting him
in his next career.”
A stud fee will be announced at a later date. For further inquiries, contact
Elliott Walden or Gerry Duffy at WinStar at 859-873-1717.
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