Wise Dan Injury: Updates on Horse's Ankle and Recovery

Two-time Horse of the Year winner Wise Dan will not compete at the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 1 due to an ankle injury.

News of the injury for the experienced horse was reported on the Breeders' Cup official site. Morton Fink, Wise Dan's owner, released an official statement on the horse's withdrawal from the event:

"

As you know, Wise Dan has been preparing to run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

He was scheduled to breeze in a few days and Charlie [trainer Charles LoPresti] checked him over to be sure he was 100%. Unfortunately, Charlie noticed some swelling in his ankle and quickly decided to X-ray him to be sure everything was alright. The X-rays identified a non-displaced "half-moon shaped" fracture of the bottom of the cannon bone in the RF [right front] fetlock. This likely occurred in his victory in the Shadwell [Turf] Mile.

"

Wise Dan's trainer Charlie LoPresti has more on the injury, per Blood Horse's Claire Novak:

The Lexington Herald-Leader also supplied another detail from Fink:

Wise Dan has 11 Grade I wins, including two consecutive Breeders' Cup Mile victories at Santa Anita Park. The race's official Twitter account chimed in regarding the seven-year-old horse's status following the news:

No timetable has been issued for a potential return for Wise Dan at this time.

Not having him on the track will no doubt be a huge loss for the Breeders' Cup. The situation provides an opportunity for other notable horses to step up in his absence.  

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