Kentucky Derby Prospect Drum Roll Please Sidelined After Saddening Incident

Prospects are the focus of the horse racing community in the months leading up to the Kentucky Derby. These horses are considered prospects if they accumulate enough points to be eligible for the American Triple Crown. Unfortunately, for a select few, the greatest horse racing event of all time might just vanish out of their schedule due to factors like injury. Such a tragic fate was recently encountered by Drum Roll Please, who is trained by Brad Cox.

The potential contender in the Kentucky Derby, Drum Roll Please, hurt himself while exercising at Belmont Park on Friday morning. The incident yesterday immediately went viral on social media. Nevertheless, it was only recently revealed that the injured horse will be missing out on the Triple Crown races.

Shattered dreams of the Kentucky Derby prospect

Becoming a contender for the Kentucky Derby is no picnic for the trainer or the horse. Brad Cox has trained Kentucky Derby winners like Mandaloun in the past. After Drum Roll Please’s fantastic performance in the Jerome Stakes, which it won by 3 3/4 lengths, Cox had the same strategy for the horse.

Even though Drum Roll Please was among the top 5 horses ranked ahead of the Derby, not all dreams come true. The Daily Racing Form reported the horse’s injury, but J.J. Hysell on X confirmed that Drum Roll Please has been ruled off ahead of the Triple Crown Trials due to the injury.

Additionally, Al Gold, the horse’s owner, offered his thoughts on the matter. The X-rays revealed an apical medical sesamoid fracture of the horse’s left hind ankle, which Gold informed the Daily Racing Form. Drum Roll Please is going to get surgery in Maryland next week, but according to Gold, would take “three months to recover.” The horse would also need another “three months of training” before it could get back to a competitive track.

This effectively ends any possibility of the horse competing in a Triple Crown race for the next six months. However, despite the setback, trainer Brad Cox still has Timberlake, one of the top three Derby hopefuls, to keep his fans excited.

Looking at the career of Timberlake

With 16 points, Timberlake is presently in third place on the Road to Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Having shown impressive promise in last year’s big races, the horse trained by Brad Cox is owned by Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC. As per information provided by Equibase, the horse won its Maiden Special Weight at Ellis Park and then competed in the Hopeful Stakes (Gr. 1) at Saratoga a few months later.

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The horse placed second at the Hopeful Stakes (Gr. 1), but when it arrived at the Champagne Stakes (Gr. 1), things were different. The horse completely destroyed the opposition, taking a dominant win at the Grade 1 stakes. Timberlake also participated in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr. 1) and secured 4th place. Nevertheless, Brad Cox is eager to develop his horse to its full potential for the forthcoming triple crown, and he is the trainer who always looks forward to delivering his best.

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