LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Archarcharch’s storybook trip to the Kentucky Derby ended when the 3-year-old colt pulled up lame in the final yards at Churchill Downs.
The Arkansas Derby winner sustained a fracture to his left front leg Saturday, but on-call veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage said it was not a life-threatening injury.
“He’s in no distress at all,” Bramlage said. “He walked right on the ambulance. He was lame when he pulled up but it wasn’t a situation where he was in that much trouble.”
Jockey Jon Court said the horse struggled over the dirt at Churchill Downs. Archarcharch started from the rail and finished 15th, well behind winner Animal Kingdom, then was quickly loaded onto a van and taken for X-rays in the barn area.
“In the final sixteenth of a mile he was just gimping a bit,” Court said. “He was walking on it but he just wasn’t comfortable.”
Bramlage said the horse will require surgery but “it is not an emergency situation.”
