What Thoroughbreds have made comebacks from hairline fractures? Will Rags to Riches ever race again?
Rags to Riches has a hairline fracture of her pastern sustained in Saturday's Gazelle Stakes. This made me start wondering what her chances of returning to racing are. What other horses have raced again after a hairline fracture? I can only think of Brass Hat, Personal Ensign, and Mariah's Storm. Are there others? Rags to Riches' connections have said that they hope to race her next year as a four year old. What are the chances she will recover enough to race again?
hoyo2_992007-09-17T19:52:53Z
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The injury isn't major and it's in a good spot (if there was one) to have an injury. I think there is a better chance that she will return than not. Coolmore will not be selling her foals, so really they are in no rush to start pumping them out. If she was a colt she would have already covered test mares by now, but with the fillies they are a little more aggressive with keeping them on the track. I'm sure if the injury heals the way it should they will send her back, she will be under a close watch in her return (like she wasn't already) and any little bump in the road will probably lead to retirement. In my mind she has proven she is a very nice 3 year old filly, but not anywhere close to one of the best there was, she still has something to prove at 4. She never faced older mares and aside from the Oaks and Curlin in the Belmont (who was running his 3rd race in 5 weeks) and Hard Spun who isn't a $50k claimer going 1 1/2 miles, she hasn't faced too many legit grade 1 horse.
Plenty of horses have recovered from this kind of injury - and worse. I have heard of horses racing again after breaking their pelvis and even vertabra in their necks. Don't forget Cockney Rebel was all set for making a comeback in the QEII later this month following the hairline fracture in his pelvis. It was only because he injured a tendon during a piece of work that he had to be retired.
I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree with others in this section - they will probably retire her to stud now. On the other side though it is becoming more and more popular to keep good horses in training, so you never know.
According to what I saw on the Daily Racing Form site, the owners and Todd Pletcher want to run her as a 4-year old. With an injury like this though, you wonder if it will be worth running the horse at 4. Being a Triple Crown winner, especially the first filly to win the Belmont in over 100 years, makes this horse more valuable away from the track than actually at the races.
Lots of horses return from minor fractures at every level of competition. Add Corinthian, Johar, Madcap Escapade, McDynamo and Nothing to Lose as recent runners to return from a fracture to win at the G-1 level (and Second of June and Badge of Silver came back to win G-2s). I'm sure there's plenty others. Of course one of the major factors in returning a runner to competition is their worth in the breeding shed. Horses like Afleet Alex, Round Pond and probably Rags to Riches retire from these minor injuries because they are likely to earn more money on the farm than with a return to the races.