One of the early favorites for Kentucky Derby contendership is off the Triple Crown trail. Remsden Stakes winner Leave The Light On will undergo surgery for an ankle injury on Monday. This longterm prognosis is good but he’ll miss the Triple Crown races including the Kentucky Derby.
Leave The Light on was arguably the best of the ‘second tier’ of Derby contenders behind horses like Upstart, Texas Red and Carpe Diem. He was installed at 75/1 in the January 26 Wynn Las Vegas Kentucky Derby Futures Odds update. Now he’ll be forced to the sidelines for the big spring and summer races. Leave the Light On injured his hind ankle during training last weekend and will undergo surgery early next week. There is a ‘silver lining’ to this ‘dark cloud’–Leave The Light On may be out of the Derby but he’s expected to make a full recovery.
Leave The Light On will undergo surgery on his ankle Monday under the care of reknown equine veteranarian Dr. Larry Bramlage. The surgery will be performed at the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Bramledge is very bullish about Leave The Light On’s long term prognosis suggesting that he might be able to return to racing by Fall. Trainer Chad Brown says that he’ll do what is best for the horse: “we won’t rush him. We’ll let the horse tell us. We’re looking at the long run with the horse. We’d love to have him back for the big races in the fall.”
Leave The Light On won the Grade II Remsen Stakes in his last start. Clearly, the injury is a disappointment to Brown and the horse’s connections but the trainer is trying to take the ‘long view’. “He needs a couple of months off. It’s obviously very disappointing, but the long-term prognosis is good. We’re doing the right thing and stopping now.”
Leave The Light On was scheduled to make his first three year old start in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He raced three times as a two year old winning a race against maidens along with the Grade 2 Remsden.