CAVONNIER INJURED, MAY NOT RACE AGAIN.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes Oldest of the three U.S. horse races that constitute the Triple Crown. The Belmont originated in 1867 and is named after August Belmont (see Belmont family). The stakes is held in early June at Belmont Park, near Garden City, Long Island; the course is 1.5 mi (2,400 m). favorite Cavonnier was pulled up at the top of the stretch after suffering a bowed tendon Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon. Many times, the tendon tissue is torn. A bowed tendon is a horseman's term for a tendon after a horse has sustained an injury that caused the tendon fibers to be torn, and then healed with "bowed" appearance. in his right front leg. The injury to the gelding gelding castrated male horse. , who finished second by a nose in the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. and was favored in the next two Triple Crown races, was not life-threatening, but may end his racing career. ``You could bring him back in six months, but he wouldn't be the same,'' said trainer Bob Baffert, who was visibly relieved after seeing his horse in the barn. ``It's not as bad as I thought. I feel a lot better. The last thing I wanted to do was destroy this horse,'' Baffert said. Jockey Chris McCarron felt something go wrong as Cavonnier came out of the last turn in the 1-1/2-mile race. ``He felt him stop. All of a sudden he lost his response,'' Baffert said. ``It must have happened when he changed leads.'' McCarron was running sixth with a quarter mile to go, four lengths off the lead then held by Skip Away. Cavonnier had been within five lengths of the pace throughout the race. Cavonnier is the first horse Baffert has ever taken to a Triple Crown race, and the 43-year-old trainer was obviously upset when he saw the horse stop. ``I'm really in shock about this,'' he said before returning to the barn. ``There are the things that trainers have nightmares about.'' |
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