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Kentucky Derby Minus Sierra Sunset
Sierra Sunset is out of the Triple Crown running. (AP Images)
If Sierra Sunset was one of your choices for the Kentucky Derby, then take another look at the hopefuls because trainer Jeff Bonde has announced that the Rebel Stakes ' winner has a hairline fracture on his left front ankle and is out of consideration for the first leg of the Triple Crown.
"It's not bad enough to require surgery, but the colt will miss 60 to 90 days," Bonde said by phone from his Bay Meadows barn on Friday.
"We understand this is part of the game," Bonde said, "but of course this is very disappointing. He is a sound colt, he has danced every dance, he had a clean trip in the Rebel, and he appeared to come out of the race fine. The first set of X-rays were clean, but when we took a second set, we found the hairline. He will take the next available flight back to California, and we'll go from there."
Sierra Suns won $300,000 in the Rebel on March 15 at Oaklawn Park. The next race that Sierra Sunset was training for was the $1 million Grade II Arkansas Derby on April 12.