It's been awhile since we posted an update on this guy, but we're very pleased to have some good news. Secret Crush was one of two horses (the other being Seize The Grey) who was nominated to the Triple Crown series in 2024. He was showing huge promise under trainer Todd Pletcher, however he was apparently injured in a race at Keeneland last spring, when he ran a game 3rd in spite of the injury that most likely happened during the race.
Since then, the MRH team gave him a lot of time off to recover and retrain, and made the decision to geld him for his own benefit as he was starting to put on bulk that could potentially stress his joints. This was a very tough choice to make due him being a son of top sire Candy Ride (sire of Gunrunner), and out of a daughter of Storm Cat and the phenomenal broodmare, Take Charge Lady, but the best interests of the horse had to be the first priority.
Later last year, he was sent to Highlander Training Center in Texas, the same farm responsible for Seize The Grey's freshening prior to his Triple Crown participation and win in the Preakness.
The team checked in on Secret Crush yesterday at Highlander Training Center and was very pleased with the progress they saw. The gelding procedure appears to have been a benefit to him, keeping his weight under control. The Highlander team has had no issues since ramping up the intensity of his gallops and reported he is ready to breeze. The team recommended that they do a follow-up scan of his previous injury before beginning speed work, simply to check all the boxes, given the cautious path we have already taken. This information will only be beneficial to us as he continues on in his training, as well as helping to monitor any changes on the road ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment