Gelding is vanned off during Preakness undercard

Baltimore 

After being pulled up on the backstretch in a race he was favored to win, Dinosaur Ben suffered an apparent leg injury and was vanned off from Pimlico Race Course on Friday afternoon.

“The horse has been stabilized and is going to New Bolton (near Philadelphia) for further evaluation,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group.

A 4-year-old Canadian-bred gelding by Blame, Dinosaur Ben was approaching the leaders with an outside move on the backstretch when jockey Jorge Ruíz hit the brakes. After stopping in the far turn he got off Dinosaur Ben and held up the horse’s left front leg while the fourth race, a 1 1/16-mile allowance worth $69,888, was being finished.

As an equine ambulance approached, Dinosaur Ben got loose but was quickly collected by an outrider and was then hand-walked onto the van.

Bred by Sean Fitzhenry and owned by Ultra Championship Racing, Dinosaur Ben has won 3 of 5 starts in 2021 after going winless in three starts as a 3-year-old. Trained by Anthony Aguirre, he broke his maiden in January at Charles Town and won two allowance races at nearby Laurel Park.