Just Steel surgery goes 'very well,' Dr. Bramlage says

Dr. Larry Bramlage, an equine orthopedic surgeon at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., said Just Steel is "doing really well" after surgery Tuesday to treat a condylar fracture in his right front leg.

"He walked out of surgery sound after we walked him in lame," Bramlage said in a video posted on X on Wednesday by LightUp Racing. "So that's generally a good sign."

Bramlage said the fracture was "somewhat unusual" because it is shaped like an upside-down Y rather than in a straight line. During the procedure, a V-shaped piece at the joint surface had to be trapped between two pieces of bone, he said, and two screws were inserted.

The injury occurred during Saturday's Preakness, where Just Steel finished fifth.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas told the Maryland Jockey Club team that he thought the injury might have taken place as the field was turning for home.

The Justify colt also was 17th in the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier. He has an overall record of 13: 2-4-1.