Report: Surgery set for Prince Lucky after Gulfstream injury

Efforts are underway to save Prince Lucky, the graded stakes winner who was pulled up and out of Saturday’s Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (G3) while battling Bodexpress for the lead.

Trainer Todd Pletcher told the Daily Racing Form’s Mile Welsch on Sunday that Prince Lucky suffered bilateral sesamoid fractures on his right-front leg.

"He's stable and resting at Gulfstream Park today,” Pletcher told Welsch. ”He'll ship to Dr. (John) Madison’s equine hospital in Ocala on Monday. Obviously his racing career is over. But Dr. Madison was optimistic, after seeing the X-rays, that he could perform surgery and get him completely comfortable and stable for retirement.”

A 4-year-old gelding bred by his owner, Daniel McConnell, in Pennsylvania, Prince Lucky entered the Harlan’s Holiday with aspirations of then jumping to the much more lucrative Pegasus World Cup (G1). As the close second betting choice to Bodexpress, he applied pressure outside until arriving on the back stretch, when jockey John Velazquez quickly took Prince Lucky out of the race.

According to the official chart, a boot was applied to the horse, and he was vanned off.

Pletcher told Welsch that Prince Lucky will retire as a result of his injuries. Pending surgery, he added that, “Hopefully everything goes smoothly from here and he retires to live out a happy life.”

Prince Lucky, who started his career 3-for-4 while then in the care of trainer Larry Jones, transferred to Pletcher in the spring of his 3-year-old season. He won four stakes for the new barn — the Hal’s Hope (G3) and Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) were graded — and earned $607,570 in 16 starts.