Welcome back, Stevie Wonderboy
 

From BH.....

Welcome back, Stevie. :)


Champion Stevie Wonderboy Has First Workout on Comeback Trail
by Margaret Ransom


The Merv Griffin Ranch Co.'s champion Stevie Wonderboy worked on Monday for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a condylar fracture to his left front leg in February, logging an unofficial quarter-mile over a fast track at Santa Anita.
Trainer Doug O'Neill's assistant/brother Dennis said he caught the son of Stephen Got Evenin an unofficial :24 1/5, galloping out three-eighths in :36 3/5.

"It was easy, he was just galloping," O'Neil said. "But he's doing excellent."

O'Neill indicated that there's no rush to get the Kentucky-bred back to the races and that they will let the chestnut colt tell them when he's ready.

"We're not even thinking about it," O'Neill said. "The Strub (series) is the goal, but right now we're not even thinking about where he'll start."

The Strub, a three-race series for 3-year-olds turning four, kicks off with the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes (gr. I) on Dec. 26, and continues with the San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr.II) at 1 1/16 miles in January and the nine-furlong Strub Stakes (gr. II) in early February.

Stevie Wonderboy earned the Eclipse Award as the nation's top juvenile last year after winning the Del Mar Futurity (gr. II) and Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I). He finished second in his lone start as a sophomore in the Jan. 14 San Rafael Stakes (gr.) at Santa Anita before being injured in a workout in early February. From six starts overall, Stevie Wonderboy owns a record of 3-2-1 and earnings of $1,058,940.

He was purchased by his current connections for $100,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in 2005.

Sharp Humor had his first workout since surgery, too, in the last couple of days.

Glad to see them both warming up again.

--Dunbar

The rest of us are thinking "great!" when we saw this.
2Hot4TV is thinking "I wish Merv Griffin was still alive to see him run."

I'm still waiting for Muuuuhhhhvvvvv to change the horse's name to Arthur Treacherous.

Then maybe I can root for him.

And ... oh, yeah ... what about that match race with the Kentucky Derby winnner, eh Muuuuhhhhvvvv?

Pathetic .

This is good news.

Very curious that you ... of all people ... would use that word, Susan. I guess you hear it spoken quite often behind your back.

How was the trailer camp this year? Is your girlfriend in mourning over First Samurai ... or in ecstasy over her imaginary friend ... Jerry Bailey?

But come to think of it ... that emotional whirlwind can be probably be both at the same time.

Congruent .

Slight injury to Stevie Wonderboy
- Jay Privman, DRF

Stevie Wonderboy, the champion 2-year-old male of 2005, has been taken out of training because of a quarter crack, trainer Doug O'Neill said.

The minor injury, to a hind foot, was diagnosed last week, O'Neill said, and has prevented Stevie Wonderboy from having his second workout since returning earlier this year from a cannon bone injury.

Owned by Merv Griffin, Stevie Wonderboy is not expected to be out of training for long, O'Neill said.

The winner of the 2005 Del Mar Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Stevie Wonderboy has worked once since returning to training, going three furlongs in 38 seconds at Santa Anita on Aug. 21.

Stevie Wonderboy has won 3 of 6 starts and $1,058,940. He has not started since January.

What a shame these horses are so fragile.

We'd all love to see Arthur run again ... but it doesn't look like we're going to.

If you love this game ... you've got to have rhinoceros skin.

BB,
A quarter crack is hardly reason for despair. As a matter of fact, it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The little time off required should allow him to be handwalked, and get a little stronger for his eventual return. I imagine it being September, that should he be able to work in October, that he may have time to squeeze in a prep race for the Malibu, which certainly must be his first goal at the very end of December.
A quarter crack is certainly no reason to doubt that he will return. Theywere quite lenient with the time they gave him off, more than is usually required to bring one back from something like that. Sounds as if merv is doing what is right for the horse.

It's not just the quarter crack ...

... this horse has had one problem after another ... and if he has any more ... he'll never make the Strub races ... and the arguments to retire him in time for next Spring's breeding season could become quite persuasive.

We've seen this movie a few times before.

Hes only had one problem that ever mattered, the fracture.
A quarter crack wouldn't even be a blip on the radar if it wasn't such a high profile horse.
A patch and some handwalking and he should be as good as new, he hasn't had a history of cracks in the past so I would hope it would be non recurring.
Merv has a lotta cash BB, LOTS!!! He also has shown fierce pride in his animal.
Hes gonna run this horse again if hes the one who has to come to the barn and apply the salve to the crack himself.
I can't see Merv caring about a lousy 10 or 20 mill. To him, thats chickenfeed.
This horse will be back on the track. I understand that this game is so harsh with injuries and heartbreaks that it makes sense to expect the very worst and resign your hopes to that fate. That way you can be pleasantly surprised rather than crushed. But I truly think that Stevie will be back on the track at some point.

But what does Zsa Zsa have to say about it?

for those people who might not know what a quarter crack is...
http://www.equipodiatry.com/qtrcrka.htm

thanks for that reference, i love learning about details like this.

you are quite welcome.