Benny the Bull retired after injury

[PPerfectfan]

Benny the Bull retired after injury
By DAVID GRENING
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Benny the Bull, the leading sprinter in the nation, was found to have a chip in his right front ankle on Wednesday and has been retired from racing, his connections said.

Benny the Bull had worked six furlongs in 1:14.29 at Aqueduct on Monday, and on Tuesday trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said he was very much looking forward to running him in Saturday's Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga.

But on Wednesday, Dutrow noticed some filling in Benny the Bull's ankle, and subsequent X-rays revealed the chip, according to Michael Iavarone, the head of the group that owns majority interest in Benny the Bull. Iavarone said the chip could be easily removed surgically, but that the horse would not be able to make it back for this October's Breeders' Cup Sprint. Iavarone said plans were for the horse to be retired at year's end.

"There's ups and downs in this game, but I don't even view this as a down," said Iavarone, co-president of the International Equine Acquisitions Holdings Inc. Stable, which purchased Benny the Bull privately last summer. "The horse has retired without something terrible happening, and hopefully he'll live a happy and healthy life."

Iavarone said stallion plans are pending for Benny the Bull, a 5-year-old Florida-bred son of Lucky Lionel who won 9 of 17 starts and earned $2,221,630. Benny the Bull won his last five starts, including the Grade 1 De Francis at Laurel Park last year, the Sunshine Millions, Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, Grade 2 True North, and Grade 2 Smile Sprint Handicap this year.