By Sue Finley
Magic Dance (More Than Ready), the TDN Rising Star who stumbled at the start of the GII Adirondack S. at Saratoga Sunday, sustained a bone bruise in her left front leg in the incident and will be off for an undetermined amount of time, according to her trainer, Steve Asmussen. “It was a result of the stumble that she had in the Adirondack which broke the skin in the back of her left front ankle,” said Asmussen from Saratoga Friday morning. “It was quite a significant stumble. She actually burned the hair off the front of her left front ankle, which I've never seen a horse do stumbling away from the gate.”
Asmussen said the incident provided a couple of anxious moments back at the barn. “We were nothing short of very scared because she was obviously favoring it after the race, but after a couple of sets of X-rays and a couple of consultations, we feel she'll be okay with some time off.”
Asmussen said she will be sent to Three Chimneys Farm to rest and rehabilitate. “We are very comfortable with how she is the last couple of days,” said Asmussen. “She'll stay here at Saratoga for the next couple of days, then head to Three Chimneys and be under the care of Chris Baker until she's 100 percent, which is what she deserves.”
Despite the incident, Magic Dance finished a game third in the race. She was named a Rising Star in her debut June 7, 24 hours before her half-sister Guarana (Ghostzapper) scored a runaway win in the Acorn. Magic Dance, bred and owned by Three Chimneys Farm, subsequently won the June 29 Debutante at Churchill.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
