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Wonderboy Out Of Derby

Breeders´ Cup Juvenile winner Stevie Wonderboy will miss the Kentucky Derby on May 6 after sustaining an injury to his right front ankle.

The Doug O´Neill-trained three-year-old suffered a hairline fracture during a six-furlong workout at Hollywood Park.

'It´s devastating, but I´ve been around racing enough that unfortunately it´s not a surprise,' reasoned Stevie Wonderboy´s owner Merv Griffin.

'This is the time of year where as an owner or trainer you´re just kneeling and praying that something doesn´t go wrong for these guys but it did.

Stevie Wonderboy, a winner of three races from five starts as a juvenile, began the current campaign by finishing second to Brother Derek in the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita on January 14.

O´Neill´s colt must now undergo surgery and will be out of action for at least three months.

'These injuries can be life or death for the horse so it´s good that for Stevie it´s going to be life,' Griffin told www.thoroughbredtimes.com.

'It´s the timing of it that´s so bad. It´s sad for Stevie, sad for me, and I think it´s sad for racing.'

? PA Sport