LOS ANGELES – Nadal, one of trainer Bob Baffert’s early favorites for the Triple Crown, injured his ankle after a workout at Santa Anita on Thursday and is out of contention for the series.
The 3-year-old colt suffered a left front condylar fracture, Baffert said in a phone interview. It was diagnosed after Nadal completed a half-mile workout in 48.80 seconds.
He had surgery during which two screws were inserted in his ankle at the track’s equine hospital. “He looked good doing it,” Baffert said of the workout. “He got back to the barn and you could tell he was a little bit off.
We X-rayed his left ankle. He's got the start of a condylar fracture, a little faint line. There's no damage, it's not displaced." Baffert said Nadal could return