Competitive Edge to miss rest of 2014

Competitive Edge, the leading 2-year-old male on the East Coast, if not the country, sustained a hairline fracture to his left foreleg and will miss the remainder of his juvenile season, trainer Todd Pletcher said Wednesday.

The injury is not career-threatening, and Pletcher said he believes the horse will be back early enough in his 3-year-old season to attempt to get onto the Triple Crown trail. Pletcher said Competitive Edge will be out of training for 60 days.

“It’s only a big deal at the moment because he’s a sensational 2-year-old, very talented, and we were looking forward to some big races this fall,” said Pletcher, who was pointing Competitive Edge to the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont on Oct. 4. “The timing of it is such that he could be back early enough in his 3-year-old year that it would allow him to have a couple of significant prep races before the spring classics.”

A son of the Pletcher-trained Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Competitive Edge won both of his starts at Saratoga impressively. On July 26, he won a six-furlong maiden race by 10 1/4 lengths, running six furlongs in 1:09.89. On Sept. 1, he galloped to a 5 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Hopeful over the previously undefeated stakes winner I Spent It.

Pletcher said Competitive Edge came back from a Sunday gallop at Belmont Park “a little off.” X-rays revealed the hairline fracture. The horse was shipped to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., where Dr. Larry Bramlage performed surgery, which included the insertion of two screws, Pletcher said.

Pletcher said Competitive Edge arrived at Ashford Stud in Kentucky late Tuesday afternoon and will convalesce there before joining him later this year in south Florida.

“Larry was optimistic that in 60 days he would be able to resume training,” Pletcher said. “The fracture compressed perfectly, and it should not affect his return to racing.”

Pletcher had been as high on Competitive Edge as any 2-year-old he had trained, including champions Uncle Mo and Shanghai Bobby.

“It’s frustrating because he’s been absolutely perfect every day,” Pletcher said. “It’s somewhat shocking to see him come back off from a gallop. Thankfully, it didn’t happen in a timed workout. It could have been more significant.”

Competitive Edge was purchased for $750,000 at the Fasig-Tipton March select sale of 2-year-olds by Alex Solis Jr. on behalf of owners Nancy Favreau and Kathy Psoinos. Following his maiden victory, Coolmore’s Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Susan Magnier purchased an interest in Competitive Edge.