A press release sent out by owner Stonestreet Stables described the injury as
a fracture, but no specific details were provided.
"This horse is a magnificent athlete," Stonestreet owner Jess Jackson said.
"We are stunned, shocked and terribly saddened by this awful event. At the same
time we are hoping that this injury will heal completely. At this point, his
prognosis for a healthy recovery is good, but in any case, his racing career is
over."
The retirement of Kantharos was another blow for the connections, coming soon
after their reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) was
upset as the heavy favorite in Sunday's Personal Ensign S. (G1).
"This was a tragic and unforeseeable event," trainer Steve Asmussen said.
"The brilliance that he had shown was a foretaste of his limitless potential.
Right now we are following his progress closely."
Wide margins of victory were the norm during Kantharos' brief career. Opening
up his ledger with an 11 3/4-length score in the slop at Churchill Downs on May
13, the chestnut next strutted home by 9 1/2 lengths in the July 3 Bashford
Manor despite stumbling at the start. He concluded his career with a 7
1/4-length romp in the August 16 Saratoga Special, and had been pointing to the
October 9 Champagne S. (G1) at the time of his retirement. Kantharos bankrolled
$185,213.
A $250,000 OBS two-year-old in training purchase in March, Kantharos is out
of the winning Contessa Halo (Southern Halo).