Life Saving Surgery Update Drops on Horse Injured at Kentucky Derby 2025

Sovereignty’s surprise win and Journalism’s second-place finish have understandably dominated Kentucky Derby headlines. But not all news coming out of Churchill Downs was quite as positive. When it was reported that “Sorcerer’s Silver was vanned off after the 3rd race at CD with injury to right foreleg,” it scared a lot of people in the community. But as shocking as Sorcerer’s Silver’s injury in an allowance race was, there’s been a positive update to his situation.

Immediately after he went down, Sorcerer’s Silver was rushed into the equine ambulance to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington for surgery, where it emerged that he sustained a fractured sesamoid. Now a fracture to the sesamoid bones is difficult to repair and can even be catastrophic, according to the veterinary department at UC Davis. The sesamoid bones sit at the back of the fetlock (the “ankle” of a horse), and it’s what gives range of motion and support to the foot. But because of their positioning and general horse anatomy, along with the high speeds racehorses are pushed to, these bones can easily break from the pressure. They can also break from overextension, where the fetlock extends to the point where the sesamoid bones make contact with the ground.

In cases where the injury was severe, the only outcome for the horse was euthanasia. But with the latest medical developments, that’s not always the case anymore, and Sorcerer’s Silver was in luck. On X, Bryan Langlois reported on the details of  the horse’s pioneering surgery: “For those wondering, this is a surgery that ‘fuses’ the fetlock joint in a specific position. Without going into tons of detail on this (there are articles that describe it in detail out there), the type of fracture to the sesamoid bone of the fetlock in this case has affected the ability of the entire joint to remain stable and support the weight of that leg. Not being able to do so will cause the whole joint to ‘sink’ downward and, while of course causing great discomfort, will also greatly predispose the horse to developing laminitis in that hoof (and possibly others).”

“This used to mean that there really was no other choice but humane euthanasia in these cases,” wrote Langlois. “Thanks to the pioneering work of Dr. Larry Bramlage, now the arthrodesis can be done in some of these cases to save the horses life.” Back in the day, injuries like this usually meant euthanasia was on the table, but thanks to the work of Dr. Larry Bramlage, arthrodesis can now sometimes be performed to help save the injured horse’s life.

So, in this procedure, they clear out the damaged joint, fill it up with some bone graft material, and then stabilize everything using plates, screws, and wires. This setup keeps the joint steady while it merges into one solid bone, helping the horse to walk more normally again in the future. The surgery is just the start, really — those months following the operation are super important, and the horse needs to steer clear of any complications to make a full recovery. For Sorceror’s Silver, for whom this injury could’ve been fatal even a few years ago, it’s nothing but good news. However, the Kentucky Derby track has faced a lot of scrutiny over the years regarding its safety standards.

Concerns piling up over the Kentucky Derby racecourse

In 2023, there were twelve horse fatalities at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby period, which included some incidents that happened during races and training sessions. So, after those deaths, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) jumped in to investigate.

This resulted in racing being put on hold at Churchill Downs, and they decided to move the spring-summer meet over to Ellis Park Race Course in Henderson, Kentucky, while they took a closer look at safety measures.

According to various reports, the racing-related equine fatalities at tracks HISA oversees were at a rate of 1.23 per 1,000 starts in 2023. So, it turns out this was a bit lower than what The Jockey Club reported nationally, which was 1.25 in 2022 and 1.32 in 2023. About this decrease, HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus mentioned, “HISA’s most important goal is driving down equine fatalities. The reduction in the rate of equine fatalities at tracks under our jurisdiction demonstrates that setting high standards for racetrack safety and anti-doping and medication control across the country makes Thoroughbred racing safer.”

So, the horse racing industry has really stepped up its game by putting in place a bunch of safety measures, like better track equipment and tighter veterinary checks. Thanks to these efforts, we’ve seen a 27% decrease in fatalities at regulated tracks by 2024.