Animal Kingdom should come back 100% following surgery

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From thoroughbredtimes.com: Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Animal Kingdom came through surgery on June 30 in good order and should return to the same form that he showed before his leg injury.

Dean Richardson, D.V.M., performed the operation that required two screws to be inserted to compress a hairline slab fracture in the Leroidesanimaux (Brz) colt that was discovered with a CAT scan.

“The leg would have healed on its own,” Richardson said from the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. “But by using screws, we will have a more reliable, consistent time schedule for healing and have given the horse his best chance to minimize any arthritis that might occur in the leg had we just let nature do its job.”

Richardson said he was optimistic that Animal Kingdom would be able to return to racing at the same high level. Animal Kingdom was back at Team Valor International’s barn at Fair Hill Training Center over the Independence Day holiday. He will have a couple of weeks of stall rest, during which period his only time out of his stall will be to graze at the Maryland training complex.

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2011/07/07/animal-kingdom-recovery.aspx