The Cliff's Edge retired with broken ankle

The Cliff's Edge retired with broken

ankle

Grade 1 winner THE CLIFF'S EDGE (Gulch) suffered a broken

right front ankle while finishing third in Saturday's Jockey Club

Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park and has been retired. The dark bay

colt is being treated by Patricia Hogan and Scott Palmer at the

New Jersey Equine Clinic.

"He'll be operated on tomorrow and they'll put two or

three screws in his right ankle," trainer Nick Zito said.

"(Jockey) Gary (Stevens) said he felt it on the turn and I

guess that is when he was going by Funny Cide (Distorted Humor).

He ran on that down the lane. Dr. (Celeste) Kunz (NYRA's chief

examining veterinarian) thought maybe his feet were stinging him

because he did come back to be unsaddled and walked back to the

barn."

The Cliff's Edge broke his maiden at Saratoga last year, then

proceeded to add a second in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile S. (G3) as

well as wins in the Iroquois S. (G3) and Kentucky Jockey Club S.

(G2) to his record. He made his three-year-old bow a runner-up

finish in the Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs in February

before finishing a close third in the Florida Derby (G1).

The Cliff's Edge earned his Grade 1 victory in Keeneland's

Blue Grass S. in mid-April and set himself up for a tilt at the

Kentucky Derby (G1) just two weeks later. He ran fifth there

after losing two of his shoes and coming down with a foot bruise

in the same leg he injured Saturday. He returned in the Dwyer S.

(G2), finishing second and filling that same spot in the Jim

Dandy S. (G2) and Travers S. (G1) in his next two starts.

The Cliff's Edge will enter stud at Vinery near Lexington,

Kentucky, with a record of 13-4-5-2 and $1,265,258 in lifetime

earnings.