Sir Michael Stoute's Passenger faces another setback in his career after sustaining a condylar fracture during the Sky Bet York Stakes.
The promising colt, sired by Ulysses, made a successful return to action earlier this season by winning the Huxley Stakes at Chester. He was gearing up for a run in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, but a cough forced him to abandon that plan.
Passenger was then aimed at the Group Two Sky Bet York Stakes at Knavesmire, where he lined up as a 9-4 joint-favourite under Richard Kingscote in a small but competitive field of four.
However, the race, which was run at a slow pace, didn’t play to his strengths, and Alflaila, trained by Owen Burrows, emerged as the winner. Passenger finished a close third, just a length and a quarter behind, but was later found to have sustained an injury.
The fracture is located in his right foreleg, yet he is currently stable and will receive treatment upon returning to Newmarket.
Alan Cooper, racing manager at Flaxman Stables, confirmed that a horse suffered a non-displaced fracture to its cannon bone but was safely pulled up by jockey Richard Kingscote. The horse is stable, returning home for veterinary examination and treatment, with hopes for a positive outcome.