Injury Ends Career of Val Royal, Winner of Breeders’ Cup Mile

A tendon injury has ended the career of Val Royal, the winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Trainer Julio Canani and owner David Milch made the decision after a small lesion was discovered on the 6-year-old’s right front leg. A tendon injury located below where the new one surfaced had caused the son of Royal Academy to be away for about 18 months after he had won the 1999 Del Mar Derby in his first U.S. start.

“You don’t want to take any chances with a horse like him,” Canani said. “He was going to be retired at the end of this year anyway. It’s a big loss.”

Bred and raced in France before coming to this country after being purchased privately, Val Royal finishes his career with seven victories from 12 starts and earnings of $1,286,444.

Two of his defeats came in his only two starts of 2002. He was fourth as the favorite in the $300,000 Kilroe Mile on March 2, then was fifth in the $2-million Dubai Duty Free in the United Arab Emirates on March 23.

“I think he might have [been injured] when he ran here,” Canani said. “It takes a while for something like this to show up.”

Besides the Breeders’ Cup Mile, which he won by nearly two lengths over Forbidden Apple on Oct. 27 at Belmont Park, and the Del Mar Derby, Val Royal’s other stakes win in the U.S. came in the Oak Tree Breeders’ Cup Mile on Oct. 7. In his only other American race, he was second to Road To Slew in the 2001 Kilroe Handicap.