Racing at Santa Anita : Super Diamond Is Retired After Ankle Injury in Big ‘Cap

Super Diamond, who came back from a series of injuries to win the Grade I San Antonio Handicap at age 9, will not race again.

“He’s officially retired,” trainer Eddie Gregson said Wednesday at Santa Anita. “He’s got a serious ankle problem. He reinjured the ankle that has been a chronic problem. We took X-rays that we’ll get back today. Regardless of what they show, he’s retired. I can’t see the point in trying to bring him back again.”

Super Diamond, attempting to become the oldest Santa Anita Handicap winner last Sunday, apparently injured the ankle during the race. The third betting choice at 4-1, Super Diamond was third midway down the backstretch when he backed his way through the field, finishing last.

Super Diamond, who has suffered five serious ankle, knee and tendon injuries, first wrenched the ankle in December 1982, putting him out of racing for seven months. He aggravated the injury when he stumbled at the start of a race in January 1984, requiring arthroscopic surgery for removal of a chip, and missed six months.

“He retires as the third-leading Cal-bred (with $1,469,233),” Gregson said of Super Diamond, who won 16 of 37 starts. “He will leave by the weekend. He will go to Cedar Hills Farm in Rancho Santa Fe for 60 days, then retire to the farm of owners Roland and Ramona Sahm in Rancho Santa Fe.”

Outrun early in the race, Prized rallied in the stretch to beat favored Caro Lover by 1 3/4 lengths in the $83,250 Bradbury Stakes for 3-year-olds Wednesday.

Prized, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, paid $9.60 to win and was timed in 1:48 4/5 for 1 1/8 miles.