Torn Ligament Stalls Summer Squall Racing

Injuries have stalled the progress of Summer Squall, one of racing’s young stars, and hastened the retirement of Cryptoclearance, one of the country’s top older horses.

While owner Phil Teinowitz was planning to stand Cryptoclearance at stud in Kentucky, the long-awaited 3-year-old debut of Summer Squall in Sunday’s Deputy Minister Handicap was being scrapped.

Undefeated in five starts as a juvenile, Summer Squall was found to have bled during a six-furlong workout Monday morning. The colt was put on the 14-day bleeders list and will now be pointed toward Gulfstream’s seven-furlong Swale Stakes on March 17. He will resume training next week.

“We’re doing an ultrasound and a tracheal wash, but he has no history of respiratory problems,” said Dogwood Stables President Cot Campbell from his Aiken, S.C., office. “We’ll set our sights on the Swale, at which time he’ll run on Lasix. We can live with that.”

Cryptoclearance, winner of the 1987 Florida Derby, was retired on Tuesday because of a torn sesamoid ligament suffered during a Sunday morning workout.

In 44 starts, Cryptoclearance finished first, second or third 29 times, including 12 victories.