Lil E. Tee Is Sidelined After Surgery on Ankles
Kentucky Derby winner Lil E. Tee underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his front ankles Tuesday and he is expected to recover with no lasting problems. However, he will not race again this year.
The colt skipped Saturday’s Belmont Stakes because he was discovered to have a lung ailment after his fifth-place finish in the Preakness.
Bone chips were removed from the outside of both front ankles during surgery performed at a veterinary center in Versailles, Ky., Churchill Downs officials said.
“He had small chips on the lateral side of both fore ankles. That’s highly unusual . . . it accounts for less than 10% of ankle fractures,” surgeon Alex Harthill said.
The ankle problem developed after a half-mile workout Thursday, and X-rays taken Sunday confirmed the chip.
Harthill predicted a full recovery.
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