Patton Won’t Run in the Triple Crown Races

Patton won’t run in the Triple Crown races because of bone chips in both knees.

The chips were discovered during a routine examination shortly after Patton won an allowance race by 8 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park on Sunday. He had been scheduled to run in the Florida Derby on March 12.

Instead, Patton will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knees, with the recuperation period estimated at three months.

The veterinarian’s examination was prompted by the possible sale of 50% of the horse. One of the investors was expected to be Gov. Brereton Jones of Kentucky, who reportedly was prepared to pay $300,000 for a 25% interest.

Patton, a son of Lord At War and a grandson of Seattle Slew, is owned by Scott Savin. His three victories in five starts have been by a combined margin of 25 1/2 lengths, and in his first stakes race, on Jan. 30, he ran second to Holy Bull in the Hutcheson at Gulfstream.

Technology, another horse owned in partnership by Savin, has been sold to Jones for an undisclosed sum. The 5-year-old, who won the Florida Derby in 1992 and earned close to $1 million, will be sent to Jones’ farm in Midway, Ky., for the current breeding season.