Georgie Boy Hurt

ARCADIA, Calif. (March 31, 2008) -- Georgie Boy, the leading California-bred contender for the 2008 Kentucky Derby, is out of Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby with a pulled muscle in his back and likely will miss the Run for the Roses on May 3, trainer Kathy Walsh said Monday.

“It’s high on his back end and we don’t know how long it will take to heal, but we’re not going to take a chance,” Walsh said. “He was a little tight in his back end yesterday, and we had him tested and X-rayed and everything was fine in that regard.

“The vet examined him today (Monday) and was very happy with what he saw other than the pulled muscle. He will not require surgery.”

Georgie Boy has won both of his starts this year, capturing the seven furlong San Vicente Stakes on Feb. 10 and the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe Stakes on March 15, his first race at two turns. Both victories were at Santa Anita. He won the Del Mar Futurity in September and was voted the best 2-year-old Cal-bred of 2007.

The gelding is the best horse ever bred or owned by George Schwary of San Fernando, Calif.

“Obviously this is a real disappointment,” Schwary, 75, said. “I may never get another chance at a Kentucky Derby horse. But it looks like he’ll be OK and there are other big races out there. He was galloping two miles a day so I knew he was fit. Maybe we’ll see him in the Pacific Classic (at Del Mar in August).”

Overall, Georgie Boy has four victories, two seconds and a third in seven starts and has earned $496,806.
--Larry Bortstein

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