Leading Eclipse candidate Summer Bird (Birdstone) exited a Sunday workout in Japan with a chip in his right front ankle that has forced his withdrawal from the Dec. 6 Japan Cup Dirt. Owner K. K. Jayaraman told Daily Racing Form, “He breezed today and came back and was not walking right.” But he added, “[Trainer Tim Ice] said [the chip is] very small. We can take it out and run him in three or four months.” The three-year-old captured the GI Belmont S., GI Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup this year, making him the likely sophomore champion. Fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic last time out, he has earned $2,323,040.
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