By Ben Massam
Abdullah Saeed Almaddah's MGSW Green Mask (Mizzen Mast–Bonsai Beauty, by Forestry), considered a top contender for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, fractured a left front sesamoid during a turf workout Sunday morning at Belmont Park and will be retired, according to trainer Brad Cox. Green Mask pulled up abruptly at the top of the stretch on the inner turf course and was vanned back to Cox's barn. Cox said the injury does not appear to be life-threatening, but will require surgery.
“It's still kind of in the works as to where he'll go right now, but he will need surgery,” the trainer said.
Transferred to Cox's care midway through 2016 after consistent stints in the barns of Christophe Clement and Wesley Ward, the gelding hit his best stride in 2017, breaking through at the graded stakes level with a score in the GIII Twinspires Turf Sprint S. at Churchill May 5. He followed with a narrowly beaten runner-up effort in Belmont's GIII Jaipur Invitational S. June 10 and bounced back from that hard-luck defeat with a pair of scores in the July 2 GII Highlander S. at Woodbine and the Aug. 6 Troy S. at Saratoga.
Green Mask retires with a record of 8-8-3 from 27 lifetime starts and $1,064,761 in earnings.
“He's been a tremendous horse,” said Cox, who took over the gelding's training in May 2016. “We're very thankful to have had him and for what he gave to us. We'll do all we can to hopefully give him a good life. We will make sure he doesn't suffer, but we think it is repairable. I think he will make a nice pleasure horse.”
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