SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y – East Avenue, a Grade 1-winning 2-year-old in 2024 whose only win this year came in the Grade 3 Matt Winn in June, is sidelined for the remainder of the year with bone bruising, trainer Brendan Walsh said Monday.
East Avenue most recently finished fifth as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 3, a race in which he veered in at the start and was unable to make the lead.
“We’re going to give him a little time. He’ll be back next year and hopefully be as good, if not better, than he was,” Walsh said. “He won’t be out long, maybe 60 days.”
East Avenue won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at 2 and was beaten a nose in the Grade 1 Blue Grass in April before he finished eighth behind Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby.