Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his right front leg and is expected to make a full recovery and race again in 2010, trainer Tim Ice said Saturday.
The three-year-old colt was injured in late November while training for Sunday's Japan Dirt Cup.
Summer Bird had no damage to his cartilage, Ice said, adding that a screw was inserted into the leg to fuse the cannon bone.
Among the top candidates for the year's top three-year-old, Summer Bird also won the Travers Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He finished fourth behind winner Zenyatta in last month's Breeders' Cup Classic.
Copyright 2009 AFP American Edition
