Cornucopian hospitalized after Bing Crosby Stakes injury at Del Mar

Cornucopian was taken to the hospital for radiographs and evaluation after his injury in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, and a California Horse Racing Board veterinarian said the colt was comfortable and stable while veterinarians waited on a treatment plan. The update came after the 6-5 betting favorite was pulled up and vanned off in Saturday’s 81st running of the $401,500 sprint.

The injury happened as Bob Baffert’s colt made a forward move from fourth place on the turn. Once Cornucopian was stopped and removed from the race, the medical sequence shifted to the standard Del Mar and CHRB response in an injury case: get the horse off the track, move him for imaging, and use the radiographs to guide the next treatment decision.

That process mattered because the Bing Crosby carries automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which made Cornucopian one of the race’s major focal points before the start. A July 23 preview had already marked him as a leading contender in a field of nine, so the loss of the favorite changed both the race and the conversation around the division.

Listenupshance handled the rest of the afternoon, holding off Maximum Bourbon by a nose in deep stretch to win the stakes. The result was a shock on paper, especially with Cornucopian entering as the heavy choice, but the finish belonged to a horse who had been racing in the claiming ranks only eight months earlier. For Del Mar, the immediate operational question now sits with Cornucopian’s radiographs and the treatment plan that follows.