Grade 1 turf sprinter Reef Runner has been shelved for the remainder of the year because of a soft tissue injury sustained while he was preparing for a run in the Aug. 9 Troy Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course, according to trainer David Fawkes.
The injury was discovered after the 5-year-old gelded son of The Big Beast worked 4 furlongs July 4 on the all-weather track at Gulfstream Park.
"After his work, he came back with some inflammation," Fawkes said. "We scanned him and decided he needed some time. It is not career-ending. He needed the time, and he owes us nothing. The right thing to do is give him the rest of the year and do all the positive rehab."
Reef Runner will be sent to Nick Elser's Sandhurst Thoroughbreds at the Oak Ridge Training Center near Morriston, Fla., for his rehabilitation.
Fawkes is optimist Reef Runner will come back in 2027 and follow the same playbook that worked spectacularly this year for owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. Reef Runner won the Janus Stakes in late December 2025 at Gulfstream in preparation for a trip overseas where he won the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2T) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia and followed with a fourth-place finish in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1T) at Meydan Racecourse.
After returning to the United States, he captured the Jaipur Stakes (G1T) and raised his earnings for the year to $1.55 million. Reef Runner has career earnings of nearly $2.2 million.
