Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming will race as a 4-year-old in 2018, it was announced in a press release late Monday afternoon.
The release further stated that Always Dreaming was diagnosed with stomach ulcers following his ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 26.
The release was put out by WinStar Farm, which, along with SF Bloodstock and China Horse Club, has joined the ownership group of Always Dreaming, which includes Vinnie Viola's St Elias Stables, Teresa Viola, Anthony Bonomo's Brooklyn Boyz Stable, Maryellen Bonomo's MeB Racing, Siena Farm and West Point Thoroughbreds. It had been previously announced that WinStar is where Always Dreaming will stand at stud upon retirement.
Always Dreaming, trained by Todd Pletcher, had been sent to WinStar Farm following the Travers. Always Dreaming underwent a complete physical at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., where the ulcers where diagnosed.
"He had a pretty bad case of ulcers," Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar Farm, said in the release. "Dr. Steve Reed of Rood & Riddle said it was one of the worst cases of ulcers he has seen. The interesting thing is Todd said his appetite was always stellar, and he has been treated with Gastrogard all year. Todd is extremely vigilant on taking care of his horses, and it was a complete shock to all involved. The great news is we've been able to clear up the ulcers and he's doing fantastic right now. It also explains a lot about his regression in form, and we are extremely excited about his racing potential in 2018. The sky is the limit."
Always Dreaming will resume light training at WinStar Farm on Nov. 1 and stay there for one month before joining Pletcher's south Florida base at Palm Beach Downs on Dec. 1.
Always Dreaming, a son of Bodemeister, won the first four races of his 3-year-old season including the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby. He finished eighth in the Preakness after which he was given a freshening. Always Dreaming finished third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy before his eighth-place finish in the Travers.
"I'm glad we found something that we could fix," Pletcher said. "Up until the Preakness, I had never seen Always Dreaming get beat at anything, whether it be a workout or race. He did not act like a typical ulcer horse, but the pictures we got from the stomach scope were about as bad as I have seen. Gastrogard is a good treatment plan and works for the majority of my horses, but, every now and then, you run into a horse that gets ulcers through the medication. I can't wait to get him back."
According to the release, Always Dreaming could potentially return to the races in late winter with the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park or the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs - races run a week apart in June - as a mid-year objective.
The news of Always Dreaming's return means the winner of all three Triple Crown races in 2017 are expected to race again next year. Preakness winner Cloud Computing has been sidelined with an ankle chip, while Belmont winner Tapwrit has been sidelined by a foot injury.