It has been reported that world champion trotter Googoo Gaagaa will be undergoing surgery on Wednesday (May 15).
Corey Callahan told harnessracing.com this morning (Tuesday, May 14) that Googoo Gaagaa, who finished fifth in his Arthur J. Cutler elimination last Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack, will have throat surgery on Wednesday (May 15) and not return for the $180,000 final on May 18.
Googoo Gaagaa left from Post 7 with Callahan in his Cutler elim. He lead after making his way to the front past the opening quarter, but faded badly after leading in the stretch. He faded to finish fifth, beaten two and a half lengths by the 1:51.2-winning Modern Family. Callahan said he could feel something "weird" as the race developed with the four-year-old trotter.
"He felt strong and then he kind of let me go, which I guess is when he began to lose his air," Callahan said.
Googoo Gaagaa's Cutler elim was the eighth race, and Callahan said he and trainer-owner Richard Hans noticed after the ninth race that the trotter still hadn't fully recovered.
"After the next race he was still blowing hard," said Callahan. "Richard had him scoped and the vet said she wouldn't let the horse race and that he had a blockage and with that entrapped epiglottis he was getting only about 40 per cent of his air."
Callahan said the surgery will be performed at the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Callahan said the vet told he and Hans that the recovery time should be quick and that Googoo Gaagaa should be ready to make his next scheduled start in the Maxie Lee Memorial Trot on May 26 at Harrah's Philadelphia.
(Harnessracing.com)