Uh Oh Bango, a prophetically named horse, it turns out to be. Something seemed wrong even though the Top Hit colt finished fourth in the Arkansas Derby. Trainer Kory Owens said the horse seemed fine after the race, yet by the next day it was apparent that he was injured. Uh Oh Bango will not be able to race for 4 to 6 months as it was diagnosed with a fractured left front cannon bone. Fortunately, after rest and retraining the horse can go on to race again and this injury can be repaired by placing screws in the cannon bone to stabilize the pastern.

Uh Oh Bango was to be named Iowa’s state horse of the year on May 6th, and was 21st in the list of Kentucky Derby hopefuls before his injury and it was bred by Richard Owens’ Triple AAA Ranch of Glendale, AZ. Competition among similarly ranked horses will intensify with Uh Oh Bango out of the race. Only 20 horses can run in the Derby, and if more than 20 are entered, the final list will be determined by each horse’s earnings in graded stakes racing.

Uh Oh Bango received significant press attention for his accomplishments up until his injury. He posted the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the nation during 2009 and won the Prairie Meadows Freshman Stakes. In 2010, he finished fourth in the Rebel Stakes, which was won by fellow Derby hopeful Lookin at Lucky.