NYRA release

Sprinter Benny the Bull, who would have been the favorite for Saturday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Forego Handicap at Saratoga Race Course, has been retired because of an ankle injury, according to IEAH Stables’ Michael Sherack.

On Tuesday, the day after a six-furlong workout at Aqueduct in preparation for the seven-furlong Forego, Benny the Bull developed a filling in the ankle and X-rays revealed the chip. A winner of five straight races, including the Grade 1 Frank J. De Francis Memorial dash last November, the Sunshine Millions Sprint, the Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, the Grade 2 True North, and the Grade 2 Smile Sprint Handicap, Benny the Bull compiled a lifetime record of 9 victories from 17 starts and earnings of $2,221,630.

Breeding plans for the five-year-old son of Lucky Lionel are undecided, Sherack said.