Belmont Stakes runner-up Dunkirk needs surgery for leg injury but expected to return to racing

Belmont runner-up Dunkirk needs leg surgery

NEW YORK — Belmont Stakes runner-up Dunkirk needs surgery for a leg injury but is expected to return to racing this fall.

Dunkirk fractured his left hind cannon bone during Saturday’s race. Trainer Todd Pletcher says the horse was set for surgery Tuesday to insert a screw to stabilize the leg. He anticipates a full recovery.

The trainer says Dunkirk was “slightly off” after the Belmont, which was won by Summer Bird. An X-ray Monday revealed the fracture.