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Injury knocks El Areeb out of Kentucky Derby contention

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LAUREL, Md. (AP) El Areeb has been knocked out of Kentucky Derby contention because of a slight knee fracture.

Trainer Cal Lynch said Thursday that El Areeb would undergo surgery on Monday for the injury that is not career-threatening.

El Areeb had won the Jerome and Withers, making him one of the East Coast's leading candidates for the Kentucky Derby on May 6.

Lynch said X-rays showed the knee fracture after the colt completed a 1 1/8-mile workout on Thursday. El Areeb was set to make his next start in the Wood Memorial on April 8 at Aqueduct.

Lynch said the colt's surgery would be done at New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The timetable for recovery and return is uncertain, although Lynch said it's typically six months.

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