Bodemeister, the runner-up in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, has been retired after being diagnosed with an injury to his left shoulder, the colt’s connections announced today (Aug. 21). The colt has begun treatment and a full recovery is expected in the coming months, but the bay Virginia-bred would not have been able to return in time for major races at the end of 2012.

"Bodemeister has a peripheral nerve injury which caused atrophy of the infraspinatus muscle in his left shoulder," Larry Bramlage, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, a surgeon at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, said in a release. "This made us look at something unusual, rather than a normal lameness. His legs are perfect but he was clinical when jogging to the left. After ruling out neck issues with X rays and a myelogram, we feel confident in the diagnosis. It will take approximately 60 days to heal."

According to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the injury likely occurred a couple of weeks ago at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, located in Del Mar, Calif., when Bodemeister stumbled during routine training. It was enough to throw his exercise rider to the ground.

"He was just never quite right after that and we couldn’t figure out what was going on with him," said Baffert. "It’s extremely unfortunate. We wanted to win the Breeders’ Cup with him