Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital will honor the Thoroughbred champion Wise Dan with the Rood & Riddle Comeback Award at Hats Off Day on July 30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

The award is given to an equine athlete who has overcome a major health complication and returned to elite competition.

“We are pleased to present the inaugural Rood & Riddle Comeback Award to Wise Dan,” said Tom Riddle, DVM, co-founder of Rood & Riddle. “Wise Dan exemplifies the characteristics of an outstanding athlete who suffered a major health issue and returned to compete successfully.”

Wise Dan is owned by Morton Fink, and trained by Charlie LoPresti. He was cared for throughout his racing career by Rood & Riddle veterinarians, primarily Larry Bramlage, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, who looked after his orthopedic needs, and Scott Hopper, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, who performed colic surgery in 2014.

“Wise Dan is a remarkable athlete and we are excited for him to receive this award,” said LoPresti. “For him to recover from major surgery and come back to the level of competition he did and in such a short time is truly remarkable Rood & Riddle played a large part in Wise Dan’s success, specifically Drs. Bramlage and Hopper. We are thankful to the entire Rood & Riddle team.”

The Comeback Award trophy will be presented on the evening of July 30 at Hats Off Day, Kentucky’s day to celebrate the horse industry. The presentation will be part of the opening ceremonies for the Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix. Wise Dan will also make an appearance in the Rolex Stadium. The award will be presented to Lopresti and his wife and farm manager Amy by Dr. Bramlage and Dr. Hopper.