Off of back-to-back million-dollar seasons, older trotting star Periculum appeared poised for a three-peat with his impressive season's debut in the 2026 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial in May at The Meadowlands.
Those aspirations have been shelved along with the seven-year-old trotter, who is sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an injury.
According to trainer Marcus Melander, who co-owns the son of Muscle Hill-Amous Heiress through his Holly Lane Stud East Ltd. of Florida along with Brixton Medical Inc. of Matawan, N.J., Periculum tore a suspensory ligament in that Cutler victory and will not race again in 2026.
The injury isn't necessarily career-ending, according to Melander, who indicated that the stallion will have his semen evaluated in August but right now the plan is to return to racing next year.
Lifetime, Periculum sports a 17-13-8 record from 64 starts with more than $2.8 million in purse earnings. Along with back-to-back Cutler victories, Periculum boasts major stakes scores in the Maple Leaf Trot in 2024, John Cashman Memorial, Allerage Farm Open Trot, Crawford Farms and Caesars Trotting Classic in 2025.
(Standardbred Canada)