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A look at Triple Crown winner Assault’s hooves
Known as the “Club-Footed Comet”, Assault’s front right hoof (the closer one here) was deformed due to an accident in his youth in which he stepped on a surveyor’s stake in his paddock. The stake went entirely through the hoof, which was permanently deformed after. The wall of the hoof was so thin that it was difficult to shoe the colt, the nail having almost nothing to anchor on to
An interesting thing about Assault is that, because of the deformed hoof, he would often fall during post parades. However, once he got going, he was hard to stop, and he never fell at the gallop.