If the horse come out of anethesia fine and does not freak like Ruffian then he can be saved. But a horse trained so fit and full of adrenaline does not react well to a cast. That is why race horses often don't survive . Regular horses are calmer and not full of adrenaline and withstand the recovery better. Even an amputation will work .Horse do OK on 3 legs, Just difficult to breed since that has to be done by live cover. No AI is allowed for TB's.
How stupid is that? That must have been negotiated by the stud horses themselves as part of a collective bargaining agreement.
Too bad about the injury to the horse- they are magnificent animals. Now we'll have to wait another year for a Triple Crown opp.