Unbridled, the 1990 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and champion who has become a prominent sire, is showing signs of improvement after undergoing two surgeries.Gus Koch, manager of Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky, where Unbridled stands, said on Thursday that the 14-year-old son of Fappiano is "doing better" in a situation that he has called life-threatening.

Koch said a tube was used to drain fluid from Unbridled's stomach and small intestine on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but that it was removed on Wednesday afternoon.

"This morning he is much brighter," Koch said. "He is strong. He is hydrated and he has a very good attitude. We're still not out of the woods, but it looks like we've won another battle."

The 14-year-old son of Fappiano had three to four feet of his large colon removed in the initial surgery on September 21 at Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Associates equine clinic near Lexington. The surgery was performed to remove a mass that resulted after the horse's colon inexplicably shifted position and crimped leading to a thickening.

Unbridled appeared to be improving until he developed a fever on September 26. A second surgery the following day revealed a hole the size of pencil eraser in the colon where the two sections had been sutured together.

From seven crops of racing age, Unbridled has sired 23 stakes winners including champions Banshee Breeze and Anees and 1996 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Grindstone. His progeny have earned $25,063,543 through Wednesday.—Liane Crossley