Xtra Heat, who would have been heavily favored in Saturday's Garland of Roses Handicap at Aqueduct, will not run after coming down with a cough Friday morning, trainer John Salzman said from his barn at Laurel."She coughed a bunch of times and left a handful of feed this morning," Salzman said. "Looks like she may have gotten a little sick with the weather changing back and forth. I don't want to take a chance with her; there are too many other races out there. She's been too good to us. We're going to possibly point to the Interborough Handicap (run Jan. 1 at Aqueduct). That looks like it could be a good spot."
The daughter of Dixieland Heat, who would have carried topweight of 124 pounds in the Garland of Roses, is coming off a third-place finish against colts in the grade I Frank DeFrancis Memorial and a second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. She has won nine of her 13 starts this year, and is a candidate for an Eclipse Award in both the sprint and 3-year-old filly divisions.
Xtra Heat, winnning her first grade I stake in the Prioress at Belmont Park in July.
