Macho Again to Skip Breeders' Cup Classic

(Edited press release)

West Point Thoroughbreds' Macho Again will skip the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park, due to a cough he developed following his breeze Oct. 17.

“Talk about bad timing,” said Terry Finley, president and CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds. “We’re going to have to skip a breeze. This disrupts his training schedule enough that we aren’t going to send him to the Super Bowl of Thoroughbred racing a work or two short. Of course the partners are disappointed. They had voted to go to Santa Anita, but we all knew that this was the right thing to do.”

West Point Thoroughbreds is looking at the Nov. 27 Clark Handicap (gr. II) at Churchill Downs as one possible option for Macho Again’s next start.

Macho Again, who finished second in last year’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I), captured the Stephen Foster (gr. I) and New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) earlier this year. He was also runner up in the Whitney Handicap (gr. I) and was beaten a nose by Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward Stakes (both gr. I) at Saratoga this summer.

A 4-year-old son of Macho Uno , Macho Again has earned more than $1.8 million and holds a record of 6-6-0 from 20 career starts.