|
Sustained was declared Friday morning from a start in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Worth Repeating came out of the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon, both races to be run Friday afternoon at Santa Anita. Later in the afternoon, trainer Bob Baffert scratched Super Ninety Nine from Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint. Trainer Dale Romans' scratch of Sustained was not totally unexpected. The Kentucky-based trainer, who has called California home the last three weeks, made the decision to declare the Juvenile Fillies Turf entrant after fighting a bruise in her right front foot all week. The Romans team thought they had it under control, but it flared up again Friday morning resulting in the decision to declare. "We probably could have still run, but we decided it was better to be safe than sorry," Romans said. "She's a nice filly and is going to be really good next year." Romans reported that his five other horses, including Turf runners Dullahan and Little Mike and Dirt Mile entrant Shackleford, were all doing great and had easy gallops Friday morning. Romans still has Moonwalk entered in the Juvenile Fillies Turf as he attempts to win the race for a second time. His fifth starter is Summit County in the Juvenile Turf. The defection of Sustained from the Juvenile Fillies Turf allowed Irish-trained Infanta Branca to draw into the race from the also-eligible list for trainer Aidan O'Brien. "Obviously it is unfortunate for anyone to have to scratch a horse on the day of the race, but of course I am pleased that having come all this way Infanta Branca will get a run after all," O'Brien said. "She will be coming out of the widest gate of all, but I am just pleased to just have her in the race." |
As for the rest of his team it was just a case of routine track work for the Saturday Breeders' Cup runners who all went out for their regular training routine without incident.
Worth Repeating was not so lucky in his preparations for the Breeders' Cup.
"After training (Thursday) morning he wasn't quite right," trainer Michael Machowsky said about the defection of the Giant's Causeway six-year-old. "Last night I had my vet and the state vet take a look at him and we said we'd do a double check this morning.
"He was just a little off in his left front; not much, but it was there. This morning both vets looked at him again and it was still there. So then it becomes a no-brainer. I can't run him in a race like this unless he's 100 percent. He'll be back for another day."
Super Ninety Nine, a chestnut colt by Pulpit, got cast in his stall early Friday morning, according to his trainer.
"I'm really upset. He got cast in his stall this morning. Of all things. And he just was getting more and more uneasy after it," Baffert said. "He's scraped up; it's not serious, but you can't have stuff like this prior to a race like this.
"He'll be OK, but not today. It is really too bad. He was going to win that race. And it was his owner's first horse -- her very first horse and her very first Breeders' Cup. It's just too bad."
It was announced earlier this week that Nereid would be scratched from Friday's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.