Grade II winner Nates Mineshaft will not run in the $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup (gr. II) Oct. 6, Hawthorne general manager Jim Miller confirmed the morning of the race.
The 5-year-old son of Mineshaft , trained by Austin Smith for Windy Hill Farm, was scratched because "there was a disagreement between the owner and trainer on whether or not the horse had enough fitness to run the mile and a quarter," Miller said.
Nates Mineshaft has not raced since a third-place finish in the June 16 Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill Downs. He has been training at Hawthorne since mid-September and recorded two works over the track: four furlongs in :49 2/5 on Sept. 22 and five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 Sept. 29.
The big bay was 4-1 third choice on the morning line in a seven-horse field that includes 5-2 favorite Alternation . Nates Mineshaft won the May 28 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III), the April 1 New Orleans Handicap (gr. II), and the Mineshaft Handicap (gr. III) in February.
Nates Mineshaft was bred in Kentucky by Cobra Farm out of the Silver Deputy mare Angel's Tearlet and was an $8,000 purchase from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale in 2008. He has earned $635,214, with a 7-1-2 record from 16 starts.