Noble's Promise , the 8-5 favorite of the 61,000 fans attending the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) April 10, came out of his fifth-place finish race with cuts on both his front legs suffered while getting squeezed by competitors at the start and on the first turn.
“Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong yesterday,” said Walter Blum Jr., assistant and exercise rider for trainer Ken McPeek, the morning after the $1 million race. “He had problems getting saddled then it was all over right at the start of the race.
"He’s all cut up and we had to treat them with antibiotics," Blum said. "The Derby is three weeks away. We’re going to have to wait and see if he can make it. It’s hard to say how cuts like that might heal.”
Chasing Dreams Racing 2008’s Noble's Promise ranks second on the graded stakes earning list with $738,000.
After missing by a head in the Rebel Stakes (gr. II) after leading in the stretch on March 13, the son of Cuvee--The Devil's Trick, by Clever Trick, had a terrible trip in his return to Oaklawn in the Arkansas Derby.
Ridden by Robby Albarado, Noble's Promise broke out at the start and bumped and remained in tight quarters before steadying on the first turn. After getting into striking distance in the stretch, he lugged in and weakened to lose by 4 1/4 lengths.