(From Breeders' Cup notes team)
Add Heat, listed at 20-1 morning line odds for the Breeders’ Cup Marathon, the first race on the Oct. 25 World Championships card, was scratched by trainer Barry Abrams.
Abrams said the horse had a minor injury to the suspensory of his right front leg and was withdrawn from the $500,000 race that kicks off Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup World Championship card at Santa Anita Park.
Abrams, who is also partial owner of the horse, said the injury occurred Friday morning following a routine gallop on the Santa Anita main track.
He was coming off after galloping and the (exercise) rider said he was really feeling good,” the trainer said. “There were a lot of horses around the gap (at the head of the stretch) where they all come off and he said he had his hands full steering him through all the company. He took a bad step and hurt the leg. Nobody’s to blame; he just was feeling good and he was a handful.”
Abrams said the leg was slightly swollen following the incident.
If I wanted to, I could probably still run him, but what’s the point?” the conditioner said. “He’s completely sound, but in a race like this you can’t afford to take any chances. He’ll live to fight another day. I believe all things happen for a reason. We’ll find out what it is on down the line.”
Add Heat, a closing third in the California Cup Classic Oct. 5 in his most recent start, was scheduled to be ridden by Alex Solis out of post two in the nine-horse Marathon field.