Slight illness prevents Major Gain from running

Barbara D. Livingston

Pluck must find a way to overcome post 13 in the BC Juvenile Turf.

Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, which had been expected to be oversubscribed, came up just short of a full field when 13 horses were entered Tuesday, led by 9-2 morning-line favorite Master of Hounds.

Major Gain, the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity winner, was not entered after he ran a temperature Tuesday morning, said trainer Wayne Catalano.

“He will be fine in a few days but will not be well enough to run on Saturday,” he said. “It’s disappointing, but these things happen sometimes.”
Making the entry box, but not drawing well, were longshot Humble and Hungry in post 12 and Grade 3 Summer Stakes winner Pluck in post 13.

Both horses run a risk of being hung wide in the one-mile Juvenile Turf, with a run of slightly more than a furlong to the first of two turns.
Since 2000, no horse has won from post 12 or farther outside in one-mile turf races at Churchill Downs. Post 12 is 0 for 48 since 2000, and post 13 is 0 for 3.

Only in stakes races will Churchill Downs even start more than 12 runners on its seven-furlong turf course.