Aqueduct: Kid Cruz eyes Illinois Derby, perhaps Preakness

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Kid Cruz will not make a last-ditch effort to make the Kentucky Derby.

Kid Cruz, who impressed with an eye-catching last-to-first victory in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel on March 8, was scratched from Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial due to a minor shoulder strain, trainer Linda Rice said.

Rice said that if the horse improves she will try to run him in the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne on April 19 as a possible prep for the Preakness at Pimlico on May 17.

Rice said Kid Cruz came out of the Private Terms with a strain of the right shoulder, but he worked well enough on Wednesday at Belmont for her to enter him in the Wood to buy some more time. On Friday, Rice said the shoulder was still an issue.

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“Off of the breeze on Wednesday he’s just not 100 percent,” Rice said. “We were 50-50 going into the race with the idea that with the shoulder strain he may need a little more time. But I didn’t want to close the door on the Derby and points and everything else involved.”

The Illinois Derby does not offer any qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, a system employed by Churchill Downs in the likely event the race draws more than 20 entrants.

Rice claimed Kid Cruz for $50,000 last Nov. 22 from Black Swan Stable and trainer Bill Mott. After Kid Cruz ran a respectable second in a first-level allowance race on Jan. 26, Black Swan bought back a minority interest in the Lemon Drop Kid colt from Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds.

Emotional win for Rice

On Thursday, Rice won a $62,000 allowance race with the New York-bred Marriedtothemusic, who galloped to a 4 1/2-length victory in a sparkling time of 1:08.98 for six furlongs.

The horse was formerly with trainer Dominic Galluscio, a close friend of Rice’s who died on March 17 due to pancreatic cancer.
Rice got very emotional when asked to discuss the win.

“It’s bittersweet – he’s a really nice horse,” Rice said before failing to fight back tears. “Obviously, that was his best horse. Obviously, it meant a lot – wish he was here for it.”

Marrriedtothemusic, who earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the race, has won three of his last four starts and six of 10 overall.

Though Rice did not discuss plans, a logical spot for Marriedtothemusic would be the $100,000 Affirmed Success Stakes, a six-furlong race restricted to New York-breds on May 2 at Belmont Park.