Arlington Park: Dark Cove out of St. Leger; Stephanie’s Kitten turned out

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Dark Cove will be scratched from the $400,000 American St. Leger Stakes here Saturday because of filling in a tendon, co-owner Ken Ramsey said Friday.

Dark Cove was the 3-1 morning-line second choice behind English shipper Dandino in the long-distance turf race. Claimed by Ramsey and his wife, Sarah, for $50,000 in April 2012 and turned over to trainer Mike Maker, Dark Cove has won three straight graded 1 1/2-mile turf stakes – the Elkhorn, the Louisville, and the Stars and Stripes.

“He was training well, doing well, but he had slight filling in his tendon today, and we’re not going to run him unless he’s 100 percent,” Ramsey said. “We’ll treat the tendon, give him a little time off, and hopefully, we can still get him ready for the Breeders’ Cup Marathon at Santa Anita.”

Ramsey also reported that a nuclear scan performed on top turf filly Stephanie’s Kitten early this week had revealed no serious injury. Ramsey said Stephanie’s Kitten was “bone sore” and that she is turned out in a small paddock at the Ramsey’s farm in Kentucky. Stephanie’s Kitten, who had been slated to start in the Beverly D. here Saturday before showing lameness, will get 30 days off while maintaining fitness swimming on an Aquatred at the farm.

“We’ll just have to wait and see if we can get her back in time to make the Breeders’ Cup,” Ramsey said. “At this point, we’ll probably run her again as a 5-year-old next year.”

– additional reporting by David Grening