Breeders’ Cup Juvenile: Tale of S’avall likely to scratch

LEXINGTON, Ky. – When Tale of S’avall missed a workout Sunday at Belmont Park due to sore feet, trainer Barclay Tagg held out some hope that he still could make Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile if things turned around quickly during the week in Kentucky.

Apparently, that didn’t happen, and Tagg said Thursday that Tale of S’avall most likely will be scratched from the Juvenile at Keeneland. Tagg had not officially scratched Tale of S’avall by noon Thursday. If he scratches Tale of S’avall by 8 a.m. Friday, that would enable Siding Spring to draw in from the also-eligible list.

“In all likelihood, we probably won’t run because his feet are still sore,” Tagg said Thursday after training. “We’ll know for sure [Friday] morning. I want to fix him up and point him to the Remsen.”

The Remsen is a Grade 2 stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on Nov. 28.

The frogs are the bottom part of a horse’s foot that act like a shock absorber. Last Sunday, Tagg canceled a scheduled workout at Belmont Park, saying the colt’s front frogs were tender.

The horse shipped to Lexington on Monday. He jogged Tuesday and again Wednesday, the latter time over Keeneland’s synthetic training track. On Wednesday night, Tagg said a specialist applied a special poultice on Tale of S’avall’s feet. There was improvement Thursday morning, but after a gallop over a sloppy main track, Tale of S’avall’s feet were sore again.

“After training today, they were hurting,” Tagg said.

Tale of S’avall, a son of Tale of Ekati owned and bred by Charles Fipke, won a maiden race at Saratoga on Travers Day. He finished fifth in the Grade 1 Champagne on a sloppy track at Belmont Park on Oct. 3.

Trainer Mark Casse hopes to get the chance to run Siding Spring, a son of Warrior’s Reward who has made his only two starts on turf. He won a one-mile maiden race at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 14 and then finished third to the Casse-trained Airoforce in the Grade 3 Bourbon at Keeneland.

Casse loved the way Siding Spring worked on dirt at Churchill Downs last weekend, and though the horse was pre-entered for both the Juvenile and the Juvenile Turf, he was only entered in the Juvenile.

Luis Saez is named to ride Siding Spring.

Tom’s Ready is still on the also-eligible list and would need an additional scratch by 8 a.m. Friday in order to get in.