Brown will have options with Hill Road once recovered
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Hill Road, who had to scratch from Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial due to a fever, will remain in consideration for several spots, including the Kentucky Derby, depending on how quickly he rebounds, trainer Chad Brown said Friday.
Hill Road, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Tampa Bay Derby, has 24 qualifying points toward the Derby, unlikely enough to crack the field, which is limited to 20 starters. But Brown said owner Kiavash Joorabchian of Amo Racing didn’t want to dismiss it entirely should the opportunity present itself as it gets closer to entry day.
Brown said the other options for Hill Road include training up to the Preakness at Pimlico on May 17 or run in the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan at Aqueduct on May 10 as a potential stepping-stone to the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 7.
Brown said Thursday that Hill Road had to scratch from the Wood Memorial due to a fever he got after vanning from Florida to New York. He said Friday that while the fever had subsided, Hill Road’s bloodwork was still not satisfactory.
If the bloodwork did improve and Brown was happy with the way Hill Road was training by the middle of the week, it’s conceivable he could return to the work tab as early as next weekend.
“It’s a shame because he was doing good,” Brown said about having to miss the Wood. “This is still a really nice horse with the potential for a big year.”
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