Charge It, with foot abscess, will miss Travers Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Charge It, the 23-length winner of the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park on July 2, will be forced to miss Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga due to a foot abscess, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday.

Charge It’s defection takes out a major contender and potential pace player from the marquee race of the summer for 3-year-olds.

The abscess forced Pletcher to alter Charge It’s training schedule. The horse walked on both Friday and Saturday, but after the abscess popped early Sunday morning, Pletcher had Charge It gallop on with the hopes if that went well, he could work Charge It on Monday and still make the Travers.

But following Sunday’s gallop, Charge It had some blood coming out of the foot, so Pletcher didn’t feel comfortable moving forward.

“He galloped super, but you could tell just jogging back he was a little bit tender on it,” Pletcher said. “It’s one of those things where if we didn’t need to breeze again we might be able to get it healed up before the race. But needing to get another work into him, it’s unfortunate timing.”

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Treating the abscess will depend on “once it’s fully opened up and see how it starts to grow out,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said how long it takes the foot to heal will determine whether Charge It can make a race like the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 24.

“Obviously the foot’s going to dictate when he’s going to be ready to breeze again,” Pletcher said.

Charge It, a son of Tapit owned by Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm, finished second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby in just his third start. He finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby, but displaced his palate for which he underwent a minor surgical procedure, known as a myectomy.

He was overpowering in the Dwyer, sitting just off the early pace before dominating five overmatched foes and winning by 23 lengths, earning a 111 Beyer Speed Figure.

Charge It’s defection leaves the Travers with a likely field of eight when entries close and post positions are assigned at a Tuesday evening draw ceremony at a downtown Saratoga Springs venue.

Epicenter, the Jim Dandy winner and likely Travers favorite, was expected to have his final breeze on Monday morning at Saratoga. All the other horses had their final workouts over the weekend.

Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, who on Friday worked a half-mile in 46.50 seconds, returned to the track Sunday morning for an extended gallop over the main track.

The other Travers starters, including Preakness winner Early Voting, Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Zandon, Haskell and Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife, Iowa Derby winner Ain’t Life Grand and Curlin Stakes one-two finishers Artorius and Gilded Age, all breezed on Saturday.

There were only 12 nominations to the Travers. Among the others were Nest, who won Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama, We the People, who is pointing to the Pennsylvania Derby, and Ethereal Road, who is likely pointing to the Grade 3, $200,000 Saranac at 1 1/16 miles on turf here on Sept. 3.