Desert Gate out of Breeders' Cup Juvenile due to infection
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DEL MAR, Calif. - Desert Gate, winner of the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes and runner-up in two Grade 1 stakes in California, is out of Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, trainer Bob Baffert told the Breeders’ Cup notes team on Saturday.
“He’s got an infection on his hock and we had to treat it with antibiotics,” said Baffert, who was planning to work the horse on Sunday. “He is going to be Ok, but he is not going to run.”
Desert Gate, the co-third choice at 8-1 on David Aragona’s morning line, finished second in both the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah Stakes.
Desert Gate was one of three 2-year-old colts Baffert had pre-entered for the Juvenile. He still has Brant, the Del Mar Futurity winner, and Litmus Test, third in the Breeders’ Futurity.
The defection of Desert Gate leaves the Juvenile with eight horses. That would match the shortest field in the history of the race. Eight horses competed in the Juvenile in 2019, 2004 and 1997.
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