Flood Zone will not run in Kentucky Derby
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Flood Zone, the winner of the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct in March who finished seventh in the U.A.E. Derby on April 5, will not run in the Kentucky Derby, according to Case Clay, the U.S. racing manager for the Wathnan Racing operation of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“He ran uncharacteristically flat compared to his first three races,” Clay said Friday night. “It would be too tall an order to come back here after running flat to go in the Kentucky Derby. Had he hit the board and ran well, closed well, we would have considered it.”
Flood Zone arrived back in the United States earlier this week along with Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show, also owned by Wathnan. Clay said Flood Zone could be pointed to a one-turn race for his next start. Flood Zone and Hit Show are both trained by Brad Cox.
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The defection of Flood Zone from Derby consideration allows Madaket Road, fourth in the Florida Derby, to make it into the body of the Kentucky Derby field. Madaket Road has many of the same principal owners as Citizen Bull and Rodriguez, both of whom are in the Derby field. All three horses are trained by six-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert.
The next horse on the points-qualifying list, who would need a defection to draw into the field, is Built. While Built has not been entirely ruled out of consideration for the Derby, Aron Welllman, head of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which owns Built, said earlier Friday that the horse is more likely for the Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Behind Built on the points-qualifying list, in order, are Neoequos, third in the Florida Derby; Render Judgment, fifth in the Blue Grass; and Baeza, the Santa Anita Derby runner-up.
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