Fort Larned fine physically after flop in Oaklawn Handicap

Fort Larned, the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner who finished fifth to Cyber Secret in the Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap on Saturday, emerged from the race in good order, his trainer, Ian Wilkes, said on Sunday. The horse shipped Sunday morning to Churchill Downs.

“He’s good,” Wilkes said Sunday, noting the horse scoped clean after the race and had not been found to have any other physical problems.

“I just didn’t run my race yesterday,” Wilkes said. “The thing is, it’s one of them you probably just put a line through and you move on. He just wasn’t there yesterday. He never fired.”

Wilkes, is based at Churchill, said Fort Larned could make his next start in the track’s Grade 2, $300,000 Alysheba on May 3.

“That’s a possibility,” said Wilkes.

Cyber Secret was winning his fourth straight race in the Oaklawn Handicap and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 108.