Global Campaign injured, off Kentucky Derby trail

Global Campaign had a big excuse for his fifth-place finish under Luis Saez in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth last Saturday at Gulfstream Park, one that will put an end to his Kentucky Derby dreams.

“He grabbed a quarter, on the meaty part above the coronet band and ripped it back, and it’s going to take some time to heal up,” said trainer Stanley Hough. “Luis said he wasn’t even sure where it happened. Best-case scenario he’s going to be out of training a couple of weeks, so he’ll have to miss the rest of these type of races. But I look at it as maybe a blessing in disguise because now he’ll get some time off, and by summer time I think he’ll really show himself and be the guy.”

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Saturday wasn’t a total loss for Hough, who earlier in the card sent out Recruiting Ready to register a 3 1/4-length victory over Quijote in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint while showing a new dimension.

“Sometimes it seems like he has to have it his way on the lead, but on Saturday he was forced to check, come back out and circle from off the pace to win,” said Hough. “We’ve been working with him in the morning, breezing him some slow three-quarters, trying to get him to relax, and I think he’s really been responding to that. It wasn’t the best field in the world but he did beat a pretty good horse. I was very proud of the way he was able to fight him off and finish like he did.”