LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- It was Derby déjà vu all over again for Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher. Grande, the Wood Memorial runner-up, was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby by Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation veterinarians due to a cracked heel on his right front foot. It was two years ago that Repole-owned, Pletcher-trained Forte, the morning-line favorite for the Derby, was scratched the morning of the race. In 2011, Repole and Pletcher had to scratch favorite Uncle Mo the day before the race due to an intestinal issue. The scratch means Pletcher, a two-time Derby winner, will not have a starter in the Kentucky Derby for the first time since 2003. With Grande's scratch, the Derby field is now at 19. Grande did not train Friday morning. Around 8 a.m. the regulatory vets watched Grande jog on the road outside Pletcher’s barn. Before the scratch, Pletcher said the vets’ concern was that Grande was “intermittently a tick off right front,” he said. After watching Grande jog, Nick Smith, the chief racing veterinarian for the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, huddled up with five associates for about 10 minutes before talking to Pletcher, who then relayed the information by phone to Repole. Repole announced the circumstances of Grande’s scratch in a post on X. “Unfortunately, the vets have decided to scratch Grande from tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby,” Repole wrote. “He has been battling a slight cracked heel this week which has been improving. To be cautious, Todd X-rayed on Monday and the horse had clean X-rays. On Wednesday, the state vets asked us if we could do a PET scan and Grande had that yesterday and it was also clean. “He has been training and looking great on the track all week,” Repole continued. “The heel has improved and again this morning. Unfortunately, the vets told us this morning they were scratching the horse despite the clean diagnostics.” In his post, Repole expressed frustration that Grande had to be scratched Friday and not Saturday, giving it another day to see if the foot would continue to improve. “With all the diagnostics we have taken, the great vets we use, and the experience of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, we are baffled and confused by what criteria vets are using to determine who scratches, who doesn’t and when -- especially every diagnostic tells us the horse is safe and sound,” Repole wrote. Both Repole and Pletcher declined further comment. Grande becomes the second horse in 24 hours -- coincidentally both from the Wood Memorial -- to scratch from the Kentucky Derby. On Thursday, Rodriguez, the Wood winner, was scratched by trainer Bob Baffert due to a foot issue. The scratches of Rodriguez and Grande mean Hall of Fame jockeys Mike Smith and John Velazquez will not have mounts in this year's Kentucky Derby. Smith has ridden in 28 Derbies, Velazquez 26. The difference in the two scratches is that Rodriguez, since he is officially a trainer’s scratch, is not put on a veterinarian’s list, meaning he could potentially run back in the Preakness Stakes on May 17. In the case of Grande, since he is a vet scratch, the horse must work before a veterinarian and then undergo a blood test, the results of which could take several weeks, meaning Grande could not run in the Preakness. This the seventh straight year that there have been scratches from the Kentucky Derby after entries closed and post positions assigned. :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Two other horses -- Render Judgment and Owen Almighty -- whom the veterinarians are believed to be monitoring extra close, both trained Friday. Render Judgment, who has been dealing with a quarter crack, appears to be in good shape to run Saturday after galloping. “Render Judgement vet exam all good,” trainer Kenny McPeek texted. “Feet look great.” Owen Almighty, who earlier in the week was dealing with a foot issue, galloped 1 3/8 miles Friday morning. “Couldn’t have been happier,” Brian Lynch, trainer of Owen Almighty said. “Even from when they jogged him on the road. I’m sure [Smith] is going to be back here a couple of more times and I’m sure if he has any horse judgment about him he’s got to be happy about the way that horse trained.” Coal Battle, who worked on Monday, walked Tuesday and Wednesday and jogged on Thursday, had a regular gallop Friday morning. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.