LOUISVILLE, KY. – Right to Party, runner-up in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby due to lameness in his right foreleg, opening a spot for Robusta to join the field.  Right to Party was the third horse to be scratched from the Kentucky Derby since entries were taken on April 25. Scratched earlier in the week were Silent Tactic (bruised foot) and Fulleffort (chip in hind ankle). Those drawing in from the also-eligible list when those horses scratched were Great White and Ocelli.  There were no other scratches by 9 a.m. Friday, meaning Corona de Oro, the fourth horse on the also-eligible list was scratched.  Kenny McPeek, the trainer of Right to Party, said regulatory veterinarians who look at the Derby horses all week told him that Right to Party was lame in his right front. McPeek had a bone scan done on the horse and, reading from the report he said, “This finding is most likely not associated with an increased risk for breakdown,” McPeek said.  McPeek said “not all horses are clean joggers. Maybe they’ll run the Kentucky Derby [in a jog] 50 years from now. The horse is a grinder, he grinds it out, he’s not a breakdown candidate. He’s a short-pasterned horse and he’s got plenty of bone and there isn’t a warm spot on his legs. I just think we’re in the age of analysis paralysis.”  :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. McPeek has been frustrated with the Kentucky veterinarians for a while now and noted an increased number of scratches at the Keeneland meet as something that is adversely impacting the game, especially in Kentucky.   “I don’t know how to do this anymore,” said McPeek, who just two years ago won the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby in a 24-hour period. “Under this climate, I don’t know how to do it. I can’t wait to retire. I would quit today and feel okay about it. It’s not any fun anymore.”  McPeek was asked why he doesn’t retire.  “I got all these great people who work for me, I got great clients, I’m at the peak of my career and dealing with all this is misery,” McPeek said. “I got a great barn of horses, great staff, great clients. This just makes you want to say ‘bye.’  “Look at the guys that have quit in front of me, that’s why, they don’t need all this crap,” McPeek added. “Trust us or don’t trust us. It’s the state of Kentucky that doesn’t trust us. We’re not dealing with this anywhere else. We’re not dealing with it in New York, Arkansas, Indiana, Florida. Maybe they’re dealing with it in California, but they’ve lost their mind here.”  Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming , the regulatory body of racing in Kentucky, released a statement after the scratch of Right to Party that did not address the specifics of the scratch. "However, we can say that the safety and well-being of the racehorses training and competing in Kentucky are the center of everything we do," the statement read. "KHRG closely monitors data pertaining to scratches, including those based on the advice of our regulatory veterinarians. It is one of the most difficult parts of the job, as we share the goal of each horse’s connections for the horse to compete safely. KHRG will continue to work with our licensees, HISA, HIWU, and our racetracks to promote the safety of the horse, and protect the jockeys, horsemen, and horsewomen. We are constantly evaluating our processes and procedures with the best interests of the horse in mind, and we will continue to engage with stakeholders, including trainers and attending veterinarians. We all want what is best for the horse.” While McPeek was frustrated, across the Churchill Downs barn area, trainer Doug O’Neill was elated when he got the call shortly after 8:15 a.m. that Robusta got into the field. Robusta, a son of Accelerate, finished second, a head behind Potente, in the Grade 2 San Felipe on March 7. He bobbled at the break in the Santa Anita Derby, dueled with Potente on the lead and backed up to finish last of seven.  “He’s always trained like a horse who was crying out for two turns, we saw that in the San Felipe, anything similar to that effort gives him a chance,” said O’Neill, who also runs Pavlovian in the Kentucky Derby.  :: Get DRF Kentucky Oaks & Derby Clocker Reports by Mike Welsch and the DRF Clocker Team O’Neill said that in the Santa Anita Derby, Robusta “stumbled really bad leaving there, then he gathered himself and got himself back into the race, but that took too much out of him. Emisael [Jaramillo] took care of him and didn’t beat him up. Just grateful we’re in.”  Jaramillo was named to ride Robusta. But when he was three deep on the also-eligible list, O’Neill gave Jaramillo’s agent the opportunity to secure mounts for Saturday’s card in California. He is named to ride the entire 11-race card at Santa Anita.  In the Kentucky Derby, Robusta will be ridden by Cristian Torres, who had been named to ride Silent Tactic before he was scratched on Wednesday.  When Fulleffort was scratched on Thursday, that left Tyler Gaffalione without a mount. Gaffalione picked up Ocelli, as trainer Whit Beckman decided to replace Joe Ramos with a rider who has more experience in the big races. :: Get DRF Kentucky Oaks & Derby Betting Strategies by Marcus Hersh and David Aragona. Full analysis and wager recommendations!