Kid Cruz injured during claiming race, retired

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Linda Rice said goodbye to one of her stable stalwarts Sunday after Kid Cruz was injured during Aqueduct’s third race and was subsequently retired from racing.

Kid Cruz bowed a tendon in his left foreleg. He was pulled up in the stretch of a $40,000 claiming race and was vanned off. The breeder of Kid Cruz, Machmer Hall Farm in Kentucky, agreed to take the horse. He will be gelded and likely trained for a second career as a riding or show horse.

Kid Cruz, a son of Lemon Drop Kid, retires with a record of 7-5-3 from 25 starts and earnings of $792,985.

He began his career with Black Swan Stable and trainer Bill Mott. Rice claimed Kid Cruz out of a winning effort for $50,000 on behalf of the Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds of Steven Brandt and Rick Boylan. Black Swan Stable later bought back into the horse.

As a 3-year-old, Kid Cruz won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico and the Easy Goer and Grade 3 Dwyer stakes at Belmont Park. He also finished third in the Jim Dandy and fourth in the Travers at Saratoga. At 5, he won the John B. Campbell Stakes at Laurel and the Grade 3 Excelsior at Aqueduct.