Late scratch of half of coupled entry causes confusion

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An incident prior to the first race May 21 at Churchill prompted a question as to what Kentucky stewards can do if part of a stable coupling is scratched at the gate, leaving fans who preferred the scratched half of the entry to be stuck with the lesser half.

The answer, according to chief steward Barbara Borden: nothing.

“We have no discretionary power in these cases,” said Borden.

The topic arose after Senseu’vebeengone, half of a John Hancock-trained entry, was scratched with just two minutes to post. No extra time was allotted for refunds or exchanges, and the remaining half of the entry, Whiskey Tail, finished a no-threat fourth at 10-1.

In some racing jurisdictions, such a scenario demands – or at least leaves to the stewards’ discretion – that the remaining horse competes for purse money only. In one well-known incident from the late 1980s at Pimlico, the great Broad Brush was a late gate scratch, and his entrymate of far lesser caliber was defeated at odds-on, leaving fans enraged and eventually leading to a rules change.

Borden said the purse-money-only provision usually is the least desirable of options.

“We’ve used that before, and it leads to a lot of confusion and customer dissatisfaction,” she said.

◗ Trainer Bret Calhoun said Promise Me Silver will breeze here once more before leaving on the Wednesday charter to New York, where she will run in the Grade 1 Acorn on the Belmont undercard June 6. The unbeaten Texas-bred won the Grade 3 Eight Belles on the Kentucky Oaks undercard May 1 in her eighth start and her first in graded company.

With so many Churchill horses scheduled to run on Belmont weekend, there are two flights scheduled from Louisville next week. American Pharoah is among the horses booked on the Tuesday charter.