Line of Duty, intended for Breeders' Cup Mile, euthanized following injury in England

Breeders’ Cup Mile pre-entrant Line of Duty, who won the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, was seriously injured and subsequently euthanized Saturday morning in England.

Godolphin, the colt’s owner, reported the news on its website while providing no details regarding how Line of Duty got hurt or the specific nature of his injury. Line of Duty, trained by Charlie Appleby, was a plucky son of Galileo who competed hard in every race, though he had been winless since the BC Juvenile Turf last November.

Line of Duty, who had been scheduled to arrive with the rest of the Godolphin horses Saturday at Santa Anita, had a spot in the main body of the Mile and his absence will open a slot in the starting gate for one of the horses not originally selected to start in an oversubscribed field.

Bricks and Mortar is pre-entered in the Mile but is expected to be scratched in favor of the Turf, so at least two horses originally on the outside looking in will find their way into the Mile. Suedois, based in England, is the first horse on the list followed by the France-based Trais Fluors. If either of those horses don’t ship this weekend, Lucullan, based in New York and perhaps more deserving of a spot in the field than a couple horses selected to start, would be the next horse up.

Circus Maximus, who comes from Ireland early next week, and the females Got Stormy and Uni should head the Mile betting.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, and more