Little Mike out of Woodford Reserve at Churchill

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Little Mike, one of the leading contenders for Saturday’s Grade 1 Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs, has been scratched from the race due to a fever, trainer Dale Romans said Friday.

The scratch of Little Mike still leaves a deep field of 13 for the Woodford Reserve, a 1 1/8-mile turf race, but his scratch dramatically changes the pace picture. Little Mike had been expected to set the pace, a frontrunning position Maker’s Mile winner Get Stormy may now inherit.

Three also-eligibles – Caracortado, Citrus Kid, and Riviera Cocktail - were also scratched from the Woodford Reserve.