No immediate plans for Imperial Hint

Imperial Hint came out of his sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes tired but fine, according to trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. Imperial Hint was scheduled to arrive back at Parx on Wednesday.

Imperial Hint was the 6-5 favorite in the nine-horse field last Saturday. It is the first time in eight starts since November 2016 that Imperial Hint finished worse than second. He set the pace under Javier Castellano for the first six furlongs of the seven-eighths race, then weakened over the sloppy footing to be beaten 4 1/4 lengths.

“He was really, really tired after the race,” Carvajal said. “I think the track got to him. Javier said he did not think he was comfortable on that track.

“After a race like that, you worry if the horse is okay, but the next morning when I got to the barn, his feed tub was empty. I took the poultice off his legs, and they were ice cold.”

Carvajal will put Imperial Hint back in training at Parx and then begin looking for the 5-year-old’s next race.