Rinterval okay after accident, will run in Spinster
After a sudden, abrupt departure from a scheduled meeting with Zenyatta in the Lady’s Secret Stakes last Saturday at Hollywood Park, Rinterval has returned to Keeneland, where she will attempt to secure a start in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic by competing in the Grade 1, $500,000 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland on Sunday.
Rinterval fell over and hit her head and withers in the saddling stall at Hollywood Park, landing with a crash whose sickening sound could be heard throughout the paddock. She was immediately scratched by the track’s veterinarian, but her trainer, Eric Reed, on Wednesday said she was fine just minutes later and should be set for a top effort on Sunday.
“She’s doing good,” Reed said Wednesday morning. “We walked her back to the barn, and she had a little attitude by the time we got there. She jogged on Sunday morning, then worked on Monday at Hollywood because I didn’t want to go two weeks without working her. She got back here Tuesday at noon. All systems are go.”
Reed said Rinterval “had never done anything like that” before.
“I think the crowd was way too close to the saddling area,” he said.
There is usually a smattering of people there, but on Saturday, hundreds of fans were there to see Zenyatta, who ended up scoring her 19th victory, and the energy was palpable.
Rinterval gave Zenyatta a scare in the Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar in August, losing by a neck after leading for much of the race. Though a winner of just 3 of 23 starts, Rinterval has an enviable record on synthetic surfaces, with 2 wins and 4 seconds in 11 starts. Curiously, she has never run at Keeneland, even though Reed is based here.
“She’s always trained great here,” he said. “Maybe this all happened for a reason.”
Among those scheduled to face Rinterval in the Spinster are Zardana, a stablemate of Zenyatta’s in the John Shirreffs barn, and Funny Moon, who was freshened this summer for a fall campaign.
“We did it on purpose,” said her trainer, Christophe Clement.