Sticksstatelydude to miss Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sticksstatelydude was withheld from Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile due to a tendon strain in his right foreleg, trainer and co-owner Greg Burchell said Monday, hours before entries were due.

“It’s not bad, but it’s something that could be a problem if I go ahead with him,” Burchell said. “We’ll go ahead and shoot for his 3-year-old year.”

It’s the second time in seven weeks that Sticksstatelydude was forced to miss a Grade 1 race. In September, he was scratched out of the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga after developing a temperature the night before the race.

Sticksstatelydude won a maiden race at Saratoga on Aug. 1 in his second start. After missing the Hopeful, he ran in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, finishing fourth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by the winner, Brody’s Cause.

With that race and two subsequent workouts by Sticksstatelydude, Burchell thought the colt was ready to move forward in the Juvenile.

“It makes me sick,” Burchell said. “He looks great and sound. Hopefully, it’s something we get through in about a month. We’ll take him to Palm Meadows and point for his 3-year-old year.”

Beth Burchell, Greg’s wife, found a silver lining in not being able to run Sticksstatelydude in the Juvenile. She reminded her husband that American Pharoah, who won the Triple Crown this year, scratched out of last year’s Juvenile the day after entries were taken.

The defection of Sticksstatelydude allowed the European shipper Waterloo Bridge, trained by Aidan O’Brien, to get into the Juvenile field. Siding Spring is first on the also-eligible list.