Subsanador to miss Breeders' Cup Classic with ankle injury

An ankle injury will prevent Grade 1 winner Subsanador from starting in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2, trainer Richard Mandella said on Saturday.

Subsanador, owned by Wathnan Racing, won the Grade 1 California Crown at Santa Anita on Sept. 28 to earn a fees-paid berth to the BC Classic.

“We found a problem in his ankle and we’ll have to turn him out,” Mandella said. “It’s not a big problem. “We’ll have to stop and come back next year.”

Mandella said Subsanador will not need surgery and could return to racing in late spring.

“He’ll be fine,” he said. “He’ll need a little time off.”

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A 5-year-old Argentine-bred horse, Subsanador has won 9 of 17 starts racing in Argentina and California. Subsanador was a Group 1 winner at about a mile on dirt in Argentina in 2023 before being relocated to California.

Initially, Subsanador was trained by John Sadler for his first two starts in California, including a second by a head in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March.

Purchased privately by Wathnan Stud and transferred to Mandella last spring, Subsanador was fourth in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita in May before winning the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park in August.

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