Turf Sprint: Ageless withdrawn due to leg laceration

Ageless will not run in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Oct. 31 at Keeneland, trainer Arnaud Delacour said on Friday.

She is the second known defection from the oversubscribed race. Obviously is passing the Turf Sprint in favor of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, according to his trainer, Phil D’Amato. Both horses were listed in the body of the field when pre-entries were announced Wednesday, and their defections open up spots for the next two horses on the selection committee preference list, Marchman and Stacked Deck.

Ageless, 6-year-old mare by Successful Appeal, sustained a gash to her left hind leg while winning the $100,000 Franklin County on Oct. 9 at Keeneland. She had stitches for the laceration, which is located just below her hock, and those stitches were scheduled to be removed Saturday, said Delacour.

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“She won’t be running in the Turf Sprint,” said Delacour. “She’s doing well, but we’re just running out of time. We’re not going to be able to train her for probably another week. The timing is not working out, but we live to fight another day.”

Delacour said Ageless is scheduled to ship back to her Fair Hill Training Center base in Maryland on Sunday. She has been stabled at Keeneland. Ageless, who races for Lael Stables, would have been one of the top choices in the Turf Sprint. She was a close fourth in last year’s race and captured the Grade 3 Royal North at Woodbine one start prior to taking the Franklin County over odds-on favorite Lady Shipman.

“We’ll get her home,” said Delacour. “We’ll be watching the Breeders’ Cup and wish the best to Lady Shipman and the other horses we’ve run with.”