Wildcat Red looks to regroup after troubled Derby run

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Like many of the 19 horses in this year’s Kentucky Derby, Wildcat Red never really had the opportunity to run his best race on Derby Day. Now, trainer Jose Garoffalo is eager to get his star back to the track and is looking for him to have a big second half to his 3-year-old campaign.

“He suffered some bumps and bruises and also about a one-inch cut on his right front leg just outside the cannon bone during the running of the Derby,” Garoffalo said of Wildcat Red on Friday. “But all his wounds are healed. He’s doing very well. He’s very happy right now, and he’ll resume training on Monday.”

Wildcat Red was one of the first 3-year-olds to guarantee himself a spot in the Derby field by virtue of his courageous victory over General a Rod in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 22. He solidified his standing in the division five weeks later when beaten a neck by the undefeated Constitution in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

But things never went right for Wildcat Red in the Kentucky Derby. He got bumped and steadied between horses a couple of times in the opening furlong and raced forwardly placed for six furlongs before retreating steadily thereafter to finish 18th, nearly 30 lengths behind the victorious California Chrome.

“I think his poor finish in the Derby was due to a combination of factors,” Garoffalo said. “I don’t think he really handled that racetrack, he didn’t have a good break, and he got knocked around a couple of times. It’s what happens in a 19-horse field. But I’m not disappointed. It was a great experience for me, both personally and professionally, and something every horseman should have the chance to live. It’s not easy to get there. Thank God we were lucky enough to make it, and hopefully it’s something we’ll all be able to do again.”

Garoffalo has no specific race in mind for Wildcat Red’s return, although he said the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 5 is one option he might consider as a prep for the Grade 1 Haskell later that month.

“He’ll stay and train at Gulfstream for the time being, and we’ll just see how things go,” Garoffalo said. “There might be a race for him here when he’s ready, but right now, the Haskell is probably our first major goal this summer.”