Wood Memorial: Kid Cruz scratched due to shoulder strain
Kid Cruz, considered by some to be a live longshot in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, will scratch from that race, trainer Linda Rice said Friday.
Rice had said most of the week that Kid Cruz was only "50-50" to run, owing to a shoulder strain she said was diagnosed out of his victory in the Private Terms Stakes.
Though Rice was happy enough with the way Kid Cruz worked Wednesday morning to enter the horse, she was not satisfied with how he came out of the work to run.
"He's just not 100 percent, so we're going to give him more time," Rice said.
Rice is hopeful that Kid Cruz could make the Illinois Derby on April 19 as a possible prep for the Preakness.
Kid Cruz had drawn the rail for the Wood, so the 10 horses outside of him will all move down one spot.