LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Polydream was scratched lame Friday morning from the Breeders’ Cup Mile by state veterinarians to the great consternation of five-time Breeders’ Cup winner Freddie Head.

Head insisted both publicly and to state and Breeders’ Cup veterinarians that Polydream was moving the same way she always does and that nothing was amiss with the filly, the morning-line favorite for the Mile.

“It’s a disgrace,” Head said later Friday morning. “You think I’m taking a horse to America that’s not ready to run?”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Polydream, the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $2 million Mile, and Code of Honor, the third choice for Friday’s $2 million Juvenile, were among the key scratches out of the Breeders’ Cup races, it was announced Friday morning.

Polydream, 5-1 on the morning line, was scratched out of the Mile by the Breeders’ Cup examining veterinarians, who deemed the 3-year-old Irish-bred filly lame Friday morning.

Trainer Freddie Head disagreed with that assessment and said Polydream was fit and ready to run.

NEXT SHARES, by Archarcharch
Last 3 Beyers: 106-99-86

KEY CONTENDERS

Fourstar Crook, by Freud
Last 3 Beyers: 104-101-101
◗ A New York-bred that has risen to Grade 1 prominence, she is 3 for 5 this year with her two defeats being runner-up finishes to stablemate Sistercharlie.
◗ Capable of handling wet ground, having won multiple stakes on yielding turf, as well as the Flower Bowl most recently on “good” turf. She was also third over soft going in the E. P. Taylor last fall.

Enable, by Nathaniel
Last 3 Beyers: NA-NA-NA

Marley’s Freedom, by Blame
Last 3 Beyers: 100-91-105

• Her powerful triumph in the Ballerina is hard to get past, as it made her the unquestioned pro-tem leader of the division; her outer post should afford Mike Smith options aplenty as surely this filly once again will put her stalking style to use; she’s a deserving favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Selcourt, by Tiz Wonderful
Last 3 Beyers: 104-100-96

IMPERIAL HINT, by Imperialism

Last 3 Beyers: 99-108-103

* Has matured since finishing second in the 2017 Sprint. One of his strengths is that he’s no longer a need-the-lead type horse.

* He’s won eight times and finished worse than second just once in 11 starts at the six-furlong distance of the Sprint.

* He finished off the board in both previous starts at Churchill Downs, but neither of those races were at his preferred distance of six furlongs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Although Bucchero may not have needed a confidence boost earlier this fall to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Saturday at Churchill Downs, trainer Tim Glyshaw did. Frustrated by what he considered several unlucky trips with Bucchero, he was feeling snakebit.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A little after 9:30 Thursday morning one of the best racehorses in the world, Enable, walked across the Churchill Downs main track and onto the grass course – and went squish.

Rain was falling onto the filly’s back and onto the blue coat and helmet of her rider, jockey Frankie Dettori.

Bucchero, by Kantharos
Last 3 Beyers: 96-91-NA

◗ Handled, though did not excel, over soft course conditions when second in the Shakertown at Keeneland in the spring, a race in which he finished in front of third-place Disco Partner, the morning-line favorite for the Turf Sprint.

◗ Fourth in this race last year when it was at Del Mar, he now stays home at Churchill Downs, his regular training base.

◗ Provided he breaks well, he seems likely to fall into a stalking trip behind the primary speed horses.