Barbara D. Livingston
Grande finished second in the Wood Memorial with a troubled trip.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- It was Derby déjà vu all over again for Mike Repole and Todd Pletcher.
Grande, the Wood Memorial runner-up, was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby by Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation veterinarians due to a cracked heel on his right front foot.
It was two years ago that Repole-owned, Pletcher-trained Forte, the morning-line favorite for the Derby, was scratched the morning of the race. In 2011, Repole and Pletcher had to scratch favorite Uncle Mo the day before the race due to an intestinal issue.