LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Crown of Thorns, a leading contender for Saturday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, was scratched from the race on Friday after he developed a recurrence of an old injury to his right knee.
"He had an old knee problem crop up, nothing serious, but he can’t run on it," trainer Richard Mandella said Friday morning. "He’s had his issues through his life; it’s nothing terrible but it’s a problem that cropped up, so we’re out."
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Jockey Garrett Gomez escaped serious injury Thursday after being thrown to the Churchill Downs turf in a sixth-race spill when his mount, Indy Bouquet, broke down early on the second turn of the one-mile race.
Gomez was immobilized by track medical personnel and transported to Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville, where a report, coming from agent Ron Anderson an hour after the spill, was positive.
"I think he's dodged a bullet," Anderson said. "He's a little sore in his [right] shoulder."
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- The following is the final report card for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup card from observations I have made here at Churchill Downs over the past two weeks.
Juvenile Turf
Master of Hounds: Was not crazy about the way this top European contender got over the turf, both warming up before and during Thursday’s three-furlong blow-out.
Going Ballistic comes out of the best race among all six starters in the $55,000 Veterans at Zia Park, and it's a race that could look even better by the time the Veterans rolls around Saturday.
Going Ballistic finished a distant fourth in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup. The runner-up from that Oct. 2 race, Giant Oak, and the third-place finisher, A.U. Miner, were to start Friday as top contenders in the Grade 3, $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon at Churchill. As for Going Ballistic, he has been working well at his Oklahoma base in preparation for the trip to New Mexico.
Brickyard Fast has done his best work sprinting on the main track, and that's what he will do Saturday when he defends his Remington Park base against tough invaders Chipshot, Caleb's Posse, and Grant Jack in the $100,000 Clever Trevor.
The seven-furlong race is the second leg of Remington's new series for 2-year-olds that culminates with the $250,000 Springboard Mile on Dec. 11. It will go as the 10th race on a card that has a special daytime post of noon Central.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The entire cast for the 2010 Breeders’ Cup was on the grounds at Churchill Downs by Thursday morning, with all the preparations over, save for a few last-minute tweaks here and there that included several blowouts both over the main track and turf course.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- The following is the final report card for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup card from observations I have made here at Churchill Downs over the past two weeks.
Juvenile Turf
Master of Hounds : Was not crazy about the way this top European contender got over the turf, both warming up before and during Thursday’s three-furlong blow-out.
The versatile mare Fascinatin’ Rhythm, a winner coming from far back sprinting on turf and then going long on dirt in her last two starts, will try to make it three in a row on Saturday in the $50,000 All Brandy Stakes at Laurel Park.
The All Brandy, restricted to Maryland-bred fillies and mares, is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on Laurel’s turf course. But after heavy rain hit central Maryland on Thursday, Friday's races were taken off the turf, and it appears likely the All Brandy will be shifted from the grass to the main track.
Soaring Empire, who has won the only two sprints of his career, and horse-for-the-course Partyallnightlong, 4 for 5 sprinting over Monmouth Park’s main track, are the leading contenders in a field of seven 3-year-olds going six furlongs in the $70,000 Rutgers Stakes at Monmouth.
