Yet another contender out of Kentucky Derby
First an injury struck Midshipman a few months ago, then Old Fashioned in early April and now Quality Road.
That’s a trifecta no Kentucky Derby bettor on WagerWeb.com wants to see because those three potential contenders at the Run for the Roses are all out of Saturday’s race following Quality Road’s hoof problem.
Quality Road had developed a quarter crack on his right front foot last Thursday, but his handlers were hopeful the horse could still make the Kentucky Derby. An acrylic patch was applied by hoof specialist Ian McKinlay on Sunday morning, but the colt subsequently returned from a gallop with a tinge of blood.
Although treated with a drying agent and an antiseptic for 24 hours thereafter, the hoof was still sensitive Monday morning.
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said that the sensitivity was evident when the horse walked the shed row Monday morning, so plans to travel to Churchill Downs were scrapped with the hope that Quality Road can return by either the Preakness or Belmont.
“It’s devastating,” Jerkens said. “I don’t know if you could ever get a horse for a race like the Derby with his credentials leading up to it.”
Quality Road won 3 of his 4 starts, including the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on March 28. Quality Road, who was to be Jerkens’ first entry in the Derby, bested another Kentucky Derby favorite, Dunkirk, in that Florida Derby, setting a track record in the process.
“He’s tender in the heel; it never went away,” said McKinlay, who worked on a similar injury sustained by Big Brown before the Belmont Stakes last year. “As big as he is, he is aggravating it because of how hard he hits the ground.”
None other than Bob Baffert, who trains another top Derby contender, Pioneerof the Nile, said he believed Quality Road was the main threat for Saturday’s race.
“To me, he was the horse to beat, he is a really good horse,” Baffert said. “It’s a shame because you don’t get too many chances with a good horse to come to the Derby and I really feel for them.”
The injury means Join in the Dance is in the Derby field. The colt, who finished third behind General Quarters in the Blue Grass Stakes on April 11, is currently 22nd on the graded stakes earnings list for 3-year-olds.
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