Brad Cox-trained First Mission has been scratched from the Preakness on the advice of veterinarians, taking one of the top contenders out of the Triple Crown race 36 hours before post time.
Owner Godolphin and the Maryland Jockey Club announced the scratch early Friday, saying vets identified an issue with First Mission’s left hind ankle.
“We are obviously very disappointed, but the welfare of the horse is our utmost concern, and we are going to take the necessary steps to determine the best course of action to get him back on the track,” Godolphin USA bloodstock director Michael Banahan said. “It’s unfortunate, but we know he’s a very talented horse and I’m sure we’ll have big days down the road with him.”
Godolphin said First Mission would be evaluated further by Dr Larry Bramlage at Rood and Riddle hospital in Kentucky.
The removal of First Mission leaves seven horses in the field for the $1.65m race. He was the early second choice at odds of 5-2 behind only 8-5 favorite Mage, who won the Kentucky Derby.
“You don’t like to see that,” said Hall of Famer trainer Bob Baffert, who is back at a Triple Crown race for the first time in two years with contender National Treasure. “We still have another day to go. Trainers, we don’t relax until we get the saddle on. Until I get the saddle on the horse, then you can just relax completely. It’s one of those things where you don’t want to wish any bad luck on anyone because we’ve all been there.”
It’s an all-too-familiar feeling this spring. Five horses were scratched for a variety of reasons in the days and hours leading up to the Derby, leaving 18 in the field that’s usually a full 20.
That included favorite Forte on the day of the Derby, when Kentucky racing officials expressed concern about a bruised right front foot. Forte landed on the state’s vet list, grounding him from racing for at least 14 days, and trainer Todd Pletcher was suspended 10 days for Forte failing a postrace drug test in New York in September.
Racing officials who own and operate tracks in Maryland have increased testing and veterinary review procedures for horses running in the Preakness and other top stakes races this weekend at Pimlico Race Course as preventative measures to limit injuries. That includes multiple independent doctors examining horses, with each one needing to be cleared before racing.
Seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the days leading up and on Derby day, and an eighth died the following week, putting the sport in a familiar negative spotlight when a cluster of fatalities happens, especially during Triple Crown season.
Mage will have to top a field that includes Baffert-trained National Treasure and others to become the first horse to take the first two Triple Crown races since Justify in 2018.
The result will depend on how Mage handles the two-week turnaround, what pace develops and whether jockey Javier Castellano can set up another winning trip down the stretch.
Purchased for $290,000 a year ago up the road from Pimlico at a sale in Timonium, Mage is making just his fifth career start after not running as a two-year-old and making his debut on 28 January. He joined Justify as the only Derby winners not to run as two-year-olds since Apollo in 1882.
Mage was beaten by Forte – who was the Derby favorite before getting scratched – in his second and third career races, finishing fourth and second. That was enough to get him into the field at Churchill Downs, and winning it quieted any doubts about Mage being too lightly raced to contend with the best three-year-olds in the world.
“Experience at this point, I don’t think it’s relevant,” assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr said. “Every time he races, he’s getting more mature. Last race, he didn’t look like an apprentice to anybody.”
After winning in Kentucky at odds of 14-1, Mage was set as the 8-5 morning line favorite in a field of eight for the Preakness. He’s the only horse back from the Derby two weeks ago.
Although trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr has experience from his native Venezuela bringing a horse back on that short of rest, it’s less common in the US among top thoroughbreds.
“I don’t think there’s any trainer who will tell you he’s 100% sure that (his horse is) not going to regress,” Delgado Jr said. “But other than that, all the signs – the good ones – allowed us to take this chance out here.”
Baffert told the track that late-blooming National Treasure “would have been a great Kentucky Derby-in-September horse”. Baffert won a Derby in September three years ago with Authentic when the Triple Crown races were run off their normal schedule and out of order because of the pandemic.
National Treasure doesn’t get that luxury, but Baffert said: “The talent is there. We just haven’t seen it in full yet.”
Baffert, who is back at the Preakness after missing last year because of a suspension issued by Kentucky that Maryland honored, has won the second jewel of the Triple Crown a record-tying seven times. Jockey John Velazquez is 0 for 12 in his career in the Preakness.
Blazing Sevens (6-1), Red Route One (10-1) and Perform (15-1) are the other top contenders. The long shots are Coffeewithchris (20-1) and Chase the Chaos (50-1).
