Derby Field To Be Small Only 11 Declared For Race; Injury Sidelines Mccarron
A colt and a jockey got left behind Monday, and it looked like the filly was next, with only five days left to what could be the smallest Kentucky Derby field in 18 years.
With only 11 starters declared for the race Saturday, it could be the fewest since Spectacular Bid beat nine rivals in 1979.
Monday appeared to be the day of decision for the D. Wayne Lukas-trained filly Sharp Cat, and it was a no-go. At the same time, injuries will keep both the colt Pacificbounty and jockey Chris McCarron out of the Derby.
McCarron was set to ride Hello, but injuries he sustained in a spill a week ago at Santa Anita have left him too sore to ride.
“He said he’s not 100 percent, and it wouldn’t be fair,” Hello’s trainer, Ron McAnally, said.
Lukas said he spoke by telephone Sunday with Sharp Cat’s owner, Prince Ahmed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and racing manager Dick Mulhall, who were in Lexington.
“I didn’t get anywhere with them,” Lukas said.
“It looks like we’re going in the Oaks,” he said, referring to a filly race the day before the Derby. He added, however, “I don’t want to say we’re not running in the Derby because they might call up and change their minds.”
However, it looks like Lukas will be without a Derby starter for the first time since 1980 and give him no chance of winning a third straight.
Pacificbounty, meanwhile, is out of the race with an injured right front foot. He was hurt while finishing third in the Arkansas Derby on April 12.
“He has five owners, and I feel bad for them and their horse, but you have to do what’s best for the horse,” trainer Walter Greenman said.
Greenman said Pacificbounty, while breaking out of the gate at Arkansas, clipped the back of his front foot with the back foot and tore off most of his heel.
“I thought maybe it would toughen up and be all right,” Greenman said. “Some guys like to patch them, but I haven’t had any luck with that.”
Going into the Arkansas Derby, Pacificbounty had won three straight out in California, including a pair of stakes races.
McCarron injured his shoulder when he took a spill off his mount in the fourth race at Santa Anita on April 21. X-rays were negative, but he was badly bruised.
McAnally left the decision on a replacement up to owners Al and Sandee Kirkwood of Vancouver, Wash., and they chose Mike Smith, who has never been aboard Hello.
“I don’t think it will matter,” McAnally said. “He’s not a difficult horse to ride.”
The list of potential replacements included Eddie Delahoussaye, Kent Desormeaux and Calvin Borel. That was one benefit of the small field. There were lots of good jockeys left.
“I think it helps everyone,” said Shane Sellers, who will ride probable favorite Pulpit. “My opinion might not be worth the gravel I’m standing on, but I’ve ridden in eight Derbeys, and when you get a field of 20, about 10 of them stand out. It makes for a tough race to run.”