Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) entrant Non Compliant and Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) entrant Out On Bail have scratched from their respective races Oct. 29.
An undefeated winner of the Oct. 5 Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park, Non Compliant was the 9-2 third choice in a field that drew 10 entrants. Georgia Antley Hunt, who co-owns the daughter of Tiz the Law with Jeff Giglio and John Rogitz, confirmed the news with a post on Facebook.
"Well, the highs are like mountains in this game, and the lows are pretty low," the post said. "Something came up on the PET scan that wasn't right and her safety is the most important thing!"
Hunt went on to say that the filly will take a 60-day vacation before setting sights on the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert told the Daily Racing Form, "She had a hot foot. You have to be perfect."
The scratch drops Baffert's Juvenile Fillies contingent down to one. Zedan Racing Stables' Nooni, second to Non Compliant in the Oak Leaf and winner of the Sorrento Stakes (G3), is now his only hope of securing a third win in the Juvenile Fillies and first since 2007.
Case Chambers, Paradise Farms, and David Staudacher's Out On Bail was also scratched Tuesday.
"He was lame this morning," trainer Mike Maker told BloodHorse. "Upon doing some diagnostics, we found a chip in his knee, so he had to be scratched. We'll have surgery to remove it and should be fine; looks like a minimal injury."
The son of Tiz the Law will have surgery back home in Kentucky. He'll fly back Nov. 2.
Winner of the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in August, Out On Bail was second in both the Sept. 7 Rosie's Stakes and Oct. 6 Indian Summer Stakes. He was Maker's only entrant in this year's Breeders' Cup.
The defection allows Pali Kitten to draw in off the also-eligible list. A two-time winner in three starts, Pali Kitten was last seen Oct. 5 winning the listed Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita for trainer Doug O'Neill and owners Robert Baumbauer, James Cahill, Scott Knight, Richard Sutcliffe Jr., Robin Sutcliffe, and Kelli and Timothy Walsh.
Japanese Workers
Most American trainers have their horses complete their final workouts approximately a week from graded stakes starts. One exception is Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who gives some of his Saturday stakes runners an easy breeze on the preceding Monday.
Japanese trainers, as seen by the lengthy jogs and the in-chute training they regularly give their runners, operate differently—which was on further display Oct. 29.
A dozen Japanese-trained horses breezed Tuesday at Del Mar—accounting for all but three published workouts on the morning, none of the latter three being by Breeders' Cup runners.
With just three days to the all-juvenile "Future Stars Friday" card on Nov. 1, and four days until the nine Breeders' Cup races for 3-year-olds and upward on Nov. 2, most of the breezes were understandably on the slower side, such as the one from Forever Young, who went five furlongs in 1:04 in preparation for the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
Trainer Yoshito Yahagi said Forever Young, to be ridden by Ryusei Sakai, has a "difficult draw in stall 1, but he is in much better form compared to how he was back in May. He is a different horse, I would say. He breezed well, and I am happy what he did and his workout time."
There was at least one quick workout, though, by fellow Classic participant Derma Sotogake, who sped the same distance in :59 4/5.
The other Japanese-trained Classic entrant, Ushba Tesoro, did not breeze Tuesday.
Like the latter and Forever Young, who ran third, beaten two noses, in the Kentucky Derby (G1) this year, Derma Sotogake is a recognizable name for United States horseplayers. Besides running sixth in the 2023 Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs, he was second a year ago in the Breeders' Cup Classic, beaten a length by White Abarrio.
Winless in three starts since taking the UAE Derby when traveling to Meydan in March 2023, Derma Sotogake has gone unplaced in three starts this year. He finished a close fifth in the Feb. 24 Saudi Cup (G1), a well-beaten sixth in the March 30 Dubai World Cup (G1), and fifth in the Hai Stakes in Japan Sept. 25. Owing to the massive purses in the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup, he still has earned $1,252,435 this year for owner Hiroyuki Asanuma.
Derma Sotogake will add blinkers Saturday, though the 4-year-old Mind Your Biscuits chestnut colt did not wear them Tuesday when working in the pre-daylight hours.
DERMA SOTOGAKE デルマソトガケ works at Del Mar for the 2024 @BreedersCup Classic. He was second in the race last year. pic.twitter.com/poM7IJpdXL
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 29, 2024
Christophe Lemaire will ride the Hidetaka Otonashi trainee in the Classic.
"His 2024 campaign has been disappointing, but he likes America," Lemaire said. "Hope we can get his form back to the top level."
The Japanese horses weren't the only foreign horses to turn heads Tuesday at Del Mar. So, too, did a group of horses trained by Irish legend Aidan O'Brien. As usual, they proceeded onto the track together in single file, with photographers eager to snap pictures of the appearance of what U.S. observers refer to as "Aidan's Army."
Foremost of his entrants is City of Troy, the top-rated turf horse in the world but who has never run on dirt. He will attempt to give O'Brien his first Classic winner with his 18th starter in the 1 1/4-mile main-track race. He galloped smoothly around the oval, though sweat was apparent on his neck.
Getting our first look of City of Troy at @delmarracing! pic.twitter.com/ffjGKF9j7X
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) October 29, 2024
O'Brien said he was pleased with City of Troy's drawing post 3 in the field of 14 under regular rider Ryan Moore.
"I think it's a good post—in is better than out, and I suppose the danger of being in is are you going to be quick enough away?" O'Brien explained.
Brown Eyes Elusive Distaff Win With Raging Sea
Trainer Chad Brown's resume is beyond reproach, filled with prestigious grade 1 victories. But there are a few voids that he'd love to have filled.
Among them is the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
He's had nine starters in this race, finishing second three times. With Raging Sea the 7-2 second choice in the field Saturday, Brown would love to get his first Distaff win.
"It would mean a lot. We've had some bad luck in this race," he said. "I felt more than one time we had the best horse, just the trips didn't work out. Last year, we ended up on the inside of Idiomatic, and it was just tough to get hooked the whole way. And that was a tough, tough trip for Randomized.
"With Dunbar Road (in 2021), she had some trouble down the backside. She only got beat about an inch. I go back to that backside when she got shuffled, it might've cost her the race, for sure. We've had some unfortunate bad luck in this race. So it'd be nice to be the beneficiary of some really good luck."
