Blackout Time, scratched by regulatory veterinarians from the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar, posted his first published workout since his withdrawal in breezing 3 furlongs in :37 1/5 Jan. 23 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in Louisiana.
Trainer Kenny McPeek mentioned the March 1 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park as a return-race possibility, but an option that could "be a little tricky" in terms of the colt having sufficient training and fitness.
Last year, the Not This Time colt raced three times as a 2-year-old, running second in his June 29 debut at Churchill Downs, winning an Aug. 2 maiden race at Ellis Park, and finishing second to subsequent champion juvenile male and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Ted Noffey in the Oct. 4 Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. The latter effort inspired McPeek and owners Brookdale Racing, Lance Gasaway, and Magdalena Racing to send Blackout Time to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup.
Amid vigorous veterinary scrutiny, he was among a number of prerace scratches, with others being White Abarrio, Scottish Lassie, and his stablemate, 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan . White Abarrio was a post-parade scratch.
As a regulatory scratch, he was placed on the "vets' list," a fluid listing of horses ineligible to compete due to soundness concerns, recent veterinary treatment, or other reasons.
Upon his return to Kentucky, Blackout Time was bone scanned at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. That scan indicated bone remodeling in all four ankles, not atypical for horses at a young age in training, McPeek stated on his "Horse Races Now" podcast in early November.
The trainer, reached via telephone in Florida Friday after he attended the Eclipse Awards the previous night when Thorpedo Anna was honored as champion older dirt female, described Blackout Time's setback as "nothing major." His Fair Grounds staff oversaw Blackout Time's Friday workout.
"We just took our time. I mean, what they found was minimal," he said. "For that matter, I usually give most of my young horses a little time off in December and January anyway, so we didn't change that routine, and he's jumped right back in."
Blackout Time remains on the veterinarians' list with the California Horse Racing Board and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. He must complete a satisfactory 5-furlong workout with negative blood results per California removal requirements at a HISA-compliant racetrack to be removed from both lists, CHRB equine medical director Dr. Jeff Blea said.
Since Louisiana is not under HISA jurisdiction, the vets' list removal workout would need to be conducted away from Fair Grounds. McPeek suggested Friday that the breeze could come at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.
"We're gonna have to jump through the bureaucratic hoops of getting him off (the vets' list), but that'll happen," he said.
That can take time if a regulatory veterinarian continues to have health concerns about a horse. His recent Silverbulletday Stakes winner, Taken by the Wind, remained on the Kentucky vets' list for months during the fall and early winter, a restriction he considered unwarranted.
Statistics collected by BloodHorse suggest that, in general, regulatory vets make many correct prerace decisions in their highly scrutinized positions.
READ: Stats Suggest Regulatory Vets Protecting Vulnerable Horses
Blackout Time is among three leading Derby prospects for McPeek, the others being Liberty National, who the trainer said might run in the Jan. 31 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn, and Universe, who he believes would appreciate the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Feb. 14 Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds.
