Right to Party Out of Derby, Robusta Draws In

The feeling outside Barn 41 the morning of May 1 felt like the MLB or NFL trade deadline as trainer Doug O'Neill and his team waited to discover whether or not Robusta would draw in off the also-eligible list and compete in the Kentucky Derby (G1). After the scratches of Silent Tactic and Fulleffort earlier in the week, Robusta needed one more dropout to make the 20-horse field. However, he needed that scratch to occur by 9 a.m. ET Friday morning to be eligible to draw in. As 8 a.m. rolled around, the mood was bleak around the Calumet Farm-owned horse, with O'Neill asking the media passing by whether or not they had heard anything. But then, at 8:17 a.m., O'Neill's phone rang. It was a representative of Churchill Downs calling to inform him that Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) runner-up Right to Party had been scratched by a regulatory veterinarian and that Robusta would indeed get his chance to run for the roses. Kenny McPeek, who trains Right to Party for Chester Broman Sr., had not returned BloodHorse's call for comment by the time of publishing. After speaking with McPeek, Daily Racing Form's David Grening reported that the scratch was due to lameness in the colt's right foreleg. McPeek told Grening that Kentucky regulatory vets were telling him all week that the horse was lame in his right front. McPeek had a bone scan performed on the horse and read from his report, "This finding is most likely not associated with an increased risk for breakdown." McPeek said that not all horses are "clean joggers." "The horse is a grinder, he grinds it out, he's not a breakdown candidate," McPeek told Grening. "He's a short-pasterned horse and he's got plenty of bone and there isn't a warm spot on his legs. I just think we're in the age of analysis paralysis." McPeek, who won the 2024 Derby with Mystik Dan just a day after future Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna won the Kentucky Oaks (G1), has been a strong critic of Kentucky's regulatory veterinarians for some time. Horses preparing for the Oaks, Derby, and other Derby week races are under close regulatory veterinarian scrutiny, undergoing examinations and, at times, diagnostic tests. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, which regulates racing in the state, declined to comment on the specifics of an individual scratch, but said in a statement that "the safety and well-being of the racehorses training and competing in Kentucky are the center of everything we do. KHRG closely monitors data pertaining to scratches, including those based on the advice of our regulatory veterinarians. It is one of the most difficult parts of the job, as we share the goal of each horse's connections for the horse to compete safely." The regulator added that it would continue to work with licensees, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit, and racetracks to promote equine safety. "We are constantly evaluating our processes and procedures with the best interests of the horse in mind, and we will continue to engage with stakeholders, including trainers and attending veterinarians," the statement continued. "We all want what is best for the horse." While there was disappointment on McPeek's side of the barn area, there was celebration on the other as Team O'Neill celebrated a second entrant in this year's Derby, Robusta joining Reddam Racing's Pavlovian. As O'Neill called out to his team that they were in the Derby, he then immediately turned to Robusta himself. "Robusta, you're in the Derby!" O'Neill told the 3-year-old son of Accelerate. "We're excited, we're pumped," O'Neill said as he turned his attention to the media. "We feel like we won the race, but we actually just got in the race. We're excited, pumped. It's quite an honor and credit to Robusta for being able to make the field." Robusta was a strong runner-up in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park in March, missing by just a head to fellow Derby runner Potente. "He ran so well in the San Felipe," O'Neill said. "He came out of it good, he's trained so well. He's always trained like a horse who was crying out for two turns. We saw that in the San Felipe. Anything similar to that effort, I think, gives him a chance." A month later in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), Robusta stumbled badly out of the gate before moving up to press Potente in the early stages. That early incident drained the gas from the tank and he was empty by the quarter pole, fading to a distant last of seven. "He stumbled really bad leaving there, and then he gathered himself and got back into the race," O'Neill said. "I think that took too much out of him and then (jockey) Emisael (Jaramillo) took care of him and didn't beat him up. He came out of that good. He's worked really well coming into this race." Jaramillo had been booked to ride in the Derby but, given the unpredictability of whether or not the horse would draw in, he had also been booked to ride in all 11 races at Santa Anita May 2. Due to those obligations and the difficulty of traveling on short notice, Jaramillo will not make the trip to Louisville, Ky. The two-time Derby-winning trainer and his team began discussing potential riders, and soon Cristian Torres' name started to pick up steam. Torres had been booked to ride Southwest Stakes (G3) winner Silent Tactic for his first Kentucky Derby ride, but the horse was scratched April 29 with a bruised foot. "It was tough," Torres said of losing Silent Tactic. "That horse had given me a lot of joy and we get along together. It was tough, and I wish I could ride the Derby with him." The news was about to get a bit easier. Torres was across the Churchill Downs backstretch when his phone began to ring, showing an unsaved number. Torres said he usually doesn't answer unknown numbers, but for some reason, the California area code made him decide to answer the call that could change his life. Of course, he said yes to O'Neill's request. "I couldn't believe it, honestly," Torres said. "I'm very grateful he gave me the opportunity, so I'm going to try my best. … Now I'm going to fulfill my dream." Robusta is expected to be in a forward early position and is guaranteed to be breaking from the far outside. When the 9 a.m. deadline did come, the final also-eligible, Corona de Oro, had not drawn into the field and was scratched. Nycon Scratched From Kentucky Oaks There was also a morning scratch for the Kentucky Oaks as Icon Racing Stable's Nycon was withdrawn. The announcement came about an hour after trainer Whit Beckman sent the daughter of Nyquist out to train on the Churchill Downs track during the special 7:15 a.m. Derby and Oaks training time. "This morning when we went over her and took her for a gallop on the track, she looked great galloping," Beckman said. "But just around the barn she wasn't her usual self and we decided we're not going to run her unless she's perfect." Beckman said he felt that an extra few weeks could benefit the filly, mentioning the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Laurel Park May 15 and the $500,000 Acorn Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course June 5 as potential options. Nycon had drawn in off the also-eligible list after scratches earlier in the week. The final also-eligible, Resist, already drew into the race April 30, meaning the Oaks will only be contested by 13 starters instead of 14.