Hoppertunity has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby on Thursday due to an issue with his left front foot, trainer Bob Baffert said. Baffert also said he believes it is only a bruise, but has erred on the side of caution and decided not to run Hoppertunity in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Hoppertunity will be sent to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky for further evaluation. Baffert left the door open for a possible run in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 17 at Pimlico Racecourse. That leaves jockey Mike Smith without a Derby mount.
#21 Pablo Del Monte had been on the also-eligible list hoping for a defection from the Derby and he got it. However, trainer Wesley Ward, who also has a partial ownership share in Pablo Del Monte, was non-committal to racing in the Kentucky Derby. The far outside post is the big concern. The decision to start Pablo Del Monte in the Kentucky Derby will happen on Friday morning before 9 AM Eastern Time.
Hoppertunity had been the 2nd choice on the morning line at odds of 6 to 1. The revised morning line is posted below and is courtesy of Churchill Downs PR.
