Ankle injury forces Grantham to be scratched from Blue Grass

Lexington, Ky.

Maiden winner Grantham, who was 20-1 on the morning line, suffered a minor injury and was scratched from Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Blue Grass Stakes, one of the last major preps for Kentucky Derby 2022.

“He twisted an ankle,” Kirk Wycoff, managing partner of Three Diamonds Farm, told Horse Racing Nation on Saturday afternoon. “He’s not 100 percent, but he’ll be fine.”

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The 3-year-old Declaration of War colt is a maiden winner who was coming into Saturday’s race off a second-place finish to Classic Causeway on March 12 in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2). He had been drawn widest in the field of 12.

Trainer Mike Maker had said Friday he was more concerned about the poor draw than he was about the foul weather that turned the main track sloppy by Saturday.

“I’d rather have bad weather and a better post position,” he said before the injury was discovered. Maker did not respond to calls from HRN for comment on the scratching. He had no other horses racing Saturday at Keeneland.

Grantham has 21 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby. If he were to come back next Saturday for the Lexington (G3), a 20-8-4-2 points prep that is the last chance to qualify, a victory would get him into the May 7 classic.

“He might be in already,” Wycoff said, perhaps hoping for results and attrition to fall a certain way. “But that would be a question for Mike.”

Wycoff then pointed out that the Lexington is only a one-mile race and that Grantham “needs a little more ground.”

In the end, Wycoff said, “We’ll see how he is tomorrow.”