Churchill Downs: Bo Cruz, General Partner are scratched

While the Kentucky Derby 2024 field remained intact, there were two notable scratches from Saturday’s undercard at Churchill Downs.

Grade 3 winner Bo Cruz, who was 10-1 on the morning line, was taken out of the seven-furlong, Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes. According to an email from co-owner Bruno De Julio, trainer Al Stall Jr. discovered a foot problem with the 4-year-old Creative Cause colt.

“He came out of his stall this morning and wasn’t himself,” Stall told De Julio in a text message. “We went through his legs, and everything (was) ice cold, but when we got out the hoof testers, he showed some pain in the bulb of one of his feet. It’s nothing serious, but (he) definitely needs a couple of weeks to heal. That’s the good news, the silver lining.”

General Partner, a maiden winner who was the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the $100,000 allowance race right after the Derby, was reported to be a veterinarian scratch. The Chad Brown-trained colt has not raced since he finished sixth in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.