Derby trail: Morning-line choice McAfee is scratched from Jerome

McAfee, the morning-line favorite for Saturday's Jerome at Aqueduct, has been scratched from the race.

McAfee is a Cloud Computing half-brother to Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Thorpedo Anna. According to a report from David Grening of Daily Racing Form, McAfee was scratched by trainer Rick Dutrow due to a small leg infection. He was coming off a second-place finish behind Optical, who had been entered in Saturday's Smarty Jones at Oaklawn but instead was scratched and posted a work Saturday morning.

Dutrow trains McAfee for a partnership including Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Judy B. Hicks and Campeche Stables. The His $40,000 auction price at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale qualified him for his maiden race, which he won by 3 1/4 lengths on Nov. 1 against others who sold or RNAed for $50,000 or less at their most recent auction. The race where he finished second was also restricted to horses who broke their maiden in an auction-restricted race or who had been up for a claiming tag of $50,000 or less. The Jerome had been slated to be McAfee's stakes debut, and his first race against company that was not restricted by sales price.

As of early Saturday afternoon McAfee was the only scratch listed for the Jerome, a $150,000 race that offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to its top five finishers. Seven horses remain in the field. Multiple stakes winner Studlydoright, a John Robb trainee who turns back from a fourth-place finish in the Remsen, is likely to be the favorite. Chad Summers trainee Cyclone State, who makes his stakes debut after winning two straight races at Aqueduct, is also expected to be well bet.

Dutrow will still be represented in the Jerome by Ican. A maiden winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis two starts back, Ican was second beaten 2 3/4 lengths by Cyclone State in his most recent start Dec. 6.