Haikal to scratch from Kentucky Derby 2019; field down to 19
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin confirmed Friday morning that Haikal, the Grade 3 winner undergoing treatment for a foot abscess on his left front, will scratch from the 2019 Kentucky Derby.
The Shadwell Stable runner did not train Thursday and wasn't scheduled to go to the track Friday. McLaughlin had said previously that if the son of Daaher didn't train, he wouldn't run in Saturday's race at Churchill Downs.
"We put shoes back on him this morning and jogged him and he was still not 100%," McLaughlin said.
Haikal is the second horse to scratch from the Derby following the post position draw, adding to morning line favorite Omaha Beach's defection.
When Omaha Beach's connections pulled out of the race from Post 12, horses in stalls 13-20 shifted in one spot in the gate, while the maiden Bodexpress drew in from the also-eligible list.
With Haikal having Post 11, Nos. 1-10 now shift out a spot given Bodexpress was the only horse on the also-eligible list. It's a minor boost to the chances of War of Will, who drew the rail.
Post positions can change. Program numbers do not. Bodexpress will wear the No. 21 saddle towel, with the rest of the field corresponding to its original draws.
Haikal, the sibling of Grade 1-winning sprinter Takaful, shouldn't be sidelined too long. He was already undergoing treatment for the bruise through epsom salt soakings.
Haikal will head to Shadwell's Lexington, Ky., farm later Friday to continue his recovery.
“It’s tough for the whole team, His Highness (Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum) and everyone involved," McLaughlin said, "especially with being a homebred who was training so well. We'll have to see what else is there is now after he recovers.”
Last time out, Haikal ran third behind Tacitus and Tax in the Wood Memorial (G2). Two back, he won over the same track with a sweeping move in the one-turn Gotham Stakes (G3). With all five starts at Aqueduct, Haikal's record is 5: 3-1-1.