Super Steed off Kentucky Derby trail; setback for Gray Attempt

Super Steed, winner of the $500,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) Feb. 18 at Oaklawn, is off the Kentucky Derby 2019 trail because of bone bruising in a front leg, trainer Larry Jones said Sunday morning.

Jones said the problem was discovered Saturday and isn’t career threatening, but Super Steed will need 60-90 days off and thus miss anticipated starts in Oaklawn’s final two Kentucky Derby points races – $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 16 and the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 13. Super Steed was a three-quarter length winner of the Southwest, which marked the biggest career victory for the son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver.

“He came out of that last race with a little more of an issue than I realized,” Jones said. “We did some X-rays and it just looks like if we don’t stop now, we’re going to run into trouble. Thank God, there’s no surgery, nothing is needed. He just needs rest.”

Campaigned by his breeder, Mike Pressley, and Steed Jackson, Super Steed broke his maiden by six lengths against allowance company Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs. After disappointing performances in the $74,250 Sugar Bowl Stakes Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds and the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 25 at Oaklawn, Super Steed won the Southwest with a powerful five-wide move on the backstretch under Terry Thompson.

“It’s one of these FRAM oil filter deals – pay me now or pay me later,” Jones said. “We could probably get another race out of him. We would probably be OK, but probably wouldn’t come out of it as good as what we went in. He’s going to have to get a little time. He’s getting bone bruising and he’s only going to get worse.”

Jones said Super Steed will be sent to Kentucky to recover.

Smarty Jones winner Gray Attempt will also miss the Rebel because of a minor setback, trainer Jinks Fires said Sunday morning. Fires said the hope is Gray Attempt, who finished 11th in the Southwest, can make the Arkansas Derby.