Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Domestic Spending, United out of Turf due to injuries
DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainers wake up every day dreading what problems they’ll find at the barn, and for Chad Brown and Richard Mandella on Thursday at Del Mar, it was not a good morning.
Brown, who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf two years ago with Bricks and Mortar, was forced to scratch Domestic Spending from this year’s race owing to inflammation in his left front leg. United, who finished second to Bricks and Mortar, also had to be scratched by Mandella, who said United had filling over a suspensory in a leg.
Domestic Spending was adjudged the best American hope in the Turf. He won two Grade 1 races earlier this year, the Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and the Manhattan at Belmont.
“Came in this morning and he had some inflammation in his leg,” Brown said. “He’s sound, but I don’t like it. He’s never had it before. Going to send him to Kentucky for some more diagnostics. He must have injured himself galloping somehow. He was perfectly sound since he’s been here. He’s never had a problem.”
United was attempting to run in the Turf for the third straight year. He finished eighth last year at Keeneland. He most recently won the John Henry Turf Classic at Santa Anita.
“He had a little filling over a suspensory in the last few days,” Mandella said. “We scanned it and it was clean. We gave him a strong gallop and it swelled again. We’ll give him a rest.”
Both Domestic Spending and United are geldings.
The defections of Domestic Spending and United from the body of the 14-horse field for the 1 1/2-mile race allowed alsoeligibles Bolshoi Ballet and
Channel Maker to get in. Bill Mott, trainer of Channel Maker, said he would indeed start from post 14. This will be the fourth straight appearance in the BC Turf for Channel Maker.
Brad Free, who set the odds for Daily Racing Form for the Saturday Breeders’ Cup races, moved defending race winner Tarnawa down to 7-5 from an original price of 5-2 owing to the scratch of his original second choice; Domestic Spending had been right behind Tarnawa, at 3-1. Gufo is now Free’s distant second choice, at 5-1.
The Breeders’ Cup generally does not revise its original morning lines. Jon White, the morning-line maker at Del Mar, had Tarnawa at 9-5 on his original line, with Domestic Spending the second choice at 4-1, followed by Teona at 6-1.
The Turf is the second richest of the Breeders’ Cup races and is slotted just before the day’s richest and final event, the $6 million Classic.
The Classic could be a showdown for Horse of the Year, with Knicks Go and Essential Quality, both trained by Brad Cox, heading the field. They are two of seven Breeders’ Cup race winners from 2020 – Knicks Go the Dirt Mile, Essential Quality the Juvenile – who are competing this year. Knicks Go, the top older horse in the country, is the 5-2 favorite on the lines of both Free and White.
Saturday is the second day of
the 2021 Breeders’ Cup, which commenced Friday with the five Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-olds. Saturday’s card, which begins at 10:15 a.m. Pacific, numbers 12 races, the final nine the day’s Breeders’ Cup races.
The first Breeders’ Cup race Saturday is the Filly and Mare Sprint, in which Gamine will be heavily favored to defend her title. She is 4-5 on Free’s line, 3-5 with White.
Golden Pal, winner last year of the Juvenile Turf Sprint, is favored in the Turf Sprint, 9-2 per Free, 7-2 according to White. Glass Slippers, last year’s winner, is also in this race. Mandella also withdrew Bombard from the Turf Sprint, owing to a bruised heel, but he was doubtful to make the race anyway owing to being on the also-eligible list.
Life Is Good is strongly favored in the Dirt Mile, even money on Free’s line, 4-5 with White.
War Like Goddess is favored by both men in the Filly and Mare Turf. Free has her at 5-2, White 7-2. Her main rival is defending race winner Audarya.
Jackie’s Warrior figures to be another short price, in the Sprint. Free has him at even money, White 6-5.
Space Blues is the favorite in the Mile, rated a 5-2 chance by Free, 3-1 with White.
And in the Distaff, the race that precedes the Turf, Letruska is 2-1 on Free’s line, 8-5 with White.