Rock Hard Ten out of Classic

Rock Hard Ten and trainer Richard Mandella (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Santa Anita H. (G1) winner ROCK HARD TEN (Kris S.) has been
withdrawn from Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) after trainer
Richard Mandella said the four-year-old shed a frog on his right
front foot. Mandella described the frog as “the cushion between the two heels on
the foot that is like a shock absorber. It’s the first thing that meets the
ground.”

The injury was discovered shortly after Rock Hard Ten galloped Friday morning
at Belmont Park. Rock Hard Ten had a bruise on his left
front foot last week, which delayed his arrival in New York.

“The frog started to loosen last week and shed during the gallop,”
Mandella said. “I saw blood on the back of his heel when he came back from his gallop.
It’s fairly minor, just at a bad time. It’s very tender. We
can’t run him.

“We just soaked it and are doing it up in a medicinal poultice. We will treat
it with a solution of iodine tomorrow. He might miss a week or two of training.”

Rock Hard Ten, the 7-2 second choice on the morning line for the Classic,
returned to action with a one-length victory in
the Goodwood Breeders’ Cup H. (G2) on October 1 at Santa Anita. Overall, the dark bay colt has won seven of 11 starts and earned $1,870,380.