Delta Jackpot S. (G3) winner BIG DRAMA (Montbrook) is no longer being
considered for the Kentucky Derby (G1), trainer David Fawkes told Daily
Racing Form on Tuesday. Five for six overall, the Florida-bred colt has more
than enough graded earnings ($450,000) to make the May 2 event, but he hasn’t
started yet this year due to an incident in his stall that occurred the week
prior to the Holy Bull S. (G3) on January 31.
“He kicked himself in the stall and suffered a bone bruise,” Fawkes
explained. “He kicked himself just hard enough to bruise the bone in such a way
that if you don’t stop on him and have the area surgically removed, it could
cause severe complications down the road.”
After undergoing minor surgery, Big Drama missed several weeks of training.
He returned to the worktab on February 22, and the Harold Queen homebred
registered five furlongs in a bullet 1:00 4/5 at Calder on March 1. However, the
colt’s connections decided not to pursue the 1 1/4-mile Derby in recent days.
“He’s doing well, but because of the missed time, the prudent thing to do
right now is not to rush him to try to get a two-turn prep and make the Derby,
even though we are assured of getting in,” Fawkes said. “We’re just going to
take our time. I even postponed his regularly scheduled work last weekend.
Tentatively, he’ll breeze again this Sunday, and if all continues to go well
we’ll be looking for something shorter to bring him back, then point for some of
the better races later this spring and during the summer.”
Big Drama captured all three legs of the Florida Stallion series last year,
winning at distances from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.