Grade 1 winner SQUARE EDDIE (Smart Strike) has been scratched from the
Kentucky Derby (G1) due to a shin problem.
Trainer Doug O’Neill confirmed that the same shin that forced him to the
sidelines earlier this year acted up following the colt’s Sunday workout, and he
said owner J. Paul Reddam decided to err on the side of caution and give the
chestnut the opportunity to completely heal.
“We thought he’d come out of his work Sunday in good shape,” O’Neill said at
Barn 17 on Tuesday morning, “but then Monday we felt some heat in his left front
shin. We called Dr. (Mark) Cheney and took some X-rays. The X-rays didn’t show
anything, but that heat is there and Dr. Cheney said it might be best not to
take any chances; that we were probably looking at a sign of possible problems.
“In the end, we decided to err on the side of caution. Mr. (Paul) Reddam said
‘Do what’s in the best interests of Eddie,’ and that’s what we’ve done.”
Square Eddie had suffered a small fracture in his left front leg following a
workout in February in California and had been backed off training and racing
until he returned to action April 18 at Keeneland in the Lexington Stakes (G2),
where he made a swooping move to the front in the stretch, but then fell back to
finish third.
The Canadian-bred now will be shipped back to California “either next Monday
or Tuesday,” according to O’Neill.
“We’re just on chill mode with him now,” he said. “There’s no real plan from
here; we’ll let him tell us how he’s doing and when we can start back with him.”