Fair Grounds stakes coordinator Scott Jones advised on Tuesday morning that
the connections of Pants on Fire and Cool Blue Red Hot informed the racing
office that their charges would not be coming from South Florida for Saturday’s
Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap. In a related Mineshaft development, West Coast
invader Gladding was reportedly not on the equine charter flight from California
that was to arrive in New Orleans Tuesday.
Pants on Fire, who captured the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby last year, has not
raced since a fifth-place effort in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational last July.
Gladding, who won the Grade 2 San Antonio in 2011, will reportedly point for the
Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 3.
The 7-2 morning-line favorite for the Mineshaft is now Tres Borrachos.
The Mineshaft defections came one day after it was announced the undefeated
three-year-old filly Applauding would be scratched from Saturday’s Grade 3
Rachel Alexandra.