Jockey Club Gold Cup romper Ron the Greek will be forced to miss the
Breeders’ Cup Classic because of an abscessed quarter-crack, Hall of Fame
trainer Bill Mott announced Thursday.
“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to scratch him,” Mott said. “He had an
abscess that broke open in his (right front) foot. It’s not a major problem, but it’s all a
matter of timing and he won’t be able to run on Saturday.”
An 8-1 chance on the morning line, Ron the Greek was drawn in post 11. Mott’s
other runner, the 12-1 Flat Out, was on the far outside in post 12, but now
inherits post 11 from his unfortunate stablemate.
Ron the Greek was coming off one of his most spectacular performances, a 6
3/4-length conquest of the September 28 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. He
also owns Grade 1 victories in the 2012 Santa Anita Handicap (over the same
track and 1 1/4-mile trip as the Breeders’ Cup Classic) and Stephen Foster
Handicap (over Wise Dan).
The six-year-old son of Full Mandate, who was fourth in last year’s Classic,
has amassed $2,704,691 in earnings from a 29-9-5-3 line.
The abscess was discovered Wednesday afternoon during the feed time.
“When he came out to walk is the first we recognized any problem,” Mott said.
“That horse has been doing fine. He’s never had foot issues before in his life.
He had a strong gallop yesterday and he must have just bumped the heel of his
foot wrong and he got an abscess in the bulb of his heel.
“Believe it or not, we soaked him and it opened up and relieved some of the
pressure late yesterday afternoon but he was still sore on it this morning and I
just made the determination that we couldn’t have him good enough to run on
Saturday.”
Mott said he was sorry the problem developed a couple of days before the
important season-ending race. He said that as far as he knows Ron the Greek will
remain in training in 2014.
“I feel really bad for all the other connections. I’m going to make it
through it,” he said. “Ron has been good to me. He doesn’t owe me or anybody
that is connected to him anything, but as well as he was doing and the race that
he was departing from, the Jockey Club Gold Cup, everybody was enthusiastic
about running him and taking his chance.
“He’s just such a fun horse to be around because he always gives you a good
effort. When you take him over there ordinarily he’s going to pick up a big
check. Those kind of horses you have to love them because they show up every
time for you.”
Mott said that Ron the Greek could resume his regular schedule by
mid-November.
“I would estimate that in a couple of weeks’ time he could be on the
racetrack and probably be back in full training,” Mott said. “Right now, there’s
no shortcut.
“When the foot is traumatized like that and you’ve got the swelling, even
though the abscess is broken open you still have inflammation in that foot and
it’s tender. It’s like touching a boil. The tenderness will probably resolve
itself in three or four days and in probably 12 or 13 days we’ll attempt to put
a patch on it and he’d been fine to train.”
Bob Baffert’s Classic duo of Game On Dude and Paynter came trackside just
after 8 a.m. (PDT) Thursday following a renovation break. Joining them from the
Baffert barn were two other Breeders’ Cup horses, Dirt Mile runner Fed Biz and
Sprint starter Secret Circle.
Game On Dude, the morning-line favorite for the $5 million Classic, had Dana
Barnes up for his gallop well out into the middle of the track. The dark bay
gelding obviously likes to train and his Hall of Fame conditioner believes he’s
coming up to perhaps his best effort yet.
Paynter also went through his gallop in the center of the track.
Baffert has said throughout the week that Paynter would be “right there” at
the end of the Classic and he continues to tout the four-year-old colt as his
“stealth” runner for Saturday.
Dogwood Stable’s Palace Malice will be ridden for the first time by John
Velazquez, trainer Todd Pletcher’s longtime first-call jockey, due to Mike
Smith’s decision to ride morning-line favorite Game On Dude in the Classic.
“I’m not disappointed at all. I might have been disappointed if we didn’t
have our go-to rider to ride him. We’re very pleased to have Johnny aboard,”
Pletcher said. “Jockeys have decisions to make. Any time you can ride the
favorite in a big race, I think you’ve got to look at doing that.”
Mucho Macho Man continues to train forwardly for Kathy Ritvo.
“I think he’s prepared very well,” Ritvo said. “Things couldn’t have gone
better since the Awesome Again, getting ready for this race.”
Ritvo has impressed Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s stable manager Finn Green
with the strong rapport she has developed with the five-year-old son of Macho
Uno.
“He said we need to go to a psychiatrist. He said we need counseling,” Ritvo
said with a chuckle. “I think ‘Macho’ and I are in tune. We’ve been together a
long time. He is a really a smart horse, and he’s kind.”
Mucho Macho Man and his trainer recorded the first Grade 1 victory of their
respective careers in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on September 28.
“We wanted it for him,” Ritvo said. “He deserved it. He did all the work.”
“And I wanted it for Kathy,” Green said.
Ritvo redirected the attention to the horse and her staff.
“It’s a team effort. It’s never just me,” said Ritvo, praising the dedication
of Mucho Macho Man’s groom, Valietal Tapia; hotwalker, Karina Lopez; exercise
rider Nick Petro; and assistant trainer Marcelino Valencia.
Mucho Macho Man finished second in last year’s Classic at Santa Anita, beaten
by just a half-length by Fort Larned.
“I wasn’t disappointed. I wasn’t disappointed at all. I was proud of him,”
Ritvo said. “He ran a good race. He gave us what he could give us.”
Trainer Ian Wilkes liked what he saw from defending Breeders’ Cup Classic
winner Fort Larned Thursday morning, his first day at the track after walking
the previous morning.
“No problems, here,” Wilkes said. “All is well.”
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