String King bypassing Muniz following illness

String King missed some training due to a kidney infection and will skip the Muniz (Amanda Hodges Weir/Hodges Photography) Fan favorite Louisiana-bred String King (Crowned King) will be unable to make his appointment with the $300,000 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2) at Fair Grounds on Louisiana Derby Day, March 28, according to owner-trainer-breeder Charlie Smith. “He’s had some time off and he’s probably going to have to have a little bit more,” Smith reported. “He got sick on me with a kidney infection about two weeks ago and we’ve been fighting that. On top of that, with the weather being bad, the track froze and he’s missed 16 out of the last 26 days of training. “I already called the agent for (regular rider) James (Graham) and let him know that we won’t be able to make the race.” The Grade 3-winning gelding was expected to be one of the favorites in the 23rd running of the Muniz, in which he ran third in 2013. String King exits two consecutive stakes victories over the New Orleans oval’s Stall-Wilson turf course, including a spirited coup in the Col. E. R. Bradley H. (G3) on January 17. “I’m so disappointed that we won’t make the Mervin Muniz,” Smith added. “He belongs with those horses and he’s rounding back, but he won’t be anywhere near ready to run. He was off his feet for a few days and deserves more time.”

According to Smith, String King does not have a
goal race planned at this time. While prestigious Kentucky graded stakes were on
the radar before the ailment — namely the $500,000 Woodford Reserve Turf
Classic (G1) on
Kentucky Derby Day — such is no longer in the cards.

“It’s not even about the good purse and the money, it’s
about the horse,” Smith continued. “I wanted him to have a chance to run against
those horses. It’s very sad. He doesn’t owe me or anyone else anything, though.
He deserves the time and the rest. I basically sleep with the horse and watch
his every move, but you can’t help these things sometimes.

“Funny thing is, he really didn’t lose his good feeling when he was sick, but
I could tell. He acted like he was fine, but I know him. Now that he’s getting
better, the problem will be trying to keep him from feeling too good.”

In other Muniz news, Paroled (Flatter) could wheel back off a three-week rest
to make his stakes bow in the nine-furlong contest.

Trained by Angel Montano, the dark bay gelding smashed the Stall-Wilson turf course’s one-mile
track record on Sunday afternoon under Brian Hernandez Jr., establishing a
1:34.51 mark.

Paroled, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Hot Cha Cha, has gradually improved
in nine starts for Montano following a $30,000 claim in
June 2014. He has won three and placed in four of those races, but none were as impressive as the
under-wraps display on Sunday.

“He came out okay — so far so good,” Montano said. “We don’t know what we’re
going to do for sure yet, but my owner is going to call me and maybe we’ll take
a shot at the (Muniz) Handicap. He ran very well and is getting better.”

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