There’s been a late scratch to the field for the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and an intriguing new contender is joining the race.
Rodriguez, trained by Bob Baffert, has a foot bruise, co-owner Tom Ryan said in a post on X late Thursday afternoon.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have made a very tough decision to scratch our Derby horse, Rodriguez,” Ryan wrote. ‘He has a small but slightly sensitive foot bruise that will need a few more days. Therefore, we are resetting our plans and will target him for the Preakness.”
Baeza will now join the field for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, and the John Shirreffs-trained horse becomes a compelling pick for the first Triple Crown race of the year.
The half-brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage finished second behind Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby last month, but didn’t receive enough points to initially qualify for this year’s Run for the Roses due to the size of the field at Santa Anita. Baeza instead spent this week at Churchill Downs as the top of the also-eligible list for the 20-horse field, hoping for a development like the one announced Thursday.
Scratch time is 9 a.m. on Friday morning.