McPeek: Blackout Time Remains on Kentucky Derby Trail

Blackout Time, scratched by regulatory veterinarians from the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar, remains targeted toward races next year leading to the May 2 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, trainer Kenny McPeek said Nov. 7 on his "Horse Races Now" podcast. A post-scratch bone scan conducted at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital this week in Kentucky indicated bone remodeling in all four ankles, McPeek said. He added that Rood & Riddle orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alan Ruggles "says this is very typical of young horses that're in training. They're growing; there's gonna be changes." While accepting the necessary role of regulatory veterinarians and the precautions taken for equine safety, McPeek expressed disappointment in the 2-year-old colt's scratch, as well as that of 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan, feeling both of his trainees headed to Southern California in "very good order" and that they had trained well at Del Mar. He noted that flexion tests by veterinarians yielded responses on the two horses that were not to their satisfaction. A flexion test involves a veterinarian evaluating a horse's soundness by applying pressure to a joint and holding it for a period before judging the horse's response. The left hind ankle was their race-day area of concern, McPeek said, after they had reviewed a left front ankle earlier in the week that was x-rayed. Blackout Time's ankles were "tight and cold," according to McPeek. Both Mystik Dan and Blackout Time have been placed on the CHRB's "vet's list," a listing of horses ineligible to start, as were others that were either scratched or raced at the Breeders' Cup. According to California Horse Racing Board Rules, for removal from the vet's list, a horse may be required to perform satisfactorily in a workout under observation from a regulatory veterinarian, plus clear blood and/or urine post-work tests for removal from the vet's list. This review can be conducted outside of California. The CHRB requires that a horse placed on the vet's list as unsound for the first time in a year must stay on the vet's list for a minimum of 15 days. Amid tight veterinary scrutiny, numerous other horses were scratched before their scheduled Breeders' Cup starts, including high-profile grade 1 winners White Abarrio and Scottish Lassie. White Abarrio was scratched in the post parade before the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1). This scratch, mere minutes before the race, upset his connections after he had cleared close veterinary evaluation in the days leading up to the race. Mystik Dan had also been entered to compete in the Dirt Mile. Speaking last month in advance of the Breeders' Cup, CHRB officials and other California stakeholders maintained that the regulatory scratch process is effective, as it can identify horses with underlying issues. READ: Blea Says Post Parade Scratches, Voided Claims Working Well In describing future plans for Blackout Time, McPeek said he and the ownership group are, "Just gonna take out time. I mean, our goal is the Derby in the spring. That's still the goal." "I think I could make the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) if I wanted to, but I'm not gonna press that," he added of the $400,000 race at Churchill Downs Nov. 29. He has Universe and Very Connected—2-3 behind Incredibolt in the Oct. 26 Street Sense Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs—aimed at the Kentucky Jockey Club. Blackout Time, a dark bay or brown Not This Time colt, is 1-2-0 in three starts this year with earnings of $210,691 for owners Brookdale Racing, Lance Gasaway, and the Sherri McPeek-headed Magdalena Racing. Besides his runner-up finish to presumptive 2-year-old male champion Ted Noffey in the Oct. 4 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, he won a mile maiden race Aug. 2 by 9 3/4 lengths at Ellis Park after a second-place finish in his debut at Churchill Downs June 29 in a sprint. Blackout Time was the 20-1 third choice behind Ted Noffey and Brant among individual betting interests in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager that closed Oct. 31, just a couple of hours before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Blackout Time was scratched in the morning. As for the scratch of Mystik Dan, a $4.8 million earner raced by Gasaway, 4 G Racing, Daniel Hamby III, and Valley View Farm, McPeek described that colt as having "a little roughness" as exhibited in an X-ray of his left front ankle. Some wear in a joint is not uncommon for an actively raced 4-year-old horse, McPeek said. The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile had been his scheduled last race before a stud career. The 4-year-old son of Goldencents will stand next year for a $15,000 fee at Airdrie Stud in Midway, Ky. A winner of five races from 16 starts, Mystik Dan will be remembered for his courageous second-turn bid up a narrow opening on the rail in the 2024 Derby under Brian Hernandez Jr. This decisive move helped propel him to to narrow victory over eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winners Sierra Leone and Forever Young (JPN) in a three-horse photo finish. His connections had him paraded before fans in the Churchill Downs paddock Nov. 8 before the fourth race.