Churchill Downs announced April 29 that trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. scratched My Miss Mo from the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1), clearing the way for also-eligible Nycon to draw into the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.
Churchill Downs did not cite a reason for the scratch. Horses preparing for the Oaks, Kentucky Derby (G1), and other Derby week races are under close regulatory veterinarian scrutiny, undergoing examinations and, at times, diagnostic tests.
Joseph trains the twice-graded-placed My Miss Mo for owners Averill Racing, Mathis Stable, Tristan De Meric, and BAG Racing Stables.
The scratch of My Miss Mo follows an initial Oaks scratch of Bottle of Rouge days earlier for what trainer Bob Baffert said was a cough and subpar scope of her lungs following an April 26 workout. That initial scratch allowed the race's first also-eligible, Lovely Grey, to gain a starting berth.
Icon Racing Stable's Nycon, trained by Whit Beckman, and Go Go Greys Stable's Lovely Grey, trained by Kelsey Danner, are both longshots in the Oaks. Neither has won a stakes race, but both have managed a couple of runner-up finishes in stakes. Nycon most recently ran fourth in the April 4 Gazelle Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Kentucky Oaks still remains on course to have its maximum field size of 14 fillies. One more also-eligible, Military Pike Racing Stables' Resist, could potentially move into the race if there is another scratch.
