Gaudreau Has Fever, Will Miss BC Juvenile

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) field was reduced to seven Oct. 28 when Champagne Stakes (G1) runner-up Gaudreau was scratched from the $2 million race. Co-owner and managing partner Peter Bradley said the fever was detected Wednesday morning, knocking the 8-1 fifth choice out of the 1 1/16-mile race at Keeneland. "It just came about today," Bradley said. "Everything was as good as could be yesterday evening and Chad was saying how well the horse was training. The draw was exactly what we wanted. We thought the extra distance would help. We thought we were sitting on a big one. It's a gut shot anytime this happens, especially with a horse going into a race like this." Bradley said he will confer with trainer Chad Brown and then likely point the son of Nyquist toward a 3-year-old campaign. "It's short term," Bradley said. "So with a 2-year-old like him, the dream is very much alive. The good news is we will live to fight another day. We'll take our time and talk with Chad and probably point for a 3-year-old campaign after we give him some downtime." Gaudreau was victorious in his Aug. 8 debut at Saratoga Race Course, beating Coach Pope and U. S. S. Valor, both of whom returned to post huge maiden wins in their next starts. He was second to U. S. S. Valor by 6 1/2 lengths in the Champagne. Gaudreau is also owned by Tanglewood Thoroughbreds, Thirty Year Racing, Rodeo Creek Racing, Laura Leigh Stable, and Swift Thoroughbreds. In other scratches and changes announced Wednesday by Breeders' Cup, Go for Launch is out of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), clearing a spot for also-eligible Silent Beauty (IRE) to move into the body of the race; Induction is out of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) and his spot will be taken by Popcorn; Scottish Lassie is scratched from the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1); Zulu Kingdom (IRE) is scratched from the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T); Evershed (IRE) is out of the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) opening a starting position for also-eligible Vina Arana (IRE), who had also been entered as an also-eligible for the Mile, a race she will not pursue; and Test Score is scratched from the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), allowing also-eligible Map of Stars (GB) to draw into the field. Horsemen Filling Also-Eligible Slots A large number of horsemen this year are willing to chase the Breeders' Cup dream even if it means the extra step of waiting out the possible scratches of other potential runners. There are 16 horses entered for 17 also-eligible entries in the 14 Breeders' Cup races. While none of the seven Breeders' Cup dirt races includes an also-eligible, the option is well supported in the event's turf races where all seven events have at least one also-eligible. "Certainly, our recruitment efforts are never with the idea that too many horses is too many horses," said Breeders' Cup executive vice president and chief racing officer Dora Delgado. "We want to make sure that we have the depth of field in case we do have scratches." A number of small things can go wrong with a horse in the nine to 10 days from when pre-entries are announced, as well as the four to five days from entry to race day, that would keep it from racing, especially considering how many horses are traveling from throughout the country and from overseas for the Breeders' Cup. Scrutiny is high from horsemen as well as regulatory vets ahead of the races. Having the option to add a horse off the also-eligible list gives other connections an opportunity and for Breeders' Cup it helps ensure as large of a field as possible for each race. "Just this morning, we had two juveniles that have pulled out because of illness," Delgado said. "That's not veterinary scrutiny; they're babies and they get sick. So having the depth of field on some of these turf races, especially, allows us to pull those also-eligibles in. "We made a rule change a number of years ago to extend those also-eligibles to four on 14-horse fields and six on 12-horse fields," Delgado said. "That allows, especially in those turf races that are very popular, other owners the opportunity to run at this level." Larger field sizes are tied to increased pari-mutuel handle as well, generating additional money for Breeders' Cup and horsemen. Races such as the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) also have expanded the number of also-eligibles allowed in recent years. The Derby allows up to four also-eligible entries. Once in the field, horses have taken advantage of the opportunity. This year, two horses ran in the Kentucky Derby off the also-eligible list with Ocelli finishing third in the race. In 2022, Rich Strike won the Derby as first off the also-eligible list. Jamie Eads, president and CEO of the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation, said it has adjusted rules on also-eligibles in recent years. She said with year-round racing in the state, the regulator wants to do what it can to provide horsemen opportunities and tracks large fields.