One-Eyed Un Ojo Out For Preakness, Maryland Jockey Club Says
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Un Ojo, the one-eyed 3-year-old gelding who was being considered for the Preakness Stakes, will miss Saturday's race due to the same foot injury that kept him out of the Kentucky Derby, the Maryland Jockey Club said.
"This morning his foot was a little warm again," trainer Ricky Courville told the Maryland Jockey Club on Monday. "The vets went over him, and he's not 100 percent. I'm dealing with the same thing. I guess the work kind of re-aggravated it."
Courville's son, Clay, has been overseeing Un Ojo in Kentucky. He reported the horse looked good Sunday morning but was off during an afternoon check-up.
"This morning it was the same," the elder Courville said.
Under the Derby's points system, Un Ojo earned a spot in the 20-horse field after finishing second in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct and winning the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park as a 75-1 shot. The New York-bred finished eighth in his only other prep race, the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.
Un Ojo, Spanish for "one eye," lost one of his eyes as a yearling.
The owner of improbable Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike has chosen to rest his horse and point to the Belmont Stakes, but three other Derby runners are training to run at Pimlico Race Course in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown: runner-up Epicenter, fourth-place finisher Simplification, and Happy Jack, who came in 14th.
Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath is going to run against the boys in Saturday's race.
The Maryland Jockey Club said Sunday that Armagnac, a 4 1/4-length winner of a $69,000 allowance optional claiming race at Santa Anita Park on May 8, will enter race at the field for trainer Tim Yakteen. The 3-year-old by Quality Road out of Kitty Wine ran in two Derby preps, the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, finishing sixth and fourth, respectively.
"We feel we have a good horse who is improving at the right time," said Tom Ryan, the managing partner of SF Racing, which co-owns Armagnac.
Here are some other entrants in the field: Chad Brown trainee Early Voting, Derby Day allowance winner Creative Minister and Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking.