LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Brad Cox’s Kentucky Derby hand got lighter Thursday when Fulleffort was scratched from Saturday’s race because of a chip in his left hind ankle, according to The Daily Racing Form.
The gray colt, owned by St. Elias Stable and Starlight Racing, had been listed at 20-1 on the morning line and was set to break from post No. 19 under Tyler Gaffalione. He was the ninth betting choice at 19-1 after two days of early wagering at Churchill Downs.
He's the second defection from the original Derby field, after Silent Tactic was scratched with a foot issue on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Cox sounded encouraged by the colt’s progress after Fulleffort trained at Churchill Downs.
“He’s moving forward at the right time,” Cox said then.
Instead, Fulleffort will not get the chance to test that form in the Derby.
He entered the race off a visually impressive 2 1/2-length victory in the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, a win that helped him earn 110 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. He had finished in the top three in six straight starts and had not lost by more than a length during that stretch.
His scratch removes one of the race’s more intriguing longshot closers — and one of Cox’s Derby starters — from the field.
Cox still expects to send out Commandment and Further Ado, both top contenders for Saturday’s Derby.
Ocelli draws in off the also-eligible list and brings with him one of the more unusual résumés in the field. Trained by Whit Beckman and ridden by Joseph Ramos, the bay colt is still a maiden — 0-for-6 with one second and three thirds — and would be trying to do something the Kentucky Derby hasn’t seen since 1933: win without ever having won before. He got his way into the race with 25 qualifying points, most recently finishing a solid third in the Wood Memorial.
He fits the profile of a deep closer who can pass tired horses late, but the numbers suggest the climb is steep. His top Equibase Speed Figure of 87 is well below the level typically required to contend in this race, meaning he would likely need a pace meltdown — and then some — to make a serious impact. Still, in a 20-horse field, a horse that keeps coming can at least make his presence felt in the final furlong.
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