Encino is OUT of Kentucky Derby 150, moving Epic Ride into the Field

by:Nick Roush•04/30/24•

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Scratches marred the lead-up to Kentucky Derby 149. This year we made it to Tuesday before the first horse dropped out of the run for the roses.

Encino is the first horse in the 20-horse field to scratch from the race. Trainer Brad Cox informed Churchill Downs his three-year-old will not be in this year’s Kentucky Derby after missing training Tuesday morning.

The scratch of Encino moves Epic Ride into the starting gate at spot No. 20. Trained by John Ennis, Epic Ride is 2-1-1 in his three-year-old campaign. He most recently finished third in the Blue Grass Stakes behind Just A Touch and Sierra Leone, the second choice on the morning line. In a twist of fate, Epic Ride actually finished runner-up to Encino at Turfway Park in early March.

Adam Beschizza will get the (epic) ride in the Kentucky Derby. The first alternate opens with 30-1 odds.

The scratch of Encino has significant consequences for the favorite. Originally slotted at No. 9, each horse to Encino’s outside will now slide down a spot. The race-day favorite, Fierceness, drew the ill-fated post No. 17. A Kentucky Derby winner has never worn the No. 17 saddlecloth. The jinx will not be following Todd Pletcher’s two-year-old champion following this scratch.

Despite the departure of Encino, Brad Cox still has two horses in the race, Catching Freedom and Just a Touch. Chad Brown and Danny Gargan also have multiple runners in the starting gate for Kentucky Derby 150.

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