Two Phil's, Kentucky Derby Runner-Up, Retires After Suffering Injury

A colt that surprised many on the road to the Kentucky Derby has to hang up his horse shoes earlier than expected. Two Phil’s, the second-place finisher in this year’s Kentucky Derby, is retiring to stud after suffering an injury this weekend.

Trained by Larry Rivelli, the horse took a lengthy break after a runner-up finish to Mage on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs. In his first start back, Two Phil’s dominated the competition with a 5-3/4 length win in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby. Unfortunately, the Hard Spun colt sustained an ankle injury. After contemplation from ownership, they decided to retire the horse to stud.

“We’ve done this enough, and giving him six months off and bringing him back, the owners were just like, it was a good career,” Rivelli told Horse Racing Nation on Wednesday. “It was just shorter than we would have wanted, that’s all. The horse is going to be OK, that’s our main interest.”

Two Phil’s finishes his career 5-2-1 in 10 starts and $1,388,000 in earnings. He won a pair of stakes races in Kentucky, taking home the Street Sense at Churchill Downs and the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.

It’s unfortunate we did not get to see how he stacked up against the other 3-year-olds in the summer circuit, but as ownership relayed to Larry Rivelli, the best news is the horse is going to be okay.

What Churchill Downs is doing to Prevent Injuries

Aside from moving the meet, which we’ll get to later, Churchill Downs is one of a few tracks that is implementing a new technology to get to the bottom of horse racing injuries. StrideSAFE censors measure 24,000 data points every second to discern exactly how a horse’s body is responding to stressors while racing at top speed. While the science is far from perfect, adding a preventative element to thoroughbred racing is a step in the right direction. The Courier-Journal has all of the details, including why StrideSAFE is getting pushback from horsemen.

Stephen Foster Saturday Closes Out Churchill Downs Meet at Ellis Park

The injuries at the historic track forced Churchill Downs to make a move. They got out of the limelight by moving the final few weeks of its spring meet down I-64 to Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. We’re missing out on a great night of racing beneath the Twin Spires, but there’s still at least one big stakes race on deck in Western Kentucky.

The 1 1/8 miles Stephen Foster Stakes is the first “Win and You’re In” race of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge. The winner will punch its ticket into the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Smile Happy is the 3-1 favorite after dominating the Alysheba Stakes by posting a 113 speed figure on Kentucky Oaks Day. Brad Cox’s West Will Power could push the pace in this race. Kenny McPeek’s Rattle N Roll enters the race on a three-race win streak. America’s Best Racing handicaps the entire field ahead of Saturday’s showdown.