02-05-2025
Grande scratched from Kentucky Derby, bringing field down to 19
A little more than 24 hours before the 151st Kentucky Derby, Grande has joined the list of scratched horses.
Grande, owned by Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher, will not race due to a bruised foot, the Derby announced, bringing the field for Saturday's race down to 19. The move came a day after Rodriguez, the Bob Baffert-trained horse, was scratched from the race because of a bruised foot.
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Repole said in a post on social media that Grande had been fighting through a cracked heel, but that an X-ray and PET scan earlier this week came back clean. He said he was 'shocked and confused' at why the decision was made now.
'The heel has improved throughout the week and it also improved again this morning,' Repole wrote on X. 'Unfortunately the vets told us this morning they were scratching the horse despite the clean diagnostics.
'We were very confused with all the clean diagnostics and improvement all week, why they rushed to judgment to scratch today.''
Unfortunately, the vets have decided to scratch Grande from tomorrow's Kentucky Derby.
He has been battling a slight cracked heel this week which has been improving. To be cautious, Todd X-rayed on Monday and the horse had clean X-rays. On Wednesday, the state vets asked us if…
— Repole Stable (@RepoleStable) May 2, 2025
Grande was set to break from post position No. 10, with 10-1 betting odds. Bred by KatieRich Farms in Kentucky, Grande has made just three starts, all coming in 2025. Grande picked up a win at Gulfstream Park in January and finished second in the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial with respectable speed and strength.
Repole also had a horse (Forte) scratched from the Derby two years ago.
Grande was rising up the Kentucky Derby odds board after the Rodriguez scratch. The Pletcher-trained horse opened at 20-1 on the morning line, but his odds had shortened to 10-1 by Thursday afternoon, as high as the fourth betting favorite, before the news broke. — Vik Chokshi
