Precise a Late Scratching from Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

[Wandering Eyes]

Precise (Starspangledbanner), the red-hot favourite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, has been withdrawn from the race after she was found to be coughing.

She was one of three late European scratchings on Friday morning, with Godolphin's Military Code (Wootton Bassett) pulled from the GI Juvenile Turf Sprint and Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev) being ruled out of Saturday's G1 Turf Sprint.

Aidan O'Brien, who also has the favourites for today's GI Juvenile Turf and GI Juvenile Turf Sprint in Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) and True Love (No Nay Never), said of Precise, “She gave one cough yesterday [Thursday] morning, but that wouldn't be unusual. It could have been a bit of straw or something. But she gave eight or ten coughs this morning [Friday] so we got her scoped and she had phlegm in her throat.

“We sent off her bloods to the lab for testing and she's got an infection. It seems like she has picked up a little bug or something and her temperature has started to rise.

“It's probably something of nothing and she'll be absolutely fine, but she obviously won't be running. Things like this can always happen when you're travelling. You're always at risk, but she will be absolutely fine in no time.”

A social media post from Godolphin announced that the team on the ground in Del Mar was unhappy with how the colt had pulled out this morning so he too had been scratched.

Amo Racing's Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev), who was runner-up to Magnum Force (Kodiac) at this meeting last year, will be replaced in the Turf Sprint line-up by Japanese runner Puro Magic (Asia Express), who will be ridden by Oisin Murphy.

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