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The 2015 Breeders Cup Classic just got a little easier for American Pharoah after a Thursday morning announcement that second favorite Beholder has been scratched from Saturday’s race. She had been listed with 3-1 odds of winning.
The champion mare was being kept out due to an "irritated tissue in her lung" , trainer Richard Mandella confirmed Thursday morning. Bleeding was observed on her lungs.
"We cannot take the chance to run her under those circumstances," Mandella said.
The 5-year-old mare is a winner of her last six races including three straight grade 1 races: The Clement H. Hirsch, Pacific Classic and, most recently, the Zenyatta Stakes. She was seen as the greatest threat to triple crown winner American Pharoah.
"We can say we haven't had a lot of luck shipping, that's for sure," Mandella said. "It's been so different each time. She's an aggressive mare and just was too worked up on the plane shipping here and got herself sick. It's as simple as that.
"...It's sad news. It was an exciting thing to think of a challenge like this. I said when it happened, we're going to monitor her very closely, and if we see any negative signs, it's over. That's where we are today."
American Pharoah’s odds of winning the Breeders Cup Classic were expected to be revised so check back here for the latest.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
