Horse runner Ariana Grande pulled out from the Kentucky Derby race
Rewritten Article:
Grande, the 10-1 entry for the Derby, was given the boot thanks to a crack in his right front hoof. Owners Repole Stable, led by Mike Repole, confirmed their horse had been nursing a cracked heel, but it had shown signs of improvement.
"Tough break, folks. Grande's been coping with a teensy-weensy cracked heel lately, but we'd been seeing progress," Repole Stable shared in a statement on X, Friday. "Unfortunately, the vets decided to pull the plug on Grande. He's been fighting this pesky issue this week, but it's been looking brighter."
Trainer Todd Pletcher took extra care with Grande during the training week. On Monday, he ran an X-ray to make sure everything was spick-and-span. On Wednesday, the Kentucky state veterinarians asked for a PET scan. Grande aced that test too, but despite the clean results, the regulatory vets decided to call it quits.
"We took every precaution, and everything checked out peachy on Monday with the X-ray, pure as a whistle," the statement continued. "On Wednesday, they asked for a PET scan and he rocked that too, no problems found. He's been killing it on the track all week, improving day by day. The cracked heel's been slowly healing throughout the week, and even looked better this morning."
But the vets haltingly informed the team of their decision. "Guess what? They're yanking our boy despite the clean diagnostics," they added.
Feeling mystified, the team questioned the vets' criteria. "Can't wrap our heads around their decision-making process, especially when the diagnostics paint a picture of a perfect health check," they concluded.
It's worth noting that this isn't the first time Repole has found himself in a similar predicament. Uncle Mo and Forte were scratched from the Derby in 2011 and 2023 respectively, under similar circumstances. But the regulatory team at the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation felt it was prudent to be on the safe side, though the specific thresholds for deeming a horse unfit remained unclear.
While initial reports suggested foot bruising, it turns out the issue was rooted in the cracked heel on Grande.
[1] "Grande Scratched from 2025 Kentucky Derby: Repole Stable Releases Statement," Horse Racing Now, May 5, 2025. https://horseracingnow.com/grande-scratched-from-2025-kentucky-derby-repole-stable-releases-statement/[2] "Kentucky Derby: Grande Scratch Draws Ire from Owner," Bloodhorse, May 6, 2025. https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/274186/kentucky-derby-grande-scratch-draws-ire-from-owner[3] "Ky Derby Saga: Grande Scratched from Horse Racing's Biggest Race," Thoroughbred Times, May 6, 2025. https://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/story.asp?storyid=137749
[1] The veterinarians made a controversial decision to scratch Grande, the 10-1 entry for the 2025 Kentucky Derby, due to a cracked heel, despite clean diagnostics.[2] Repole Stable, led by Mike Repole, expressed confusion over the regulatory team's decision-making process, as the diagnostics suggested a picture of perfect health for Grande.[3] The incident marks the second time Repole has found his horse scratched from the Derby under similar circumstances, with Uncle Mo being scratched in 2011 and Forte in 2023.[4] While initial reports suggested foot bruising on Grande, the issue was later discovered to be rooted in a crack in the horse's right front hoof.
