Ankle Chips Knock Annapolis Out of BC Juvenile Turf

The $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) lost one of its top contenders Oct. 29 as Bass Racing's undefeated Annapolis  was withdrawn from consideration from the Nov. 5 stakes at Del Mar due to chips in a hind ankle.

"It's bad timing, but he'll be back. It's a humbling game," said Perry Bass who runs Bass Racing along with his mother, Ramona.

With the defection of Annapolis, trainer Mark Casse confirmed that Harry T. Rosenblum's Credibility  will move off the also-eligible list and run in the mile turf stakes at the World Championships.

Credibility, a son of Nyquist   bred by DJ Stable, was third by 1 1/4 lengths in the Oct. 10 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.

With Credibility now among the 14 starters in the grade 1 stakes for 2-year-olds, Donegal Racing's Ready to Purrform  sits atop the horses on the also-eligible list and could run in the Juvenile Turf if there's another scratch.

The remainder of the 2-year-olds on the also-eligible list, in order of preference toward starting in the Juvenile Turf, are Verbal , Jasper Krone, Detroit City , and Royal Spirit .

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the homebred son of War Front   won both of his starts, capped by a narrow victory over Juvenile Turf entrant Portfolio Company . He captured his Sept. 4 career debut at Saratoga Race Course by 4 1/2 lengths as a heavy favorite.

Perry Bass said the injury is believed to be minor and there are high hopes for a productive 3-year-old campaign in 2022.

"Todd said English Channel   had the exact same thing as a 2-year-old and he came back from it," Bass said, referring to Pletcher's 2007 male turf champion who is now a stallion at Calumet Farm. "Annapolis will go to Kentucky and Dr. Larry Bramlage (of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital) will make an assessment and we'll go from there. He'll do his lay-up at WinStar and hopefully he'll be back better than ever as a 3-year-old. He'll be a fresh horse for next year."

Annapolis is a son of the Unbridled's Song mare My Miss Sophia who was bought by bloodstock agent Steve Young on behalf of the Bass family for $4 million at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale while carrying Annapolis.

Steve Rushing, Ortiz's agent, said the three-time Eclipse Award-winning rider does not have another mount for the Juvenile Turf at the moment, though he is expected to ride in at least 11 races at the World Championships.

Despite the setback with Annapolis, the Bass family will still have a rooting interest at the Breeders' Cup as a part owner of Hat Creek Racing's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) candidate Averly Jane  and Bombard , who is on the also-eligible list for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) and is owned in a partnership with Dell Hancock and Adele B. Dilschneider.

Annapolis' injury was first reported by Daily Racing Form.