Lord Nelson Out of BC Sprint

Spendthrift Farm's multiple grade I winner Lord Nelson will not run in the $2 million TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park after a cut on his right front leg got infected and now has to be treated with antibiotics. The son of Pulpit was the 5-2 second choice on the morning line for the six-furlong race.

"(Trainer Bob Baffert) hoped it would be manageable but, this morning it filled up," said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey Nov. 3. "It is an infection so he will have to go on antibiotics and get treated. It should not be a problem in the long run but it will definitely put him out.

"I think yesterday, (Baffert) still felt like this was an either way thing but it kind of went the wrong way this morning. That's racing, it happens."

Lord Nelson had been scheduled to retire after the Breeders' Cup and will now be shipped to Spendthrift near Lexington. He will stand the 2017 season for a fee of $25,000.

"The nice thing is, he has already established what he is as a racehorse," Toffey said. "None of this changes the pedigree or what he is genetically. So we're still really excited to bring this horse to stud."

Bred by Clearsky Farms, Lord Nelson was a $340,000 Keeneland September sale yearling in 2013. He began his race career for John Fort's Peachtree Stable until he was sold to Spendthrift after a third-place finish in last December's Malibu Stakes (gr. I). This year, he ran the table in four starts including scores in three grade I events: the Triple Bend Stakes, the Bing Crosby Stakes, and the Santa Anita Sprint Championship.

Lord Nelson's defection marks the fourth time in the last six years a top Spendthrift contender has had to be scratched from the Breeders' Cup. In 2010, leading Dirt Mile (gr. I) contender Crown of Thorns was scratched the day before due to a knee injury. In 2014 and last year, champion Beholder—who is slated to make her final career start in the Nov. 4 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I)—had to be scratched due to illness in both instances.

"I'm not assuming anything until they're in the starting gate," Toffey laughed. "If I've learned anything in this business, it's that."

Claire Novak contributed to this report