Midnight Taboo to Scratch From Indiana Derby

Midnight Taboo, one of two 3-year-olds owned by Mike Repole that had been entered in the $500,000 Indiana Derby (gr. II) at Indiana Downs Oct. 5, will be withdrawn, trainer Todd Pletcher said.



"We've decided we are going to run Micromanage but we are going to scratch Midnight Taboo," said Pletcher by phone Oct. 3.



Neither Midnight Taboo or Micromanage, who were to run as a coupled entry, had any luck when post positions were drawn Oct. 2. Midnight Taboo landed in post 11 while Micromanage was slotted to the far outside in the 12-horse field.



"We'll get to drop down one spot with Midnight Taboo (scratched). With two bad posts we figured we'll run just one of them," said Pletcher, who has never won the Indiana Derby.



With the scratch, Ground Transport will be elevated from the also-eligible list and he will load into the vacated post 12 when the 1 1/16-mile race is run over the one-mile oval.



Grade I winner Power Broker remains the favorite for the Indiana Derby following his second-place effort behind the Pletcher-trained Verrazano, who ran away with the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) July 28 at Monmouth Park. Micromanage was third that day.



"He's training very well and everything seems to be in order. It's a very competitive race but Micromanage has shown with some of his better races that he fits with these on his better days," Pletcher said. "We'll hope for a smooth trip from a difficult post position and we'll see what he can  do."



Power Broker was out on the track for an easy gallop early on Thursday morning after arriving by charter flight from Bob Baffert's Southern California headquarters. The son of Pulpit   floated over the surface under exercise rider Danielle Goodman.



"He's super happy," said assistant Jimmy Barnes, who is in charge of the preparations for Power Broker and Indiana Oaks (gr. II) even-money favorite Fiftyshadesofhay.