Ante-Post Favorite Arcangelo Out of Breeders’ Cup Classic

In a surprising turn of events, the highly-favored Arcangelo will not be participating in this Saturday’s prestigious Breeders’ Cup Classic. The talented colt owned by Jena Antonucci had been on an impressive winning streak, clinching both the Belmont Stakes and Travers earlier this year.

The decision to withdraw Arcangelo from the race was made after he suffered a setback. A few days ago, he pulled off one of his hind shoes, which initially seemed like a minor issue. However, as time passed, it became clear that he would not recover in time for the big event.

“He’s honestly doing great,” shared Antonucci with TVG. “He’s bouncing and thriving and happy in his stall.”

Arcangelo’s connections had high hopes for him to follow in his sire Arrogate’s footsteps by winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic just like his father did back in 2016. Unfortunately, fate had different plans for this promising contender.

“Like we’ve talked about all week,” continued Antonucci. “The left-hind shoe he pulled off is not fully resolving and we’re running out of time.”

The welfare of their beloved horse always comes first for Antonucci and her team:

“As we’ve talked about from day one, it will always be horse first no matter what,” she emphasized. “Sure, there’s big racing coming up but spreadsheets and timeframes they don’t really care about.”

Despite the disappointment of missing the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Antonucci remains focused on finding a solution for Arcangelo’s well-being:

“We have so many amazing options here for being able to diagnose and figure things out. We’re going to take advantage of that,” she assured. “We need to do right by him, and missing a race is what it’s going to be this time.”

Arcangelo’s absence adds to the list of significant withdrawals from the Classic. Geaux Rocket Ride suffered a serious leg injury during training at Santa Anita, while Kentucky Derby winner Mage was ruled out due to a fever.