Thousand Words scratched from Kentucky Derby after falling to the ground in paddock
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2020 Kentucky Derby coverage
The Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com produced numerous stories, photos and videos out of Saturday’s 146th Kentucky Derby won by Bob Baffert trainee Authentic at Churchill Downs. Click below to read all of our coverage.
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Thousand Words, one of the top contenders for this year’s Kentucky Derby, was scratched less than 30 minutes before Saturday’s race.
The 3-year-old colt appeared uncomfortable in the paddock area before rearing back and falling to the ground. With trainer Bob Baffert looking on, Thousand Words immediately got back to his feet. He was walked around the paddock area for a couple minutes before an announcement was made that he would be scratched from the Derby.
The on-track veterinarian for Saturday’s race, Dr. Kathleen Anderson, said after the race that Thousand Words was given a complete examination after his spill and checked out without a scratch.
“The good news is the horse is absolutely fine,” she said. “He’s returned to the stable area, had a thorough examination … and he has been cleared with not a scratch upon him.”
Thousand Words had odds of 10-1 at the time of the scratch and was the fourth betting choice behind heavy favorite Tiz the Law, Honor A. P., and Authentic, who is also trained by Baffert.
Authentic won the Derby, giving Baffert his sixth career victory in the race.
Baffert said after the race that his longtime assistant trainer, Jimmy Barnes, suffered a broken arm in the paddock incident with Thousand Words and was in an ambulance when the Derby went off.
In his most recent race, Thousand Words upset Honor A. P. in the Shared Belief Stakes, earning a 104 Beyer Speed figure, the second-fastest of any contender in this year’s Derby behind Tiz the Law.
Thousand Words’ scratch left the Derby field at 15 horses, the smallest since 1998.
This story was originally published September 5, 2020 at 6:56 PM.
