Street Sense and Nyquist are the only winners of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) to take the Kentucky Derby (G1). Ted Noffey will not be the third.
Trainer Todd Pletcher announced Thursday that the undefeated son of top sire Into Mischief is off the Triple Crown trail and sidelined indefinitely because of a bone bruise. He breezed 4 furlongs in 50.81 seconds on Jan. 23 at Palm Beach Downs. Pletcher said the horse showed signs of discomfort after that breeze, his second in a week.
“I wasn’t happy with the way he was moving the last couple of days,” Pletcher said. “We got him evaluated, and he’s got some bone bruising. We’re going to give him 90 days off and hopefully have him back for Saratoga. We’ll look to resume training around the first of May.
“It’s frustrating, disappointing, but we’ve got to do the right thing by the horse.”
The plan was for Ted Noffey to make his 3-year-old debut Feb. 28 in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Instead, he will convalesce at Stonestreet Farm in Ocala, Fla., Pletcher said.
Spendthrift Farm’s gray colt swept his four starts last year, including the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga, Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, and BC Juvenile at Del Mar, all Grade 1 events. On Jan. 22 he was awarded the 2-Year-Old Male Eclipse Award after receiving 218 of 220 possible votes. In this century the only 2-year-old champions who won the Derby are Nyquist (2015, 2016), American Pharoah (2014, 2015) and Street Sense (2006, 2007).
Ted Noffey dominated his races by a total margin of 11¾ lengths but could not overcome the obstacle of history. Besides the poor record of 2-year-old champions and Juvenile winners at 3, there’s this foreboding statistic: Ted Noffey is the 16th consecutive Derby winter-book favorite who not only won’t win the race but won’t even make it to the starting gate.
He was the 8-1 favorite in the Las Vegas winter book and the 6-1 individual betting choice in the recent first Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
Spendthrift’s general manager is Ned Toffey, whose name was botched in a release. As a goof, the transposed first letters led to the horse’s name.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Toffey said. “But after discussions with Todd, the veterinary team and owners Eric and Tammy Gustavson, we are all in agreement that giving the colt time off is the right decision. Our priority is his long-term health and career.
“With proper rest and turnout, we’re hopeful he’ll be back and ready to compete later this summer and fall.”
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
