LOUISVILLE, KY. (April 30, 2004) - Wertheimer et Frere's Halfbridled, last year's 2-year-old champion filly, was declared from the 130th running of the Kentucky Oaks Friday morning when she "tied up" following a gallop at 6 a.m.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, the 9-2 third choice in the nine-furlong Oaks, was in no major discomfort, but "I just couldn't run her after an incident like this," said her trainer, Richard Mandella.

Mandella noted that the daughter of Unbridled had gone to the track in the dark under regular exercise rider Paul Nilluang for her final preparations for this afternoon's Oaks and appeared to handle her one-mile gallop in good order.

"But when she came back on the shedrow and started to walk, you could see she was cramping, her stomach was tight," he said. "She didn't tie up much, but it was enough. I just can't run her - in this race or any other one - if she isn't right."

Tying up with horses is basically a form of stomach cramps. Mandella had faced a similar incident with the Kentucky homebred when he shipped her from her California base to Keeneland this month with the intention of running in the Ashland Stakes. The filly tied up prior to that race forcing the trainer to bypass her original target and run instead in the Stonerside Beaumont Stakes (Grade III) April 8, a race in which she finished second to Kentucky Oaks runner Victory U.S.A.

"It just hasn't gone right for her this year," a frustrated Mandella offered at Barn 41 shortly after he had notified the racing office of his filly's withdrawal. "I've had problems since we shipped (to Kentucky). I thought I'd turned the corner with her here. She was acting good and had trained well and I was hopeful. But this is a setback. The good thing is that she didn't tie up much. I think she'll be OK. It could have been worse."

Halfbridled raced strictly in California last year and opened her 2004 campaign with a second-place finish in the Santa Anita Oaks on March 13. She has won four of six starts with two seconds for earnings of $959,400.

Halfbridled had drawn Post No. 4 in the 12-horse Oaks field and was scheduled to be ridden by Alex Solis.

« Back To Oaks Updates