Dream Shake, who sat at No. 18 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, will bypass the 1 1/4-miles classic on May 1 and instead contest the $500,000 Pat Day Mile (G2) on the undercard. The defection opened the door for Hozier, but trainer Bob Baffert subsequently told HRN on Friday the Pioneerof the Nile colt would not run.
With those two out, Lexington (G2) winner King Fury is now in the field of 20 with Keepmeinmind next in line.
The decision by trainer Peter Eurton and Dream Shake's ownership group was relayed via a social media message on Friday.
??: Per @EurtonRacing and @ExlineBorder, Dream Shake is heading to the Pat Day Mile with Flavien Prat to ride. pic.twitter.com/xLhDJYLbFy
— Britney Eurton (@BritneyEurton) April 23, 2021
Hozier, who was exiting a disappointing sixth-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1), breezed six furlongs at Santa Anita in 1:16.0 on Friday.
"We worked him today and he's not going to be ready for that," Baffert said, adding that the $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes going 1 1/16-miles on the Preakness Stakes undercard could be his next target.
Dream Shake had been on the fence for running in the Derby since earlier defections from the field vaulted him into the top 20. The Twirling Candy colt, with just three starts, would have ceded experience to most in the Derby field. Dream Shake won on debut at Santa Anita on Feb. 7 and came back a month later to run third in the San Felipe (G2) behind Life is Good and Medina Spirit when trying two turns for the first time.
In the Santa Anita Derby (G1), Dream Shake again checked in third, this time behind Rock Your World and Medina Spirit.
