The unbeaten 3-year-old colt McCraken will return to the track on Sunday at the Palm Meadows Training Center, his trainer Ian Wilkes said on Saturday.
Last Tuesday, Wilkes said that McCraken had a slight strain in his left ankle and would not make a scheduled start in the Tampa Bay Derby (Grade 2) at Tampa Bay Downs on March 11.
Wilkes's crew noticed the strain early Tuesday. Later that day, X-rays were negative. McCraken had worked a half mile at Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach.
"He's looking good, and it's very minor," Wilkes said.
Wilkes added: "What would you do if you had a sprained ankle? You'd rest it and ice it. We did that. We had the choice of missing a race or pushing the envelope. We decided not to push the envelope."
Wilkes has not set a date for McCraken's next timed workout.
He said McCraken remains on target to run in the Blue Grass (Grade 2) at 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland on April 15.
That would be his final prep for the 1 1/4 mile Kentucky Derby on May 6.
McCraken has 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Last year, the cutoff for getting into the 20-horse field was 32 points.
The first four finishers in the Blue Grass will get 100, 40, 20 and ten points respectively.
McCraken, a son of Ghostzapper, won the 1 1/16 mile Sam F. Davis (Grade 3) in a track record 1:42.45 at Tampa Bay on Feb. 11.
O n Saturday, Wilkes spoke in the Gulfstream Park winner's circle after his trainee Bird Song won the Fred W. Hooper Stakes (Grade 3).
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HorseRacing FLA staff