Two Tattersalls starters land at Rood & Riddle

Trainer Jim Mulinix told harnessracing.com Monday afternoon, Oct. 8, that A Rocknroll Dance, who finished seventh in the $510,300 Tattersalls Pace on Saturday, Oct. 6, at The Red Mile, had throat surgery earlier in the day at Rood & Riddle Equine Clinic in Lexington, Ky. Mulinix's call came shortly after trainer Pete Foley told harnessracing.com that Bolt The Duer, who finished 12th in the same race, is scheduled for evaluation at Rood & Riddle on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

While Mulinix said he expects A Rocknroll Dance to recover fully in time for the Breeders Crown eliminations on Oct. 20 at Woodbine Racetrack, Foley said Bolt The Duer appears out for the championship race.

"It could be a virus…we haven't come up with an answer,” said Foley, who said blood drawn after the Tattersalls where Bolt The Duer led to a :52.4 half before fading to last in the 12-horse field didn't show anything out of the ordinary. "It's got me baffled. He's not the same horse. He had an inflamed throat the week before but he shouldn't have gone further on Saturday.

"He got beat in the Jug and was bad last week, and now he can't get past the half. So something is amiss. I don't think it's anything serious. Maybe he had atrial fibrillation, that's why he's going to go on the treadmill at Rood & Riddle on Wednesday.”

Foley said with the Breeders Crown doubtful, he is now looking toward the Messenger eliminations on Nov. 3 at Yonkers Raceway as the Adios champion's next start.

A Rocknroll Dance started from the trailing post 12 in the Tattersalls and had traffic problems throughout before finishing seventh. Mulinix said because the horse didn't seem right afterward, he decided to take the horse to Rood & Riddle.

"We scoped him and they said he didn't flip his palate, he just choked,” he said of the Meadowlands Pace winner. "Rood & Riddle looked at his throat and cut the strap muscles, which is pretty common and done in five minutes. They said his palate was bruised pretty good, but he didn't flip it.”

Mulinix said he planned on taking A Rocknroll Dance back to his farm in northern Ohio later on Monday, and that he doesn't foresee any problems regarding a Breeders Crown start.

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