American Pharoah scratched from Juvenile at Breeders’ Cup

Trainer Bob Baffert scratched one of his best hopes for a Breeders’ Cup title Tuesday, when American Pharoah was found to have a deep bruise in his left front hoof.

American Pharoah was the 2-1 morning line favorite in the $2-million Juvenile, a race that usually creates the early favorite for next year’s Kentucky Derby.

“We’re hopeful he’s all right, and that you’ll see him in the spring,” Baffert said. “Something like this just gives you a sickening feeling.”

Baffert has won 10 Breeders’ Cup races in his storied training career, and he has competitive entries in the two major races this week. His Bayern is a 6-1 choice in Saturday’s $5-million Classic and he will also saddle Tiz Midnight, now 10-1 on the morning line, in Friday’s Distaff.

A second casualty Tuesday was the loss of Handsome Mike in the Dirt Mile. The Leandro Mora entry, on behalf of suspended trainer Doug O’Neill, was found to have swelling his left front leg and was scratched. Mora/O’Neill have another entry in the race, favored and defending champion Goldencents.

Stevens’ comeback

Baffert expected to be the trainer to give Gary Stevens his first comeback ride, but a non-Breeders’ Cup, $75,000 allowance race Friday was placed as the final race of the day, with Stevens riding Baffert’s Day Of Fury.

Stevens and Baffert thought that would be Stevens’ first race after his July 25 surgical knee replacement, and Baffert wanted that for more than just the novelty.

“When I first came to Santa Anita [in the early 1990s],” Baffert said, “I was a nobody around here. I wore a hat that everybody laughed at. I was just a new guy to poke fun at.

“I think I had one or two horses and I needed somebody to work them. I asked a big-name jockey and he kind of blew me off. Then I saw Gary at Clockers’ Corner one day and I asked him if he’d work my horse. He was the leading rider at the meet and I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to do that.

“He looked at me and said, sure, he’d do it. And he did.

“Later, people were asking me how I got Gary Stevens to work my horse. I told them, I just asked him.”

Stevens’ first ride back, as it turns out, will be on Sivoliere in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in mid-afternoon Friday, the eighth race of the day. He will ride Day Of Fury in the 10th race.

Classic revisited

A year has passed since we had the marvelous story of a horse named Mucho Macho Man, a trainer with a transplanted heart named Kathy Ritvo and a 50-year-old jockey off a 7 1/2-year layoff named Gary Stevens winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

We know Stevens is back, against all odds. And Ritvo is too, even though one of the mandates of getting her new heart, according to doctors, was that she stay out of dusty areas. Yes, places like racetrack barns.

Ritvo has returned to Santa Anita, site of her grandest moment in the sport, but without Mucho Macho Man. He raced on for a bit after his Classic triumph, and won an early-season major in the Sunshine Millions in Florida. But he could only get fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap and was retired in July.

Ritvo told Bloodhorse magazine in July that Mucho Macho Man was still “sound and happy,” but said she and the ownership decided to retire the 6-year-old because the wear and tear of racing was showing.

He will stand at stud at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs farm in Paris, Ky. Also there are Fort Larned, who beat Mucho Macho Man to the wire by a head to win the 2012 Classic, and Awesome Again, the namesake of the stakes Mucho Macho Man won at Santa Anita last fall, as a final prep to his Classic victory.

Ritvo will saddle Fast Anna in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

By the numbers

Fans like to get an edge on their betting. Many just go with the hot jockey.

That’s as viable a plan this year as ever, especially with veteran Mike Smith, 49, riding better than ever and holding the Breeders’ Cup record with 20 victories. Smith is currently scheduled to ride 10 of the 13 Cup races. Rider Johnny Velazquez will be in every race, Joel Rosario has 11 mounts and Rosie Napravnik has seven.

But there’s a sleeper to consider. He is the European rider Ryan Moore, who has already won six races in this event, has six more rides this weekend, has won races in 11 countries, and is the winningest Breeders’ Cup regular rider by percentage.

Moore’s six wins in 27 starts is a 22.2% clip. Smith’s 20 of 101 is 19.8%.

bill.dwyre@latimes.com.

Twitter: @BDwyreLATimes.