LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Silent Tactic is out of the Kentucky Derby because of a foot injury, trainer Mark Casse said Wednesday, the first change to the field of 20 horses for the first leg of the Triple Crown.Silent Tactic opened at odds of 13-1 on the morning line. His exit means Great White is in.“You can’t run in the Kentucky Derby and not be 100%,” Casse said at his barn at Churchill Downs. “It’s very, very slight. It’s very slight, so that’s the good news. The timing’s poor, but it’s not a big deal and that’s the most important thing.”Casse compared the horse’s ailment to a fingernail separation, which is painful and enough to lead to him and owner John Oxley to make the decision to scratch Silent Tactic more than 72 hours before the race.”It wasn’t a tough decision,” Casse said. “It’s not tough because we’re always going to try to do what we feel is best for the horse, Mr. Oxley and our entire group.”The most difficult part for Casse is this means jockey Cristian Torres will have to wait to ride in the Kentucky Derby for the first time. Casse said the call to skip the Derby was made early to allow preparations to begin to run Silent Tactic in the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16.“Today we start preparing for the Preakness,” Casse said. “And the quicker we made the decision — we could’ve held on for another day or two — but then it would slow down our chances …
