Trainer Baffert scratches lone entry

Wimbledon was found to have swelling in his left front leg.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Bob Baffert's Kentucky Derby hopes were dashed today when Wimbledon was scratched because of swelling in his left front leg.
He said the tendon in the leg was swollen and sore.
"I can't take any chances," the three-time Derby winner said. "He probably did it [Thursday] galloping."
The injury is not believed to be career-threatening.
"This is the part of the business we never get used to," Baffert said. "They're fragile. When you have soft tissue damage involved, you have to be really careful."
The injury was discovered at about 6 a.m. when Wimbledon's leg bandage was removed.
Streak ends at eight
"There's no way to sugarcoat this thing," a disappointed Baffert said as a steady rain fell on Churchill Downs.
The injury ended Baffert's streak of eight consecutive Derby appearances. He's had 13 starters over that span and won with Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002.
Baffert captured the depressed mood around his barn when he quoted the late trainer Charlie Whittingham, who once said, "Horses are like strawberries, they go bad overnight."
Wimbledon's injury will keep owner James McIngvale from having his first Derby starter. The Houston furniture store owner has spent millions trying to get a horse into the race.
"I'm more disappointed not only for my staff, we were looking forward to it, but the McIngvale family was really looking forward to it," Baffert said. "We finally got Mac a good horse."
Baffert alerted McIngvale to the bad news.
"He knows the ups and downs of this game," the trainer said. "He was disappointed, but it's not the end of the world for him."
Combination left out
That leaves the 130th Derby without one of racing's most successful trainer-jockey combinations. Jerry Bailey won the race in 1993 aboard Sea Hero and again in '96 with Grindstone. He had ridden in every Derby since 1991.
"I'm disappointed. Guess I'll have to hang around another year," Bailey said. "I guess if I didn't have any other choices, it might have been easier to take. But it is a little easier for me. I make it here every year and usually so does Bob. I feel bad for the owner. He's been trying to make it here."
Bailey isn't second-guessing himself, but if Eddington had enough graded stakes earnings to get into the 19-horse field, the Hall of Famer probably would have ridden him.
Baffert made his first Derby appearance in '96, when Cavonnier lost by a nose to Grindstone. Baffert and Bailey were teaming up for the first time in the Derby.