Rock Hard Ten, the 7-2 second choice on the morning line for today’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, was scratched yesterday because of an injury to his right front foot – not the left front foot he bruised working out last week. The left foot responded well to treatment and was not a cause for concern.

The strapping 4-year-old colt, winner of the Santa Anita and Goodwood handicaps this year, shed the frog (the soft underside of his hoof) galloping yesterday morning at Belmont Park.

“I saw blood on the back of his heel when he came back from his gallop,” said trainer Richard Mandella. “The frog started to loosen last week and shed during the gallop.”

Mandella described the frog as “the cushion between the two heels on the foot that is like a shock absorber. It’s the first thing that meets the ground.

“It’s fairly minor, it just happened at a bad time. It’s very tender. We can’t run him.”

The Head2Head wager in the Classic between Rock Hard Ten and Borrego has been cancelled.