Audible, the Florida Derby winner, has some noticeable discoloration on his front hooves, the result of the product Equilox being applied, trainer Todd Pletcher said, in order to “bump up” the walls of his hooves.

“He has shelly walls,” Pletcher said Friday morning at Churchill Downs. “This gives the blacksmith more of a wall to work with.

“It’s a pro-active approach,” Pletcher said, to guard against potential quarter cracks and to make sure there’s enough area to affix a shoe with nails.

Horses with similar issues sometimes have glue-on shoes used, but Pletcher said he’s had inconsistent results with glue-ons – “sometimes we get issues with their soles” – and thought this approach was best for Audible. He had the work done after the Holy Bull and prior to the Florida Derby, Pletcher said.

“He’s still in the same shoes he wore in the Florida Derby,” Pletcher said. “He’ll be re-shod next week.”