Kentucky Derby favorite Forte has been scratched from Saturday’s race, Churchill Downs announced.
The decision to remove Forte was made after a Saturday morning workout. Forte galloped on the track and then jogged outside the barn, with trainer Todd Pletcher and co-owner Mike Repole seen meeting with a state racing commission veterinarian afterward.
Repole said state veterinarians were concerned about a bruised right foot on Forte. The horse had stumbled on the track during a workout Thursday, although Pletcher had downplayed it publicly.
“We did X-rays. We brought in vets. The state vets came in, and they watched him every single day,” Repole told FanDuel TV. “He’s fine. He probably needs a couple more days [to recover].”
Pletcher told ESPN that Forte might race in the Preakness Stakes on May 20.
Repole Stable also tweeted about the withdrawal, writing “I’m so sorry Forte.”
Forte’s scratch continues a challenging week at Churchill Downs, where six horses have died in recent days. That includes 3-year-old Chloe’s Dream, who was injured leaving the first turn during Saturday’s second race. The horse was taken off the track in an equine ambulance and was later euthanized.
“He just took a bad step out there,” trainer Jeff Hiles said. “They could do the same thing running in the field as they could on the track. So it’s very unfortunate. That’s what we deal with.”
Two horses that died this week were trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was suspended by the track and had his Derby horse, Lord Miles, scratched.
Forte, who is on a five-race winning streak, had been listed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite to win the Derby and was at 4-1 before he was scratched. Tapit Trice and Angel of Empire were both listed at 9-2 odds after Forte’s withdrawal.
Forte becomes the fifth horse to be scratched from the Derby, the first time that many horses have been pulled from the race since 1936. Practical Move, Continuar and Skinner joined Lord Miles in being scratched earlier in the week.
The Kentucky Derby is now set to be run with 18 horses. It would be the smallest field since the 2020 Derby, which was run in September because of the coronavirus pandemic and featured just 15 horses.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. had been scheduled to ride Forte but now will be aboard Cyclone Mischief for the Derby.
This is another late scratch for Pletcher and Repole, whose horse Uncle Mo was scratched the day before the 2011 Derby because of a gastrointestinal infection when he was the second choice on the morning line.
Post time for the Derby is 6:57 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.