Kentucky Derby favorite Forte scratched due to bruised foot
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The bad run continued at Churchill Downs on Saturday with early favorite Forte being scratched from the Kentucky Derby and two more horses being euthanized after racing injuries -- bringing the week's total to seven equine deaths.
All were further blows to a sport already reeling from a series of doping suspensions and breakdowns.
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 seven horses have died.
That total includes 3-year-old gelding Chloe's Dream, who was injured leaving the first turn during Saturday's second race, and 3-year-old colt Freezing Point, who pulled up inside the six-furlong marker with an ankle injury during the eighth race -- the Pat Day Mile.
Chloe's Dream was taken off in an equine ambulance with a right front knee injury and was euthanized, trainer Jeff Hiles confirmed to The Associated Press.
"He just took a bad step out there," 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."
Freezing Point suffered a left ankle injury in the Pat Day Mile and was euthanized, trainer Joe Lejzerowicz told the AP. He said Fort Bragg, who finished third, came over and slammed into Freezing Point during the race.
"He just got bumped in the backstretch," Lejzerowicz said. "He never took a bad step or bobble. He had a big heart."
Two horses that died earlier 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.
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