Scratched Derby favorite Forte ineligible to compete in Preakness
Forte will not be allowed to compete in the May 20 Preakness Stakes because of rules designed to protect horses that have been scratched from races for veterinary reasons.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s chief veterinarian scratched Forte from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, in which he likely would have been the favorite, because of a bruise on his right front foot. Under the Kentucky commission’s rules, Forte can’t compete for at least 14 days after the scratch and would then have to perform a satisfactory workout in front of a state veterinarian before racing again.
The Preakness will be run exactly 14 days after Forte was scratched on the morning of the Derby. States honor one another’s veterinary rulings, so Kentucky’s noncompete window, reiterated in a Monday news release from the KHRC, also applies in Maryland.
A spokesperson for the Maryland Racing
Commission confirmed Monday evening that Forte would not be eligible for the Preakness.
The regulatory roadblock is another blow to trainer Todd Pletcher’s plans for a horse listed as the morning line favorite for the Derby. Forte was the 2-year-old champion in 2022 and has won five straight stakes races, including the April 1 Florida Derby over Kentucky Derby champion Mage.
Pletcher said the colt looked entirely recovered
from his foot bruise when he galloped around the track at Churchill Downs on Monday morning. He planned to put Forte through a timed workout Friday or Saturday with an eye on having him travel to Pimlico Race Course next week if all went well.
Forte’s co-owner, Mike Repole, told NBC Sports the veterinarian’s decision to scratch his horse from the Derby was overly cautious.
He and Pletcher hoped Forte would have his chance to win a Triple Crown race in Baltimore, but that quest might have to wait for the June 10 Belmont Stakes.
The debate over Forte’s health is unfolding against a backdrop of worry caused by the deaths of seven horses that competed or worked out at Churchill Downs in the run-up to the Derby.