Forte, the 3-to-1 morning line favorite, has been scratched from the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
Forte has scratched from the #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/JoLvoAURXu
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 6, 2023
Forte was declared out of the 149th Kentucky Derby on Saturday morning, according to Churchill Downs spokesman Darren Rogers. No reason was given immediately.
The colt had stumbled during a workout Thursday, although trainer Todd Pletcher had downplayed it.
It was the fifth scratch this week from the race. Other horses who were scratched this week were Wild On Ice, Practical Move, Lord Miles, Skinner, and Continuar.
A number of horses have died at Churchill Downs in the last week, including two trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. He was suspended by the track and had his Derby horse, Lord Miles, scratched.
Forte had a five-race winning streak and was the early 3-1 favorite. 18 horses will now run in the 1 1/4-mile Derby.
Pletcher, a two-time Derby winner, will still have Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns in the race.
Post time for the Derby is shortly before 7 p.m. ET.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Watch the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6 from 12 to 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Full coverage is also available on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.
Pretty Mischievous, the 10-1 morning-line shot, showed her talent in the 2023 Kentucky Oaks (G1), holding off a hard-charging Gambling Girl to claim victory at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks is run at a distance of 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs with a purse of $1.25 million and is limited to 3-year-old fillies.
This is the first career Oaks win for trainer Brendan Walsh. Tyler Gaffalione was in the irons, picking up his first Oaks
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