King Guillermo to Miss Kentucky Derby With Fever

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King Guillermo to Miss Kentucky Derby With Fever
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Photo: Rick Samuels
King Guillermo gallops Sept. 2 at Churchill Downs

King Guillermo will be scratched from the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) after developing a fever the afternoon of Sept. 2, trainer Juan Carlos Avila announced via Twitter Sept. 3. The colt's defection leaves a field of 17 for the 1 1/4-mile classic.

The son of Uncle Mo  did not train Thursday morning at Churchill Downs, and Avila told BloodHorse that the horse had a "little problem" that would require time over the course of the day to evaluate before a decision on his Derby status was finalized. That time eventually came around 4:30 p.m. ET.

Translated via Google, Avila tweeted that "unfortunately we will not be this Saturday at the (Kentucky Derby). A fever yesterday afternoon took us away from this great dream."

In a follow-up tweet, he thanked the support of the public and mentioned the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course as a next goal for the colt.

Earlier Thursday morning, Avila said, "It's a big race and a little problem is a big problem for me," a reference to the timing two days before the Derby.

Churchill Downs publicity issued a press release announcing the intended scratch shortly after Avila's tweet.

"To race in a race like the Derby we need him at 100 percent," Avila said in the release. "We aren't going to be able to demonstrate how good he is like this. I think we are going to have plenty of time to show his quality. He's going to be a great horse and everybody knows we have to take care of the horse first. The next step is to try to get him ready for the Preakness and go from there."

King Guillermo has not raced since finishing second to Nadal in a division of the May 2 Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park. Before that effort, he delivered an upset victory in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2). He has been training at Churchill Downs for more than a month after traveling from his regular base in Florida.

The colt is owned by retired Major League Baseball All-Star Victor Martinez, who races under the stable name Victoria's Ranch.

"The sad part is that Juan said yesterday was his best day here," Martinez said in the Churchill release. "When we left the track in the morning following training and came back in the afternoon for feed time, we discovered he had a fever. It’s just the sad part about this game.”

The stewards said had not yet received an official scratch for King Guillermo, as of 5 p.m. Thursday, though early Derby scratches are not due until 9:00 a.m Sept. 4.

According to Churchill officials, a field of 17 for the Derby means the two inside gates and one outside gate of the track's new 20-horse Kentucky Derby starting gate will remain open.