Louisville, Kentucky.- Fielding for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby dwindled hours before racing began Saturday when favorite Forte was dropped.
“It’s part of the racing and it’s the cruel part,” Mike Repole, who co-owns Forte, admitted to FanDuel TV.
He was the fifth horse taken out days before the $3 million Derby for three-year-olds. Six more have died in recent days at Churchill Downs.
The series of horse deaths marred the event on a hot and cloudy day.
“It is worrying and I hope they are doing the best they can to correct what is happening, said Michael Freeze, who came dressed as a jockey with some friends. “They have to do the best for the horses and the sport.”
A horse that entered Saturday’s second meet, three-year-old Choe’s Dream, took a misstep coming out of the first lap and was taken by ambulance. The filly suffered a right knee injury and was euthanized, trainer Jeff Hiles confirmed to The Associated Press.
“He had a bad time there,” Hiles admitted. “The same thing could happen while he runs on the field as on the track. It’s very unfortunate.”
The new anti-doping and medication rules of the body that governs the sport will begin to apply on May 22.
“Something is happening,” said Pat Murtha, who attended her first Derby.
Forte was a 3-1 favorite; his absence narrows the field to 18 fillies for the 1 1/4 mile race.
Repole said veterinarians with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission diagnosed Forte with a bruised foot. He said the bruise started to appear on the filly a few days ago. The horse tripped Thursday during training.
Trainer Todd Pletcher still has two other horses competing in the Derby: Tapit Race and Kingsbarns.
A crowd of 150,000 is expected to attend Churchill Downs.
Among the deaths was Derby contender Wild On Ice. Two of the horses that died belonged to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who has been suspended indefinitely by the track although it has not yet been determined what caused the equines’ deaths.
In recent days four horses were ruled out—Practical Move, Lord Miles, Carry On and Skinner.
Forte was last year’s champion for 2-year-olds and was coming off winning five races in a row.
