With a City euthanized

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With a City, who was being pointed to the Kentucky Derby on the strength of his stunning upset last month in the Lane's End Stakes, was euthanized early Sunday after being stricken several days beforehand with a mysterious illness.

Trainer Mike Maker told Churchill Downs officials Sunday that With a City became ill Thursday at the Trackside training center "and quickly deteriorated." Maker said it is possible the illness may never be identified

Veterinarians attending to the colt, who was owned by the Equirace.com syndicate of Ron Peltz, "treated him for everything and ran tests on everything," said Maker, a longtime former D. Wayne Lukas assistant. "They just don't know at this time. Hopefully, a necropsy will tell us more, but their feeling right now is that they're not so sure that they're going to be able to tell."

With a City, by City Zip, had finished last in his latest race, the April 15 Arkansas Derby, but Peltz and Maker were undeterred and had planned to run the colt in the May 6 Derby.

With a City surfaced on the Derby scene from seemingly nowhere in the March 25 Lane's End, prevailing at 48-1, the longest odds in a field of 12 . The colt had raced for a $40,000 claiming tag on five occasions before Peltz purchased him for a reported $150,000. Overall, the colt won 4 of 13 starts and $359,680.