Colitis attack probably puts Gouverneur Morris out for year

Gouverneur Morris is off the Triple Crown trail and most likely done for the year after suffering a case of colitis, Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor International, which is part-owner of the colt, said Thursday.

Gouverneur Morris had been at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland since last week, being treated for a leg infection. On Monday, the horse was transferred to the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, N.J., with severe diarrhea. He also had issues with his feet.

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“His poop’s normal, his white blood count, which had gotten very low, is now low normal, no fever,” Irwin said Thursday. “I wouldn’t say he’s totally out of the woods; he’s peaking through the trees.”

Irwin said that when he’s able to leave the hospital, Gouverneur Morris would likely be sent to a facility in New Jersey for a little while before being sent for an extended break to WinStar Farm, which also owns Gouverneur Morris.

“This year is probably shot,” Irwin said.

Gouverneur Morris, trained by Todd Pletcher, is 2 for 5 with a fourth in the Florida Derby and a third in a division of the Arkansas Derby.