Kentucky Derby: King Guillermo will scratch after spiking a fever
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King Guillermo will be scratched from Saturday's Kentucky Derby after developing a fever on Wednesday afternoon, his trainer, Juan Carlos Avila, said on Thursday.
King Guillermo turned in a regular gallop on Wednesday morning, but did not train on Thursday morning. Avila said that the colt had developed “a little problem” and would be thoroughly examined by a veterinarian. He posted on his Twitter account just after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday that the colt would indeed need to withdraw from the race.
"Unfortunately, we will not be at the Kentucky Derby this Saturday," Avila wrote in a translated tweet. "A fever yesterday afternoon took us away from this great dream. [The first priority] is the health of our King Guillermo, who will be ready to show that he is one of the best in the country sooner rather than later."
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Avila indicated that the Preakness Stakes on Oct. 3, which this year falls as the final leg of the Triple Crown, is under consideration if the colt recovers swiftly.
King Guillermo was 20-1 on the morning line for the Kentucky Derby after winning the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby in March and finishing second in a division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2 in his final prep. The colt, who is owned by retired Major League Baseball player Victor Martinez, was to have been ridden by Samy Camacho in the Derby. Both Avila and Camacho were participating in the Derby for the first time.
King Guillermo’s scratch will leave a field of 17 for the Kentucky Derby. The colt had drawn Post 6. With his withdrawal, posts 1, 2, and 20 will be left empty in the new 20-stall starting gate.