King Guillermo, scratched from Derby, returns to work tab

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - King Guillermo, scratched from the Kentucky Derby just two days before the race, was back on the work tab for the first time since resuming training and breezed an easy half-mile in 51.78 Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

His next goal is the Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct on Nov. 28.

Trainer Juan Carlos Avila discovered King Guillermo was running a fever at feed time on Wednesday afternoon, just 72 hours out from the Derby. After consulting with veterinarians and King Guillermo’s owner, former major league baseball star Victor Martinez, the decision was made to scratch from the Derby in the best interests of the horse.

Avila said King Guillermo spent the next two weeks at WinStar Farm recuperating from his illness before rejoining his stable at Gulfstream Park in late September.

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“He had a very easy work this morning and the gallop-out was good,” Avila said. “Right now his health is perfect. The Cigar Mile is also an option for him, although I prefer the Discovery, which is for 3-year-olds only and a much easier race for him the first time back. If all goes well, we should be able to get in four more breezes here before the race.”

Avila had opted to train King Guillermo into the Kentucky Derby following his second-place finish behind Nadal in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2 at Oaklawn Park. King Guillermo first gained national attention in his previous start when drawing off to an impressive 4 3/4-length victory as a 49-1 longshot in the Tampa Bay Derby.

“He couldn’t have been doing any better before the Kentucky Derby, his works were all perfect, and then he comes down with a fever three days before the race,” Avila said. “What can you say? That’s the business. It was very, very sad, especially for the owners. But he is a very good horse and we hope he’ll be able to show everybody that going forward now that he’s healthy again.”