LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The bad run continued at Churchill Downs on Saturday with early favorite Forte being scratched from the Kentucky Derby and two more horses being euthanized after racing injuries -- bringing the week's total to seven equine deaths.
All were further blows to a sport already reeling from a series of doping suspensions and breakdowns.
The decision to remove Forte was made after a Saturday morning workout. Forte galloped on the track and then jogged outside the barn, with trainer Todd Pletcher and co-owner Mike Repole seen meeting with a state racing commission veterinarian afterward.