NEW YORK (AP) – The Belmont Stakes is down to 11 horses after Epicharis was scratched after a veterinarian exam on Saturday morning.
The New York Racing Association said the exam revealed continued inflammation in the Japanese colt’s right front hoof. Epicharis wasn’t ready to run the 1½-mile race three days after the colt was treated for lameness in his hoof.
The pre-race exam is standard for all Belmont runners.
The colt was the 4-1 second choice for the $1.5 million race. He was eligible for a $1 million bonus if he had won as part of NYRA’s campaign to lure a Japanese horse to compete.
Epicharis’ connections had hoped he would still make the race, but the colt had not been sent out to train since Tuesday.