Eskendereya out of Kentucky Derby

Todd Pletcher has accomplished just about everything a thoroughbred horse racing trainer can achieve except a win in the Kentucky Derby, and it looked like this was finally going to be the year. He may still be able to grab that elusive brass ring, but he will have to do so without the horse that would have been the definitive favorite.

Eskendereya, who was to enter the Derby off a pair of dominating wins in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Wood Memorial, is going to be held out of the race due to swelling in his left leg. The colt would have been made the 9-5 morning line favorite according to oddsmaker Mike Battaglia, and Pletcher had been quoting as saying that Eskendereya would be the best horse he ever entered in the Derby.

Pletcher, who has sent 24 horses to the Kentucky Derby starting gate over the years without a win, will not be without representation this time around in spite of the setback with Eskendereya. He may enter as many as six horses, including Louisiana Derby winner Mission Impazible ,Super Saver, Discreetly Mine, and Rule.

This year’s Kentucky Derby is coming up on Saturday, May 1st, and estimated post time is around 6:24 pm EDT. The race and all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding it will be televised on NBC, and that coverage begins at 4:00 pm with celebrity interviews and behind -the-scenes look at the social scene surrounding the Run For The Roses.