Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs Officials Announce Unfortunate News on Saturday
The field for the Kentucky Derby 152 has shifted again shortly before post time, with another late scratch reducing the lineup.
The race, held at Churchill Downs, was originally set for a full field of 20 horses, but entered Saturday already dealing with three withdrawals. Given the time of those scratches, however, they were replaced before the deadline, leaving the field still at 20.
The most notable change emerged on Saturday morning and involved The Puma, a contender trained by Gustavo Delgado, with the aforementioned entry deadline already in the rearview mirror.
The Puma entered the weekend as a competitive option, listed at 8/1 odds after finishing second in the Florida Derby. The colt had been viewed as a serious challenger in the mile-and-a-quarter race.
Delgado revealed the decision to pull The Puma and explained it came after they identified a medical issue in his leg.
"We discovered some swelling in his leg due to a skin infection," Delgado said. "It's incredibly disappointing, but the swelling should go down within a day or two. It's just really bad timing."
According to Delgado, per Churchill Downs' Kevin Kerstein, the scratch was officially announced after the swelling was linked to the infection, and the decision was made despite expectations that the condition would improve quickly, per Delgado.
The Puma will be scratched from Kentucky Derby 152.
— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) May 2, 2026
"We discovered some swelling in his leg due to a skin infection," @GDS_Racing said. "It's incredibly disappointing but the swelling should go down within a day or two. It's just really bad timing." pic.twitter.com/p4MUhpBIpY
The Puma, ridden by Javier Castellano, became the latest addition to a growing list of scratches, and in this case, it will reduce the field from 20 to 19 horses, with no alternates allowed after the deadline.
Here are the three other scratches and their replacements heading into Saturday's race:
- Silent Tactic (Wednesday, Apr. 29): Trained by Mark Casse. Withdrawn due to a bruised foot. Replaced by Great White.
- Fulleffort (Thursday, Apr. 30): Trained by Brad Cox. Scratched after having an issue in the left hind leg during jogging. Replaced by Ocelli.
- Right to Party (Friday, May 1): Trained by Kenny McPeek. Scratched due to right front lameness. Replaced by Robusta.
The Kentucky Derby is scheduled for approximately 6:57 p.m. ET, with a $5 million purse and a field now set pending final pre-race adjustments.
Related: 2026 Kentucky Derby: Start Time, Live Stream, TV Channel and Betting Odds
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:33 AM.