Amoss' Defeater off Kentucky Derby trail with bruised knee

Defeater, a Tom Amoss-trained colt that showed promise on the road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby, is off the trail after bruising a knee.

The trainer told HRN in a text message Wednesday: "He's had a minor setback which, thank goodness, will not require surgery. We're going to give him time to let him grow up and mature physically. He'll be back this summer."

Amoss said there were no chips or other damage that would require surgery.

Defeater, a son of Union Rags, was best priced at 125-1 in Las Vegas Derby futures.

He appeared on the Derby radar after an impressive maiden win on debut at Fair Grounds on Jan. 2. After breaking a step slowly, he rallied from next to last to win the six-furlong race in 1:11.06.

Amoss considered the Risen Star (G2) for Defeaters's next start but opted instead for a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the undercard. He finished an impressive second after getting squeezed at the start and was expected to come into Derby preps next.

After the debut, Amoss told Fair Grounds' Brian Nadeau: “Any of the young horses that are coming up like him, these are developing young horses and no matter how hard you try, you can’t rush that development because a lot of that is getting physically bigger and stronger, as well as mentally understanding the racing. But make no mistake about it, Defeater is a runner.”