Ky. Derby preps: 1 favorite, 2 others are out of Saturday races

Three horses have been scratched from Road to the Kentucky Derby races on Saturday, including the favorite for the Grade 2 San Felipe.

National Treasure, the 3-1 morning-line choice in Santa Anita's Saturday points race, will not run, according to what Tom Ryan of lead owner SF Racing told Daily Racing Form. His scratch will leave a field of nine, since Crypto Ride also was announced as an early scratch Thursday.

General Jim was removed from the Fountain of Youth (G2), reportedly because of a cough, leaving a field of nine to contest the Kentucky Derby prep race at Gulfstream Park.

Farther up the east coast, Fort Warren was scratched from the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct. Fort Warren was cross-entered in the City of Brotherly Love at Parx Racing on Monday and was expected to run there. The Gotham still was expected to have 14 runners with Radio Red drawing in from the also-eligible list.

David Grening of DRF reported in a Tweet on Saturday morning that National Treasure has been declared out of the San Felipe due to a tender inside quarter, according to Ryan. He is the managing partner of SF Racing, co-owner of the colt.

A son of Quality Road, National Treasure has yet to win a race since his debut maiden score at Del Mar on Sept. 3 but has finished in the money in three road to the Kentucky Derby races since, including a third-place finish behind Forte in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He most recently finished third to Reincarnate and Newgate in the Sham (G3) on Jan. 8.

Previously trained by Bob Baffert, National Treasure was moved to the barn of Tim Yakteen before entering the San Felipe, since horses had to be moved to Kentucky Derby-eligible barns by Feb. 28. Baffert is serving his second year of a two-year Kentucky Derby ban after the disqualification of Medina Spirit due to a positive test.

Gulfstream published the scratch of General Jim on Saturday morning. Mike Welsch of DRF said in a Tweet that it came after the colt missed a work because of a coughing Sunday. On Wednesday, Marty McGee of DRF reported the missed day of training and that, even though the horse was back in training, trainer Shug McGaughey was not sure whether he would make the race.

A winner in 3 of 6 starts, General Jim's first two wins came on grass at Saratoga and Keeneland. The son of Into Mischief had run well in two starts on the Gulfstream dirt this winter, finishing fourth beaten 1 1/2 lengths after a troubled trip in the Mucho Macho Man on Jan. 1 and then winning the Swale (G3) on Feb. 4.

According to McGee in DRF on Wednesday, races under consideration for General Jim's next start include the Tampa Bay Derby on March 11 or the Florida Derby on April 1.

Luis Saez, who had originally been named on General Jim, instead will take the call on Dangerous Ride. Miguel Vasquez originally had been named to ride the Carlos David trainee, who is a 30-1 outsider on the morning line. However, it was Saez who guided Dangerous Ride to his last-out victory in a seven-furlong, allowance race at Gulfstream on Jan. 29.

The New York Racing Association confirmed the scratch of Fort Warren from the Gotham. He raced twice in California for Baffert, breaking his maiden on debut in October and then finishing third behind Havnameltdown and Faustin in the San Vicente (G2) on Jan. 29. The son of Curlin will make his first start for new trainer Brittany Russell in Monday's City of Brotherly Love. Like National Treasure, Fort Warren had to switch out of Baffert's barn by Tuesday to gain Kentucky Derby eligibility.