King Guillermo training up to the Kentucky Derby — again

King Guillermo, the longshot Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner last seen finishing second in a division of the Arkansas Derby (G1), will skip the newly-rescheduled Belmont Stakes and train up to the 2020 Kentucky Derby.

A tweet issued Tuesday by trainer Juan Carlos Avila said the Uncle Mo colt will return from the farm to train at Gulfstream Park before leaving for Churchill Downs in July.

Avila intended on sending King Guillermo straight to the Kentucky Derby after his March 7 victory at Tampa Bay Downs. The target changed, but the date didn't when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a shift in the stakes calendar. King Guillermo still ran on the first Saturday in May, finishing behind unbeaten Nadal in the Arkansas Derby's second division.

A skip now straight to the first Saturday in September makes for an even longer layoff, with King Guillermo getting 18 weeks between starts.

Former MLB All-Star Victor Martinez campaigns King Guillermo under the Victoria's Ranch banner. The colt also won the Tampa Bay Derby off a layoff of more than three months. His record now stands at 2-1-1 in five starts.

King Guillermo ranks fifth on the Derby leaderboard with 90 points.